So after spending the last 6 weeks having the biggest clear out I have ever had I’m well on my way towards my 2020 goal of limited kit. I’m sorted first wise and now I’m sorted with the 2nd of 3 bats I want to own by the time the 2020 seasons kicks off.
My next journey took me back to a familiar place of Butlers farm in Kent and back to Salix. Now Iv owned and used probably 15 or so Salix or Hitshard bats over the years and my number one bat ever was a Hitshard bat that I used for 3 seasons straight before it finally gave up. In that time I moved away from Kent and started using other brands and then settled on GM which Iv used for the last 3 seasons but anyway I’m going off track.
. I’m not going away from the fact I will not spend more than £200 on a bat these days as I don’t feel there is any benefit to doing so. I may not have the grainiest bats but I certainly have found bats over the past 4 years that performance wise are as good as any top end bat price wise and again I feel Iv managed that again. This was in its raw stage a Players grade so one down from finite but during the sanding process the knot visible towards to top cane out as did the hard bar in the top 3rd of the blade so that meant this was downgraded to a Graded range which is the entry level Salix. Apart from the couple of blemishes the bat has 8 dead straight and even grains and are straight on the back and most importantly for me straight through the toe
Nothing overly special in regard shape, it’s the AJK shape which is in my view the best shape with a slightly rounded face and spine into toe which in the past few years I’ve avoided in favour of the duckbill shape. Edge wise it’s big without being extreme at 34mm max and weight is 2.94 fully dressed.
sticker wise these are a sample sets that are not being released as the green and yellow/gold colour way matches my club colours. Also these are without doubt my favourite Salix stickers since the older retro vantage ones. Salix always used to spend ages every season on the design of the branding as the brand means so much to them both and I feel they have knocked it out the park this season.
The finish is better than any other bat Iv owned in the past 5 years and the shine and polish is just amazing. As to is the balance and pick up. It’s not a heavy bat but to me this is why AJK is the best bat maker going as well as how well each bat is pressed. This is a gun pure and simple. The middle is so long and the sound deep and crisp. Even now it’s better than my match used and prepared bats and honestly has to be seen to be believed how good this bat is. As you maybe able to tell I am very very happy with it and think I may have found my next forever until it breaks bat, which for me over the past few years is a tough sentence to type.
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Topic: My new gun (Read 8242 times)