I was not surprised by the closeness of the vote, Kookaburra are able to spend a lot of money on player endorsements as they know it works in influencing people to buy their kit, They buy their kit at the lowest possible price due to their size and choice of manufacturer and therefore make great profit margins, even at trade prices, there is nothing wrong with this, it is a great business model.
This is a popularity contest and I'm sure no one here on the forum could have voted for more than the odd round with knowledge of both brands so there is no slight on any of the losing brands.
I think if we were talking about the reasons why we would buy a bat then not many would say because Ricky Ponting uses one, we are mostly intelligent enough to know that he is paid very well to associate himself with any brand and will use the finest product he can find to score runs. Warsop only sell direct, they only make what they can and they put heart, soul and a lot of hard work into their kit. I'm lucky enough to know them and I've nothing but respect for what they do. They have carved out a long standing reputation for quality and I find it gratifying that they are not chasing the impressionable punter for their pound.
But this is just a fun topic so lets see who wins, for it carries no prize.