I joined CBF after I started my club cricket.
My first bats were a Kippax (with dragon stickers) and an Ihsan bat. Ihsan's handle didn't lost one season. Kippax is delaminated but still pingy.
Then, I got onto the L&W bandwagon and bought a few. It was followed by MG2. It was followed by bat maker whose name rhymes with "performance free" - those duds will eventually be used for firewood. Well, from memory, here is the entire progression of the decade:
- Kippax, Ihsan bats. Aero pads. Masuri helmet. Hammer bats.
- L&W. Torpedo bats.
- MG2
- Performance Free, M&H
- CA, Red Ink, Aldred bats.
- GN - AUS made, Keeleys, Ayrtek helmet.
I have gone thru many brands of gloves and found Newbery to be the best.
Good thing about this progression is that I figured out what bat shape, size, and weight works for me.