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[procricket]

Seems a bit unreasonable to accuse me of lying about a conversation. They even mention "softer pressing" on their website.

I've read B3's article saying it was a myth, which is why his comments surprised me.

Happy for people to disbelieve me, I have no reason or need to prove it.

I won't comment further as I have a game of Quidditch.

If you follow Twitter you will see the Gray Nicholls workshop agreed with us ie Chris King who i would say makes quite a few pro bats too...

However if you want soft pressed crack on

Also ask the makers on here too why would you want soft pressed

Ok streaky does not make any pro bats and he just makes it up

I and you can get exactly the same bats as any pro look around this forum has more stunners than any kit bag of most pro's.

Some ask for soft pressed because they have not got a clue most of em!!!!

[procricket]

This has got me thinking maybe a demo time.

Back on topic i personally like the kit looks nice fresh colours too.

[procricket]

Here you go for people who missed it

http://www.cricketbatblog.com/2015/10/17/cricket-bat-pressing/

I have been lucky to knock in a current Ginger England players bats in the past and i can tell you they where stiffly pressed and one even had a little butterfly stain under the back sticker.

When your facing 90mph a "soft pressed bat" is going to break and very quickly. Do not mistake overdried bats with soft pressed over dried bats do mark quite a bit even though they have been pressed normally too.

[hanif]

I think it is a case of avoiding extremes. Too soft is obviously no good as the bat wont perform and certainly wont last. Too hard and it will last but certainly wont perform. There are varying degrees in between these two extremes. BAS and H4L are certainly not too soft but they are definitely not hard and in my opinion are the best pressed bats I have currently had the pleasure of using. The pressing of a bat is what sets different manufacturers apart as they all have there own take on what makes the perfect pressed bat. It is down to what the bat maker thinks is best. If there was only one way to press a bat then all bats would feel pretty much the same.

[procricket]

Anybody could press a bat (if you had the right tools, i.e. a press) but if you press the bat correctly you will turn an average bat into a good bat, a good bat into a great bat and a great bat into an awesome bat. Obviously I am not going to tell you how we do this, and every bat maker will (should) believe that their pressing method is superior but what we look to do to is press to a point that the face only marks very slightly when struck with wooden mallet. Pressed any less, then we will see a decrease in performance noted above and face cracks are likely to occur and any more will probably result in face delamination.

[hanif]

Exactly my point if there was a definitive way to press a bat then all bats would be pressed the same. The fact that there are varying degrees to which a face of a bat is pressed shows that it is not an exact science. The reason being as you have stated before each piece of willow is different. So a good bat maker will learn how to get the best from each individual cleft. Unfortunately when pressing bats on a large scale it is hard to set the press up differently for each cleft. This leads to the press being set to a level where it will provide a good level of pressing across a range of clefts. This leads to varying degrees of hardness depending on the natural structure of the willow. Bats with fewer grains tend to feel softer as they have more moisture in the willow. Bats with more grains tend to feel firmer as the willow has less moisture as the tree is older. Both bats have likely been pressed exactly the same but feel completely different. Pressing a bat has to be one of the trickiest things to get right.

[procricket]

Exactly my point if there was a definitive way to press a bat then all bats would be pressed the same. The fact that there are varying degrees to which a face of a bat is pressed shows that it is not an exact science. The reason being as you have stated before each piece of willow is different. So a good bat maker will learn how to get the best from each individual cleft. Unfortunately when pressing bats on a large scale it is hard to set the press up differently for each cleft. This leads to the press being set to a level where it will provide a good level of pressing across a range of clefts. This leads to varying degrees of hardness depending on the natural structure of the willow. Bats with fewer grains tend to feel softer as they have more moisture in the willow. Bats with more grains tend to feel firmer as the willow has less moisture as the tree is older. Both bats have likely been pressed exactly the same but feel completely different. Pressing a bat has to be one of the trickiest things to get right.

Very true your words pal.

Have you ever pressed one

theory in words is easy but actually being behind a press is another thing and understand i'm no expert at all not like a couple i know anyway's.

I do not think pressing is complicated at all time consuming if done right which your right if your not gang pressing all clefts the same which most don't in the Uk.

It is nice to talk about willow and pressing and handles we should do more on this forum as long as it informative and true.

Back on to the woodworm topic wonder if that range will be released as is to the public???



 

[procricket]

Not to side track i understand the industry very well and understand Gang press very well.

Question to your answers is simple yes we do press every bat individually because it takes the same length of time normally and in my experience is not just of B3.

We have one press because yes thats all we need currently but we can save time in other areas (CNC) as for time well it can take anything from 5-15 minutes really mate. And how many are we producing we sell quite well for a newly formed brand. Nothing compared to the Indian boys but we have had Jatin  in sharing his knowledge and passion before and a few others. I agree you can tell gang pressing a mile off.

Your right about the willow mate different clefts need different pressing but how we press thats a B3 secret. (Infact it is not your more than welcome as anybody is to come and see a bat being made as many have).

Biggest difference and major time saver in pressing is we will test after every pass where gang pressers tend not to.

Maybe Bell likes them softer who knows but pressing is no dark art as people think i'm more worried about handle quality and fitting than anything else in truth but thats me and i'm no expert.

[edge]

Seems a bit unreasonable to accuse me of lying about a conversation. They even mention "softer pressing" on their website.

I've read B3's article saying it was a myth, which is why his comments surprised me.

Happy for people to disbelieve me, I have no reason or need to prove it.

I won't comment further as I have a game of Quidditch.

Not aimed at you mate, don't worry! Can't blame you for reporting things you were told. What exactly did the mystery bat maker say though? 'They won't last very long' or 'we've pressed these really softly?'

[ppccopener]

Here you go for people who missed it

http://www.cricketbatblog.com/2015/10/17/cricket-bat-pressing/

I have been lucky to knock in a current Ginger England players bats in the past and i can tell you they where stiffly pressed and one even had a little butterfly stain under the back sticker.

When your facing 90mph a "soft pressed bat" is going to break and very quickly. Do not mistake overdried bats with soft pressed over dried bats do mark quite a bit even though they have been pressed normally too.

interesting article this thanks for posting not all of us had seen it previously.

[liscon12]

Here you go for people who missed it

http://www.cricketbatblog.com/2015/10/17/cricket-bat-pressing/

I have been lucky to knock in a current Ginger England players bats in the past and i can tell you they where stiffly pressed and one even had a little butterfly stain under the back sticker.

When your facing 90mph a "soft pressed bat" is going to break and very quickly. Do not mistake overdried bats with soft pressed over dried bats do mark quite a bit even though they have been pressed normally too.

Is it just me or is there a repeated paragraph in the article above? Can you see this Dave? @procricket B3

[Seniorplayer]

Exactly my point if there was a definitive way to press a bat then all bats would be pressed the same. The fact that there are varying degrees to which a face of a bat is pressed shows that it is not an exact science. The reason being as you have stated before each piece of willow is different. So a good bat maker will learn how to get the best from each individual cleft. Unfortunately when pressing bats on a large scale it is hard to set the press up differently for each cleft. This leads to the press being set to a level where it will provide a good level of pressing across a range of clefts. This leads to varying degrees of hardness depending on the natural structure of the willow. Bats with fewer grains tend to feel softer as they have more moisture in the willow. Bats with more grains tend to feel firmer as the willow has less moisture as the tree is older. Both bats have likely been pressed exactly the same but feel completely different. Pressing a bat has to be one of the trickiest things to get right.

Couldnt have explained it better spot on.

[hanif]

Hi Dave I was just sharing my knowledge, it was not originally aimed at any one in particular, but then you started commentating hence I asked a few questions regarding the B3 set up. The reason I asked whether it was feasible for you guys to hand press each cleft specifically to that piece of willows requirements, is due to the scale of your operation. I thought this may be deemed too time consuming? So on average 4 bats an hour so lets says 28 bats a day based on an average 8 hour day, taking breaks and lunch in to account. That is good going.

[19reading87]

Back on topic...........!!!

Ian Bells kit is lovely!

[liscon12]

I wonder IF and when the general public are able to buy this stuff, not that I'm wanting any of it just with regards to Pros getting gear that the average Joe can't buy.