Right, so here’s the review of the much awaited Laver Reserve. Back in December I had an unexpected but rather pleasant windfall and decided that the best use of those funds would be to invest in a long standing desire to get 2 bats. The Scat review was posted some time back. This is the second part of that madness that started 4 months ago.
James’ busy schedule over the summer season, my own work load and the time difference meant that it took quite a while to get the specs right. From my side there were few starting specs : 2.10-2.12-ish weight, thicker than usual handle, big spine, gentle bow and a long spread of the sweet spot. Like with Julian, I refrained from being stubborn about my preferred profile, and let him come up with a first proposal that we discussed over a few calls and emails. There was some debate about the concaving and the positioning of the middle because we disagreed initially but in the end came to an amicable solution. Given that I wanted the bat to be responsive low down and have a strong toe, it was understood without having to spell it out that getting the right balance would be critical. Also it went without saying that the mythical low density willow was to be used as I had settled on the Reserve.
Then he went to work, and sent regular updates of what was happening which I found to be a good sign of customer service. Not that I could do anything with that information but it was a good gesture nonetheless. Interestingly he put 2 clefts into the process and tested for ping and weight at different stages, ultimately whittling it down to the one.
Which I received a few days ago. Since I used all the superlatives in the Scat review, I will try to keep this understated. And I would also not compare the two (which will be the topic of a separate post).
First of all, the bat is big. Most bats with big edges I have had didn’t have much of a spine. The only exception to date had been my Redback Allegiance. This bat sets a new benchmark in that field with big edges, spine AND toe.
Second, it has a very long sweet spot. It pings very well from the toe up to slightly below the label. I have had a couple of bats that pinged better smack in the sweet spot but never one that had such a large spread.Quite impressive!
Third, it picks up well too. I haven’t weighed it so don’t know if it picks better than its weight or worse but it definitely feels good in the hands. And the bow is perfect for my taste. And the finish is, as expected, top notch.
Final word on the service. James is a top bloke as many have pointed out previously. You really do get the bespoke experience which is pretty tough to do long distance. Little things like giving the choice of willow (granted you can’t tell a lot from pictures but still a service for what its worth), patiently discussing the specs and regular updates on the bat making process are noteworthy.
So, is it better than the Scat? That will be the topic of a different post shortly where they not only go head-to-head against each other but also take on 5 other challengers. For now, I'll savour the Laver.
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Topic: The Laver Reserve (Read 5877 times)