Butterfly Willow Bats - What are your thoughts?
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Poll

Butterfly Willow - Yay or Nay?

Make the best bats
Belong in the wood burner
Good - but overhyped/priced
Purely cosmetic
Inferior to clean higher graded willow
Value option, bargains out there
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AJ2014

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Re: Butterfly Willow Bats - What are your thoughts?
« Reply #30 on: March 22, 2021, 01:43:16 PM »

Think in butterfly willow, at least, we should ignore the y term "grading".
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Buzz

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Re: Butterfly Willow Bats - What are your thoughts?
« Reply #31 on: March 22, 2021, 01:56:58 PM »

On the wright's website butterfly can be graded up to a grade 2 bat.
You can get amazing clean straight grains with the stain on the back. Not often but occasionally.
Mostly they should be lower grade bats, but if you can try a few and find one you like, bargains are there to be had.
This is why I choose a batmaker who makes handles I like the shape of then I choose of the rack in my weight range.

This year my spikes cost more than my bat though... 😲

From the JS Wrights' Web site

Butterfly Stain
This is “Butterfly Stain”, so called as it resembles the wings and body of a butterfly. It is attributed to pruning and frost damage, especially by hard pruning of larger branches that causes scarring in the timber. (Found in our own research and confirmed by the Forestry Commission). Although most people do not understand the butterfly stain, it adds strength to the finished bat, giving longer life of the bat with much less likelihood of the bats breaking.


A GRADE 1 BLADE
A Grade 1 is the best looking blade, though it will not necessarily play the best. There may be some red wood evident on the edge of the blade.  The grain on the face will be straight and there will be a minimum of 6 grains visible.  There may be the odd small knot or speck in the edge or back but the playing area should be clean.

A GRADE 2 BLADE
A Grade 2 blade is also very good quality and normally a larger amount of red wood can be seen on the edge of a blade, this has no effect on the playing ability of the bat it is purely cosmetic. Again there will be at least 6 straight grains on the face of the blade with maybe some blemishes, pin knots or “speck” visible, we also put the top 2% of the excellent quality butterfly blades that we get into Grade 2.

A GRADE 3 BLADE
 
This is  a middle grade that is produced in much higher numbers than the top grades and it offers very good value for money. A Grade 3 Blade has up to half colour across the blade which again has no direct relation to the playing ability of the wood, it just has less visual attraction. There will be a minimum of 5 grains on the face of the blade which may not always be perfectly straight. Again some small knots or butterfly stain may be present with sometimes more prominent “speck”.

A GRADE 4 BLADE
A Grade 4 Blade is normally over half colour or contains butterfly stain (see our page on Imperfections in Willow). It will still play as well as the other grades. Any number of grains are possible with often only 4 grains, the willow containing ‘butterfly’ stain is very strong, there could also be more “speck” and other faults.


This is the most consistent approach to grading.
What it doesn't talk about is low density willow.
Or any mention of grade 1++?+++? Willow, which is nonsense marketing speak.
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Bats_Entertainment

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Re: Butterfly Willow Bats - What are your thoughts?
« Reply #32 on: March 22, 2021, 02:11:37 PM »

But it does talk plenty about looks not affecting performance.

Playing devil's advocate: maybe they've just got willow to shift?
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Real Munson

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Re: Butterfly Willow Bats - What are your thoughts?
« Reply #33 on: March 22, 2021, 02:17:57 PM »

My understanding was that you can't just buy Grade 1 from JS Wright, you have to buy a batch which contains all grades of willow?
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Buzz

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Re: Butterfly Willow Bats - What are your thoughts?
« Reply #34 on: March 22, 2021, 03:03:39 PM »

Yes both correct... You can't buy 100 g1 clefts from wright's (in fact you can't really buy willow from wright's as all their willow is already pre sold pretty much.
You buy batches of willow with a mix of clefts, the more you buy the better willow you get.
So SS/SG etc who buy the most willow get a lot of the best clefts.

Which is why more UK batmakers are growing their own willow, see GN, Chase, Etc
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AJ2014

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Re: Butterfly Willow Bats - What are your thoughts?
« Reply #35 on: March 22, 2021, 03:54:23 PM »

Don't think there's any kind of grading in butterfly willow.
But if one puts all the attention: materials, pressing, etc, there is greater chance to produce better butterfly bats, often.
« Last Edit: March 22, 2021, 04:00:09 PM by AJ2014 »
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Chad

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Re: Butterfly Willow Bats - What are your thoughts?
« Reply #36 on: March 22, 2021, 04:09:06 PM »

Don't think there's any kind of grading in butterfly willow.
But if one puts all the attention: materials, pressing, etc, there is greater chance to produce better butterfly bats, often.


Buzz has literally copied and pasted what Wrights grade Butterfly - the really nice ones (top 2%) they have as G2 blades, and the not so nice ones as G3 and G4 blades. It doesn't matter what you think - it's what they've put on their website...



Thanks for the input so far folks, great to hear from folk who have worked with Butterfly willow as well. :)
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Bats_Entertainment

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Re: Butterfly Willow Bats - What are your thoughts?
« Reply #37 on: March 22, 2021, 04:44:58 PM »

My understanding was that you can't just buy Grade 1 from JS Wright, you have to buy a batch which contains all grades of willow?

I think I already understood this. (I'd have learnt it on here.) But promoting all grades as perfectly functional would only help in selling the said batches? (Again, playing devil's advocate.)
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AJ2014

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Re: Butterfly Willow Bats - What are your thoughts?
« Reply #38 on: March 22, 2021, 05:35:11 PM »

From the JS Wrights' Web site

Butterfly Stain
This is “Butterfly Stain”, so called as it resembles the wings and body of a butterfly. It is attributed to pruning and frost damage, especially by hard pruning of larger branches that causes scarring in the timber. (Found in our own research and confirmed by the Forestry Commission). Although most people do not understand the butterfly stain, it adds strength to the finished bat, giving longer life of the bat with much less likelihood of the bats breaking.


A GRADE 1 BLADE
A Grade 1 is the best looking blade, though it will not necessarily play the best. There may be some red wood evident on the edge of the blade.  The grain on the face will be straight and there will be a minimum of 6 grains visible.  There may be the odd small knot or speck in the edge or back but the playing area should be clean.

A GRADE 2 BLADE
A Grade 2 blade is also very good quality and normally a larger amount of red wood can be seen on the edge of a blade, this has no effect on the playing ability of the bat it is purely cosmetic. Again there will be at least 6 straight grains on the face of the blade with maybe some blemishes, pin knots or “speck” visible, we also put the top 2% of the excellent quality butterfly blades that we get into Grade 2.

A GRADE 3 BLADE
 
This is  a middle grade that is produced in much higher numbers than the top grades and it offers very good value for money. A Grade 3 Blade has up to half colour across the blade which again has no direct relation to the playing ability of the wood, it just has less visual attraction. There will be a minimum of 5 grains on the face of the blade which may not always be perfectly straight. Again some small knots or butterfly stain may be present with sometimes more prominent “speck”.

A GRADE 4 BLADE
A Grade 4 Blade is normally over half colour or contains butterfly stain (see our page on Imperfections in Willow). It will still play as well as the other grades. Any number of grains are possible with often only 4 grains, the willow containing ‘butterfly’ stain is very strong, there could also be more “speck” and other faults.


This is the most consistent approach to grading.
What it doesn't talk about is low density willow.
Or any mention of grade 1++?+++? Willow, which is nonsense marketing speak.
This grade 1, 2, 3, 4 is referring to white English willow and not referring to butterfly stain willow.
Only 1st paragraph is about butterfly willow
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Chad

Re: Butterfly Willow Bats - What are your thoughts?
« Reply #39 on: March 22, 2021, 05:42:05 PM »

This grade 1, 2, 3, 4 is referring to white English willow and not referring to butterfly stain willow.
Only 1st paragraph is about butterfly willow

A GRADE 2 BLADE
A Grade 2 blade is also very good quality and normally a larger amount of red wood can be seen on the edge of a blade, this has no effect on the playing ability of the bat it is purely cosmetic. Again there will be at least 6 straight grains on the face of the blade with maybe some blemishes, pin knots or “speck” visible, we also put the top 2% of the excellent quality butterfly blades that we get into Grade 2.

A GRADE 3 BLADE

This is  a middle grade that is produced in much higher numbers than the top grades and it offers very good value for money. A Grade 3 Blade has up to half colour across the blade which again has no direct relation to the playing ability of the wood, it just has less visual attraction. There will be a minimum of 5 grains on the face of the blade which may not always be perfectly straight. Again some small knots or butterfly stain may be present with sometimes more prominent “speck”.

A GRADE 4 BLADE

A Grade 4 Blade is normally over half colour or contains butterfly stain (see our page on Imperfections in Willow). It will still play as well as the other grades. Any number of grains are possible with often only 4 grains, the willow containing ‘butterfly’ stain is very strong, there could also be more “speck” and other faults.








If you just Ctrl+F and type in Butterfly, you can see where it's mentioned if you really can't be bothered reading it. I've put it in bold just for you though.
;)

Also, thanks to whoever added in the last option to the poll, was late at night and had forgotten to add an answer along those lines! :)
« Last Edit: March 22, 2021, 05:44:45 PM by Chad »
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Bats_Entertainment

Re: Butterfly Willow Bats - What are your thoughts?
« Reply #40 on: March 22, 2021, 06:13:40 PM »

And to think that some of you podshavers said butterfly was hard work...  ;)
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AJ2014

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Re: Butterfly Willow Bats - What are your thoughts?
« Reply #41 on: March 22, 2021, 06:57:20 PM »

A GRADE 2 BLADE
A Grade 2 blade is also very good quality and normally a larger amount of red wood can be seen on the edge of a blade, this has no effect on the playing ability of the bat it is purely cosmetic. Again there will be at least 6 straight grains on the face of the blade with maybe some blemishes, pin knots or “speck” visible, we also put the top 2% of the excellent quality butterfly blades that we get into Grade 2.

A GRADE 3 BLADE

This is  a middle grade that is produced in much higher numbers than the top grades and it offers very good value for money. A Grade 3 Blade has up to half colour across the blade which again has no direct relation to the playing ability of the wood, it just has less visual attraction. There will be a minimum of 5 grains on the face of the blade which may not always be perfectly straight. Again some small knots or butterfly stain may be present with sometimes more prominent “speck”.

A GRADE 4 BLADE

A Grade 4 Blade is normally over half colour or contains butterfly stain (see our page on Imperfections in Willow). It will still play as well as the other grades. Any number of grains are possible with often only 4 grains, the willow containing ‘butterfly’ stain is very strong, there could also be more “speck” and other faults.








If you just Ctrl+F and type in Butterfly, you can see where it's mentioned if you really can't be bothered reading it. I've put it in bold just for you though.
;)

Also, thanks to whoever added in the last option to the poll, was late at night and had forgotten to add an answer along those lines! :)

I'm sorry Chad, I'm working, didn't read thoroughly.
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Maverick06

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Re: Butterfly Willow Bats - What are your thoughts?
« Reply #42 on: March 22, 2021, 09:13:53 PM »

So who makes the best butterfly bats? If I have to take a punt, who shall I go with?
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Jimbo

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Re: Butterfly Willow Bats - What are your thoughts?
« Reply #43 on: March 22, 2021, 09:28:08 PM »

So who makes the best butterfly bats? If I have to take a punt, who shall I go with?

Like asking 'who makes the best grade one bats?', there's no one size fits all answer. Chances are if there's a batmaker you like they can do you a butterfly bat.
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LEACHY48

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Re: Butterfly Willow Bats - What are your thoughts?
« Reply #44 on: March 22, 2021, 09:33:21 PM »

If you are interested in trying one, take a look at my bat making thread mate.  @Maverick06

Lovely stick.
So who makes the best butterfly bats? If I have to take a punt, who shall I go with?
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