cricket bat question

[undertaker]

I'm currently looking to buy a new cricket bat online, but thought I would ask the question here for advice from those who have purchased cricket bats in the past. $200-250 max is what I'm prepared to fork out. Last time I got a cricket bat was back in primary school (1995/96 season, when I first started following cricket) and it's obvious for me to say that the bat was way too small when I tried to use it in a backyard game the other day at my parents' house.

Do you have any recommendations regarding brand (e.g. Slazenger, MRF, Gray Nicholls, Kookaburra etc.) and size/weight? I'm 5'6'' tall, so I'm not sure what bat size that equates to, as I know it varies a lot across different brands. Also, do you prefer heavier or lighter weight bats? Finally, regarding oiling/knocking in the bat, how often does it have to be done (especially since the blade of the bats these days are substantially larger than those from 15+ years ago).

 

[TIGER14]

Kingsgrove Sports should be able to help you out.
They'll oil it and knock it in too.

 

[Twizzle]

No one can really tell you what suits you, its your call and the last thing I would do is buy one online as you cant pick it up and get the feel for it. You'll never know if its too heavy or what ever till after you've bought it. Unless you go into a few shops, pick out what you like then buy it online, you wont know how the bat feels,

For a quality bat you look for how many grains are in the wood, 7 or more is a quality bat, I've seen 9 or 10 but those bats are up around $500. If you buy one online you cant see the grains till after you've bought it.

 

[simmo1]

Don't buy online. Go to shop and pick up a few and have a few swings and see what feels best. Have a look at the finish of the willow and steer clear of any with blemishes/knots. Even within the same model you will see variance in the quality of willow, so I wouldn't want to buy online and end up with a dud.

If you get a place to knock it in for you, make sure you still do plenty of it at home as well. Buy a knock-in mallet, and do 15-20 minutes a day for 2 weeks, focusing on the edges and toe. Most people prefer to use protective sleeves rather than oil these days as its less maintenance.

You can still get a quality bat for $250 if you know what you're looking for. I spent around $330 on mine two years ago, and it is vastly superior to the the $600 bat that I bought about 6-7 years previously. The improvements in technology the past few years are ridiculous.

 

[hineyrulz]

Don't buy online. Go to shop and pick up a few and have a few swings and see what feels best. Have a look at the finish of the willow and steer clear of any with blemishes/knots. Even within the same model you will see variance in the quality of willow, so I wouldn't want to buy online and end up with a dud.

If you get a place to knock it in for you, make sure you still do plenty of it at home as well. Buy a knock-in mallet, and do 15-20 minutes a day for 2 weeks, focusing on the edges and toe. Most people prefer to use protective sleeves rather than oil these days as its less maintenance.

You can still get a quality bat for $250 if you know what you're looking for. I spent around $330 on mine two years ago, and it is vastly superior to the the $600 bat that I bought about 6-7 years previously. The improvements in technology the past few years are ridiculous.

Simmo is spot on mate, posted just what I was going to post.

Never buy online, it's always good to get a feel and see what you like. Very rarely will you get the bat weight you ask for.

Some bats have low sweet spots, some middle and high to it all depends on what type of shots you like to play. I'd never trust anyone but myself to knock my bat in, when you do it you know for certain how many hours you have put into it, wouldn't worry about oiling it mate just got them to extra tec it you for it will cost you 10 or 15 bucks the bat will last longer and you don't have to worry about oiling. Depends how much you play it will last you a season or two.

 

[Bazal]

If you know what you want, there's no reason not to buy online. It can be a hell of a lot cheaper than in store. I got my new bat online and had no issues, but I knew exactly what I wanted.

Do you like your current/previous bat? what did you like or not like about it? Did it have a low middle, high middle, whatever....? Get into a store and pick up a few bats, see how they feel, work out what you like and then see if you can find a better deal on those bats or bats with the same specs online.

Personally I don't go much for the idea of the number of grains on the face, and small knots are totally fine. It's wood after all, and unless you're forking out a grand for the absolute pro cricketer quality bats (why would you bother) a little blemish here or there is basically impossible to avoid. I've used a bat with a knot in it for nearly fifteen years and not had a problem. As long as the grains are reasonably tight and there's no huge knots that might cause structural issues it'll be fine.

 

[Twizzle]

In my experience the grains are very important and a very easy way to tell the difference between a good quality bat and a shit bat and I have tried some with knotts in them and its like using a fence pailing.

 

[TheParraboy]

Undertaker, I have an indoor cricket bat, had it for 15+ years

is light blue in colour all over, light,in weight, have hit many 6 and 4s with it during my 4 over batting stints

Although I bought it for $69.99 back in the day, Im happy departing with it to fall within your budget - $225. My signature included and a letter of authenticity of course.

 

[AlwaysGreen]

Just buy whatever Wadey uses. Can't go wrong.

 

[Knight4life]

I wouldnt buy a longblade (LB) being your size, im 5ft 9 and only feel comfortable using short handle (SH).
its all personal prefrence though. Imo you have to pick it up and hold it before buying. I set out to buy an MRF when i bought my last bat (5-6yrs ago) and the whole MRF range were way to bottom heavy for my liking. Ended up with a gray nic predator.

 

[undertaker]

and I have tried some with knotts in them and its like using a fence pailing.

Sorry, I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about here. What are knotts?

 

[Timbo]

Sorry, I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about here. What are knotts?

This refers to the quality of the willow - if its smooth or if the wood has imperfections. The better quality wood, the better the bat.

They are graded (1,2,3, etc) and typically the lower the number you get the better, but you can occasionally get a belter in grade 3 willow. Just unlikely.

Gunn and Moore usually have the highest quality willow in my opinion. You seldom get a bad blade from them. Gray Nicholls aren't far behind.

I've never used had a Kookaburra where it's felt good coming off the blade.

But as others have said it's a very personal thing. You might pick up a SF or Adidas bat and it just feels right. I've always used GN because they've always just felt weighted right to me.

 

[Bazal]

Gunn and Moore usually have the highest quality willow in my opinion. You seldom get a bad blade from them. Gray Nicholls aren't far behind.

I've never used had a Kookaburra where it's felt good coming off the blade.

But as others have said it's a very personal thing. You might pick up a SF or Adidas bat and it just feels right. I've always used GN because they've always just felt weighted right to me.

I'm a Slazenger man personally. First bat was a GM, and it was a ripper, but I got a V1000 when I started playing junior reps and loved the thing. Current and new, yet to be used (in a match) bats are V600s which I absolutely love because they have a low middle, which is getting rarer.

My brother has a GM, it's a bloody good bat too. Other brother swears by Kookaburra but the prick has smashed about 3 of them so I never really take him seriously.

Used a Gray Nic Kaboom in the nets the other day because my grip shredded on me, I didn't mind that either. And one of the lads has a New Balance that is an amazing thing, but a bit heavy for me.

 

[Bazal]

Sorry, I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about here. What are knotts?

Knots in the wood. Personally I don't think they affect the bat in the slightest, as long as they aren't large enough to create a weak point.

 

[undertaker]

To give you guys more information, I'm more likely in the hunt for a lighter bat due to back spasms and neck pain I've been suffering over the past decade as a result of an incident in 2005. I don't see myself having the strength to pivot a heavy bat for long periods of time. But please do share with me your experiences you've had with other brands.

I set out to buy an MRF when i bought my last bat (5-6yrs ago) and the whole MRF range were way to bottom heavy for my liking. Ended up with a gray nic predator.

So why do the likes of Tendulkar, Kohli et al use MRF?

Knots in the wood. Personally I don't think they affect the bat in the slightest, as long as they aren't large enough to create a weak point.

This refers to the quality of the willow - if its smooth or if the wood has imperfections. The better quality wood, the better the bat.

They are graded (1,2,3, etc) and typically the lower the number you get the better, but you can occasionally get a belter in grade 3 willow. Just unlikely.

Gunn and Moore usually have the highest quality willow in my opinion. You seldom get a bad blade from them. Gray Nicholls aren't far behind.

I've never used had a Kookaburra where it's felt good coming off the blade.

But as others have said it's a very personal thing. You might pick up a SF or Adidas bat and it just feels right. I've always used GN because they've always just felt weighted right to me.

Thanks for clearing up the knots issue, as I wasn't sure what was meant by that.

I have an unused Gunn and Moore bat from when I was in high school in the early 2000s (the era when Steve Waugh used them) that has been sitting in my wardrobe for years. However, it is in junior sizes and is subsequently way too small for me.

 

[Bazal]

To give you guys more information, I'm more likely in the hunt for a lighter bat due to back spasms and neck pain I've been suffering over the past decade as a result of an incident in 2005. I don't see myself having the strength to pivot a heavy bat for long periods of time. But please do share with me your experiences you've had with other brands.

I've always found Slazenger do light bats really well, but of course I'm biased Broadly speaking, I find the subcontinent brands to be heavier or feel heavier on the pick up than the English brands.

So why do the likes of Tendulkar, Kohli et al use MRF?

Bats at that level are tailor made so the MRF Kohli uses could be a totally different bat to the commercial version with the same stickers. But a bottom heavy bat would suit a lot of subcontinental batsmen because they work the ball with their wrists a lot

 

[Timbo]

The English brands are usually more expensive too. Gunn and Moore tries to style itself a bit like the Rolls-Royce of cricket bats.

 

[Twizzle]

I've got a Slazenger, I like the feel of the handle but I also use 2 grips as I have big hands and dont like skinny handles

 

[Twizzle]

Sorry, I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about here. What are knotts?

you can see the knots in this bat otherwise thee are a lot of grains and close together, without the knots this bat would be real quality due to the grains

 

[hineyrulz]

I've got a grade 1 willow Slazenger that weighs 2 pound 8, it's an absolute cracker.


Only problem with Slazenger bats are now made by Spartan, Spartan bought out Slazenger a few years back and i don't think the quality is quite the same. My bat is the last of the real Slazenger's.