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[jonny77]

This is the issue with funky shapes as previously stated, ate they commercially viable? Unless you can prove their stew specific benefits over traditional shapes, then it's just down to the asthetics and people will generally go for less funky. Even if it's just so they don't get stick when they spoon one top mid off 2nd ball!

[Butterfingerz]

when designing a bat on CAD at the old place, I always used a set of parameters to ensure the bats always felt good and worked. This allowed me to design anything I wanted but as long as I worked between there parameters the bat would work.

[Neon Cricket]

This is the issue with funky shapes as previously stated, ate they commercially viable?

Exactly that mate, bottom line is they're not viable on any sort of mass/commercial scale - the odd one-off here and there just won't make up for the time/resources put into developing the new profile in the first place (hence pretty much every brand having the same few outline profiles, it's what the public want!).

[jonny77]

Exactly that mate, bottom line is they're not viable on any sort of mass/commercial scale - the odd one-off here and there just won't make up for the time/resources put into developing the new profile in the first place (hence pretty much every brand having the same few outline profiles, it's what the public want!).

It's just the fact there are so many possibilities but there would be a limited market. So for most of the bigger brands to mass produce a funky shape to more than likely sit on the shelves, just isnt viable as you say. Making them isn't really the difficult part now, especially with CNCs.

As previously mentioned, funky shapes are available but just not ots. Any batmaker will be more than happy to make something different from the norm I'm sure

[Jimbo]

This discussion is only fuelling my desire to spend more money on bats 😅 a properly weird one is conspicuously missing from the collection...

[jonny77]

This discussion is only fuelling my desire to spend more money on bats 😅 a properly weird one is conspicuously missing from the collection...

It's fuelling my fire to shape up a weird shape too tbh, but no time at present

[jonny77]

Taking of funky shapes.....

https://www.instagram.com/p/CbzSsThlqZT/?utm_medium=copy_link

[marsbug]

Taking of funky shapes.....

https://www.instagram.com/p/CbzSsThlqZT/?utm_medium=copy_link

YES! Love it! Thanks for sharing (and making!)

[Kai]

How does the bat pickup? @jonny77 Love to see that people are trying out new shapes instead of the generic shapes in the recent years.

[jonny77]

Picks up like a dog mate. Ultra skinny handle, thin splice and shoulders. Thought today might be the day to put it out there.....the response has actually surprised me tho! 😂

[marsbug]

Well I love it for a few reasons, but the main one being that looking for weird bat shapes was one of the reasons I found the forum in the first place. So I have a big soft spot for all the odd-shaped bats out there.

This one actually reminds me a bit of the first bat I made, which was based on artificial intelligence optimizing the design (http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=48259.msg768747#msg768747). I think I posted it on another thread, but you can now read the whole thesis about that method for free (https://open.library.ubc.ca/soa/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/24/items/1.0392675).

In those bats, the design tries to put the centre of percussion (usually high up the blade) as close as possible to the vibration nodes (usually near the toe), with the result being a massive lump of wood near the toe, and not much elsehwhere. Which is exactly what you've done! When I've got time I will try and run your shape through the simulation software, which should tell me exactly where those points are, but I really suspect that it is pretty close to being 'optimized' according to that study. But of course, the study wasn't looking at the pick up (although does predict centre of mass), which I can completely believe is not good!

But great work all the same! At least according to the theory, if you can middle one off that bat it should absolutely fly... you've just got to figure out how to lift it in the first place!

[jonny77]

It weighs 2lbs 3oz 😆

[InternalTraining]

Taking of funky shapes.....

https://www.instagram.com/p/CbzSsThlqZT/?utm_medium=copy_link

This looks like a skinny Laver Ultra shape (https://www.laverwood.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Ultra.jpg). In the past, I am pretty sure I reached out to Laver & Wood and asked them to make one just like you posted.

Regardless, after the enactment of size restrictions by MCC/ICC , these are the types of shapes we are headed towards.

[InternalTraining]

This is a question and topic that I'm really interested in following, and is the reason that I found the forum in the first place. I'd been reading up on the physics of bat design, and realised that there were A LOT of interesting threads on here.

In teaching myself how to make bats over the last year or so, I've made some fairly strange shapes, and modelled how they should perfom. But I've only used 2 of them in a game or nets, and must admit, that I've left the weirder ones at home. In fact, I just converted my weirdest bat into a more convential shape. I guess if I was buying a bat, and it had a different shape, then I'd have to be convinced that it was going to be at least as good (however you define it) as normal shapes.

I have a few ideas for complicated (but legal) shapes that could be used on bats, and think that they would be interesting to test, but without a CNC I can't get close to making them. I'm trying at the moment by hand, and my Dremel skills are nowhere near up to it!

I have seen your other threads and this is exactly the kind of work and thinking that's needed in the bat making world! You are not getting paid for it (yet) but you are advancing the field. Keep an eye out for patenting the build/design "process" or trademarking "shapes" which could be licensed to bigger players. Just thinking out loud should you choose the route.

[Bats_Entertainment]

Taking of funky shapes.....

https://www.instagram.com/p/CbzSsThlqZT/?utm_medium=copy_link

April fools!