Bats

[RedMagpie]

With all the new bats hitting the shelves this year feeling very square and lacking personality I am undecided on which brand to run with. GM look the most original, Adidas look and feel like a nice piece of wood. There are hundreds of nice bat makers around the place like Screaming Cat, Laver & Wood, Impala bats, Fisher bats, Redback bats, Salix...

Should I support the little bat manufacturer or just buy an unpersonslised piece of lifeless wood for the same price from the local sport shop?

[Masha]

With all the new bats hitting the shelves this year feeling very square and lacking personality I am undecided on which brand to run with. GM look the most original, Adidas look and feel like a nice piece of wood. There are hundreds of nice bat makers around the place like Screaming Cat, Laver & Wood, Impala bats, Fisher bats, Redback bats, Salix...

Should I support the little bat manufacturer or just buy an unpersonslised piece of lifeless wood for the same price from the local sport shop?

For a man of your batting ability, I am thinking you buy the cheapest bit of wood you can find. Won't make a difference.

[Phantom Gossiper]

I think bats are becoming more and more generic these days, and hardly difference performance wise in them.

[Dogmatic]

With all the new bats hitting the shelves this year feeling very square and lacking personality I am undecided on which brand to run with. GM look the most original, Adidas look and feel like a nice piece of wood. There are hundreds of nice bat makers around the place like Screaming Cat, Laver & Wood, Impala bats, Fisher bats, Redback bats, Salix...

Should I support the little bat manufacturer or just buy an unpersonslised piece of lifeless wood for the same price from the local sport shop?

Any one which gives you instructions.

[Jabber]

Uniqueness in cricket bats died when Millichamp and Hall sold out to Puma.

Now they are all generic manufactured bits of wood with different stickers.

Bring back the days of the old Gray Nicholls Scoop!

[heater31]

One thing I do know is that each time I go to purchase a new stick the cost goes up exponentially.

I feel the only real differences are noticed in the high quality models.

Quality timber is getting very hard to find also. Gray-Nichols only released less than half of their top line players edition bats last season (normally a run of 500) as they could not find enough that fitted the criteria for the brand.

[Lightning McQueen]

DD Slasher for bunnies mate.

[RedMagpie]

One thing I do know is that each time I go to purchase a new stick the cost goes up exponentially.

I feel the only real differences are noticed in the high quality models.

Quality timber is getting very hard to find also. Gray-Nichols only released less than half of their top line players edition bats last season (normally a run of 500) as they could not find enough that fitted the criteria for the brand.

Julian Millichamp from Millichamp and Hall makes the Screaming Cat variety.

[SUNS]

Uniqueness in cricket bats died when Millichamp and Hall sold out to Puma.

Now they are all generic manufactured bits of wood with different stickers.

Bring back the days of the old Gray Nicholls Scoop!

I used a Gray Nicholls Double Scoop for years as a youngster. Lasted forever even when it looked like it was 100 years old it still had the best sweet spot in the middle.

From there i went to a GM which i used til i last played. So 2 bats lasted me over 20 odd years of cricket.

[OnSong]

I'm doing ok with a Slazenger V500 I've had for eight years now.

Yearly sanding and oiling and it just keeps getting better. Perfectly balanced too, without the ridiculous bow you find in most bats nowadays.

Has anyone noticed a difference using a bat with a bow in it??

[Wizard of Oz]

You can still get the Millichamp & Hall's online from England.

Laver and Wood make some nice sticks too.

[heater31]

Laver and Wood make some nice sticks too.

Made in NZ and someone that used to be involved with M & H IIRC.

[Browny25]

You can still get the Millichamp & Hall's online from England.

Laver and Wood make some nice sticks too.

Im thinking about getting a L & W

[RedMagpie]

Double post

[RedMagpie]

You can still get the Millichamp & Hall's online from England.

Laver and Wood make some nice sticks too.

Im thinking about getting a L & W

Yeah the Reaerve looks a mighty fine slice of wood!

[Ripdschitlaz]

I'm doing ok with a Slazenger V500 I've had for eight years now.

It's all that playin and missin Songster. Should have been warn out years ago.

[OnSong]

I'm doing ok with a Slazenger V500 I've had for eight years now.

It's all that playin and missin Songster. Should have been warn out years ago.

Classic sledge. Where's my $100 for the Chode bet?

[Footy Smart]

Have had an Adidas Pelara for the last 2 seasons, really good sticks! Still in good condition

Currently knocking in a players grade Grey Nicks 'Evo'! cant wait to have a hit with it..... only I CBFd knocking it in!

[Iron Fist]

I went to the cricket warehouse yesterday, I couldnt get over the price of some of the bats. $799 for a players choice Gray Nicholls. Would want to gurantee 100's every week
I was talking to the bloke as I have been out the game for 3 years and asked what was a good mid priced bat. He showed me a few, around the $300-400 mark, problem is you need to knock them all in. I wanted a ready play.
He had a box of puma iridium 3000 (i think thats what they were?) only $180 on special, ready play. They felt good, handled well and had a play with a mallet and had a decent middle.
The funny comment the guy said was he said this bat would be as good as the bat I was using 3-4yrs ago (a kookaburra diablo, that smashed them) and the difference between the top and middle priced bats wasnt much at all. So i went with the Puma.
Will be interesting to see how it goes.

Otherwise Im looking at getting a Fisher from Melb, or even playing around and buying a blank for $180 from Fisher and sculpting my own bat, mainly for a challenge and see how I go with it. Think it would be good fun!

[OnSong]

I went to the cricket warehouse yesterday, I couldnt get over the price of some of the bats. $799 for a players choice Gray Nicholls. Would want to gurantee 100's every week
I was talking to the bloke as I have been out the game for 3 years and asked what was a good mid priced bat. He showed me a few, around the $300-400 mark, problem is you need to knock them all in. I wanted a ready play.
He had a box of puma iridium 3000 (i think thats what they were?) only $180 on special, ready play. They felt good, handled well and had a play with a mallet and had a decent middle.
The funny comment the guy said was he said this bat would be as good as the bat I was using 3-4yrs ago (a kookaburra diablo, that smashed them) and the difference between the top and middle priced bats wasnt much at all. So i went with the Puma.
Will be interesting to see how it goes.

Otherwise Im looking at getting a Fisher from Melb, or even playing around and buying a blank for $180 from Fisher and sculpting my own bat, mainly for a challenge and see how I go with it. Think it would be good fun!

I dabbled in moulding my own bats. I carved an awesome ridgeback design with just a hammer and chisel and it looked really good.

Called it the Spank-u-lator.

I also labelled my own bat with some contact and sticky tape. Cut out a photo of legendary EP cricketer Damon Ramsey from the local paper, put it on the bat and called the bat the "Run Machine".

Classic.