After about 3 weeks of searching for a high middle bat to add to my collection I decided on a CA. The main reason I went for the Plus 10000 was the bright orange colouring (which I love), also since I probably won't use it much, it made sense to get one of the 'better value' models.
To spice things up and because I am a picky tw*t, I decided to buy it directly from the CA factory in Pakistan. I asked for a super light cleft with 9-10 grains, an oval handle and minimal concaving.
2-3 weeks later it arrived in all its 2.9lb glory (that is the actual finished weight, not the incorrect stickered weight - they should bin those stupid weight stickers as well as those nonsense 'fully knocked' stickers).
On the looks front, I love the bright colours and the nice embossing... the magpies amongst us will absolutely love these (it really is a bit of a p1mp cane).
The attention to detail is somewhat lacking, the stickers aren't applied with the love of an English batmaker nor the little things like the grip tape (I have removed about a foot of superfluous grip tape that worked its way up the grip). The grip itself is nice in the hands (not the grippiest though) and I do love the orange. The handle seems sturdy and should last as long as the bat (unlike some CA bats).
One of the key reasons why I choose to go with a CA was because I am short and prefer to use a SSH or academy sized bat. As you can see the CA bat is identical in handle length and blade length to the Newbery 7even. So if you were taller then you might need to be a bit careful of Yorkers.
Obviously when you buy directly from the factory you are pretty much forgoing your warranty (the cost of freight would make it pointless) and the customer service of the CA guys can apparently be lacking (they were fine to me and answered all of my emails etc). However, you will be guaranteed that you are receiving an original (which with CA bats is an important consideration).
Finally, I must point out just how massive CA bats are for their weight. This one has 41mm edges, about a 60mm spine (I can't be bothered measuring it accurately) and minimal concaving but still only weights bang on 2.9lb. The theory that CA dries the absolute bejesus out of their bats could be correct, however, the surface does not seem any drier than any of my English made bats.