So....my xxx11 custom grade (g1) arrived this morning. It's the strangest initial impression ive ever got from a bat .
I was told it was 2lb7.9oz , sticker said 2lb7.3oz . Dead weight wise it felt 2lb8oz . First time i picked it up i thought the pickup was on or just over the dead weight and i wasnt impressed .
I got out my closest weight bats ( ca big bang 2lb7.9oz , ca big bang 2lb7.6oz , ca plus 15000 2lb8.4oz ) and started comparing dead weight and pickup weight feel ( dont have scales atm ). After swinging around all the bats somehow the xxx11 started to feel lighter dead weight wise and pickup wise . If it actually was 2lb7.3oz i wouldn't be surprised. Pickup is about the same as the 2lb7.6oz big bang, maybe better . I thought 'this is weird'.
I did a mallet test and the pressing is medium ....not as soft feeling as i like or have experienced with all my previous gns (other than one of my xp80s) .Response was decent but less than i was expecting .
I started tapping up a ball and instantly felt depressed.....'ive got a dud' ! , i thought .
I noticed that the face was extra extra flat. On close inspection it is like the e41 and a61 of 2011ish - the face is beyond flat and actually slightly concaved ( not quite as much as e41 or a61 were). I remember when i first bought my 2 e41s and a61 that tapping up a ball felt crap unless it was straight out the middle (the concave made off centre taps feel wrong , but actually batting with it it felt great).
I started tapping up a ball again . Felt crap. I kept tapping whilst thinking about how disappointing this bat felt. I kept tapping for about 10 minutes . I put the bat down , picked it up again , started tapping and suddenly the response and middle felt great -not soft , but very very pingy nonetheless. I thought 'this is weird'.
I looked at the bat studiously, noticed the borderline crazy thin shoulders , next to no spine at the shoulders , super thin handle and wondered how the bat could pick up so well.
Speaking of the handle , it's the skinniest handle ive ever felt ( which suits me fine , i love skinny handles ). It has a similar shape to an exp80 at the bottom but is slightly rounder at the top.
So , this bat specifically has 10 straight , mostly even grains , 1 grain width of heartwood on righthanders inside edge , no blemishes (although 2 small knots partially covered by stickers on the back, they are shallow and only superficial ).It has 44mm edges and 67-68mm ish spine .
It actually feels a lot like an atomic with a bit more swell . Overall , it is like a mutant hybrid of a kaboom , atomic , e41 . This bat creates more of an illusion re wide bat (when you look down at it in your stance) than any bat ive ever held....i measured its width to check the toe wasnt 109 or 110 mm etc , but it is 108mm the whole way .
Overall , i think the bat will benefit more from knocking in /oiling re feel/softness then most of my other bats . If it never got any better i would still say it will be a bit of a canon . Feels beautiful in the hands and its size for weight is astounding.
I'm surprised how much i love this bat considering a couple hrs ago i felt depressed about it and wish i hadnt bought it . Weird .
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