I picked up a 28oz Dudley Lightning 12" barrel end load at Reps tent at the Winter Nationals. It has about 35 swings on it and the end cap is now loose, it has not come all the way out but after a swing it pops out about an 1/8 of an inch. Has this happened to anyone else? If I attempt to repair it myself with adhesive am I altering the bat?

Had same think happen to one of mine, but wasn't as bad as yours sounds. Applied some marine glue and been fine ever since.

My end cap cracked and half flew out to shortstop..the other half was glued solidly still inside the barrel....it looked like the epoxy wasn't mixed fully because the broken part was still shiny and wet.....I sent the bat back and got new one.....I am sure if i had the marine epoxy and the cap wasn't broken, I could have repaired it......it was the balanced model and was hitting bombs...I hope the new one hits as well

Just look at where it was made China this should tell you, JUNK is what it is made of ????

I've swung Miken ultra 2 for 3 years, last me about the season with no batting practice or trade in that's cool. This year we have Dudley rep with team so I got balanced 27oz getting it Sunday hitting indoor, players using bat got over 400 swings, believe it when I get that many. TPS Hillerich & Bradsby has prototype bat we swung in practice before Ft Myers Naples FL tourney. not on the market yet, having trouble with amount of swings getting out of bat. Does any of the Senior bats have warranty.

Grimmie, I too have been swinging Mikens for years, I really like their performance. Miken now has a senior bat with a warranty. I bought the Dudley because I was intrigued by the tackified barrel and the promise of durability. I figure to use it as a back-up bat and for pregame BP.

Should I completely remove the loose endcap and do a new epoxy or just try to work around the available area that pops out?

Been my experience OZ40 that you need to completely remove the end cap so you can clean all surfaces completely. Clean is the key.

I do know for a fact Dudley was having trouble with the end caps coming off in the second batch of bats they have made. I think it is just the balanced bat. Not sure. I have the 1/2 ounce end load. Looks the same as the 3 ounce end load.

Still waiting to swing it.

Got my info from the rep for a sporting goods store.

We used all versions of the Dudley bats for the last few months of the season and didn't have any endcap issues so not sure why you are having the issues. We did have a lot of issues with Worth Ligits and Ultra 2's knobs coming off the bats. I like those bats but hated losing an at bat during a game because the knob would come off.

I just sent an email to Dudley Sports via their website. I asked them to do the replacement on my endcap. With so few swings on the bat I decided this was the route to go. I want the factory to fix it to their specs with their materials because I don't want any issues at tournaments about altered bats if this should occur again. I'll keep you all posted as to what Dudleys' response is.

I received a prompt response from Dudley requesting photos of the endcap which I did send them. I got a reply within 1 hour with a return number and an address to mail the bat to. So far very good customer service.

it took some time for my replacement to come but it did come eventually....I think it was just poor mixing of the epoxy on my bat....the cap cracked in 2 and one part was still solidly stuck in the barrel, glued like it was supposed to be done.....if end caps are falling out or breaking, maybe there was a batch that had the same glue and obviously defective...performance wise, it was spectacular....for 25 swings....now it is winter and 10 degrees in the northeast

bkb555 do you remember how long it took for you to get your bat back? I asked Dudley to get it back to me asap so I can take it to the TOC. It's 10 below zero w/c here today in Michigan but we have begun hitting live balls in a large indoor complex to keep our swings dialed in for the TOC.

Oz

Mine took a loooong time because it was the first public batch that came out.....production was low and demand was high...i think they have more onhand now so turnaround might be quicker....mine was almost 3 months though...dudley was good with email response also

Guys. If you have trouble with a Dudley bat, get a hold of the guy you bought it from to see if it is a problem. Dudley has been very good about taking care of Senior players!

This is an interesting string. As a new Dudley Dealer I am really interested in how they handle customer service. I have no Idea how Distribution is either. Whether its a bit better or not. What I do know is I have 200 bats on order and was told some of that order is in transit as well. We'll see... I know this, I have some anxious people looking for their bats!

What does this have to do with an end cap coming off again? :O)

Marv
www.socalssa.com

I must unfortunately disagree with you Alan. I love the Dudley bat but the shipping of bats to those of us who have legitimately sent $ in advance has been unsatisfactory at best. I have personally lost numerous customers because the bats did NOT arrive when they were promised and that ticks me off to no end.

You and others may have different experiences.

Happy New Year.

Ed Andrews
Andrews Development Co
Colorado/Florida
(970) 729-3145
ea@andrewsdev.com

I am keeping an open mind on my end of the equation. So far so good in my dealings with Dudley regarding this one bat with the endcap issue. I am not a dealer buying in bulk, I'm just one senior ballplayer. Hopefully the increase in production will make for a quicker return of my bat to me. As of my dealings so far, I have no reason to think it won't be because Dudley has been quick in their contacts and communications with me.

Ed -- Are you a registered Dudley dealer? Most dealers have been given updates as to the status of their orders.

Shelby Simmons
Senior Moments Softball

UPDATE GOOD NEWS! I got an email from Dudley and my endcap has been replaced and the bat is in shipment to me via Fed-ex due to arrive tomorrow. From 1/4/15 when I first contacted Dudley to 1/12/15 to complete the process is great customer service! Thank you Dudley for stepping up for your customers!

SWERVE! I'm impressed. My bat arrived today as stated by Dudley in their email to me. I had asked Dudley if it was possible to lower the weight in my new endcap. Not only was this done, but they totally replaced the entire bat. I never expected that and I was floored when I removed a brand new bat from the shipping box. I know everyone has different opinions and circumstances with consumer oriented companies. But from my point of view Dudley went above and beyond in terms of customer service as it relates to this individual senior softball player.

Dudley is a great company and they should go above and beyond the call of duty. They have great people working with them on the bats. Davey Reed, Hank Garris. You can't go wrong with those two guys. Everybody is selling the Dudley bats. At my place of work we just got a big shipment in of the bats. Dudley is catching on quick!.

Mighty Mike
aka: Gorilla Boy

We have one with a knob that comes loose. The knob is threaded and screws in.

troung....try some lock tite on the knob...or some super glue......I am sure there are great products that can lock the threads .....the 3M marine glue will definitely make it permanent

I just had one after 2 tournaments and about 35BP swings (about 60 swings in all) where the end cap literally exploded into about 8 pieces and only found 2 of them. and yes looks as if half of it was glued/epoxied and the other half not. Contacted both Dudley and Surf88 and waiting for Ed to get back from vacation to deal with it.