I must confess I cannot understand the obsession with the look of a bat. In my mind a cricket bat is functional and the grading of a bat in my mind should have no relation to its appearance rather to its performance. I understand from a sellers perspective the look is what is defined, as it is quantifiable, but from the buyers perspective, surely it is irrelevant unless it is to be an ornament for a wall or a mantle. If one is to play with it, we should judge it on performance alone and in so doing and reporting back on that, encourage sellers to place higher it on their criteria of grading.