Hi all,
Apologies for being slightly circumspect with some details here. This is to protect the business that I have a good long term relationship with, and I might be fretting about nothing. They also haven't had any opportunity to redress the issue if it actually is one. This might turn out to be longer than necessary as I want to be clear with all info.
My 13 year old son is growing fast. He is 5'8" tall, and shooting up. I decided Christmas was a good opportunity to buy him his first SH adult sized bat (plus other kit). I know he's still a touch small (5'9" is recommended by the various charts), but he'll have hit that before the start of the season by the looks of it!
Ollie has a middling bat with a handle he loves the feel of, but I didn't really know how to describe, so we decided a trip to the workshop to speak with the bat-maker was the best idea. Besides, we both like a visit.
When we got there we showed him the handle and got that sorted; and Ollie was told to try a few of the bats that were in stock to see which felt the way he wanted. Oliver was swinging one around and said he really liked the feel of it, but did he have one that was a bit heavier? The (very dour) bat-maker looked at him, and said that one's 2-12, I think it's more than heavy enough! (This story was funny at the time and is relevant!). There was no information about the weights of the bats whilst Ollie was trying them, so I don't think he was trying to buy the "macho" biggest bat- it was his his genuine feel from the bat.
We ultimately agreed on a bat balanced like the one he's tried, and somewhere around 2-11. Given the bat makers response to Ollie earlier, I didn't think he would go over, but might go lighter. I did confirm all the details in writing.
Because I don't play, I didn't pick up the bat at any point- there was no need. Also Oliver seemed to have learnt enough about his game to recognise what felt good to him and was confident enough to discuss it clearly.
The bat turned up a couple of days ago, and (as they always are) it's a thing of beauty. I did think it felt very chunky- but it's an adults bat. No problem. But it niggled. And niggled. So today I put it on the kitchen scales and it weighed 2-13 3/8
I'm assuming the scales are accurate.
This seems to be really heavy- especially for a 13 year old- albeit a pretty big strong one who will keep growing.
The final relevant piece of information is back to the handle- Ollie wanted it much thicker than normal- oval at the bottom and round at the top. This will have added some weight compared to the makers "standard" handle pattern.
I haven't spoken to either Oliver or the bat-maker- since I don't know if there's a problem here at all, and I would prefer Ollie not to see his Christmas present early.
I should also say I have absolutely no reason to think the bat maker won't give me exceptional post sale service, I just want to make sure if I do ask for something then it's fair and reasonable to us both.
So my questions:
1)
a) Is the bat too heavy for him- given his in shop comments and observations? (This might have to come down to feel on Christmas day)
b) The bat will have to last a number of years, so if it is marginally heavy it's probably fine for him to grow into- right?
2)
a) Is a bat that's 2oz over a discussed weight acceptable?
b) If the extra weight is due to the heavier handle I requested, does this change the last answer?
3)
a) If the bat is both too heavy, and it's unacceptable to be that weight, can 2oz be removed from a bat? (I've seen weight reduction services by some people)
b) If so, should I expect the bat maker to do it for free?
c) If not, should I ask for a replacement bat?
Apologies for what feels like a lot of questions- but one sort of leads on to others!
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Topic: Is this acceptable? (Read 3985 times)