Topic: Grade 1 willow - How should it look? (Read 6083 times)

rhino25 · « **on:** March 23, 2014, 11:51:36 PM »

Basically, can grade 1 willow have marks on the bat?? I've had bats called grade 1 with not a mark, and,some with? Whats the general rule?

Beaup123 · « **Reply #1 on:** March 24, 2014, 01:05:59 AM »

Depends on the extent really, if you post pictures it would be easier to judge

smokem · « **Reply #2 on:** March 24, 2014, 01:20:36 AM »

In theory, you should follow Wright's grading - http://www.cricketbatwillow.com/blades-grading - as they are the largest willow supplier in the market.

However you should keep an eye on this as it can change from season to season. I remember last season, Grade 1 had no redwood/heartwood but this season they've made an allowance for it...

rhino25 · « **Reply #3 on:** March 24, 2014, 01:23:42 AM »

Ill get some up when in back on my PC. But yea some,have marks and minor blemishes. Nothing too bad, but just thought its worth asking as a lot,of comments on here relate to the nice look of the willow, grain numbers etc etc.

I've definitely got heartwood, which i don't personally mind as well..

arsenal123 · « **Reply #4 on:** March 24, 2014, 08:39:34 AM »

"A bat can weigh 2lb 14oz but if made a certain way with the weight distributed differently it could feel like a 2 lb 7 oz bat, it is basically down to the skill of the batmaker. I would argue that if asked to guess the weight of a bat to the nearest ounce no player could get it right more than once in ten guesses at the very best."

From the Wright's website.

Just throwing it out there, I'm sure that most in these forums could guess more than 1/10, I'd like to think I'd get at least half right!

fasteddie · « **Reply #5 on:** March 24, 2014, 08:48:55 AM »

Whilst Wrights offer a definition, it is purely subjective and has no bearing on what actually 'is' a G1.

Because there is no certified standard anything can be G1.
It's a philosophical question more than anything.

What do you want it to be?
Does it matter?
Should 'true' G1 be more of a measure of performance?

As there is no 'standard' one can only guess.

G1 is used as a marketing tool more than anything. A way to fool us into paying more.

" best looking blade money can buy, though it will not necessarily play the best. "

So why pay more for G1?

" There may be some red wood evident on the edge of the bat (up to 1.75 inches). The grain on the face will be straight and there will be a minimum of 6 grains visible. There may be the odd small knot or speck in the edge or back but the playing area should be clean."

Say's who?

G1 SHOULD look like a batting average >50.

ItsJustCricket · « **Reply #6 on:** March 24, 2014, 08:58:03 AM »

Grade 1 bats can often have blemishes and heartwood, although there is no standard, as others have said. Grade 1+ bats tend to have fewer blemishes and more grains, but interestingly, more heartwood than a regular grade 1 bat. I can see what Matt says about it being a marketing tool, but the grading system is passed down from the willow merchants, so from the very top of the food chain, there is a price differential between the grades, so it's not just the end user who is "fooled into paying more"...

fasteddie · « **Reply #7 on:** March 24, 2014, 09:07:08 AM »

Quote from: ItsJustCricket on March 24, 2014, 08:58:03 AM

Grade 1 bats can often have blemishes and heartwood, although there is no standard, as others have said. Grade 1+ bats tend to have fewer blemishes and more grains, but interestingly, more heartwood than a regular grade 1 bat. I can see what Matt says about it being a marketing tool, but the grading system is passed down from the willow merchants, so from the very top of the food chain, there is a price differential between the grades, so it's not just the end user who is "fooled into paying more"...

Because the pricing model starts at the top, it's hard, if not impossible for the likes of IJC to be fair. Their hands are tied.

What is needed is a radical change to the pricing structure so we pay for runs and not pretty pictures.

smilley792 · « **Reply #8 on:** March 24, 2014, 09:16:46 AM »

Quote from: fasteddie on March 24, 2014, 09:07:08 AM

Because the pricing model starts at the top, it's hard, if not impossible for the likes of IJC to be fair. Their hands are tied.

What is needed is a radical change to the pricing structure so we pay for runs and not pretty pictures.

If you want to pay for runs. Then id suggest you invest your cash in coaching. Not a bat.

GarrettJ · « **Reply #9 on:** March 24, 2014, 09:26:09 AM »

A grade 1 bat should look like the bats that most companies sell as g1+

The price between a g1 cleft and a g2 cleft doesn't not explain the price differential on the rrp but the fact that bat makers are tied into buying a load of clefts in a certain split. Say only 25% of which are grade 1, 50% grade 2 and 25% grade 3

tim2000s · « **Reply #10 on:** March 24, 2014, 09:26:54 AM »

Quote from: smilley792 on March 24, 2014, 09:16:46 AM

If you want to pay for runs. Then id suggest you invest your cash in coaching. Not a bat.

Smilley, you're completely wrong. We all know that the most expensive, cleverly pressed and shaped bat is how you score loads of runs and it has nothing to do with the user. I'm a lower order batsman and if I had a �1000 bat made from G1+++++ Willow I would regularly score 3,000 runs per season....

Seniorplayer · « **Reply #11 on:** March 24, 2014, 09:33:10 AM »

For me based only on looks only the cleft should be the best 1 percent of the willow, it should also be white with ruler straight close even grains and no blemishes.But having said that I have brought bats sold to me as G1 that have blemishes but graded as G1 due to the excellent rebound.

fasteddie · « **Reply #12 on:** March 24, 2014, 09:43:42 AM »

Quote from: smilley792 on March 24, 2014, 09:16:46 AM

If you want to pay for runs. Then id suggest you invest your cash in coaching. Not a bat.

You are correct.

Buy a cheaper bat, say a H4L Devil, Aldred Butterfly, and then spend the rest on coaching/claret.

Vitas Cricket · « **Reply #13 on:** March 24, 2014, 09:47:59 AM »

Grade 1 should be the best 1 percent of willow? That means there would be very few G1 bats around, and they would be priced at �700+

As mentioned before, there is no industry standard for grading. Some bat makers buy their willow from a merchant and the merchant will have graded it as they see it. Some bat makers then choose to grade it again themselves. Some bat makers source the tree/wood themselves and so have no merchant grading it for them. They can then grade it as they see fit, under their own criteria.

It essentially comes down to whoever is making the bat (or in the case of some brands who buy bats in and sticker them up, whoever is selling the bat) to decide what grade they want to sell it as.

What makes me chuckle is the mainly Pakistani brands who sell bats with a 'certified/guaranteed grade 1' certificate accompanying the bat. Who is doing the certifying?! The is no regulatory body out there deciding what is grade 1 and what isn't. The bat maker or the willow merchant have knocked together a piece of paper that should actually say 'in our opinion this piece of wood is grade 1'

It's a grey area and even if there was an industry standard, it would only apply to how a piece of willow looks. Grading on performance is impossible. The reality is most bats offer pretty good performance when pressed correctly, regardless of their looks. Buying a 'performance' grade bat for any sort of serious money is a good way to give a bat company a bit of extra cash for selling you a grade 3. There are plenty of less visually appealing bat options out there that can be acquired pretty cheaply, butterfly for example.

rhino25 · « **Reply #14 on:** March 24, 2014, 09:49:12 AM »

Ok, my PC is playing games and this is the third attempt at a reply. I can't get the pics to upload, so i'll offer a description.

I have a bat with 10 grains, not 100% straight but pretty good. There is a minor blemish on the face and about 10mm of heartwood on the RH outside edge. The bat pings very well.

Going by the comments it'll have to score a lot of runs to be a G1

Author Topic: Grade 1 willow - How should it look? (Read 6083 times)

rhino25

Grade 1 willow - How should it look?

Beaup123

Re: Grade 1 willow - How should it look?

smokem

Re: Grade 1 willow - How should it look?

rhino25

Re: Grade 1 willow - How should it look?

arsenal123

Re: Grade 1 willow - How should it look?

fasteddie

Re: Grade 1 willow - How should it look?

ItsJustCricket

Re: Grade 1 willow - How should it look?

fasteddie

Re: Grade 1 willow - How should it look?

smilley792

Re: Grade 1 willow - How should it look?

GarrettJ

Re: Grade 1 willow - How should it look?

tim2000s

Re: Grade 1 willow - How should it look?

Seniorplayer

Re: Grade 1 willow - How should it look?

fasteddie

Re: Grade 1 willow - How should it look?

Vitas Cricket

Re: Grade 1 willow - How should it look?

rhino25

Re: Grade 1 willow - How should it look?