I am. My Supreme has quite a high middle and a duckbill and it does pickup well. I find cross batted shots easy and it's performance is rivalled only by my Red Ink.
I don't think he pushes heavy bats as such. I think he suggests ignoring dead weight and going by feel. It was a revelation for me and I haven't looked back since.
@Gurujames I was on the fence on this as well. However, having 8 bats around the same weight and knowing that Aldred made a fantastic butterfly, I just wanted him to make me one without me imposing restrictions on him. I took 3 of my bats with me to get a feel and compare the pick up of the one he was making. I made it a point to never look at the scale. Just wanted something big and solid and that pinged and that was within ball park of the rest in terms of pick up. And while the bat he made felt a bit heavier, I didn't mind because it still felt great. I never thought it would be 5oz higher than the rest of the bats! So yes, I am a convert. He never pushed anything on me. He only suggested a thicker oval handle than the other bats because he said thicker handles meant more power transmitted to the ball.
It's easy to see where the extra weight is and why it doesn't matter as much. Off the 5 oz extra weight, about 2 is in the handle, another 1 to 1.5 is in the top of the bat (shoulder, splice, sticker) where it is noticeably thicker than other bats and only 1.5 to 2 oz on the blade which still makes for a thick blade. The toe on my bat is 31mm at the center, 25mm toe on the edge, edges are 39.5 mm, there's a 3-4mm camber on the face. So it is a massive bat but doesn't feel like it because it is beautifully balanced with the extra weight distributed evenly across the bat. The balance point on the Aldred is also about a 0.5 inch higher than some of my other bats. And I think the axe-like handle makes a huge difference in how the bat picks up and feels. And it's the axe-handle that gives it the solidity that others have mentioned.
If you request a lower weight, Aldred can't bring these factors into play that make the bat feel good. I'm optimistic, I can experiment because I've got other bats that work for me and if I can get this to work, it will be a welcome additional to the arsenal, a howitzer to the pistol collection.
I get it that Aldred is not everyone's cup of tea with the heavier dead weight bats but the lighter pick up is definitely not (No Swearing Please). I had no pressure to pick up my bat, if I wasn't happy, I could've asked him to shave off a few ounces from the bat. Yes, I was taken aback by the scale weight when I first saw it but the more I swung the bat around, the more I wanted to give it a chance as it really didn't feel THAT heavy.
I will say that if you haven't had a bat made by him in person and seen the process, you are doing him a huge disservice by disparaging his skill in producing a balanced bat. At the end of the day, it's a good performing bat that counts regardless of weight. And if you can swing a 3lb bat the same way as a 2lb 10oz bat, why would you give up that advantage?
Good to see a bit of experimentation with different bats over the Winter 
I thought I was settled but having handled a few Aldred's at the CBF net I think I might give one a go, mainly for the handle and very "solid" feel. The rebound of a ball was also consistently very good across all bats I've seen from him. The next most similar in feel in general would be Hunts I reckon as both feel like very sturdy bits of kit. The handles just tip it in Aldred's favour though and is the main reason I'd like to try one.
I'm not sure I could cope with getting a custom direct though as the might be some differing opinions on a few things 
I may have to badger some forumites at the next CBF net instead
@DorsetDan Yes, I second that, winter is for experimenting. Totally agree with you and
@Gurujames on the handle making the difference in feel and immensely aiding pickup. I also feel that an Aldred handle works better and differently than putting on an extra 3 grips, I used 2 grips on my bats before and absolutely hated it and this doesn't feel the same. Another bat with a thick oval handle is my Hunts and lo and behold, that picks up awful light as well. Several people have said the Hunts picks up better than my BB even though it weighs 0.7 oz more.
When is the next CBF nets and where? If it is indoors and within say 30 miles, I might have a go. You should definitely get an Aldred personally if you get a chance.
I only had a quite feel of a couple but they were all right up there as some of the best balanced bats I've had my hands on. I would say they have more in common with a TK/ Newbery "weightless" feel as compared to the Aldred/ Hunts "rod of steel solidness" feel. Feel is such a personal thing but that would be my impression. No idea on performance or durability of Jedi (which judging by old forum posts may be the only thing to watch)
@DorsetDan I would second your view of the JEDI, very well balanced and pressed to provide an awesome ping. Soft pressed so needs more knocking in. In terms of ping out of the packet, the Aldred and JEDI stand out from my other bats which are not too shabby either. Can't comment on durability but hopefully we will know in a year.
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Topic: Monster Aldred Butterfly and Red Ink - 2 more for the collection (Read 8344 times)