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[procricket]

B3 I  think I mentioned in the video that it was the way I did things and didn't question what other people do including your company. Trying to show people exactly what I do as I want to be transparent in my business and not baffle people with science I think what was said about kookaburra  was in jest or at least that's how I interpreted it.

No Paul i was not questioning you mate. Just a comment made by Bats Entertainment which i found rather bonkers..

Nope think it a great video as i said mate no doubt about that and please call me Dave.

Some great bats buddy.

[Bats_Entertainment]

press no differently than Paul does.

So why not support the little guy trying to establish himself?

There was nothing bonkers about my statement. I like the way Paul does things.

[ProCricketer1982]

So why not support the little guy trying to establish himself?

I'd rather have 20 small individual bat makers than stick to the current bt brand theory. Bigger the brand the less morals they have, the more shareholders or greedy people they have too. Oh and they pay players to use their kit stupid amounts.

[procricket]

I'd rather have 20 small individual bat makers than stick to the current bt brand theory. Bigger the brand the less morals they have, the more shareholders or greedy people they have too. Oh and they pay players to use their kit stupid amounts.

That was not my point if people have taken it that way then please understand my point is pressing which we where talking about.

I saw a brand being mentioned and the likes as stated do many of you known what some big brands don't press all the same.

I agree my theory has always been get the most for your money without a doubt and as i have never bought a Kookaburra because why would i when i can get the same with different stickers for half the price.

My point was with pressing not brands!!!

[Bats_Entertainment]

I'd rather have 20 small individual bat makers than stick to the current bt brand theory. Bigger the brand the less morals they have, the more shareholders or greedy people they have too. Oh and they pay players to use their kit stupid amounts.

Exactly.

[Bats_Entertainment]

Allot of it is down to the handles starting to get that bit of natural flex in it through use.

Deviating slightly, Paul: what is your opinion on re-handles?

[CrickFreak]

Lovely video Paul... Very informative and admire your passion.
I wish somehow pressing process to mature to a point where knocking in is not required. Been done for centuries, but we still need to knock the bat. Maybe its not possible....
And one reason I feel its possible is because baseball bats are not knocked in. Not exactly same type of bat, but its still a bat...

[crictech]

Great vid Paul. Really interesting to see the process and hear what you're looking for. Have you found that lighter/darker colored clefts or ones with less/more grains need to be harder or lighter pressed?

[Aldred Cricket Bats]

Deviating slightly, Paul: what is your opinion on re-handles?

Well that's an interesting one. When I was playing after having a couple of bats re handled I decided that never again because they never felt the same, but once I started I realised that's because when your handle goes your bat is feeling just about as good as it can get. You have gotten used to it you have become a piece of each other, your timing has become perfect because you have grown with your bat. So you have it re handled and what happens. The handle is stiff again, so you've gone from perfection to something new. I do a few tweaks with re handles now to try and foreshorten that feeling again. I wouldn't recommend having them remanded more than a couple of times though to be honest as every time you cut a handle out you remove part of the original splice. It's only a minuscule amount but I feel it will affect the bat at some point

[The Palmist]

Paul, my sentiments have been summed up beautifully by the one who goes by the name of an herbivore animal with a long slender neck.

Do you offer knocking in service with your bats or do you have someone local who will do it for you if a player wants a match ready bat.

[Aldred Cricket Bats]

Lovely video Paul... Very informative and admire your passion.
I wish somehow pressing process to mature to a point where knocking in is not required. Been done for centuries, but we still need to knock the bat. Maybe its not possible....
And one reason I feel its possible is because baseball bats are not knocked in. Not exactly same type of bat, but its still a bat...

 Slightly different thing and a different timber used with different qualities. You can press a cleft more and need no knocking in but the bat will be hard and a small middle. I don't think the knocking in machines really do it properly to be honest. One thing in that process is that even if it did prepare the blade the handle will still be stiff as the day it was bound in the workshop. Throw downs are the still the best thing ever if you can get enough of them in my opinion, ( I realise this from the few thousand I used to have to give dean Jones every day of my cricketing life under him as skipper) Baseball bats are taking impact on a smaller area really, round bat round ball ash has a different natural quality to willow, not  a flat faced bat round ball with an even harder seam, let alone cricket balls that are coming over filled with nuts and bolts to make the middle and weights right. You may think I'm joking but I've seen some that were tested at Loughborough uni that weren't cheap balls either. There are certain things in life that you can't short cut. We are dealing with natural products that we as humans cannot change their properties so we have to take our time with them. It's tough in this day and age of instant everything, but I truly believe it's something that's worth taking your time with.

[Aldred Cricket Bats]

Great vid Paul. Really interesting to see the process and hear what you're looking for. Have you found that lighter/darker colored clefts or ones with less/more grains need to be harder or lighter pressed?

 Well like have said in my pressing video every piece of willow is pressed according to its own traits, but yes I think generally more grains need less pressing though all clefts need what I would call a base press which means a starter point. From there every cleft can then be pressed to feel to get exactly the sound and feel that I am always looking for. ( I can't explain that sound and feel it's something I have gained through years being around international players hitting cricket balls every day let alone my own bats) One or two people sometimes think I press a bit firmer than others but again patience is a virtue because not only do they ping beautifully, may be a few days longer if softer is what you have been used to but also they have some longevity, but we also use quite stiff handles to give maximum power. All these thing go hand in hand in my humble opinion and they come together as a whole to give you a top quality bat.

[Aldred Cricket Bats]

Paul, my sentiments have been summed up beautifully by the one who goes by the name of an herbivore animal with a long slender neck.

Do you offer knocking in service with your bats or do you have someone local who will do it for you if a player wants a match ready bat.

 Yes I do offer a knocking in service and I do it myself. As in everything I don't trust anyone else to get the feel that I want and on top of that I don't employ anyone else. All done by my own fair fair hands.

[Bats_Entertainment]

Yes I do offer a knocking in service and I do it myself. As in everything I don't trust anyone else to get the feel that I want and on top of that I don't employ anyone else. All done by my own fair fair hands.

We offer a knocking in service? All done by our own fair hands?   

[tushar sehgal]

Paul, great video, loved hearing the change in the way the cleft sounded. I watched this video with my 6 year old daughter (She has never played cricket but loves coming to watch me play, mostly for day in the sun running around eating hot dogs etc. ) She heard the difference more than I did and then proceeded to explain to me how/what the difference is . She was disappointed that we could not see your shaping video on the mobile, so we have that lined up to do tonight on the laptop.

On a funny note: She likes your Jeans (2 flaps on the back pockets, yup girls notice everything), your workshop is nice/clean and asked me where you are from, when I said England she said is that why you sound different in a funny/nice way like you are eating hard candy while you talk.. lol

Good work, thanks for sharing your technique.