I am a member of a few forums and this one crops up a lot and the simple answer is they can be if you buy right.
By this I mean if you go into your local large sports store and they have say a Gray Nicolls Nitro Powerbalde and you pick it up and it's light and really big and you think great but it will cost about £300 no currently they retail at around £40. Why is this ? Well because they have been bleached and had a scuff sheet applied with grains drawn on them to look "nice" which is my opinion makes them look cheap and nasty but alas they can be stonkers of bats, there is a how to on making these types of bats into beautiful looking bats on Cricketinsight.co.uk/forum.
Another example of this type of bat would be the Kookaburra Kahuna 150 it is painted on the back and edges and the face is left natural and if you come across a few you will see many with heartwood and lots of grains and some with lovely grains good enough for there 600 range.
Ultimately I would say these are a great alternative if you are a bit strapped for cash and in need of a new bat as long as you don't mind the painted look otherwise you could put some time and effort in and clean it up but I must warn you that there is a reason these bats are painted or bleached it's because there will 9/10 be a blemish or two on the bat which do not look nice but in the most case do not affect the performance.
In addition if you are looking for a cheap bat and around £100-£150 then look in to the big brands middle range as you can find some great bats in there such as the 4* and 5* with GN and the 606 and 707 with GM as they are usually downgraded due to blemishes and i have found that they are usually on the back of the bat and occasionally the bat has a large amount of heartwood on it which many players like including pros.
But I stress to you if you want to buy a cheap bat that will be a good bat then go to a shop with a large variety of bats and don't just buy one because its there ask the owner/sales assistant if he has anymore in the back and if not then go to another shop until you find a bat that is right for you
Come back for more info on bats
James
nice post. ive done a few videos which i called pick of the week. look them up on youtube where i compared a pretty cheap bat with a top of the line bat and showed that these bats could be just as good as the expensive option. obviously there is no science to this and its just an opinion but yeah i think its a good way to go and there can be cheaper options.
ReplyDeleteCheers, I saw the video on the strikeforce and tbf I have seen most of them I like that a retailer has taken the time to video and review bats for everyone to see.
ReplyDeleteNo there is no science but companies down-grade due to blemishes or knots and even heartwood and most are on the back of the bat which will make no difference apart from aesthetic.
I always grade on performance due to me knocking in every bat I make.
I always avoid cheaper bats where I can. SS cricket bats are my brand of choice.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing good information for cheap bats better than a top of the range! I also found new shop if you love cricket and cricket bat? Looking for online shop for cricket bats? Then log on to VKS Shop cricket bat online at very discount prices by visiting VKS.
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