So, with GM impressing me the most out of the 2015 ranges, I decided to get in contact with Jake. Initially, I was torn between the Sigma and Aura, and to some extent, the Icon and Mogul. I decided to just go with the Aura in the end, as the full profile and duck bill attracted me the most. (Also preferred the stickers over the other 4) So I placed my preorder with Jake, and this is what I received on Wednesday!
As you can see, it's a lovely sized bat all round, with nice thick shoulders and a full profile. The profile isn't too dissimilar to the Purist of last year, and would have been a much more fitting profile for the Purist. The edges are a good size, between 33-35mm, and the hitting zone is large and evenly spread. Honestly, I personally feel you don't need edges bigger than 35mm to make you feel confident at the crease, but different things work for different people.
The pick up index on this is 2, and I agree, it does pick up very nicely and is balanced well. It weighs in at a shade under 2.10, which was the weight I asked for.
I found that this one seemed to be pretty firm in the pressing, but it seems to tap up well all round despite this. The toe is pretty thin, but it doesn't really give off too much jarring, if anything, no more than most bats give. (You really shouldn't hit the ball there) Compared to the Purist, the hitting area is more generous, but the Purist has got a much more concentrated and powerful sweetspot. The handle is semi-oval, and feels nice with the ripple grip. It is a good size, much better than the thin handles of the Octane and Argon of the 2 years just past. This is probably my second favourite GM shape over the past few years, just behind the Argon, and just in front of the Icon.
Strange, how I remember that about a year and a half back, I would recommend people against picking GM over a smaller brand. I also remember slating the new style of stickers, but I do like them better now. I always thought they were overpressed, underperformed and were overpriced, thanks to solely judging by sound off the mallet and the opinions of some on this forum. (Still think the latter is true of the G1 range) However, it appears that I've become quite the GM fan over time, and I blame the lovely Flare OLE at Vitas for this. Now, I would recommend people to get a low-mid range GM if they're going for the big brands, simply because I trust them the most, and the low-mid range represents VFM. They definitely aren't all overpressed, and they are the most consistent bats out of the big brands, from what I've seen. (My definition of overpressed is that it has been pressed to a point where it has a detrimental effect on performance, and will probably last longer than you!)
(Icon isn't mine) The Argon is as good a bat as any in my collection, and the strange thing is that the pressing on the Flare is definitely much softer than the rest. It still dents readily with the mallet, and makes a lovely thud. The Icon is an example of a bat which has been very well used - the handle is going, but the sound and feel is amazing. The performance has improved with use, but not massively IMO. The biggest change was probably in terms of sound and the hitting zone became more even. (It already performed well from the beginning) I think that because feel and sound are what we tend to judge a bat when using it, people get confused with this and performance. (I do believe that feel and sound are important too though, just not a direct way of determining whether a bat will/does perform well or not)
Anyways, a big thanks to Jake and Robin at Vitas for this bat. They've always delivered, and have failed to disappoint this time round too. Would highly recommend anyone to pop in for their forum event coming up, it is quite a strange feeling being in such a spacious showroom. (A good strange!) By far the best cricket shop I've ever visited.
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Topic: GM Aura 808 from Vitas (Read 6722 times)