So I posted a pic the other day of what I won from Pro Direct Cricket but I thought I'd post a separate review/first look just for the bat.
First Impressions- It looks a good bat with 10 even straight grains and a 3/4 inch strip of heart wood running along the right-handers inside edge. There is no blemishes on the main striking area that I can see and overall a nice clean pro looking bat. The handle is very skinny towards the top however it does flatten out and become a lot more oval towards the bottom but I'd still call it semi-oval. I can't say if this is the same for the rest of range but I'd assume MC likes a semi oval handle.
Bat Specs- So I've weighed the bat on non-electronic scales and it comes in just under 2lb 9oz but that's with the cellophane on, no toe guard, scuff sheet or oil. The box it came in from Pro Direct stated it was a medium sized bat but I couldn't tell you what guide they uses to size their bats. From the pictures it seems to have a lower middle than I was expecting however it still has the duckbill toe we're so accustom to now. Edges come in at around 37-38mm and the spine is around 60-61mm at the peak of the sweet spot. the toe is around 25mm at its fattest however it hasn't been knocked in yet so that could be compressed down further. Pick-up wise I'd say its actually a little more bottom heavy than expected but I'm sure with another grip it would help. I've played a few ghost shots and it actually feels nice on the drive with a nice heft in the swing but not too much you loose all shape because its a beast to hold. Its hard to see while its in cellophane but its has minimal concave but there is still a time bit there which is good. I've seen from Paul's videos on Its Just Cricket that you only get the minimal concave on the top end Spartan bats and this only confirms it. Being a top end bat it doesn't come with either a toe guard or scuff sheet but I'm not too bothered about this as I can put on a far superior helicopter sheet on.
Looks- The stickers are not the latest ones found in the MC range but rather from the 2014-15 season. Like most Asian made bats the stickers tend to take up a lot of the bat on the back side with massive Spartan logos on both edges. Personally I like the colour yellow on cricket bats (have sent my GM in to get the Aura stickers which are also yellow) however it is defiantly highlighter yellow as other people have stated which makes it stand out compared to the other MC bats out there, people will easily be able to tell you've got the LE bat. The colour scheme also extends into the grip which has a two tone colour scheme with the top 3 inch being the same florescent yellow as the stickers which is a nice touch and completes the look of the bat but I'll be sticking a white chevron grip on it to thicken the handle out plus I prefer the feel of the chevron compared to all the other grips out on the market. Overall it appears to be finished well with a lot of the stickers being embossed and paced onto the bat carefully (no bubbling or incorrect placement). Its a personal pet hate of mine when an expensive bat it's finished to a high standard, even when you're paying for the quality of the wood it still needs to look expensive and top dollar in my mind and I feel this bat does this.
Overall Thoughts- The bat is still to be knocked in and prep'd for a game and sadly with my season now over it won't be used till indoor nets next March which is 6 months away!! (far too long to wait in my opinion). I've tapped it up and it seems good in the middle as you'd expect with the toe being poor due to the duck-bill and slightly higher up is okay but not the best. Finally with this bat being free I have not complaints what so ever and I'm itching to try it out and hopefully it'll score me runs akin to Michael Clarke
If people want me to take some pics of the gloves and pads I got as well please shout up and I'll do that but here is the link to the album for these pics. I hope you enjoy reading and oogling
http://s87.photobucket.com/user/Liam_Mulholland/library/Spartan%20MC%20LELiam
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Topic: Spartan MC LE Bat (Read 4343 times)