Saw the thread read the first page to catch up and thought mongoose the brand everyone is talking about ok have I missed something. But it was the Talisman mention that me double check the date! Interesting how some have stood the test and others have wilted. Or brands were opinions on them have changed both positively and negatively.
It's very interesting to see the how much the trend has changed in the last few years, and how many of the early posters are no longer posting (for whatever reason).
There is a definite wave of preference that goes from company to company.
At the moment I would have...
1 - GM
2 - GN (GM and GN will alwasy have a spot in the UK market, unless something major happens like it did with Slazenger)
3 - NB (big now, but will see about longevity)
4 - Asics (for their footwear)
5 - Salix
6 - Newbery (Salix and Newbery provide very good bats and have that 'boutique' feel)
7 - Masuri (for their lids)
8 - Adidas (excellent clothing range)
9 - H4L
10 - Blank Bats (the performance of the BB and H4L bats I have seen have been top notch)
I'd also want a "custom" bat maker, someone who could provide the custom option, such as Red Ink or similar.
The other option would be Kippax to add to my range, but they are quite expensive.
There would be a spot for anyone else local who wanted to sell their bats (Kelsall or mangled, etc.) if they were producing many.