You really grind the gears it wasn't a question it was a thought.
Without wanting to derail the thread, you really seem to have a chip on your shoulder SP. The number of times I see threads where you have apparently been insulted is remarkable. All Cam did was make a valid point and because it contradicts what you were saying it rubbed you up the wrong way?
Anyway, back on topic. I've had many conversations about this with people I know. One is a Premier League player who isn't sponsored by but has access to 'Pro Willow' from one of the guys at Newbery. He swears blind that his 'Pro bats' are absolutely worth the outlay. He say's that straight, evenly spaced grains will mean the wood is more consistent throughout the bat and therefore this makes the bat better. I'm not convinced as he averaged about 9 last season, though he insist it's not the stick that is (No Swearing Please), it's what's holding the end of it thats the problem. A fair point.
Another person I have spoken to is an A Level Physics teacher who is the wife of our Chairman and knows relatively little about cricket. When I explained the theory about two bats of equal weight but one bat being physically bigger than the other one, she had a real long think about it. She said while it's not as simple as F=MA, the likelihood of the variables adding up to make a significant difference in performance would be negligible.
So, my theory is that a piece of willow is a piece of willow. They are obviously natural products and vary slightly but the vast improvement of the performance comes in the pressing and handling of the cleft, so I think any differences in the block of wood make such a relatively minimal difference to the end results in performance that I doubt it really is worth shelling out £350 for a G1+ over a £170 butterfly.