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[gibbinscricket]

The heartwood is naturally stiffer due to less moisture as @runeshrenik correctly described. Just like @smilley792 pointed it will perform early due to the stiffness. It also cracks as the moisture holds the fibre together. Pro's need bats to play in early and are less likely to be concerned with cracking as they get them replaced and have spares in the kit. They can afford to treat them like a rent-a-car as top tier players never purchased them and therefore don't need to worry about maintaining them.

For a amateur you need to carefully oil and accept that the heartwood will probably not last as long as sapwood. I had a 3/4 Aussie BOSS Menace and used it one game it went well from first ball and edges flew off the stiffer heartwood and nearly cleared the boundary. My main scoring shot that day 😬

Sapwood will take take longer to reach its peak and perform the same if not better once played in.

I personally hate knocking heartwood on other people's bats as it is brittle. I oil it a bit more and have to take it easy when knocking it. Sapwood is supple once oiled correctly and does not crack as easy. @d7bow's B3 would have required almost  no prep due to the B3 stiffer press. I note it is well oiled.

Hey Sarge I remember that bat LOL. That was a good bat. The best performing bat out of wrapper of all the Boss bats I had was the 100% heartwood/sapwood bat. I would have kept it but was too light for me at 2.8. It's not til you have 25+ bats at your disposal and you can go thru each one do you realize that sometimes the uggos are the good ones.

[sarg]

Hey Sarge I remember that bat LOL. That was a good bat. The best performing bat out of wrapper of all the Boss bats I had was the 100% heartwood/sapwood bat. I would have kept it but was too light for me at 2.8. It's not til you have 25+ bats at your disposal and you can go thru each one do you realize that sometimes the uggos are the good ones.

Your not wrong Ross. I was begged to sell that bat and sold it at cost. Six months later when I had a Maximus he wanted to exchange it for the Maximus and pay the difference. Must have thought I was Costco or something.

He asked me a few weeks ago to prep a bat and....sorry mate I don't do that anymore.

[WalkingWicket37]

would be nice if it's under 2.10

I know Matt's good but to get a bat that size in 2lb10 would be defying the laws of physics lol

[langer17]

Here's my GN Elite with very close to 50% Heartwood

[Ridenmarke]

Those Elites all seem to be real beauties.

[Seniorplayer]

Personally Always try to buy a bat made of Sapwood  younger  willow more moisture less brittle.

[Bats_Galore]

Not sure that I care weather it's heartwood or sapwood, had good bats in both. Durability not really an issue for most of us one here I wouldn't have thought, any breakages are an excuse to buy another bat.

[WalkingWicket37]

Personally Always try to buy a bat made of Sapwood  younger  willow more moisture less brittle.

This is an interesting one - Some say the heartwood is more brittle so doesn't last as long, while others say it's harder so more durable.

Does anyone know a definitive answer if sapwood or heartwood is more durable, or is it all just theoretical?

[langer17]

What we can say for certain is that every bat is different and unique