We first stocked the Warbird as an exclusive back in August, it was well received and as a result we ordered many more for our stock order which we handpicked ten days ago.
I've seen massive interest in the Warbirds, and many people asking for reviews, despite my photos and details posted a while back in this topic:
http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=35707.0I'm not normally one for posting reviews on cricket bats, preferring to let happy customers do the talking, but here is my take on what appears to be the most in demand 2016 bat right now.
The Warbird I have chosen to review is this lovely G1. Equally I could have picked the Pro or G2 pictured, the quality available from H4L across the grades is fantastic.
LOOKS/INITIAL IMPRESSIONStunning. H4L 2016 stickers are a real step up, lovely embossing and textures, really high quality chrome, and in the specific case of the Warbird, the blue flashes of colour look amazing. This particular bat is a lovely example of a G1 with beautiful straight grains and possibly only not a Pro due to the faint redwood on one edge and the small blemish just below the stickers on one edge. I really like the way H4L are finished with a silky smooth feel, no obvious sanding marks and a lovely touch with lazer etched/burnt in edge stamping.
The Warbird is based on a duckbill profile and the reduced toe area isn't substantial enough to cause problems with durability, but allows for an improvement in pickup, overall the profile looks great, especially the bow in the blade. The counter balance 'knob' on the top of the handle is quite noticeable, visually it isn't a problem but a couple of people who hold the bat at the very top of the handle have expressed concern. One of our first Warbird customers returned his bat and had a long handle Warbird made instead, so pleased was he with everything else about it. Please be aware of this if you are considering a Warbird.
The shorter blade is not particularly noticeable, indeed I did not even realise until a forum member pointed it out. It does allow for a bit more wood where it matters most whilst keeping the weight sensible, and seems to be a trend at the moment. It is something I like and you shouldn't let it put you off buying a bat as it doesn't really make a huge difference compared to a SH.
BALANCE/FEELProbably the key area many want to know about. Being a duckbilled, shorter blade bat and having a counter balance handle, what is the pickup like? The answer is fab! Does a counter balance make that much difference alone? Probably not. Would shortening the blade slightly really do that much to the balance of a bat? Again probably not. Same for a duckbill profile compared to a standard profile. So maybe these changes individually aren't enough to make a difference to the average Joe, but all 3 subtle changes combine beautifully to make a bat that feels absolutely superb in the hands. This one is bang on 2'10 yet feels like a wand.
I have always thought this about H4Ls bats, Matt seems to have a skill when comes to creating a bat with a superb pickup, considering most of his bats come in around 2'10, and it is very rare to see anything less than 2'9, they have never struck me as heavy. We have a Hellfire Monster in stock that Matt has forgotten to apply Monster stickers to. It is 3lb and because of the lack of Monster sticker i thought it was just a slightly heavy Hellfire, maybe 2'12 tops, its a railway sleeper which is the only reason (aside from weighing it) that lead me to realise it was a Monster.
Swinging this thing around has reconfirmed my belief that deadweights are of course important, but people who nitpick over an ounce or two here and there really need to let that way of thinking go. This picks up better than many 2'8 bats i've picked up this Summer.
PERFORMANCEIf pickup can be deemed a subjective area, then performance even more so. What are the test parameters? Mallet? Ball? Sound or rebound? How do you predict the future in terms of playing in/opening up?
For me, handpicking is done to make sure we don't get any dead planks, and if something taps a ball up like a trampoline then even better. When picking on performance it is easier to discard the rubbish/lesser bats than it is to identify the better ones, save for the odd trampoline example. Looks, weight and pickup are far more intensely scrutinised than 'performance' when we handpick. I need to worry even less than normal when going to H4L as i can honestly say i've never seen a bad one, or had a customer dissatisfied with the way it hits the ball towards the boundary. This one naturally ticks all the boxes and makes a lovely shotgun sounds when you hit it with a lignum mallet.
VALUE FOR MONEY Perhaps more for the customers to discuss than me. But £265 for a G1, made in the UK from a batmaker who makes their bats from the earliest stage possible seems like pretty good value to me.
CUSTOMER FEEDBACKEarly days but i do have 2 Warbird buyers who have left me the following comments.
'Received the bat today very happy it is exactly what i was after. Could you please forward this on to H4L and thank them for making me such an excellent bat'
'I used the H4L last night, bloody beautiful. Pinged lovely and was so well balanced and felt beautiful in the hands. Friends all loved it and thought it was extremely light around the 2'8 mark.'
SHOULD YOU BUY A WARBIRD?Yes, the hype is well justified and I'm sure H4L are in for a bumper year, we doubled our 2016 order compared to 2015 such is the quality of the gear. Anyone who has trawled through my ramblings and gotten this far can have free knocking in on a H4L bat as a reward, just mentioned it in a pm/email when discussing you order.
Any questions or requests for further pics etc, just ask.
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Topic: H4L Warbird Review (Read 12864 times)