cabbagedad posted:joes87 posted:Not sure you can get the exact same wood the pro's get. I know for Louisville they pull out the best wood and its set aside for the pro's. They were pretty up front about this when we took the factory tour. Im not sure about the other manufactures. That said, you can get something close. Louisville Slugger now offers a MLB Prime bat line. These are bats that have passed the ink test and are very close to what a MLB player would be swinging.
This is exactly correct... most of the bigger providers of wood to pro ball pull their best for majors, then minors. Similar quality, but not quite the best lots, is available to public. Stay away from bargain wood. That said, know that the very best breaks just as easily as the cheap stuff... just performs better.
Sorry CD, as a long-time woodworker (mostly a hobby) I'm going to have to disagree with you. The best wood bats don't break "just as easily as the cheap stuff." The handles that pass the ink-dot test have very straight grain. The grain on the cheap stuff runs out on the handle, and is more prone to breaking along that grain. The grain is also tighter on pro bats, which means less breakage. The cheap stuff is often rushed through the drying process, which makes it more brittle. Obviously, pro bats break, but they don't break as easily as lower quality bats.