55 yr old looking to buy first senior bat. I’m a contact hitter who can go to all fields. Looking for a bit more pop. Small frame 175 lbs. End loaded vs Balanced? Thanks in advance.

best advice is to try and find an event with demo bats so you can try a few. short of that, based on your comments, a balanced bat makes a lot of sense. You'll find that sr bats have more pop than what you were using. I'm a fan of Miken & Worth bats, the MIKE DILL ULTRA GAMER BALANCED SSUSA SENIOR bat is pretty sweet. Good control and ball jumps off the bat.

What were you swinging before? Senior bats are hotter than other associations, plus we hit a better ball. Older bats take a little longer to break in, but most of the new bats are coming out at 230 or lower and under 200 in 50-100 swings.

Thanks. I’ve been playing in a coed league with my boys and just using an old Worth Supercell bat 1.20 BPF and end loaded that I have been using for what seems like forever. I had reviewed the Mike Drill, Miken Ultra 2, and the Axe Avenger Pro. Haven’t seen any Demo events but will look. Playing in a 55 and older league and want to get a good bat.

I'm a contact hitter myself, singles/doubles hitter with shots past the respective infielders. I have three bats in my bag, all balanced. I feel the end loads are for the bigger guys. I have the Suncoast Melee and two Dudley Lightnings from different years. All are 27 ou. balanced. Direct Sports or Smash it Sports...you'll probably pay around $239 or so.

The Suncoast Melee is on my potential list. I was also thinking 27 ounce. Appreciate the advice.

I highly recommend you look at Short Porch’s lineup of senior bats and YouTube videos. IMO they are the best out there.

Everyone is different but like GMCinCO$ noted try to find an event that demos several bats. Most avid Senior players have 3 or 4 bats in their bags. A lot of players look for the latest and greatest every year trying to get that edge. However, a good starting point is http://www.seniorsoftballbatreviews.com/. The site posts reviews and videos that will give some idea how a bat feels and handles.

What's your bat speed?
Dave V

Bat speed has a lot to do with what bat you choose

Dave V

In my opinion, if you can find an Ultra II, you should be just fine. I have RARELY seen anyone fail with an Ultra II.

1styrsenior,

Are you looking to play Senior league or Senior tourneys? If it's league, make sure you're allowed to use Senior bats. All the Senior leagues around us use the Senior rules and balls but don't allow Senior bats.


MarkDpeters,

You talking about the OG Ultra II?

1sryrsenior

Please understand that what ever U buy, it will be the 1st of "MANY"

About every 3-6 months or a little more. the bat companies will come out with the next great bat that will turn U into a monster hitter. The black ultra 2 by Miken has been a constant for many years. Your biggest challenge is to figure out if you want to swing a balanced or end loaded bat.

Your team mates will probably carry 3 or 4 different bats in their bag. I am sure they wont mind if U take some swings with a variety of different options.

Just budget about $240 a year as U will keep adding to your bat collection!!!

We switched to 52/300 ball which bats are good for that ?
I have Wig pop and Mario foster .
They are good but is Kevlar better.?

I am looking of a wood bat 34”/29oz that would be in compliance with Senior slowpitch guidelines/restrictions.

I haven’t read any experiences about the Spartan Bat Co. I was thinking of buying the Maximus. I have looked at “Fat Guy BP” review of the bat. It seems to be worth the expense. But I was hoping to read some testimonies. ANYONE?

I can't speak on the FG BP bat but they are vastly different bats. The Maximus is a 2 piece hard barrel and takes a long time to break in but is a very good bat. The FG BP bat is a softer barrel and a 1 piece bat...

I have been using Axe bats for years, the new Senior model is absolute gas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFBodNuCtD0&t=763s

I can get for $209 shipped.

Saw a recommendation for Short Porch bats; they are HOT but IMO they break/crack faster than any other bat I've owned. I rarely break bats and have broken 2 over the past 2 seasons. Great POP but you'll be investing in another one soon.

FTP,

Honestly don't see many broken SP bats. SP makes bats for all types of swings, they have bats for older players with slower swings, medium barrels for guys that have above average swing speed and hard barrels for guy that hit hard. What 2 bats did you break and what would you say your swing speed is?

General rule of thumb if you're not a HR hitter then you have a slower swing speed.
If you can hit a HR on occasion you'd fall into the medium category and people who can hit HR's at will or bombs would be considered a fast swing speed.

JohnO28, I used the 26 OZ. 2023 Cell Block Wig Popper. Hit mostly line drives, exit velocity between 85-95mph. 6 ft. 245lbs. Bench 315lbs. Recommend different bat?

I have broken all 3 of my SP bats. Low to mid swing speed. Like Anarchy, they are super hot then they taper off and/or break. THAT SAID, I hear the latest kevlar models are doing better than the first run bats. I'm all Axe now.

FTP,

How many swings did you get out of it?

I have swung bats from every different manufacturer except Onyx . In my opinion most bats are very close to each other .The Anonymous is a lesser known sleeper . Hit as well as any of them . I have tried them all off the tee to see the difference . Basically the only difference is your bat speed in relation to the compression level of the bat you are swing agreeing with each other . So you must know your bat speed and what the beginning compression level new in wrapper is of the bat you are getting . ShortPorch jumped on this band wagon first . But now the others have joined in . All of the Miken and Worth bats break in and get down quickly as well as Suncoast . It remains to be seen if Short Porch Kevlar allows bat to stay in the optimum compression level longer than the others . For example the Short Porch Blue DDT starts out around 240 lb . Unless you have 85 mph bat speed or higher not going to perform for you until you get it down to 180 or below . Going take 300 or more hits to get it there . Compare this to their Orange DDT , that starts out at 220 and you can get it down quicker . This is why you must know your bat speed . If you have sub 80 mile an hour bat speed you are not going to be happy with the blue one for quite awhile . So you know to get the Orange etc. etc . Softball bats are now getting like golf clubs . Specific to your type of swing , arm length leverage etc . Lol

Here is a good breakdown:

Rawlings products- hot out of the wrapper usually in minimal swings, real good carry until you get about 300ish swings then it starts losing pop and you get knuckleballs. Durability is average
Onyx- Amazing products that take about 50 swings to break in, has extra carry even when you mishit balls and durability is above average- usually around 500-700 swings
Suncoast- Hot out of the wrapper usually, lively barrels, very good durability, when compression starts getting lower it still has exit velocity but distance starts shortening up.
SP- has durability issues across the board but is a quality product
Anonymous bats- very good bats, has really good durability and it a top notch company
Axe- not worth the money and not a top notch bat
Anarchy- mix of some decent models and some bad ones, the good bats have durability issues, compression drops fast

Foothills,

Just curious why haven't you tried Onyx? They make great bats and have great customer service.
I agree with everything else you said though, well written..

@1styrsenior it is all about finding the bat that fits your swing. If you will be at Hemet for So Cal States, I will have an Anonymous Demo bat you can try out.

JohnO, I would not say Onxy has "great customer service". A few of us bought the early white with black writing Enough Said, they were highly rated by Dave V at the time. Of course we might have gotten a second run, they were basically garbage (I still have a brand new one in the wrapper). One I traded (26 balanced) broke for the guy I traded it to. I had one (25oz 1oz EL) crack before I even got game swings on it. And I broke it in win warm weather and with 52's.

I called and didn't get much help, actually spoke in person to the son, believe his name is Ryan, in Utah at the Huntsman, he simply wanted me to buy another bat, I said thanks but I didn't think buying another bat with the ones I had bought already being duds didn't make sense.

This of course was my experience a few years ago but sometimes all you need is one bad experience and you look somewhere else for your next purchase.

Mck71,

Everyone is going to have a different story about dealings with people. My first dealings were with the same White Onyx you had. Mine cracked earlier than I thought it should and spoke with Los the owner and he replaced it. I've bought dozens of bats from Onyx since and have had nothing but great customer service from them. I had 1 other issue with a bat since then and they dealt with it quickly and I couldn't have asked for anything more.
Unlike another company my team entered a "sponsorship" with this year. After having bought MULTIPLE bats from him and letting people swing my bats at tourneys to see how they performed we did a partial sponsorship with them. Bought 12 bats in all and so far 5 have shark toothed and 2 fail compression. Will never deal with them again.