Disappointed in Newbery's new styling and ridiculous pricing - I think the new bats look too sparse and the colour choices look tacky. I presume those are actual retail prices Paul and not RRP - if so how can a 5* jump £30-40 in a year? Also the Kudos 2 SPS has quite a few marks on it for a 400 note bat.
I didn't see one Newbery bat in my league this year except for the one I was using myself and hardly see any being stocked at local retailers such as SCS, Globe Sports etc.
I agree about the Kudos2 SPS bat in the photo, and that's the type we'll steer clear from when we visit because there are one too many blemishes on that for a £400 bat. That was just a sample bat, though, so possibly isn't the fairest representation of the bat (and price point) as a whole. I, for one, am reserving judgement until I've seen the full selection.
I agree, the 5 Star price increase is steep, but it became apparent that this grade was priced too low around the £150 mark and even some customers were surprised by how "cheap" these 5 Star bats were, so I think it's more a reputation and perception thing than anything else. Having said this, pretty much everyone has increased their bat prices again for 2015, so it comes as no great surprise to me...
My personal feeling is that I love the feel and look of the Newbery bats for 2015. Salix, M&H etc. have jazzed it up a bit and gone with a more loud and modern look for their respective new ranges, so it's nice to see one of the major English brands keeping it traditional and classy...