Hi all, so I though I would share my latest purchase and very pleased with it I am as well. This is my Vulcan Imperial in the 2017 profile.
Iv been speaking to Dean for a while about another bat and when this cleft became available I just jumped at this one. Personally I'm not a fan of large numbers of grains. I prefer between 6-8 ideally and most importantly that they run straight through the toe. Many different reasons for this but I have always found bats with these amounts of grains and straight through the toe play and last the best. Add in my little strip of heartwood that I also look for in all my bats and as I said I was sold.
So this is 2.9 as per all my bats, iv found iv got very picky over the last couple of years about two things and one of those is weight. Yes I know no 2.9 bats will pick up identical but that brings me into my 2nd picky thing and that's a slight duck bill toe. Nothing extreme like those BAS dolphins things but a gentle duck bill into a mid placed profile. I even made other bats I have into slight duckbill toe through sanding.
So this cleft has 8 grains and as you can see a couple of marks on the blade one of which being what I call a hard bar across the blade about a 3rd of the way up. Very minimal concaving with an oval handle and a single chevron grip which just completes my ideal set up.
Size wise I think it's quite a large bat with 39mm edges. Now for some this may not seem large but for a UK made bat that's isn't dried on baking roofs in warmer climates for the weight it's a decent size.
For me the bat also picks up very very well, it does honestly feel a lot lighter in the hands when wearing gloves and incredibly well balanced. The bat needs knocking in but came oiled and without a scuff sheet. Performance wise it's got a lovely sound when tapping the ball up and the middle feels very long.
The final thing I must say is how easy Dean was to communicate with and honest to deal with. I was asking for a square toe like I have on my NB DC bat as that's what I finished last season using ans it just seems to sit so much better in my set up as well as giving the impression and therefore confidence it's actually bigger. Dean is not a fan of square toes and told me why as a bat maker he doesn't like them and how it doesn't fit into this profile and stuck to his guns. Now he could have said that's what you want your paying here you go but the fact he took time to explain his reasons and why has made me see the benefits of a traditional toe. Anyway just thought it was good that a maker stuck to his guns. Anyway enough of my waffle here are some pics
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Topic: Vulcan Imperial 2017 Profile (Read 5903 times)