What is the difference in performance between a 50 dollar bat and say the Stealth or Exo? I know the BESR standards are the same across the board. So what makes bats hit better?
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BESR standards are a farce. There is a difference with relations to the size and tramp effect around the sweet spot.
To me BESR doesn't mean squat, it's just so the bat comapnies can say that they pretend to care about your kid.
To me BESR doesn't mean squat, it's just so the bat comapnies can say that they pretend to care about your kid.
quote:Originally posted by AKBaseball13:
So what makes bats hit better?
Just one thing. The batter holding it...
Go to a sporting goods store that lets you try out the bat. The 50 dollar one will feel like your hitting a ball with a stick compared to a Vexxum or such. I had an Easton Connection and my hitting coach tells me to take a swing with the Vexxum. Such a difference it was unbelievable. BESR just means the bat is certified for play, basically means it has metal/alluminum, and a barrell. There is a difference. True the person holding it matters obviously but the ball can travel up to 75 feet further or more with a bat that is more expensive.
BESR means more than that. It is a relative measure of how the ball comes off the bat. Granted, it is a test that is conducted only under a certain condition (e.g., a set batspeed and pitch speed). However, it does provide relative results under those conditions. And all bats, whether $50 or $300, are at the max of those limits. So don't expect any major differences. Except for the paint job and the price tag.
Trust me, as a player I know there is a difference. I took a swing with a Reflex and the way it feels and the way it hits the ball is just completely different and feels awful. You need to make sure the bat feels comfortable when you swing it. The weight is nicely distributed is also key. The technology of the bat makes a difference too. If there wasn't a difference professional hitting coaches at Division 1 colleges wouldn't suggest the more expensive bats and buy them for their team.
It's like the difference between driving a nice car and driving a ****** one.The bat hits better because it has been researched,designed,and has "purer"(sp) metals in it.Cheaper ones will not be as durable,esp. in cold weather or with a player that mashes the ball. In my experience TPX bats are the best for overall performance & toughness.
Z, do you really think the big D1 schools are buying bats?
There is precious little, and sometimes no, difference in the alloys. Anyone with some background in metallurgy and access to the data on the alloys can tell you that.
Can there be a difference in "feel"? Sure. Slightly different handle diameter, different grip tape and to some degree a little different balance based on the barrel configuration. Nothing wrong with liking the way a bat feels.
F7, they are not using pure metals. They are all using Aluminum alloys.
Far & away, the biggest factor is the player swinging the bat.
There is precious little, and sometimes no, difference in the alloys. Anyone with some background in metallurgy and access to the data on the alloys can tell you that.
Can there be a difference in "feel"? Sure. Slightly different handle diameter, different grip tape and to some degree a little different balance based on the barrel configuration. Nothing wrong with liking the way a bat feels.
F7, they are not using pure metals. They are all using Aluminum alloys.
Far & away, the biggest factor is the player swinging the bat.
agreed. not arguing that. however the bat makes a difference. Ask your son's coach guarantee he will tell you there is a difference. Maybe not much, but in baseball every little bit matters.
No, my coach I think would disagree with you. Otherwise, why would he let the team choose the bats that he purchases for the team?
What makes the difference is our football coach. Our baseball coach will flat-out tell you that our football coach is key to the success of our baseball team. Why? Because he brought us the Bigger Faster Stronger workout program and THAT is what has made the difference in our program.
A kid w/o the weight program would not fare as well using a Stealth, etc as a kid in the weight program using a cheaper bat. They're all overpriced.
What makes the difference is our football coach. Our baseball coach will flat-out tell you that our football coach is key to the success of our baseball team. Why? Because he brought us the Bigger Faster Stronger workout program and THAT is what has made the difference in our program.
A kid w/o the weight program would not fare as well using a Stealth, etc as a kid in the weight program using a cheaper bat. They're all overpriced.
Don't give a cheap bat to a 3 or 4 hitter. It won't last a week.That tells me all I need to know.
This reply will be somewhat unsatisfying to some as i am bound by legal obligations not to go into detail, but I do know a man who has been the chief design engineer for two prominent bat companies. Those of you who do not believe that there is a difference are simply wrong. However, Texan is correct that, ultimately, the bat is only as good as the player who swings it. But, Texan, that good player will get better results with a better bat.
HC, the point I was trying to make is that given all the variables involved, the bat has probably the least effect of the various variables.
Some time back, I read a report done by an independent lab on the different aluminum alloys being used (this was about the time the carbon filament stuff was hitting the market, it wasn't addressed). They were looking at yield, ultimate and elongation. The oldest alloy (might have been what was called the C504?, can't remember now), was not as good as the newer alloys. But I don't think that alloy has been in bats for some years now. All of the various "Sc" alloys had properties so close together that they were in the noise level.
They all have to keep the bats - even the bottom of the product line - under the BESR limits. They are not trying to get them up to the limits.
I haven't visited with the engineering folks at all the bat companies. Just at one. And I was told what I have related here, that the bat is the variable with the least effect. Maybe I was told wrong.
Guess we'll just have different opinions on this one.
But the bat companies do love folks going for this year's $350 model with the new paint job!
Some time back, I read a report done by an independent lab on the different aluminum alloys being used (this was about the time the carbon filament stuff was hitting the market, it wasn't addressed). They were looking at yield, ultimate and elongation. The oldest alloy (might have been what was called the C504?, can't remember now), was not as good as the newer alloys. But I don't think that alloy has been in bats for some years now. All of the various "Sc" alloys had properties so close together that they were in the noise level.
They all have to keep the bats - even the bottom of the product line - under the BESR limits. They are not trying to get them up to the limits.
I haven't visited with the engineering folks at all the bat companies. Just at one. And I was told what I have related here, that the bat is the variable with the least effect. Maybe I was told wrong.
Guess we'll just have different opinions on this one.
But the bat companies do love folks going for this year's $350 model with the new paint job!
Where does the "comp" or composite label come in here?
I know that they sound different because these aren't aluminum. What are they? Why do they sound different, why do they need "broken in", and why is comp > Aluminum money wise?
I know that they sound different because these aren't aluminum. What are they? Why do they sound different, why do they need "broken in", and why is comp > Aluminum money wise?
Texan, I don't disagree with you as to the relative importance of the variables. However, if you give two equal hitters two bats at opposite ends of the quality/price spectrum, I am pretty certain that you will see a difference. It may not be a lot, but isn't baseball "a game of inches?"