Fusion Superbest

Fusion Superbest

2lb 10oz
Sh

Ordered my Fusion Superbest after hearing much positive feedbackabout their bats last October. At this time I was fairly new to theworld of equipment so was unsure of my ideal specs but, after anin-depth discussion of my playing style etc with Bill, my order was sorted.

The delivery time was astonishing and I received my fully customisedbat just 2 days after ordering. To my delight, the Superbest offered10 straight grains, a massive profile and a good pick-up for a 2lbs10. The middle was long if slightly high and the edges were 25mmfor a large proportion of the blade.

I was immediately a fan of theconcave style purely on aesthetics (who doesn’t love curves?) butthis opinion was soon justified by the performance. Fusion hand-press all their bats and claim to modify the pressingbased on each piece of willow to ensure optimum performance.

After experiencing the rebound qualities of this bat, I wouldn’t disagree!Probably the most striking feature of my Fusion is the ‘ping’ and dueto the concave styling, the length of this awesome middle is extended,allowing a touch player such as myself more value for their shots onuneven pitches. This Fusion has steered me to buying only concave bats from now on andset a benchmark for all future bats to beat. I am happy to recommendFusion to anyone looking for a custom made English bat for under £200

Salix Fera grade one

Salix Fera grade one
2lb 8oz

Sh

After having a Gray Nicolls Powerbow stolen from a cricket club, I decided to invest in a Salix Fera Grade One. It was 2lb 8oz dead weight, but with a scuff sheet and toe guard fitted, it was more like 2lb 9, still within my range, to my relief! When it arrived, I have to say the cosmetics of the willow left a lot to be desired, but it did ping nicely, so that I was pleased with. It only had about eight or nine grains, and they were not evenly spaced, but I suppose it was my own fault for buying near to the end of the season, when most of the willow with good cosmetics has already been sold.

I also noticed that it had a concaved profile, which I thought was unusual for a traditional, but fairly new company. However, as this profile seems to be the “in” thing at the moment, they will want to compete as best they can with the big companies.

I first used the bat in a practise game, and I was astonished with the quality. The ball flew off the bat, and I only had to push to see the ball going to the boundary. So far I’ve had scores of 50*, 37 and 2, although that is down to my ability, not the bat!

Courtesy of Arthur Thomas

GM Catalyst Original

Gm Catalyst Original

2lb 10oz
Sh

I purchased this bat as it was new in the Gunn & Moore range, and I wanted to see what differences, had been made to make this model, better than some of the others, the main change was the concaved profile, which I though would result in a big profile, but the Catalyst is not concaved to the same degree as other concaved bats.

I got this bat for a very good price, when I recieved the bat, I was slightly shocked at the cosmetic attributes, the bat only had 7-8 grains, I was shocked as many of the originals I had previously seen, had large amounts of grain, but if it pings who cares, to the bats credit, the grains where all sapwood, and no blemishes.

The bat picked up nicely, it felt very balanced, I think the concaved profile, enhances the pick up, in my opinion anyway. The bat had a special new grip called 'shock absorba' which has a thicker material at the bottom of the handle where the bottom hand grips the bat, to absorb more of the shock gained when hitting the ball.

When I used this bat, I was pleased, it pinged nicely, and felt good in the hands, a nice addition to the GM range, with lovely new stickers. Performace was reasonably good, not the best bat I have used, but certainly not the worst.

Reviewed by Aaron Jepson

Laver & Wood Carbo Comet

2lb 10oz ( apparently)
Carbo handle

SH

I bought my Laver & Wood after hearing many positives things and seeing what looked like excellent bats. I spoke to James and ordered a 2lb 10oz Carbo Comet bat, with the L&W Carbo handle.

The bat took approx 1 month to come and when I opened the package it I certainly wasn’t blown away. The grain on the bat was good for a 2nd grade bat and the profile was large.
However the pickup and weight was very heavy, weighing in at a hefty 2lb 12/13oz with a single despite ordering at 2lb 10oz with 2 grips, not very custom made to my specs after all!
The bat looked impressive but in the hands it wasn’t too match. With my problematic shoulder the bat was really too heavy so I only got to use it in one net before passing it to my friend.
He got on slightly better with it, obtaining scores of 2, 105* and 32.

Courtesy of Tom Evans

Fusion Sports G3/G4

Fusion G3/G4
2lb 12oz
SH

Here is my review of the new Fusion G4. After Bill's posts about his new G4/G3 willow bat I thought it sounded nice and I'd like to try one. This bat which is being reviewed is the lower range from Fusion and will cost around £115.

A new technique has been devised by Fusion to get a similar performance from a G4 bat that is usually seen in a top grade bat.

Service: Fusion were polite, friendly and helpful. Although at first they were a bit slow to reply to emails (only on a dial-up connection) however once I picked up the courage to phone they were excellent and Bill ,who works for Fusion, was very chatty and helped me feel comfortable. Everything was as per my specifications - two grips, 2lb 10oz, no extratec or toe guard.

Looks: The bat has a massive centre with a decent thickness of edges and a slightly bowed profile. The edges are not as thick at the ends, to lighten pickup and reduce weight. The bat being G3/G4 had only 4 grains which doesn't make it as attractive as some although there were no blemishes on the face, the willow was unbleached and it had a white look to it. The bat is finished in some eye catching Fusion stickers with a shiny finish with a red grip to complement it.The new G3/G4 Fusion batStill keeps a good size profile

At Fusion: I decided to visit Fusion so I could see how a company operates and also to try out my bat - a very good idea so you get what you want. In the nets I faced a variety of deliveries so I could ensure the bat was of a correct weight for myself, James (the owner and 1st class cricketer) also took the oppurtunity to use my bat, he too was very impressed and I was pleased to hear it sound so good when a pro was timing it every ball

The performance: After knocking it in - most boring bit of buying a new bat, I took it to the nets . The pickup was good with the two grips and the highish middle helps the pickup. The bat has a very nice ping, very similar to that of a bat double the price. Spent a long time in the nets with it and even asked friends to give opionions - they were pleasantly suprised with the price and quality. It took me a while to find the middle as normally use a more Indian style of bat but once I got going the ball was flying. One thing though is that the shape I choose didn't have the thickest of toes and because of this the ball doesn't go for miles when its hit with that part of the bat. However there is enough thickness to ensure it won't crack at all and in the event of a crack I am sure I could get it repaired relatively easily

The cost: Expect to pay around £115 for this bat. It's best to email Bill as the cost of each custom bat does vary. For a custom made bat it is the cheapest you can get and along with the try before you buy and the service it is the best company I have dealt withVerdict: Is it the best bat I've used? No but one of the top 2 or 3 (only behind bats costing around 3 times the price!) The bat is very good value for money and would be ideal for a youngster, a good standard club cricketer and also a nets bat. This bat is very powerful and when timed the ball should rocket away, the special processes to make it perform better has worked well.Overall a very nice bat at an even nicer price.

Courtesy of Tom Evans

Laver & Wood Carbo Heritage

Laver & Wood Carbo Heritage
2lb 7oz
SH
Carbon Handle

For a while now Laver and Wood have been regarded as a company making custom made bats of the highest quality. Having heard how many professional players were using Laver and Wood bats with their sponsorship stickers stuck over the top, I decided to go ahead and get in touch with James Laver about getting a bat made up.

James was easy to contact and answered my constant stream of questions regarding which bat would be right for me (you can request what ever shape, weight, handle shape, size, number of grains etc. that you want). In the end I opted for a Laver & Wood Carbo Heritage (which behind the Private Bin is Laver’s 2nd best standard bat willow), with a Carbo handle. I went for the carbon handle as I had broken 2 handles in the previous 12 months and was interested to see if the carbon handle was as beneficial as James had suggested. It is important to note that the handle is different to that in the Newbery C6+ in that it is merely a wooden handle with a carbon rod inserted down the centre to increase the strength and flexibility of the bat, rather than alter its pick-up or feel.

As Laver is located in New Zealand I had to wait for the bat to be made up and then posted across the world, but as the postage was free and the bat only took 2 weeks to turn up after being ordered I didn’t mind (James can also send pictures of your bat during the making process to reassure you everything is going to plan!).

The bat turned up as promised with a clean face, 7 grains and 2 grips, with a bonus grip chucked in for free. I was delighted with the light pick-up which I had specifically requested, and the bat weighed 2lb 7oz – 2lb 8oz with the extra grip. The bat has a lovely bow and although the edges are reasonably small (I expected this due to my requesting a light pick-up and overall light weight) at 25 mm, I couldn’t have been happier.

Half a season on and the bat is playing very well, although it did take a bit of time to become good, unlike some bats which usually ping from their date of purchase, these take time to play in. The Carbo handle is something which I like but is perhaps not suited to all players as it does produce a unusual sound and may make the bat feel a bit stiff, however I would definitely get the same handle again. The service was great all along and I would have no hesitation in recommending you check out Laver & Wood’s website http://www.laverwood.co.nz/ and get in touch with James if you are looking for a new bat.

Review courtesy of Gus Kennedy

Smasher API-G

Smasher Api-G
2lb 7oz
SH

Smasher Sports is a developing cricket company that burst onto the scene sponsoring many West Indian and Pakistani players as well as England wicketkeeper Chris Read and New Zealand all-rounder Craig McMillan. I ordered a Smasher Api-G (Smasher’s top of the range bat and the only one which is made in England) weighing 2.7. I was prepared to pay slightly more for the Api-G as the other models in the Smasher range are very expensive considering they are imported from India.

I received my Smasher reasonably fast and was pleased with the eye-catching graphics, and the nice straight grains. However the ping of the bat was not particularly impressive and the pick-up was poor especially considering it was meant to only weigh 2lb 7oz, so I returned the bat to Smasher who replaced it with another bat, although this one weighed 2lb 10z the bat had a nice middle but picked up like a cannon even with 2 grips. The grains on the second bat were not that nice either, and despite the nice middle I ended up shelving the Smasher due to its pick-up being so poor.

In summary Smasher’s bats are reasonably nice, but I was disappointed with the service (they sent me a bat which was 3oz to heavy) and as a result I would struggle to recommend a Smasher bat particularly considering the price. I may suggest you buy one if you could choose it in person where you could see the grains and feel the pick-up but I would strongly advise against ordering over either the phone or the Internet.

If you want to check out Smasher’s range then visit http://www.smashersports.com/

Review courtesy of Gus Kennedy