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[@187no]

Any forum members have an opinion on performance willow should look and with how many grains ?

[SOULMAN1012]

Mate performance willow doesn't exist. You can get a G4 that can play as well as G1 its cosmetic mate. The old rule is close straight grains perform better but personally its all in the pressing if the bat.

[Gingerbusiness]

Performance willow is just a marketing term.

Sounds better in comparison to "grade one" or "test grade" than "grade 3/4"

[smilley792]

It can look like anything as long as it "performs"

[The Palmist]

Isn't all willow performance willow? Why will you use non performing willow to make or buy a bat.

[Seniorplayer]

All though it has no impact on performance i have heard it wrongly used as a term to describe the best straight grained white willow available.

[@187no]

Some interesting comments thus far.

Would forum members pay more for performance willow or let us say grade 1 willow ?

[mp07]

I think you might be talking about how it's pressed, soft press willow performer better early in their life compare to one that's hard pressed.

[WalkingWicket37]

Some interesting comments thus far.

Would forum members pay more for performance willow or let us say grade 1 willow ?

Personally I wouldn't pay full wack for G1 willow, or a bat marketed as performance willow!

My current match bat is a 404 Six6 I got off Jake and it perform sexually as well as (if not better than) my G1 chase.

So many other variables in what makes a decent bat.

[tim2000s]

I think you might be talking about how it's pressed, soft press willow performer better early in their life compare to one that's hard pressed.

Soft (or unpressed) willow does not perform at all. Been there, got the t-shirt. Please try again.

[mp07]

I owned couple of GM bats in past (original and 909), even after one year I didn't get same ping that I am getting from my H4L G2 bat. So yes I personally think pressing too hard is not good for performance...but they will last you very long.  I rather go for performance.

[Kal]

"Performance willow" is basically ugly looking willow (grade 2 or below), that basically in the eyes of a layman performs as good as a decent looking (ie grade 1).
(Grading clefts as I understand is simply done by looks as per wrights info.)
It helps batmakers to shift those ugly clefts at a more favourable price to them.

[WalkingWicket37]

I owned couple of GM bats in past (original and 909), even after one year I didn't get same ping that I am getting from my H4L G2 bat. So yes I personally think pressing too hard is not good for performance...but they will last you very long.  I rather go for performance.

The trick is to knock them in overly well, then use then against the machine for a few hundred hits lol

My six6 is now a bit broken, but I'll deffinitley get another one! In fact, I've already got Jake on the lookout for one in my weight when they come in haha 

[Seniorplayer]

I think you might be talking about how it's pressed, soft press willow performer better early in their life compare to one that's hard pressed.

Many years experience of playing and using many bats proved to me that this is correct but the softer pressed bats generally have a shorter life span.

[WalkingWicket37]

Can someone clarify, what is soft pressing and hard pressing??

I've ised a few GMs in my time that are  all referred to as "hard pressed" yet they went well from fairly early in their lives, and improved as they opened up.

I've also had a Woodstock that I couldn't dent with a mallet for love nor money, yet that pinged, but they don't have a reputation for being hard pressed.


These "soft pressed/hard pressed" statements are thrown around daily, but does anyone have a difinitive answer what this actually means??