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[Aldred Cricket Bats]

Listen to the pros. It's no coincidence that I am always advising people that dead weight isn't the really important aspect of picking a bat.

http://youtu.be/uiEuodct-8E

[WalkingWicket37]

Listen to the pros. It's no coincidence that I am always advising people that dead weight isn't the really important aspect of picking a bat.

Yes and no.

A bat could feel a lot lighter in your hands than it actually is, which is great. You buy it based on feel.

However, you used to use a bottom heavy 2lb10 bat, and this one is a well balanced 2lb15 bat.
Pickup wise they feel the same, but you wouldn't be able to bat for as long as the extra dead weight would cause fatigue to set in earlier.

Just my thoughts on the matter. Feel free to tell me I'm talking rubbish and prove I'm wrong 

[Aldred Cricket Bats]

Show me a professional cricketer that wants a bottom heavy bat. They want well balanced bats that ping. All my bats when I was sponsored were around the 2-10 mark but we often had bats 2-12/2-13 that picked up immaculately, which is exactly how I endeavour to make every bat we send out be it for club players or professionals. The pros are easy to make for to be honest as they just ask for something that feels great and pings well in an area of weight but not worried if it feels nice and it's over or under

[InternalTraining]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=T8GFC_dvsQ8

3:37 - "weight of my bat..."

Listen to the pros. It's no coincidence that I am always advising people that dead weight isn't the really important aspect of picking a bat.

http://youtu.be/uiEuodct-8E

[Aldred Cricket Bats]

Hmmmm not a bad bloke to listen to. Not a big man either

[moonball]

In many ways it is more important for an average amateur to have a bat with his or her specific requirements than it is for a pro. A pro could possibly play well with anything. Pros get through many bats and which are freely available to them and if things aren't right, then they go back, get repaired, tweaked, whatever. Clearly there are pros who are very specific about their bats, but not all are. A club player is investing his or her own money and - unlike some on here.... may want a bat to last two or three seasons, so it has to be right.

[Manormanic]

quite agree with that sentiment!

[ProCricketer1982]

In many ways it is more important for an average amateur to have a bat with his or her specific requirements than it is for a pro. A pro could possibly play well with anything. Pros get through many bats and which are freely available to them and if things aren't right, then they go back, get repaired, tweaked, whatever. Clearly there are pros who are very specific about their bats, but not all are. A club player is investing his or her own money and - unlike some on here.... may want a bat to last two or three seasons, so it has to be right.

Agree with this.. Which always beg th question on why do pros get the best clefts if thy don't care and we are paying well over the odds for bats? ( 300+ is well over the odds!)

[Bats_Entertainment]

Surely the best way to choose a bat is to pick it up? This is what coaches tell you.

I'm a fan of your BS free approach, Paul; but most people seem to buy your bats 'blind' in the post?

[ProCricketer1982]

Surely the best way to choose a bat is to pick it up? This is what coaches tell you.

I'm a fan of your BS free approach, Paul; but most people seem to buy your bats 'blind' in the post?

Trouble is, places to go and actually feel bats is getting rare. The costs to have a showroom is stupid nowadays. Add those costs up and you have to charge more, which people don't want to pay.. so they come to your shop, feel the bats.. then go online and buy blind as it's cheaper. Plus, quite a few brands want to put the risk on the retailer rather than push their product into new areas.

 (at no point is is aimed at Paul btw, purely generalist)

[praguetaz]

I guess that's why a lot of us depend on the makers as well as shops like Vitas on this forum...

It's tricky for me based in Prague but then I enjoy passing on bats to team mates who are better suited to them if not right for me... A bit hit and miss I know but I get a lot of good info from here...

CJI cricket is the nearest supplier to me with limited stock of well known brands (including Salix, H4L and Newbery) and the guy seems a top bloke.. first time (except for my beloved Newbery Uzi (5 star) which I bought off a local kid selling on ebay) I was able to pick up a range of bats but the prices were enough to dissuade me from buying.

[Aldred Cricket Bats]

Surely the best way to choose a bat is to pick it up? This is what coaches tell you.

I'm a fan of your BS free approach, Paul; but most people seem to buy your bats 'blind' in the post?

Well it's a tough one but fortunately the majority of people give me great feed back on the feel of my bats let alone performance and It has been suggested that years of playing in the professional game has helped in this process. I guess it has really but I was always a good bat picker when I played other players used to ask me to pick them for them. Hopefully my experience does help and will continue to do so.

[Andythomo21]

The one you've sent me feels spot on Paul.  Its a bit of a catch 22.  If you want a bat custom made, you're never going to be able to pick it up and choose. (Unless you sit with the batmaker and he keeps shaving a bit more off till he gets it bang on). Can't add weight back on though.  I was happy to tell Paul my requirements and let him use his skill and experience.

[Drupy01]

Are higher grade clefts naturally lighter than lower grades?

[Aldred Cricket Bats]

Not necessarily no.