Should a bat that costs £500 last longer than a bat that costs £250 or are we just accepting the fact that bats will last a couple of seasons now before needing replacing as were now more focused on performance than anything else? There are members in our club that have used the same bat for 10+ years and they are still going strong.
Interesting point. I play in a team that have members having bats for years and others replace annually (without scoring runs!?). I am finding myself scanning the market for a G1 or G2 bat and cannot believe the jump in price. Hence looking on a cricket bat forum to identify where my money is best spent! I am not tight (contrary to what it may seem in this comment!), nor an old moaning man as I am not yet 30. I have had my current bat since 2009 (Gunn & Moore DXM 909 which cost £180) and it has faired well until the end of last season when it started to make dull groans when driving. So 6 and a half seasons of use which cost near £28 a year. Scored well over 2500 runs, so that makes it about 8p per run! Fantastic value. I have always liked the MH branding as it is classy and something to aspire towards. Genuinely, I've always thought you'd have to be a decent bat to warrant using one in the middle, otherwise you get the jibes coming your way - "That's a nice expensive bat, shame you're ******* **** and aren't using it" - I play against some pikey teams! Now, with prices nearing (or above) £500 then you really need to be a quality bat to use a MH if you think like me! Reading some points, it is said that performance wise there is not much difference be G1, G2, G3 bats - the only difference is the aesthetics with the grains, colours and finish? I could be wrong... Also, it is said that bats last about 1500 runs. So in theory a good bat that scores 500+ runs a season (on the safe side, I know proper batsmen score more!) will have a top end MH bat for 3 season at £500. So £166 a year. Doesn't really add up for me.
I personally think the new ranges look great. Someone that saves up (or is loaded) will have a lovely looking bat, that I presume will perform well. Hopefully it doesn't break in the first season!