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[Beachcricket]

Julian Millichamps new range of bat shapes are on his website, look similar with a few more curves.

http://www.screamingcat.com.au/

[procricket]

lovely looking shapes series 3 is me but my god his soft look so poor

[Ayrtek Cricket]

Think he may realise his bats are world class so will let the other brands spend time,money and effort on the soft goods side of things as it's a flooded market already.

[procricket]

i see laver have upped there soft goods this season..

[Watsontotty]

I have the top end gloves and pads and they are excellent as good as any I've ever had, the pictures don't do them justice but its all about the bats and the softs are a added side line but they are very very good.

[procricket]

sorry rich not for me all this kevlar and the top hats are medievil .

good to see you around rich llad hope the family are fine bud

[Watsontotty]

I'm a very very modern man bud but if a style ain't broke then don't fix it, traditional shape pads and gloves made from quality materials and they are light and the fitting is superb that's why i bought them. Too much of the modern stuff has too much going on and they simply try too hard on making the products look different which compromises other areas like fitting.

I'm all about the fitting the size the comfort and weight, that's why I'm very very fussy regarding pads and gloves come and have a look at the amount of slightly used LH gear i have around. I'm not a brand person as in not everything needs to match like some people. Yes i do have a scat bat pads and gloves however no other brand in 20 years has got me to part with my money on a full kit.

Currently wear the top end morrants which are by far the best pad on the market ( obviously just my opinion ) but i simply love them. Gloves well that's perhaps a bit different as i don't have any of my own brand left so I'm using the GN Powerbow test gloves which are OK i guess but i have a problem in finding suitable gloves.

Each to there own bud but the old saying don't knock something until you have tried it, few years back i wouldn't of even tried say morrants and Aero but once you try something it can change your mind forever.

[Buzz]

With out wanting to be banned for committing a sacrilegious statement but... I ask this now as my CB World cup predictor is telling me in a few weeks we may be looking at a Laver Scat final and I want to know...

Why are screaming cat bats held in such awe?

This isn't meant to be a slight at the pod master or to say they Mr Millichamp doesn't make a wonderful bat, but more what is it about his pressing and shaping that makes his bats apparently "better" that other makes?

Or is it that as they are expensive no one would dare admit they have bought a plank.

Largely the same goes for a Laver Bat too.

having said that Aytek seem to be giving SCAT a good run for it's money today...

[Ayrtek Cricket]

yeh cant say they is anything special about the profiles of the ones i have, normal sized edges and a fairly basic profile...lots of wood behind the middles of them though.

Not sure about the pressing as im guessing it would be done at his premesis in NZ, price wise yes they are very steep!

[Talisman]

Screaming Cat and Laver offer a custom service and the ability to talk to the batmaker, that seems to rate very highly as I think people are more predisposed to spending a large amount on a bat if they think they are getting something special. Of course every single bat is pressed by hand and this should be the biggest indicator of performance so it comes down to this in my opinion.

I should also add that a very high price tag will convince a lot of people that it is a very high end product.

[tim2000s]

Screaming Cat and Laver offer a custom service and the ability to talk to the batmaker, that seems to rate very highly as I think people are more predisposed to spending a large amount on a bat if they think they are getting something special. Of course every single bat is pressed by hand and this should be the biggest indicator of performance so it comes down to this in my opinion.

I should also add that a very high price tag will convince a lot of people that it is a very high end product.

Having bought a Laver, even though it's the "cheaper" one, I think it's a good bat, with an excellent middle, however, it's not massively better than a couple of others I have used. I'd suggest that buying from some of the pod shavers on here where you can visit and physically feel what's going on is probably just as effective as going to Laver or Millichamp. And you won't be paying the enormous sum of money involved in getting a grade 1 willow bat with their name on it and getting it shipped halfway around the world.

I'd say that my Laver certainly isn't a plank, but it's not as beautiful as I was expecting and although it does go like stink, it's not quite as good as I was expecting. Having said that, it scored me 40* off about 10 balls in a six aside tournament, so I cant'really complain....

[100 not out]

In my opinion there is very little difference between all of the top range bats. I think its down to the pressing in the main. Can there be a massive difference in the pressing??

All top end bats are apparently pressed to perfection.

I think you r paying for the stickers and the name more than anything else?

[GJ]

Agreed on the fact that most top of the range bats are now very similar. I guess its just a fact that some companies will regard pressing as key and will get the best performance and durability out of a bat, and others wont.

Does Millichamp even press his own bats as I know he gets his willow from here when he visits in the winter, was unsure whether he does it himself or leaves it to another, larger manfuacturer?

[Tom]

This CB World Cup is very interesting and shows how persuaded we are by brandsand their apparent reputation of being the best. Bats made by exactly the same person have gone out first round whereas brand under another guise will probably go all the way.

As for the Laver you had Tim, what were you expecting? How much better do you expect a Laver to be than another brand considering they're made from the same raw materials to a very similar shape?

[Talisman]

Tom, surely as the best marketed brand out there you should be very happy that marketing works?