Hi all. New to the forum, but had to share after a recent visit to Paul Aldred.
After speaking with Paul on the phone and discussing what type of shape \ weight \ grade etc , I arrived to find he had a choice of clefts handled up for me.
I had chosen a butterfly bat because of price and also performance .I don't care about looks, I want ping!.
A couple could have passed for G 1/2 with only small butterfly stains, but I went for a half heartwood cleft with a nice butterfly stain in the hitting zone. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!
I liked the looks of the prestige model, but wanted a full profile ...no concaving!. No problem at all said Paul, and he then set about making me a belter. All through the process I was involved. Constantly trying the bat for pick up and balance until I was happy. He asked me at the start what weight I was after, but at no point did we put the bat on the weight scale.
In the end I was there for well over a hour and came away with a bat which ticked every box I could wish for. I can honestly say I will never buy a bat from a shop ever again. Save up your money and get a hand made bat...to suit you! There are now quite a few bat makers dotted around the country who do this service.. Jedi, Red ink etc
What a great experience watching a craftsman at work and one very happy cricketer😁
P.S The cost of this one on one bespoke , handcrafted thing of beauty... £175.!
PPS. Curiosity did get the better of me , so I weighed it some days latter! It was only half an ounce out from my target weight! That close from eye and feel. Amazing.
Author
Topic: Aldred ...hand made is the way. (Read 3405 times)