I wouldn't think so as bat makers on here arent going to be ordering the volume of willow that brands such as GN/GM and the big boys do in order to find the 1% premium willow.
Unless they have their own trees then that would give them direct access if they get lucky As per matts example I'm not sure if it was his own willow or from elsewhere ?? Undoubtedly Matt could have charged £300 for those bats by comparism!!
Interesting, and a point I was hoping someone would make. If these Legends are not up to task in some people's eyes, show me a reliable source of consistantly better looking bats for the same or lower price. I don't think you'll find anyone. Ok, alot of the Black Cat willow looks on a par, but every one? Please, if I'm wrong, say. I mean to offend noone. Just the seeming unwillingness to discuss this irritates.
Can a small maker hope to get his hands on a volume of exceptional wood that makes offering a similar G1++ feasible? I don't see anyone offering it. Mr SAF offers this type of willow, but the customer has to wait for a piece to come in. Laver operate a waiting list for their version and charge a grand. Newbery, for all the bats they make, state only a few of these will be made, and charge a grand.
This is why I would really like to hear from the makers on here. I'm striving to understand this, it fascinates me. It isn't a dark art, I guess some of it is pure luck as to what arrives in the delivery. Buy enough willow and the holy grail shall come, perhaps. Or be unlucky and never see one. Do some just not see what all the fuss is about and would charge no more and think nothing of one of these mystical beasts?
Over to you gents, the people that know.