correct me if i am wrong paul/chris, but you dont hand select your CA or SF do you? you may in which case im wrong and apologise, but if you dont then what difference is it in comparison with not hand selecting GM bats?
They do from a distributor.
In my opinion, GM are the most consistent of the big brands in terms of quality control. Yes, you still get the odd REAL gem and odd dud. I've seen many gems, (Favourite being the trial Flare OLE at Vitas) don't think I've actually ever seen a dud, but they really are the most consistent of the big brands. That being said, I can see where IJC are coming from in the hand picking part, in that they want what they deem the best, and most suitable for preorders in terms of weight. (The lack of a value for weight issue is probably the deal breaker) But I can also see that not letting
anyone hand pick is also fair on GM's part, which benefits all retailers fairly. Also, with regards to customers coming to pick their own personal bat, they pay RRP prices, which helps retailers as they're more likely going to just pick one out from a retailer and save between 10-20%! If they want to spend that extra, then fair enough, their money!
One question for Mr Lowy, will you be able to provide bats with just the natural finish? I know that the Australian market have some of these (Good friend from HK got a gem of a Mogul from Aussie without the scuff or the toe guard) and I prefer it. Of course, maybe research shows that almost all of the GM users in the UK prefer the GM NOW, in which case it would be pointless offering this option, but one can always hope!
Oh, and another! Will you ever be able to match a retailer's request for a specific weight? I understand that pick up is the most important, but having picked up a 2.11-2.12 which I could have sworn was a 2.8, (Again, same Flare mentioned above) I can see that there is a slight flaw in just using the PI, as dead weight does play a factor as an innings drags on!