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[t2ylo]

So today my mate popped around because he had broken his bat and needed another.
Knowing I had a small collection, he asked what I had that I'd part with for the right price.
I gave him 7 to choose from of all shapes and sizes - he insisted he needed a light one.
(You can see where this heading)
After a cuppa and a good sesh of feel/pick with and without gloves he made his choice - a 2.11 TK made county cleft (its on another thread if you wanted to see it)
He turned down really decent bats from 2.8 to 2.10 and went for the one that felt best and he only weighed them afterwards
I am confused - I've never bought into the feel and picks up lighter than its weight but he insisted that it felt the best
As an aside he paid in a combination of cash and apple juice
Two questions
1) have I been wrong all my life worrying about the weight?
2) what's the weirdest thing you have accepted as payment for your gear?

[Buzz]

I think this comes down to a little bit if experience. I have used bats that feel great, but are too heavy and bats that feel amazing but are so light I cant use them either.
My view is that as a batsman at some point you stumble on a weight that works for you and then you should stick close to that but find one with a pick up you like.

Sachin used very heavy bats but was given the best ones with amazing pick up.

There is nothing worse than dropping a bunch of cash on a perfectly good bat that you can't use.

[FattusCattus]

Ooooh OOOOh OOOOOhhh!! I AM TOTALLY INTO THIS!!

Do not adhere to a specific weight! None of us HAS to use a 2,8 - we should use the bat that picks up right for us.

I was in Romida yesterday, and I played with a whole bunch of bats of all different shapes and sizes. I believe that I use light bats - around 2,8. However, the best bats I picked up that day (that felt totally right in my hands) were a GN Scoop at 2.11 and a Keeley G3 at 2.10.

Both picked up just right,and if I'd had the money I would've bought both and bugger the weight!!!

[FattusCattus]

ps - I'm impressed I can get 'bugger' through the swear filter.

[Biggie Smalls]

ps - I'm impressed I can get 'bugger' through the swear filter.

I once accidentally got a bunch of f bombs through the swear filter ( i presumed it would have come up with a bunch of 'no swearing please' but it all went through to the keeper. Sometimes (No Swearing Please) happens . 

[Gurujames]

The position of the middle plays a large part in my view, I think this is why all the big GN's have such high middles. But perhaps the greatest influence for me is the shape and thickness of the handle.
I bought the missus some digital scales the other week. I spent the first hour weighing all my bats, I was surprised that they were all heavier than I thought.

[FattusCattus]

There is also sometimes no substitute for a master of balance. The Keeleys I played with, all picked up well, regardless of weight

[Blank Bats]

All about feel in the hands. The scale weight is just a number. I know a good few pros who go by that.

[FattusCattus]

@Blank Bats - a good few pros, and a good few 'proppa battas'!

I hope the B20 picks up like a feather!

[Blank Bats]

@FattusCattus how could I forget. My apologies Sire.

[Yorkershire]

I'd like to say I go with pick up but not always possible...

simply go to a local batmaker and get the weigh taken off... doesn't always work but hey ho...

[jamesisapayne]

For me dead weight only gets you in the right ballpark and that's about it. If you like a light pickup there's no point looking at a 2.12+ weight as it's highly unlikely any batmaker can make a bat weighing that much feel light in the hands.

Apart from that is never worth getting hung up on weight, especially passing over bats that are 1-2 ounces out of what you'd normally use as the difference in pickup is marginal and not one most club players could feel with real authority.

For me pickup and handle shape are the two most important things. I think most of the reason bats get passed around here so much is that people are buying blind most of the time. If they bought a bat from a shop after picking it up, waving it around playing shadow shots with gloves on they'd be more likely to buy bat that's a keeper.

Highlights to me why cricket retailers/shops where you can try before you buy are so important rather than stack em high sell em cheap warehouses.

[Tailendfielder]

Im torn, for years I used a bat that was 2'8 and picked up like balsa wood. When it died I really wanted to like heavier bats and I've been using heavier bats for a while. I've decided if it has a heavy handle almost certainly will pick up well and I can use them. However, sometimes I struggle with cutting and pulling with the heavier bats and it is where I always scored runs. I don't think I'd get something over 2'9 if I ever feel I can justify buying another bat even though you can really feel the difference in terms of bat power.

[InternalTraining]

He turned down really decent bats from 2.8 to 2.10 and went for the one that felt best and he only weighed them afterwards

This, and many other anecdotes like this, prove my point: Dead weight is pretty useless and archaic way of standardizing a bat. People prefer the swing weight or the pick-up "feel".

Remove guess work out of bat selection: standardize "swing weight" and label bats with that (and a few other bits of info).

[brokenbat]

All about middle position. 2lb 10 for high middle bats feel the same to me as 2lb 8 oz low middle (full profile) bats.