We all have to kiss a few frogs to find our prince! Mine has been an incredibly winding journey taking me through pretty much every manufacturer out there.... I think I might have finally found my prince...
It all started with a for sale thread from
@Jaffa last year and the gorgeous Atomic he was moving on, had it not been so close to a family holiday I would have taken it off him there and then! The shape reminds me of a modern day GM Purist which is one of the greatest bats ever made!
Fast forward a few months, reading a couple of reviews on here, seeing
@Six Sixes Cricket uk Edition Atomic post as well as talking to
@simonmay5 &
@Number4 about their Oz made examples I decided that the new Atomic might just be the bat for me.
I set out on a search for a UK made one and was lucky enough (as there wasn’t many made in the U.K.) to find one in a Cricket store in Manchester that had one left in stock. A few emails later and a UK made 2lb 8oz was on its way to me. While waiting for delivery
@Chad posted his review which made me slightly nervous that these were a bit of a dud... My wait was short and the day after his review mine arrived. Swinging the bat around the office it just felt right! Perfect size handle, light effortless pickup and mid middle profile... could this be the one and the end of my endless bat buying...
Apparently not!!......
A week or so later Rob was in touch about a 2lb 11oz UK made he has in stock with dead straight grains and a clean face that is different to the rest of the batch he had... A very short exchange of photos later and my wallet was poorer but my Cricket bag was richer! Rob really is a pleasure to deal with he’s always got time to respond to messages and has even helped me out providing pictures of info for kit he’d already mentioned he couldn’t source.
The bat itself is a bit of a beast!
42mm edges, 23mm toe and GN being a little naughty at 109mm wide.
Surely now I would be content?
Darn you GCCC & your sales!!
The 1200’s were down to only £170 each! Which others will confirm for an Ozzie made GN is almost daylight robbery... Sale was live for around 10minutes and my order was placed... 2 x 1200’s Ozzie made only or give me a refund.... Awake to an email apologising telling me they’ve held their last Ozzie made 1200 and did I want a refund for the difference or for just 200aud more they have a lovely Black Edition & a 1000 at their Albion store.... A couple of emails back and forth about customs and charge avoidance (Thanks Simon) 3 bats were leaving Oz from for a new life in Blighty.
The bats themselves feel completely different to the UK made editions, they are almost a class above what is made here. They have a feel of solid, dependableness about them that isn’t the same in the UK editions. I completely get now what others were saying in the ‘What makes these Oz sticks so special’ thread!!
They are all bang on my liked weight range 1000 Black Edition being 2lb 8.0oz and the 1200 2lb 8.7ozs , the Black Edition has a much more Oval handle to the others and more oval than I would normally use but it sits in the hands perfectly. The pick up, balance & initial tap-up of them just fills me with excitement to get to nets and give them a go.... GN Oz, you make some truly wonderful sticks!!
These of course led to me needing matching softs, to which the reviews of GN Legends on here led to me buying some 2017 gloves from
@VKS and 2017 pads from 3D Sports (If anybody has any 2017 Legend gloves going spare let me know).
In conclusion 5 of the same bat is ludicrous I fully accept that & my like of them is borderline obsessive! Having this many may well bother some people by god I’m glad I’ve got them! This forum has the power to make people build friendships and empty their wallets around the globe discussing our great game!
Final thoughts on the bats - Are they the modern day purist? Only time will tell but I have a sneaking suspicion they just might be!!
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Topic: A crush..... (Read 3761 times)