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| Feb. 24, 2015 OZ40 549 posts | Big Bat Info A friend sent me this. Read and enjoy but don't shoot the messenger. 1. The best (insert association here) bat varies greatly depending on who you ask. Go to the manufacturers forums and read some reviews and check the appropriate "Price Check Thread"(see bottom of post for links to each price check thread) for more information on the bat. After all this, you, yes YOU can decided which bat is BEST for YOU. I have also compiled a list of bats to avoid with the help of SBF regulars. I added the full listing at the bottom of this page. For more information search "The Official Composite Log List". 2. There are only 2 known ways to improve the performance of a composite softball bat, compression techniques and shaving. Boiling, microwaving, torching, baking, freezing and running it over with your vehicle will all do more harm than good, if anything at all. For more information on what the terms rolling and shaving mean, search No0b. 3. No, the team that beat you last night was not swinging a shaved bat. I know this because if they were, you wouldn't have to ask a bunch of strangers on a softball forum. It would be extremely obvious to you. It's possible that you lost because the other team was better than yours. When a decent ball leaves the face of a shaved bat, it will sometimes appear to knuckle, curve, rise and last but not least it will travel 20-40 feet further than it would with a stock bat. It's really something you can't mistake for anything else. If you really really think something's up, see #16. 4. COR means coefficient of restitution and is a rating of how bouncy a ball is(how this translates to how the ball will perform has more to do with the ball's compression and construction in general. A higher COR does not mean a harder ball) Compression is a measurement of the ball's hardness when under compression. The compression rating is based off how many pounds of force it takes to compress the ball .250 of an inch. Higher compression balls in general will travel further when hit with a composite bat. 5. The reason cold weather is bad for bats is not because the bat is cold, but because the compression(see above) of the ball goes up significantly when the temperature drops. Harder balls=more damage. The best bats for the cold are Catty's,most Mikens and most Eastons unless otherwise noted. 6. Batting cage balls will not hurt your bat. They will, however, leave dimpled scuffs on the barrel which can be cleaned off with either a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser or a dish sponge with a small amount of Comet or Ajax on it. They are hollow rubber balls, they don't get "water logged". 7. gtg/g2g= good to go, g3g= a little better than g2g, g4g= twice as gtg as g2g. OG=original, NIW= new in wrapper, NOW= new out of wrapper, NR= no return, WR=warranty return, LTT=looking to trade, LTS= looking to sell, LTB= looking to buy. 8. Bat rattling and you: Your bat is rattling most likely because composite material has broken loose from the barrel of your bat from normal wear and tear. A sand rattle or pebble rattle is normal. Refer to the following guide for an idea of what this means: (above all else use common sense as to the severity of the rattle) Miken rattle: Congratulations, you have gotten to the point where your Miken is now beginning to break in and it's going to treat you well for another 500-2000 hits. Easton: Your bat is now broken in, begin to limit teammate usage and enjoy the benefits to yourself for another 500-1000 swings. Worth: Your bat is hot as hell. It's seen more swings than it likely has left. Use wisely and enjoy! Combat: Much like Worth, you have probably already been enjoying the benefits of a well broken in bat for a while now and the rattling/performance will increase until the day your bat cracks. It's hard to say exactly how long, it could be the next swing you take, could be another season. Louisville Slugger (LS): Catalyst(Catty) Your Catty must have over 3000 hits on it now, enjoy but don't get too attached. You had a good run. Demarini: Juggernaut: Your Juggy is either hot and on its way out OR the foam inside broke loose and is rattling around Check DeMarini forum Sticky: thread for more info. Juice: The jury is out on these. Some rattle after very few swings and live to see long, productive lives. Others will stay solid for a long time and the rattle means the end is near. Consider paint wear as a helpful indicator with the Juice. Mizuno: Expect the rattling to increase in severity until the bat cracks. If it's a slight rattle, great...if it sounds like pebbles, kiss it goodbye. 11. ASA requires now that a bat must pass the 98MPH batted ball speed when new, and must never exceed it. Previously an ASA bat in theory could surpass 98MPH when broken in.(For Joker: ASA requires now that a bat mustn't exceed the 98MPH limit at any time of its service life to the end user. Previously, the bats simply had to pass the 98MPH test when new and could surpass the 98MPH limit, in theory, when broken in) USSSA lists their bat standards as 1.20 BPF, NOT 120 MPH The 1.20 BPF means basically the ball can't rebound off the barrel more than 1.20 times the speed the ball was shot at it in their testing. There is no set MPH limit, but manufacturers list 100MPH+ more as a selling point than a standard. 12. Regarding shooting middle: YES, it is perfectly fine to hit the ball in the general direction of the pitcher during game play. The pitcher has a glove for a reason, it's fair game. Morally you need to keep in mind that if you are seriously trying to inflict physical harm on someone playing a recreational sport, you will need to deal with the consequences if and ever they come about. Exceptions to this rule are A. If the pitcher is a woman and you are a man. B. If the pitcher is mentally handicapped. C. If you are swinging a shaved bat. Conduct a survey of the situation: No chicks, No retards, no cheater stick, NO PROBLEM 13. Shipping bats: The best way to ship bats is via USPS Priority Mail. Triangle tubes can be ordered for FREE off USPS.com, or picked up at select USPS locations. When shipping with USPS Priority Mail, the average cost is about $14 to ship a bat with standard service, insurance, and delivery confirmation. Triangle tubes are capable of holding 2 bats end to handle, or one bat with newspaper stuffed in to keep it from bouncing around. When securing the box, tape it as if you are shipping your first born child. Only use packing tape...duct tape or masking tape will be rejected upon drop off. You may also ask the USPS associate to apply additional tape to the ends when you drop it off at the post office. They will not automatically put extra tape so you must ask. Lost bats wait for you in HELL! 15. The answer to the question "What's the best bat for mush balls": Generally speaking avoid composites all together. This question is tough because people's definitions of "mush balls" vary greatly. Technically a mush ball is anything with a cork center. Here's my take on a few tried and true mush ball bats based on compression: 300-400 COMPRESSION "mush balls": DeMarini: White Steel, Raw Steel, F2, F3, F4, Double Wall Distance, 375, Vexxum Worth: Any PST, Most ESTs. Miken: BATS to AVOID: T22C6, NRG, Recoil, Psycho Easton: ST1-Z, ST2-Z, Stealth(red aluminum), Any Tri-Shell ComBat: Mizuno: Sucks Anderson: Take your pick LS: the older metal LS bats are good with the mush too 16. *How to spot a cheater bat* Knowledge is power when it comes to knowing what you're swinging. ASA and USSSA DO NOT care if you "didn't know" that you were swinging a shaved bat. It is your responsibility to make SURE your bat is legal. Whether it's an opponent's bat, your bat that you just bought off the boards or e Bay, or a teammates bat...if you're swinging it, it's your problem. These tips cover composites in regards to shaving only. It's gonna be hard to spot a rolled bat unless it was just done it will be waffled a bit(slightly octagonal). A. End cap: check obviously that it's the correct end cap for the bat and that it looks first quality. On newer Eastons make sure the engraved "EASTON" symbols line up. Check for obvious marks from a screwdriver, chisel, pliers, burn marks, cracks, seperation, excess glue etc. Don't accept anything less than perfection and hesitate to believe bogus stories behind why the end cap looks jacked up if it happens to be... B. Knob: Is the weight sticker missing? Is the handle rod missing? Are there any holes drilled in to the knob? Check for hole repairs in the knob. A "good" bat doc will remove the handle rod or drill through the knob then fill the hole with Flexane to make it less noticeable. C. Weight: How close to the sticker weight is the bat? Try comparing to known stock bats for side by side weight comparison or just weigh it if you can. Does the bat feel overly end loaded? Is the bat too light or too heavy? If you've got the bat in your posession, check the balance point(find the point that the bat will balance on its own and measure from the knob to the balance point) and come on here to ask some other owners of the same bat/weight to compare their balance points with yours. The balance points should be within 1/2" within a model run. If it's too far off, something's up. D. Misc: Don't mistake a really well broken in high end bat for a shaved bat. Most shaved bats will appear new or slightly worn. This doesn't mean that a shaved bat can't look old, but don't jump to conclusions before you take a look. For each ounce shaved out of a bat you lose about 500 swings off the bat's normal life. Newer Eastons when shaved get REALLY loud, like a tree branch snapping. Most Mikens go from "axe in to dead wood" sound to more of a faint ping sound. Worths will sound very solid when hit. They will sound like an axe in to a live tree. Lastly, cheaters usually group together...For example if 9 of the guys are dropping bombs with a shiny MV-1 and they have 25 other bats lined up against the fence...raise an eyebrow. Don't be naive shaved bats are out there but be informed before you make accusations. These tips are meant to help and are by no means fool proof. Consider everything not just one or two points. 17. The on the field difference between ASA composites and USSSA composites: Based on your average bats in each category, a Utrip bat will always outperform an ASA bat. I would say in my educated opinion that a "good" ASA bat such as the JHMut98 or SCN9 when broken in may compare closest to a so-so Utrip bat. A good ASA bat when broken in may very well create batted ball speeds in the range of 95-105 MPH whereas a well broken in Utrip bat may create batted ball speeds in the range of 100-110. How the BBS translates mathematically to distance, I do not know and there are far too many factors involved to give a straight answer. However, based on personal experience I would say a Utrip bat adds 10-30 feet of distance and that's really the best answer you're going to get until someone does a 90 page thesis on the differences, but don't hold your breath. 18. End cap repair. There have been several threads posted about the proper adhesive you should use to reinstall an end cap. There are several times where an end cap just comes loose or comes out, it happens. I do not condone bat shaving and am only adding this in the hopes that it will help someone who needs help, not someone who has shaved a bat. The proper adhesive to use is 3M 5200 Marine Adhesive..it comes in black and white but you will only probably find the white at the Home Depot. If you're installing the end cap correctly it shouldn't matter what color the adhesive is though because you don't want it squeezing out regardless of the color. You should put a liberal amount of the adhesive 1/4" down from the end of the bat on the inside of the barrel all the way around, not on the end cap or else when you go to put the end cap in you will have excess squeezing out. Generally you want the bead of adhesive to be about 1/4" thick and 1/8" high. Push the end cap in and rotate a half turn or so to make sure you have even coverage. Stand the bat up immediately on its end cap, place a weight donut on the barrel for a little added weight and don't touch it for 24-36 hours. Ready for use in 36-48 hours. Yes the tube says "dries completely in 24 hours" but that's when it is being used in the open air...it will take longer drying inside the bat. You may also want to tap the bat on the end cap to make sure all the extra adhesive slumps down to fill the area completely. If you do happen to smear the stuff around and make a mess be sure to wipe it off immediately with a rag and WD-40. Do not use water the stuff is meant for boats remember so you will just make more of a mess. Price Check Thread Links: Anderson ComBat Demarini Easton Louisville Slugger Miken Mizuno Worth The Official Composite Log(crappy) List: Miken Freak Turbo(D ick's) Nemesis Edge Viper 12 Viper 14 HHD Velocite 2 Burn Worth Titan ASA SBTTNA Mayhem Comp SBM75U (Snot) 2010 JHM7598(SA Version) Asylum Easton Synergy Extended SCX14 Synergy + Power SCN10BH Synergy Clear SCL1 Synergy Reveal Flex SRV1 Stealth+ IMX SCN12 Synergy Tri Zone SCN16 Demarini Flame Mizuno Blur(Yellow+Black) Crush G3 Crush G5 Crush Comp LS/TPS/Rawlings Tps Voltage SASB78V Maverick Catalyst X-1(D ick's) ComBat Throttle SX3 Censored SX3 Uncensored Rip-It '10 ASA Reaper(not a composite but worth mentioning on the wall of shame) Toledo 2006 Toledo Tiger 2006 Toledo Dragon |
| Feb. 24, 2015 Dbax Men's 65 2100 posts | Wow, excellent! |
| Feb. 25, 2015 Fred S Men's 85 297 posts | Double Wow. Great piece of work on anything you want to know about bats/balls. |
| Feb. 25, 2015 hemi racer Men's 65 237 posts | Thanks OZ! That was very interesting and informative to this ole lay person. I'm further impressed if you typed that up in less then a week. |
| Feb. 25, 2015 OZ40 549 posts | Hemi, that was purely cut-&-paste from am email a friend sent me. By the time it would have taken me to type that much up I'd be eligible for Social Security. |
