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[uknsaunders]

Pondered this for a while, fancy grips, stickers etc v having it bare and putting the wood back onto the bat. When I have taken stickers off before they can weigh up to 1oz. Chevron v double thickness hybrid fancy thing can be an oz. Twine is an oz v tape? Toe guards are an utter waste of time. They fall off within 2 net sessions and hide cracks until the point it's run half way up the bat. Let's not forget the weight of this useless gimmick.

I think BB have got it nearly right, less is more (wood).

[Mattsky]

Never underestimate the power of the shiny sticker to sell a bat. People expect a toe guard and scuff sheet too.
And let's not forget, it's only a handful of bat badgers like us who give a tuppence about saving an ounce of weight.

For mass market appeal, it's a case of no stickers, no sale.

[uknsaunders]

Never underestimate the power of the shiny sticker to sell a bat. People expect a toe guard and scuff sheet too.
And let's not forget, it's only a handful of bat badgers like us who give a tuppence about saving an ounce of weight.

For mass market appeal, it's a case of no stickers, no sale.

Not so much no stickers but a more minimal design but nevertheless smart. Just think the likes of SS/GN are plastering the bats in added weight for no real reason. Nothing wrong with the Legend stickers for example?

In this market, getting another oz or two of wood could be equally important at the lower weights.

[StillNotOut]

Totally agree both on aesthetics and weight. I prefer a plain and simple look over a bat with stickers plastered all over it however, it's something almost every bat brand has been heading towards.

I prefer having a toe guard and edges taped with fibre tape however not a huge fan of scuff sheets.

Being a 2.7 - 2.9lb bat user, every lb counts!

[ItsJustCricket]

The only issue is brand recognition. For major brands like GN or GM or Kooks, they have to make sure the stickers are recognisable to the viewer on TV. I know for a fact GN sponsored players are not allowed the Legend stickers because the engraving doesn't show up well on camera. I would suggest that the extra weight of stickers, toe guard, sheet etc, is a trade off aimed a getting the bat to the mass market rather than appealing to niche bat nerds like ourselves!

Chris

[edge]

Agreed to a point, although I've never noticed the difference in feel after taking stickers off. Twine and heavier grips will improve the pickup l, so depends whether more customers buy in shops or order based on dead weight (and if you're ordering unseen, you're less likely to be bothered by it?).

Would be good to see more refined stickers out there. How much weight does the recent ridiculous embossing trend add to stickers?

[The Doctor]

Not so much no stickers but a more minimal design but nevertheless smart. Just think the likes of SS/GN are plastering the bats in added weight for no real reason. Nothing wrong with the Legend stickers for example?

In this market, getting another oz or two of wood could be equally important at the lower weights.

Plastering stickers for no reason you say? What about hiding nasty stuff under there..... Just saying!

[The Doctor]

Here are the weight add on's to consider when we make a bat to a customers weight.

Bind - 0.7oz
Grip - Cheveron 1.4oz
Grip - Octopus / Ripple 1.8oz
Stickers - 0.5oz (B3 stickers not massive, so add another 0.3oz if large amount of stickers)
Scuff sheet - 0.5oz
Fibre scuff sheet 0.2oz
Toe guard 0.25oz

So we have to take 3oz off the finished weight. Some manufactures sell on dry weight - which is basically a bat with no twine/stickers / grips etc, in order to supply bats at 2'6 - 7oz (which would actually be 2'9 -10oz).......

[uknsaunders]

Plastering stickers for no reason you say? What about hiding nasty stuff under there..... Just saying!

That thought had crossed my mind...

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[uknsaunders]

Here are the weight add on's to consider when we make a bat to a customers weight.

Bind - 0.7oz
Grip - Cheveron 1.4oz
Grip - Octopus / Ripple 1.8oz
Stickers - 0.5oz (B3 stickers not massive, so add another 0.3oz if large amount of stickers)
Scuff sheet - 0.5oz
Fibre scuff sheet 0.2oz
Toe guard 0.25oz

So we have to take 3oz off the finished weight. Some manufactures sell on dry weight - which is basically a bat with no twine/stickers / grips etc, in order to supply bats at 2'6 - 7oz (which would actually be 2'9 -10oz).......

Two different setups then:-

Twine/Chevron Grip/b3 stickers no scuff - 2.6oz
Twine/Octopus/fancy stickers/scuff/stupid toe guard - 4.35oz

so your bat could have nearly 2oz more wood on it.

Why do some Pro's use tape instead of twine? Is it lighter and more flexible than twine? Is it a safe thing to do?

[The Doctor]

Why do some Pro's use tape instead of twine? Is it lighter and more flexible than twine? Is it a safe thing to do?

The main reason is it is thinner - this is an Australian trend.

Is it safe, 2 reasons for the twine, firstly to stop any spinters penetrating the grip, so the tape would also do this. Secondly, the twine acts to stiffen up the handle, the tape wouldn't do this, increase in flex could lead to a few problems, increase in handle breakages / problems in and around the tabs etc.

[Seniorplayer]

Tend to remove binding to get a thinner handle  but not from around the ears of the splice  or top of handle then tape handle  tight with thin bat repair tape flex in the handle  is usually  apparent after a couple of innings.