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[potzy248]

Would it be a good punt for a bat company or even JS Wrights to pay a guy like Michael Clarke or Kohli Millions to say that they prefer willow with less grains, or more heart wood or butterfly stain if you catch my drift. As long as they still perform well for them and score them a heap of runs I would assume people would change their view on Willow grades. As Blank Bats said on my other post bat makers supply what people want.

Would it be a good investment seeing as there seems to be a shortage of players willow today?
"Hey Kohli or Amla here's $2,000,000 to use these bats that still perform as well but don't look as good". Yes? No?

[vividgreen]

the best players don't necessarily care what the bat looks like, they want the best performing bat possible - it may have half heartwood and be a Grade 3.

[cleanbowled]

Agreed, if you were a pro, performance would be by far the most important metric. Looks are just an added bonus, though I am sure some of the guys probably care more than others.

[potzy248]

Can't say I have seen many bad looking Pro's bats.

I disagree, I think the want the best performing and best looking IMO.

[cleanbowled]

Why not, if you can have both, as internationals can. But performance still comes first is all I am saying. Also some pros definitely care more, I think Sachin from memory was very particular on very straight grains, number of grains etc. Some guys like heartwood which under some classifications comes is lower grade (I personally like heartwood  - and if it means a cheaper bat, great!!)

[potzy248]

I think your missing what my question was 

I was wondering if you could spend enough money to change everyone's notion of grade 1 willow? Just as I would imagine that if Michael Clarke and other big names suddenly came out and said that big edges were for village cricketers then that would change peoples ideas about that. I could be wrong.

[cleanbowled]

I think your missing what my question was 

I was wondering if you could spend enough money to change everyone's notion of grade 1 willow? Just as I would imagine that if Michael Clarke and other big names suddenly came out and said that big edges were for village cricketers then that would change peoples ideas about that. I could be wrong.

Its an interesting question, it depends how ingrained the definition of grade 1 willow is in the general public or average cricketers mind. I am not sure many people actually know how willow is graded (myself included for a long time). I suspect most people look at the sticker price and the G1 or pro or 7 star or whatever else tag and assume it is the best.

Some ideas will be more saleable than others though in my opinion - for example I think if the majority of superstars said 5 grain bats were better than 10+ grain for some reason, or heartwood is the way to go, I think that many people would buy the idea and pay more for it.

The big edge thing -  I am not as sure. If Michael Clarke or MS Dhoni said a 30mm edge bat with less concaving is better than one with 45mm edges (with alot of concaving) at the same weight - I am not sure that will fly as easily. Reason being big edges are a much simpler concept to fathom for most people. Assume I am a layman, I look at a 45mm edge bat vs a 30mm, my first thought is the 45mm is a beast - I want that, I can make the ball fly. Much harder to convince someone to look at the 30mm and say it has less concaving etc, these are more technical aspects (as are grains , heartwood etc) that alot of people won't bother understanding. The first impression from a big edge bat is very strong for someone who doesn't know that there is quite a bit more to it.

Its an interesting debate.

[procricket]

Agreed, if you were a pro, performance would be by far the most important metric. Looks are just an added bonus, though I am sure some of the guys probably care more than others.

Not convinced by performance as the number 1 to be honest I think feel and pick up are top of there priorities

Performance is almost a given to them they know they will be good or they will not be sent so feel and pick up then performance when they have around 5 to see which is all round the best and then they will use

[potzy248]

It is an interesting debate as trends come and go. The edge debate I dope about was very much fictional. I'm just wondering how much sway our top cricketers can have on our perceptions. Look at how Spartan have taken off by signing Clarke and Dhoni.

[cleanbowled]

Not convinced by performance as the number 1 to be honest I think feel and pick up are top of there priorities

Performance is almost a given to them they know they will be good or they will not be sent so feel and pick up then performance when they have around 5 to see which is all round the best and then they will use

I can see your point. Presumably if you are a international superstar than the bats/clefts selected for you would have already been sorted on performance and looks before they were shown to you. Then it would be just picking them out based on which ones you like (whether you base that on pickup or feel or some other similar criteria).

[cleanbowled]

It is an interesting debate as trends come and go. The edge debate I dope about was very much fictional. I'm just wondering how much sway our top cricketers can have on our perceptions. Look at how Spartan have taken off by signing Clarke and Dhoni.

They do have sway of course, but Spartan have not reinvented the wheel as far as how people perceive the grading of cricket bats or edge size etc - they have bought in customers who would have otherwise gone and bought a GN or Kook etc. Its one brand vs buying another.

Anyway it got me to thinking why you would want to say small edges are better - big edges are so much more easy to sell as a concept. Why change a winning formula.

[potzy248]

They do have sway of course, but Spartan have not reinvented the wheel as far as how people perceive the grading of cricket bats or edge size etc - they have bought in customers who would have otherwise gone and bought a GN or Kook etc. Its one brand vs buying another.

Anyway it got me to thinking why you would want to say small edges are better - big edges are so much more easy to sell as a concept. Why change a winning formula.

  Dude I'm not saying smaller edges are better, I was using that as an example of how trends change. I was talking about willow grades changing and, oh never mind.

[cleanbowled]

I didn't mean you as in you directly mate, I meant any manufacturer (was just using the word you to construct the sentence), apologies there was no offense meant. Should have worded it better 

[Tom]

Players use low grade bats now. But a brand will always encourage and promote a top grade bat because that's where the money is made. There are no profit margins in low grade bats.

[cleanbowled]

There is some disparity in the grading process though, it does not seem (at least to me) to applied uniformly by everyone. Also you have makers grading on performance, or some combination of the two, which confuses the situation.