Just thought I would put my own spin on this topic.
Last season I bought a Grade 1 RK Custom, pressed very hard and performed beautifully, was a lovely looking piece of wood. Slightly narrower than my other bats.
Come the end of the season I decided to start making my own, so now I use my own bats. Shape/profile wise they are just as nice as anything I see in the shops, taking the time to get a bat right wields just as good results.
However these are Grade 2 and 3, ironically the Grade 3 is the pick of the two. It pings better, however has a smaller profile. The spine height is drastically smaller than the G2.
I have learnt that it doesn't really matter the grade of the willow, wood is a natural product and thus each cleft will perform differently. It has been softly pressed and knocked in then played in against a bowling machine, so the face of the bat has been well prepared. I don't think you NEED to spend £300+ on a bat. Of course it's nice if you have that kind of money to be able to do that, but a £120 G3 will probably perform just as well. Sometimes better.
I have since sold the RK Custom and will be using my own Grade 3 bat this season, it is an absolute gun!