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[skip1973]

I like 2.7, has anyone got a 2.5 with a really bad pick up?

[trypewriter]

I think you have to buy in the weight range that you know suits you and put pick up etc aside. As Edge and Northern suggest (I think), there are probably more scoring shots that are reliant on bat manipulation rather than the pendulum effect of a great pick up with a straight bat. I'd love to think that I played with a straight bat all the time but I would be deluding myself.
For that reason as well I'm not into counterbalanced handles - to me it's adding weight where it isn't really doing any good, apart from making the bat feel nicer when you pick it up in a certain way.
I don't know how much extra weight is in there, but I'll speculate at 1oz. To me, if you can physically handle a 2-12 bat, for example, I'd think that the 1oz that goes towards counterbalancing to improve pick up, would be better in the blade where it will help you hit the ball harder.
Tim2000 has done some interesting stuff on bat weight/power of shot etc. (from memory, a heavier bat will hit the ball further was the conclusion).
I came to a similar conclusion when I really dropped down in bat weight to 2-6, 2-7 to increase bat speed. I had a couple of lovely bats in that range but couldn't get the ball off the square. Any extra bat speed that I was able to generate was negated by the light blades - because I'm older and slower I can't get the acceleration needed these days (there must be some formula in respect of speed x mass to have a certain impact effect - ie, how fast does a 2-6 bat have to move to be able to hit the ball as hard as a 2-10 bat?).

[Buzz]

Here was I thinking that describing pick up as a measure of weight was a marketing tool to sell heavier bats.

Actually I am being a bit facetious.
Clearly a tendulkar shape won't pick up as well as a high middled bat of the same weight.
And there are ways by having wood in the shoulders to help weight distribution for example.

But still a lot of discussion is hot air to sell bats.

[edge]

Absoutely @trypewriter , I like a heavier bat than many but if I can't get my hands quickly through a pull shot then the bat is costing me runs no matter how well I'm hitting it straight. My thinking over the past few years is tending towards find the heaviest weight you can comfortably play all your shots with, then a bit lighter than that is probably about optimum for bat speed and control etc.

Re. light bats and speed, the difference between shapes is interesting - using a 2.8 standard duckbill shape in nets before this season I didn't feel like I could hit the ball anywhere near as hard as normal, but I know I can hit it bloody miles with a 2lb7 Mongoose! So extra bat speed definitely has a big effect, but only if you get a lot of extra bat speed to compensate for the weight lost.

[trypewriter]

Those have been my conclusions Edge. With the lighter bats I felt I was having to put way too much of me into the shots to get the ball to go. How galling (personally) to see teammates effortlessly generate loads of speed and hit the ball for miles with the same bat (but how great that someone is getting good use out of a superb bat).
In my experience we are talking small margins too. Probably a range of 2oz in my case.

[The Doctor]

Certain designs can pick up lighter than the scale weight and vice versa, some can pick up a lot worse - the "this feels right", or "this picks up lighter" or "this picks up horribly" is, at the minute very subjective, and you are completely right, it is all in the eye of the beholder.

For me, pick up weight should be all that matters, but there is very little research/knowledge in this area (cricket) - for those of you who think it's codswallop I would suggest you have a look at more technical sports, such as Tennis / Golf / baseball - where clubs/rackets/bats/sticks are sold on swing weight or a derivative of. Swing weight is very much a measurable thing but is not a weight, but a decimal reading, which does not translate to pounds and ounces.We have been doing a lot of research in this area, and early indications are looking good. The Holy Grail would be for you to be able to order on swing weight alone, let's say you want a swing weight of 0.47 - how do you know what swing weight you want I hear you ask?? Well we will be able to measure the swing weight of our old favourite and match it against a new (even different) designed bat (hopefully, as we are still a little way from this). This will take out all subjectivity on pick -up, and if done correctly could be a real game changer.

This way you will be able to order without even picking a bat up and know that it will feel "right" when it comes.

But what is the right pick up for you, that's probably a more important question.

Cricket as a sport has its roots well and truly in the past, whilst we as an industry should respect this and be proud of this, I think we need to be looking at how to improve and not just keep the status quo and say "this is what we have always done" but instead "how can we do it better".

That's my 2 pence worth.

Streaky

[Seniorplayer]

Of course you can get bats of the same dead weight and they will pick up and feel lighter and different as we know shape bow middle position etc  I could go on and on .....

[edge]

Sounds good Doc, there's a lot to be gained from looking at other sports and seeing how that could improve how we choose bats I think. A change in squash racquet for me a while ago definitely influenced my thinking on bats.

[trypewriter]

I think you are getting there Streaky - as I typed my last bit I was wondering about some sort of test that would enable a person to find their ideal bat weight for optimum speed and power. In theory you would think that the lighter the better, but I don't think it's as simple as that. Still, it keeps us buying bats!

[smokem]

Groundhog Day... http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=29018.0

[Biggie Smalls]

I totally agree with comments from the like of edge , northern monkey and others .
Pickup weight is way to subjective and depends on body types/ratios /where your muscles are , whether you use your forearms or wrists more in picking the bat up, how tall you are  ....and on and on .
To me , i use mid-high middle bats , they usually pick up well to very well anyway . Then i just worry about my other specs - fullness , edge size , small shoulders, semi oval handle etc .
I had used bats that weighed 2lb9 for years . Then got a few  refurbs done , my bats all weighed 2lb6-2lb7 after , and only had .5oz of wood removed due to the sanding process . I now take an inch off top of handle , remove twine and replace with elastoplast , no toe guard but only a wee bit of shoe goo , 1 chevron grip , minimal stickering - otherwise remove stickers, fibre scuff sheet . People always comment on how big my bats are for the weight , but really they are holding 2lb9oz bats that weigh 2lb6-7oz.I love the reduced dead weight from these mods . The pickup is essentially the same but overall the bats literally are way lighter than before .
I think people overstate importance of pickup weight anyway . I pick my bat up only for a moment then hold it in the air (gooch /greig style) so over tthe course of a long innings i will get muscle fatigue from holding a heavier dead weight bat in my stance over and over again  , let alone the extra effort to swing that extra dead weighr in horizontal shots . So yeah , pick up weight overrated,  dead weight underrated.

[Tom]

Bats can pick up different, but think a lot of the time this whole "it picks up lighter than X" is a way to sell heavier bats.

[Bats_Galore]

Whilst it is clear bats pick up differently, I never hear reviewers saying bats pick up significantly heavier then they would expect the dead weight to pick up, as such until there is a definable measure, I wouldn't go on the pick up on the word of a salesman.

[uknsaunders]

Bats can pick up different, but think a lot of the time this whole "it picks up lighter than X" is a way to sell heavier bats.

Nail on the head.

Dead weight is dead weight and it catches up with you in the end . Either through fatigue or restricted shot play. Pickup can help by the odd oz, high middle v low middle bats for example but you can't make a bat feel 3-4 oz lighter.

[The Palmist]

Nail on the head.

Dead weight is dead weight and it catches up with you in the end . Either through fatigue or restricted shot play. Pickup can help by the odd oz, high middle v low middle bats for example but you can't make a bat feel 3-4 oz lighter.

exactly  that!!!

A bat may pick up lighter  in the  shop or during  the beginning  of innings  but after a while  dead weight will catch up and your muscles  will not be fooled anymore.

Never buy anything  heavier  which  feels lighter.