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[the sauce]

Hi guys,

Preliminary comments

I've been a member of CBF for roughly 18 months now. I came looking for information when I switched over from an old Kookaburra Ice Michael Hussey Players bat (which performed incredibly well for a long period of time) to a GM Argon Original. My GM really struggled to get going and would not perform for me. The face felt dead despite the fact that I had knocked it in myself for 10+ hours. To be fair, it has improved this pre season, but is still not even close to my old Kookaburra's performance.

To replace my GM, I've purchased a MRF Genius Virat Kohli Grand Edition (top of the range) from CricMart. I've been curious about the Indian brands for a while and learnt about CricMart from these pages (and was astounded at the prices). I paid NZD$450 (or USD$300) when the same bat is listed at Greg Chappell Online for AUS$850 - just crazy! MRF bats are also difficult to purchase in NZ.

Specs

The weight is 2'11 as ordered. 8 grains (not ruler straight, but pretty good). A massive profile with minimal concaving (this is the most impressive part of the bat; standing over it, the sweet spot feels huge). Round handle. Duckbill toe. The bat picks up pretty well. I would say it feels true to weight.

Service

The service from Swat and Gagan at CricMart was incredible (and totally unexpected). I ordered the bat Wednesday last week and it is with me three working days later (not to mention free shipping). They were very responsive via email and provided me with all the information/photos I needed to make the right choice.

Genuinely great service, I cannot recommend it enough - 10/10.

Finish

As expected, the finish on the bat is not as good as my GM. In saying that, I totally expected that when ordering and considered it a minor concession in the context of the grade bat and cost. As you can see in the photo, the black MRF stamp is outside the lines of the indentation. It's not noticeable from distance, but quite obvious up close. The sanding around the shoulders of the bat was also a bit shoddy. There were also a couple of minor knocks (very minor, but I'm picky). Whether they occurred in transit, or were preexisting, I do not know.

In terms of the overall finish however, it was pretty good. The bat is polished and generally well presented. Those minor issues around the stamping and shoulders the only points that take away from the finished product. The stickers are generally applied well too.

Are there any suggestions about how I should go about knocking this in? Do it myself again, or get a cricket store to (presumably) press/roll it?

Photos:

[joymarvin]

Looks really really good pal. Clean bat and hope it does well for you.
The customer service of Gagan and Swat from Cricmart are one of the best I have come across.

[gaurav23]

Thing of sheer beauty mate. That ones a class act.


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[liscon12]

I hope you score loads of runs with it but personally I'm not a fan of the MRF branding and the more I see new bats the more I prefer a nice thick strip of heartwood along with a few more grains but like I said that's my personal preference.

[Nmcgee]

Beautiful looking bat mate. Hope it plays well for you.

[rich041187]

Looks like he is employed to colour in MRFs edge branding...is there no end to Stevie Wonder's talents??!!

[rahul_1987]

Love the profile. Hope it goes well for you.

[amritpremi]

That looks a cracking little bat there. 1 of the issues I have come across (and can see in your bat as well) the MRF bats are very dry and very soft. I have seen a few and they require more knocking in and lot of oiling than most other Indian brands I have seen. Most of the ones I have seen perform well and hope this one scores well for you.

[i12breakfree]

That's a very nice bat. As mentioned by others make sure to oil and knock it nicely.
In the last ODI match i think i saw kohli's bat with spine ending in the toe but that may be just a mistake.

[sgcricket]

beautiful grains on that one. all the MRF bats i have seen lately are quite big.

[Lwesty143]

Beautiful stick don't see many MRF's knocking about these days. Were all the rage when Steve Waugh and Tendulkar had them.

[kdale6]

I'm a fan of the MRF branding - has a v distinctive look to it

[sanredrose]

Excellent looking bat. I knocked my friends MRF players special cricket bat few months ago. I used two coats of oil and after knocking for about 6 hours the grains started opening up. Hope this helps ....

[sanredrose]

http://www.crictracker.com/ab-de-villiers-signs-in-as-brand-ambassador-of-mrf/

I am not sure what to make of this ! AB has dumped Kook and moved to MRF ?

[the sauce]

Looks like MRF will become a lot more popular - ahead of the curve!