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[Vitas Cricket]

Bat X weighs 2'10
Bat Y weighs 2'8
Bat Z weighs 2'6

Time and time again i read a post, watch a video or hear it said in person that a bat weighing (for example) 2'10 picks up like 2'8. How can that be?! That sentence alone makes no sense at all. I've been meaning to get it off my chest for a while now, so here goes.

Lets say our willing volunteer 'Clive' picks up bat X after weighing it and seeing 2'10. He exclaims 'ooooh very light, picks up like 2'8'

He then picks up bat Y after weighing it at 2'8. Again he yelps 'oooooh yes, feels 2'6 squire!'

How in that case, can bat X feel 2'8!? What does a 2'8 bat feel like? Clive himself has just picked up bat Y which actually weighs 2'8 and said it feels like 2'6. So what exactly does bat X feel like?!

Of course Clive now has to pick up bat Z which does weigh 2'6 and makes the claim that it feels 2'4 or 2'5. How many people have ever held a bat that light? I would say very few. It again begs the question. How can bat Y which weighs 2'8, feel like 2'6 when bat Z which is 2'6 feels lighter?

Bats are a weight, an indisputable number. They either pickup heavy or they pickup light, some of course will pickup just right. Putting a number on them makes no sense at all for such a subjective thing.
Certain bat shapes lend to a lighter pickup, as do things like a heavier handle (handle weights can vary by a few ounces) or adding extra binding/grips to the handle, but none of these things change the weight, only the way the bat feels in the hands.

I would love to hear peoples thoughts on this, perhaps a genuine argument back about why a bat that weighs 2'10 can feel 2'8, i could have missed something but I don't see how.

[procricket]

Bat X weighs 2'10
Bat Y weighs 2'8
Bat Z weighs 2'6

Time and time again i read a post, watch a video or hear it said in person that a bat weighing (for example) 2'10 picks up like 2'8. How can that be?! That sentence alone makes no sense at all. I've been meaning to get it off my chest for a while now, so here goes.

Lets say our willing volunteer 'Clive' picks up bat X after weighing it and seeing 2'10. He exclaims 'ooooh very light, picks up like 2'8'

He then picks up bat Y after weighing it at 2'8. Again he yelps 'oooooh yes, feels 2'6 squire!'

How in that case, can bat X feel 2'8!? What does a 2'8 bat feel like? Clive himself has just picked up bat Y which actually weighs 2'8 and said it feels like 2'6. So what exactly does bat X feel like?!

Of course Clive now has to pick up bat Z which does weigh 2'6 and makes the claim that it feels 2'4 or 2'5. How many people have ever held a bat that light? I would say very few. It again begs the question. How can bat Y which weighs 2'8, feel like 2'6 when bat Z which is 2'6 feels lighter?

Bats are a weight, an indisputable number. They either pickup heavy or they pickup light, some of course will pickup just right. Putting a number on them makes no sense at all for such a subjective thing.
Certain bat shapes lend to a lighter pickup, as do things like a heavier handle (handle weights can vary by a few ounces) or adding extra binding/grips to the handle, but none of these things change the weight, only the way the bat feels in the hands.

I would love to hear peoples thoughts on this, perhaps a genuine argument back about why a bat that weighs 2'10 can feel 2'8, i could have missed something but I don't see how.

Experience mate leads to bat weights in my mind although i never really say a definitive weight but know what 2-8 picks up like and know what is close to that pick up or lighter than my usual ones.

I do not pick bats on weight i go on pick up alone like many and like many might have had a natural weighted bat for a while and the pick up of the new one might feel similar.

I would rather say picks up a lot lighter which some simply do because of there design and where hard bars and so forth are.

Pick up will always be suggestive but lets be honest we know what people are trying to say..

My example is

I have a 3lb 2oz bat which Buzz and Bruce have tried but it picks up much lighter but is still heavier than a 2-10oz bat..

I have a 2-9oz bat which picks up at 2-8 my normal weight range bat.

I know the pick up when i play cross batted shots but some bats do pick up lighter a exact figure no but around Yes.

Give me a profile shot it is easy to spot a heavier pick up or lighter nice pick up but like bats where all different.

 

[trypewriter]

At last - common sense! 

[AverageCricketer]

When someone says this 2lb 10 bat picks up like a 2lb 8, they actually mean: ' I remember weighing a bat that was 2lb 8 and then I picked it up. Then I picked up this bat(that weighs 2lb 10) and it reminds me of that 2lb 8 bat.'

[procricket]

I picked up around 200 bats yesterday and weighted about 20 and only got 4 bats right??.

[wayward_hayward]

Surely 'Clive' just has a wrong misconception of what a certain weight bat feels like in his hands? E.g. What 'Clive' thinks is a 2.8 weight is more like 2'6 etc.

The amount of times I have bought bats off eBay stated as 2'10 and come through at 2'12+ is surprising.

[fasteddie]

I think the phrase is often used as a cliche to garner approval. Mine's bigger than yours?

I remember when I got my first Golf GTI, Mk2, 1989 G plate, 1.8 8v, small bumper, no quaterlights (I'm an old Golf geek too).
I'd say 'It goes like a G60 or VR6' but in reality it went like a well maintained 8v should.

It is also a quick and simple way of describing a pick-up. I think it's used innocently. None of us want to say our bat's pick up like a heffer.

I see your annoyance and tip my hat.

[trypewriter]

In a similar vein. I picked up one of Paul (IJC) Cole's bats at the weekend and just in the hand it felt astonishingly light for its stated weight. Nothing to do with pick up really, it just felt a lot lighter than 2-11. The only bat that I've held that bore any similarity in terms of feeling like it was made of balsa wood is Fattus's HH, which is a pretty light bat anyway but is just silly big for 2-7 (I think). 

[procricket]

In a similar vein. I picked up one of Paul (IJC) Cole's bats at the weekend and just in the hand it felt astonishingly light for its stated weight. Nothing to do with pick up really, it just felt a lot lighter than 2-11. The only bat that I've held that bore any similarity in terms of feeling like it was made of balsa wood is Fattus's HH, which is a pretty light bat anyway but is just silly big for 2-7 (I think). 

I too have picked up Fattus HH and concur that is density my good man, but to me that picks up right but is big.

There two ways of getting a lighter bigger bat well 4 really.

Density natural.             Bigger not pick up wise appearance wise and mentally lighter because of the size.
Profile                           Made that way once again same volume but tends to be more wood towards the hands.
Overdry artificially.         dry your bat it will pick up moisture back leads to breakages too do not do it your bat will break.
Or the cheeky Sub continent way of making a bat slightly narrower allowing for appearance of a bigger profile.

[jamielsn15]

For me, its all about balance and pick up.  I like my bats light, but then after putting scuff sheet, tape, extra grips on, to be honest I don't know the weight of my bats.  I do know that they pick up as I like them and feel very balanced in my stance. 

I do remember picking up a couple of TONs that Jake had in stock - I recall I preferred the pick up on the 2.10 as opposed to the 2.8 - for me the dead weight shouldn't be an issue and I have to agree - surely the comment should be 'bat X picks up better than bat Y' or 'Y feels lighter than Z'...

That's my roundabout way of agreeing with the subject!

[Kulli]

Yes yes yes, I have wanted to write a rant about this many times, but I'm just too lazy.

I presumed it was just another bit of hyperbole used to bigg up or sell bats, as I've never read anyone saying that their bat was '2'8 picks up like 2'10 but goes like a gun and I love it' or anything of that sort. I guess when all we see is photo's of a bat, if it's got bog standard grains and size for the weight we have to try something to make it sound that bit more interesting/buyable.

It does drive me crazy every time I read it though, along with anyone saying something is 'top draw'!

[skip1973]

I think it's just a way of describing how a bat picks up, if a bat at a certain weight picks up much lighter than say five others in the same model I guess it's just emphasising how it feels. I agree it's a bit of a wank at times, some players just over think their bats.

[procricket]

All about the person some like bottom heavy some don't either balance is key though and finding the actual middle and not just the supposed central biggest mass sweetspot.

[Chad]

I tend to pick up and have a swing about, guess the weight based on past experiences with bats, then get the actual weight. Kind of like that Flare I picked up from your demo bats, I thought it was 2.8! (That's probably the most extreme example that comes to mind) What I think a 2.8 feels like is completely different to what others will feel, what I feel picks up light others will feel is heavy, so I agree that it is rubbish, unless the person picking it up is the one buying it. No harm in having a guess at the weight though!

Pick up is such a personal thing, which should be tested before the bat is weighed IMO. Pick up all the bats within your price range in a store, put aside the ones you like the feel of, then weigh them all. On the Laver page, they showed that they measure the balance point on the bat:

https://www.facebook.com/LaverandWood/photos/a.10150613049746974.450983.56120331973/10152455344786974/?type=1&theater

Will be interesting to see if anyone else does this. I really like the way my Lavers are balanced, and even though they are all heavier than what I asked for, they still feel good in the hands!

[procricket]

I tend to pick up and have a swing about, guess the weight based on past experiences with bats, then get the actual weight. Kind of like that Flare I picked up from your demo bats, I thought it was 2.8! (That's probably the most extreme example that comes to mind) What I think a 2.8 feels like is completely different to what others will feel, what I feel picks up light others will feel is heavy, so I agree that it is rubbish, unless the person picking it up is the one buying it. No harm in having a guess at the weight though!

Pick up is such a personal thing, which should be tested before the bat is weighed IMO. Pick up all the bats within your price range in a store, put aside the ones you like the feel of, then weigh them all. On the Laver page, they showed that they measure the balance point on the bat:

https://www.facebook.com/LaverandWood/photos/a.10150613049746974.450983.56120331973/10152455344786974/?type=1&theater



Will be interesting to see if anyone else does this. I really like the way my Lavers are balanced, and even though they are all heavier than what I asked for, they still feel good in the hands!

I can tell you that is correct Streaky has done some crazy science with such stuff far to high brow for my mercurial thoughts.

I grab a bat see if it is ok then use it.. Then get weight off it normally....

I know a company who do a pick up index i think that is the same as well it personal preference.