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Online now: 2 members: Crazylegs46, MacksDaddyO; 11 anonymousDiscussion: Ultra II break in period?
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March 24 hombre Men's 60 240 posts | After breaking 3 Ultras last year, I said never again would I buy one. However...I got such a good deal I decided to give it one more try and will only use it in games. Should I use it right out of the wrapper of should I take some swings to break it in? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks, Hombre |
March 24 BruceinGa Men's 70 3233 posts | I would swing it only as many times as you need to feel confident with it. One thing to remember is that every swing during bp is one less swing of the total life of the bat. |
March 24 Larry S 54 posts | The bat advice I follow is by Anthony Kelly at www.kellysultimatesports.com. He says DO NOT use it for batting practice. Ready to go right out of the wrapper & no break in. I use it in all SPA games & agree. Larry in VA. |
March 24 Puckdropper Men's 55 23 posts | Hombre, I believe TrumpBall had said that hitting the middle of the ball (line drive hitter) as opposed to catching the lower half takes more out of the life of these fragile bats. I am wondering how Audie is doing with the Red Combat ? Does it last longer with close enough performance ?? Dave Joseph Fort Myers |
March 24 db14 104 posts | Hi Guys....for what it's worth. Mikken has seen the last of my business. I certainly have no loyalties to either Mikken or Combat Personally speaking either bat will take a .44 core ball 300 plus just as easily as the other. My experience however is that the Combat is extremely more durable and significantly outlasts the Ultra II. For myself and my style of hitting my Combats have outlasted the Ultra II at a minimum five or six to one. The manufacturing technology among composite bat makers is not that drastically diverse or maybe it is thus the reason for the longer lasting Combat. As for a break in period on either one....the on going myth is 100 hits (most likely started by the bat manufactures). I do believe however that at least a few maybe 15-20 hits makes the bat feel less than a large piece of PVC. The discussion between the two bats comes up every weekend and makes for some good comparisons. Just one more observation....hope it helps. |
March 24 Gary Heifner 248 posts | I would take about 20 EASY swings in BP rotating the bat a quarter turn after each hit and that's it. Don't hit wet or heavy balls. I have 2 29s. I use one in prelims and the other in champiopnship play. I must be very lucky so far. I hit with a lot of pwer and bat head speed. I play about 12 or so tournies a year and one bat is entering its' 5th season and the other its' fourth. I am convinced that the heavier the bat, the less breakage. |
March 24 hombre Men's 60 240 posts | Fellas, I really appreciate the feedback. This is the kind of information I was looking for. As to the Ultra VS the combat: I have an EL combat that hits great and is much more durable than the ultra. I feel that the Ultra gives me a little more power when I don't hit the sweet spot. Then again, maybe it's because I prefer a balanced bat and am more comfortable with the feel of the Ultra. Thanks again, Hombre |
March 24 DesertDave Men's 60 74 posts | I agree with Gary H. Make sure to rotate the bat while breaking it in. 20-30 hits should do it for most of the High Performance bats. Our biggest problem as seniors is we may take too much BP. Wet or heavy balls are bat killers. As for bat of choice, I have swung U2, Worth Launch, Combat and they all seam to hit about the same and last as long. The only failure I had was a loose end cap on the Combat. You can't have it both ways an ASA bat will last a lot longer, but won't hit as well. Wouldn't it would be great if these HP bats sold for $150 instead of $200. Just my 2 cents |
March 25 Jano23 Men's 65 97 posts | Hombre, the Ultra II hits pretty well out of the wrapper, but not as well as it does after it is broken in. I have hit HRs on the first swing, but I wouldn't want to use one in a tournament game without breaking it in first. For me, usually somewhere around the 50th swing I feel a snap/crackle/pop on one swing and it starts hitting way better after that. I would say that if you want it to perform at the highest level in games, you should break it in with about 50 swings first. If you want to get more game swings out of it, at the cost of lower performance for a while, then don't take any BP with it. |