Hi all,
thought I'd upload some quick phone pics of the Instinct 300 I bought from Asad last week. After seeing the Kookaburra thread Asad uploaded and the knowing the reputation he has for quality bats I wanted to check one out.
I had a Kahuna once and wasn't that taken with it (The toe felt really dead) but whilst looking at the different shapes Kook are now offering (Hooray!) I saw the two Instinct 300 bats and yes, whilst the one that I chose did have a lot of grains it was the shape that I liked the look of more than anything. I'm not a massive fan of big edges and I much prefer to have a higher spine and less concaving and this bat fitted the bill. I also like playing off both the front and back foot, and according to the specs (and Paul from IJC's review) this bat is ideal for all round play so I decided to take the plunge.
The edges are 28-30mm and the spine is 59-60mm. The toe, incidentally is nice and chunky and the finishing on the bat is exemplary.
The bat arrived next day (Great service as always Asad!) and to say I was impressed when I pulled the bat out is an understatement. I've never really understood the grading system at Kookaburra, and unless this bat has some serious flaws underneath the stickers this bat looks as good as any players bat I've seen - yet it's the entry model!
It has 17 equally spaced grains with a touch of heartwood on the outside edge and a tiny pin knot. The grains are pretty much straight along the blade and straight through the bat.
The bat was stated at 2.8 and weighs 2.87 on my digital scales so spot on.
i haven't even began to start knocking in yet so can't comment on ping but the bat appears to be softly pressed as flicking the face with fingernails has caused some marking already - Hopefully I'll get a chance to do it over the festive period :-)
I can't recommend Asad's services enough - the quality is unbelievable for the money. I don't like to spend more than £150 on a bat so to snap this up for just over a £100 is a bargain in my eyes.