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[LEACHY48]

Hi guys long time no post from me,

let me preface this with a disclaimer that I am not expecting anything in response to this post, I have not contacted H4L as it is not their problem as I purchased the bat second hand, furthermore, I am not displeased in the slightest with simon, he was great, got the bat posted promptly and sent accurate descriptions etc, this post is simply me voicing my opinions on a recent purchase.

so about a month ago, I bought a hell for leather off simonmay, for absolute steal,standard hellfire profile, which i love, and after hearing such rave reviews and seeing the pics i thought why not. However, this is where the 'mixed' part comes in, on first impressions it was great, lovely profile, great grains nice stickers etc etc. However upon picking the bat up I was heavily disappointed, I have a 2.10.5 TON that is my match bat, this bat is 2.9 and picks up heavier than my match bat. However, not a huge issue i thought, I can just add a second grip. adding a second grip helped, I also had to resort to sanding the toe into a duckbill, which has also helped greatly. overall pickup was probably a 4/10 initially, and even that is slightly generous. Next up I tried the response, while it is decent, it most definitely needs some opening up and playing in, it sounds clunky and hard almost like a laver and wood, so the response was probably a 6-7/10. Given the response and the pick up this bat will almost definitely not get used untill winter nets in an attempt of opening it up a bit. This was probably my most disappointing purchase from the forum, given all the hype and some of the H4L bats that I have seen, I was expecting brilliance, and this is brilliantly average at best.

Pics to follow

[LEACHY48]

[Woodyspin]

I own a hellfire and mine if f---ing brilliant 👊💪👍

[ppccopener]

Interesting post. Just to let you know I have this exact shape hellfire just bought second hand but barely used at 2.10.5 in weight on my digital scales. Mine could be the bat pictured they are so similar in shape except less grains on mine.
The bat is lovely but does not pick up any lighter exactly the same as yours. It's quite a heavy pick up.

I've also got a NV h4l model and that has a lower middle at 2.9 in weight I've been using after my original hellfire broke in two(unnoticed storm damage). Bec,a use of the lower middle that picks up heavier than the hellfire.

So ....both bats I have somt  pick up particularly well. I'm a big fan of h4l bats now and they do go very well, you get a lot of confidence using it, or I do anyway.

I would get another hellfire if one was available I think they are top bats.

But yes..much the same they do pick up a bit heavy.

Incidentally I tried an extra grip and it just made the bat heavier no change to the pick up so its just one on there for me.

Sound wise yes again it's a clunky sound, doesn't bother me at all certain brands sound a bit different, seems a touch odd at first but I've got used to it.

H4L's you get thick edges and a pretty sturdy toe and I think the compromise if the pick up but I'm no batmaking expert-just my experience of them(I've had 4 in the last year)

[LEACHY48]

I own a hellfire and mine if f---ing brilliant 👊💪👍

most people I know seem to say the same, hence the disappointment.

[Six Sixes Cricket]

For me, you will never really know how good a bat is or isn't unless you actually use it in a game, playing cricket.

[LEACHY48]

Interesting post. Just to let you know I have this exact shape hellfire just bought second hand but barely used at 2.10.5 in weight on my digital scales. Mine could be the bat pictured they are so similar in shape except less grains on mine.
The bat is lovely but does not pick up any lighter exactly the same as yours. It's quite a heavy pick up.

I've also got a NV h4l model and that has a lower middle at 2.9 in weight I've been using after my original hellfire broke in two(unnoticed storm damage). Bec,a use of the lower middle that picks up heavier than the hellfire.

So ....both bats I have somt  pick up particularly well. I'm a big fan of h4l bats now and they do go very well, you get a lot of confidence using it, or I do anyway.

I would get another hellfire if one was available I think they are top bats.

But yes..much the same they do pick up a bit heavy.

Incidentally I tried an extra grip and it just made the bat heavier no change to the pick up so its just one on there for me.

Sound wise yes again it's a clunky sound, doesn't bother me at all certain brands sound a bit different, seems a touch odd at first but I've got used to it.

H4L's you get thick edges and a pretty sturdy toe and I think the compromise if the pick up but I'm no batmaking expert-just my experience of them(I've had 4 in the last year)

Thanks for this, I think you hit the nail on the head there, the pick up was a huge issue for me and maybe it has tarnished my judgement slightly, I might give it one more run tomorrow to see, to be fair the first ball i hit with it went for 4 over the bowlers head today so maybe im just being a bit unfair, now that I have duck billed the toe it picks up so much better and I havent lost much size there so its still pretty sturdy, im just going to persevere having spent the money. I think another issue is that I am comparing it to a TON that was allegedly made for an IPL pro and is a seriously special bat and I dont think much will come close, so again maybe slightly unfair.

[LEACHY48]

For me, you will never really know how good a bat is or isn't unless you actually use it in a game, playing cricket.

I have used it twice, (albeit fleetingly) but the first time it felt horrible in the hands - felt like i was wielding a treestump, however today it felt slightly better, and i hit a nice four straight out of the screws but not much else and again it just didnt feel 'right'

[smilley792]

Slightly confused at ppcopener post.

I have an NV it has a high middle and has a superb pick up. One of the best bats for pick up in my collection.
It also goes like a train.


Not saying h4l aren't capable of making a dud, or a bat that won't suit everyone, I've moved one on in the passed that just didn't seem to suit me.

Natural product and all that and a bat not worthy of the majorities opinion can easily sneak through.

[LEACHY48]

Slightly confused at ppcopener post.

I have an NV it has a high middle and has a superb pick up. One of the best bats for pick up in my collection.
It also goes like a train.


Not saying h4l aren't capable of making a dud, or a bat that won't suit everyone, I've moved one on in the passed that just didn't seem to suit me.

Natural product and all that and a bat not worthy of the majorities opinion can easily sneak through.

yeah, of course, hence my disclaimer at the start, im a bit miffed, but by the same token, it could have happened if i went to a shop and the bat felt perfect but tok it into a match and didnt suit me, just have to chalk it up to experience and move on, ive tried to make the best of an underwhelming scenario and hopefully I have fixed it, I will be updating this thread in a couple of weeks and we shall see

[Tailendfielder]

Thanks for this, I think you hit the nail on the head there, the pick up was a huge issue for me and maybe it has tarnished my judgement slightly, I might give it one more run tomorrow to see, to be fair the first ball i hit with it went for 4 over the bowlers head today so maybe im just being a bit unfair, now that I have duck billed the toe it picks up so much better and I havent lost much size there so its still pretty sturdy, im just going to persevere having spent the money. I think another issue is that I am comparing it to a TON that was allegedly made for an IPL pro and is a seriously special bat and I dont think much will come close, so again maybe slightly unfair.

Once you have found 'the bat' i dont think its replaceable. Hence your comparing it to some you have on a pedastool. Use the new one in 3 or 4 games and it will get better

[ppccopener]

Yes pick up is tricky and could easily vary from player to player.my h4l has a low middle,all the weight is bottom half.im using it and scoring runs with it.
The majority of opinion is always add another grip,ive never quite got this as to my mind if it picks up heavy get weight off..such as toe guard and extra fibreglass tape.
My team mates swear by two grips.
Again...its subjective.

But generally h4l i would buy over many brands.i have two,i would buy another.

Personally the only bats i found pick up considerably lighter than the dead weight are Salix.smaller edges and thinner toes maybe the reason?

[InternalTraining]

@LEACHY48 , sometimes batsman hit the ball higher or lower than the supposed sweet spot of the bat. It is worth having others try out your bat for a second opinion.

[i12breakfree]

I had a plank from h4l. It was devil grade and refused to ping. But I think that can happen. There will be a few dead - less pinging ones here and there.
My current match bat is h4l bought from eBay. It pings as good as any bat I have owned and very light pickup.

[Northern monkey]

Interesting post
I've had loads of bats over the years that I couldn't get on with, or was underwhelmed with.
Of these, the majority have all been moved on to people who have scored well with the bats.

I agree as well with the comment about comparing to a favourite bat, it's always hard to replace a gun bat
I suppose that's when the bat buying addiction starts