roco, we have not said that the bats perform badly at any one point, for all i know they could perform brilliantly and im glad that you are pleased with yours. The issue remains that people on this forum, some of which know a great deal about willow and manufacturers, have simply questioned the grading system used by bulldog and the extent of it's 'handmade' pedigree (pardon the pun) - i have seen their very low grade english willow and kashmir bats being sold for £150+ and being marked as grade 1/2 - considering these can cost peanuts to churn out you can see where the issue arises. Though i doubt this is an issue that is exlcusive to just bulldog - if people are willing to pay top buck then so be it, it's just not terribly fair on the younger buyers with less information and knwoledge regarding willow and potential grading.
We are still keenly anticipating to hear from bulldog regarding about the master batmaker currently in their service........