My GM Epic DXM 808 bat - First Impressions

[Knightrider]

Just thought I would post some pictures and a short review of my new bat. The bat was brought from Mapperley sports(www.cricketsales.co.uk) today.

Mapperley Sports have got the GM bats before any other retailer in the UK and I think I am one of the 1st person to buy the new GM Epic 2012 bat. After looking at what Mapperley sports had, I picked this out of 8 GM epic 808 bats bcoz this had a bigger bow then other bats and it felt really good. Also this has biggest edges and profile.

Bat weighs 2lb 10oz and with a pick up index of 2, its seem very responsive which I'm very pleased with. It only has 5 grains, which I don't really mind, but it still seems to ping really well. I compared it to LE bats they had there wasnt much difference in ping/sound so I decided to buy an 808.

Overall, the customer service from Mapperley Sports was excellent as usual, so much so that I will purchase 2 more GM 808 bats, a new kookaburra kahuna in next few weeks.

 

[Cover Drive]

Sounds amazing, Micheal/Mapperly always get top notch bats, I bought Puma Iridium 3000 from them and that pinged better than my Puma Iridium 6000.

Majid Bhai, did you see any Halo if so how were they?

I'm excited to see the pictures and how is the pick up compared to Icon, Falre etc

 

[Knightrider]

thanks Uzair. Mapperley Sports have got the GM bats before any other retailer in the UK and I think I am one of the 1st person to buy the new GM Epic 2012 bat.

Yes I saw some GM halo bats and they looked very good but pick up on them is little bottom heavy. I have taken some pictures of Epic, Halo and 1885 but having few problems uploading them, internet is bit slow but they will get uploaded slowly/later.

 

[ca_gold]

i have an 808 as well that is primarily a net bat, but it's still really good and will only get better with time. waiting to see the pics.

 

[Cover Drive]

thanks Uzair. Mapperley Sports have got the GM bats before any other retailer in the UK and I think I am one of the 1st person to buy the new GM Epic 2012 bat.

Yes I saw some GM halo bats and they looked very good but pick up on them is little bottom heavy. I have taken some pictures of Epic, Halo and 1885 but having few problems uploading them, internet is bit slow but they will get uploaded slowly/later.

Ah that's great to hear.

Abbay yaar that's disappointing, is it as heavy as Hero? Can you compare Halos pick up with any other bat which you have found to have same pick up like Halo?

Zabardast no worries take your time in uploading the pictures, how did 1885 pick up? And if you compare pick up of Halo, 1885 and Epic which one has best pickup? Lastly is Epic's sweetspot low or mid?

Thanks a ton bro!

 

[Cover Drive]

Looks very nice, loving the Orange colour.

Face looks very clean as well just like your other 808s.

Overall brilliant looking bat and decent size for 2.10.

 

[Knightrider]

Ah that's great to hear.

Abbay yaar that's disappointing, is it as heavy as Hero? Can you compare Halos pick up with any other bat which you have found to have same pick up like Halo?

Zabardast no worries take your time in uploading the pictures, how did 1885 pick up? And if you compare pick up of Halo, 1885 and Epic which one has best pickup? Lastly is Epic's sweetspot low or mid?

Thanks a ton bro!

I'm not sure if it's heavy as Hero bcoz Hero was discontinued 2 years ago so couldnt compare it with that. Halo's pick up was bottom heavy even top of range bats felt bottom heavy. 1885 was similar to GM purist shape with slightly thicker edges and touch higher profile, it had decent pick up better then halo. EPic has best pick up frm the 3 you mentioned. Epic has long sweet spot middle to low.

 

[Knightrider]

 

[Knightrider]

I took all these pictures at Mapperley Sports earlier today.

 

[zeusky]

Wow!! I will kill for those.

I have a Hero but the pick up is quite alright I would say; I know the sweetspot is a little down on the blade but mine has a nice pick up. It's a 2.9 though. It is not as bottom heavy as lets say a GN Ingnite or Evo.

 

[littlemaster64]

Stunning, just speechless. I think the only reason its not an Original LE is because it has just 5 grains. This is a suber bat,im sure it will last u a long time too

 

[Knightrider]

Your right bro, the bat does look stunning in real. I was surprised by it not being graded higher because it has 5 straight even grains and blemish free. It would be graded as original or even LE if it had just 1 more grain.
These bats perform straightaway, many people think they would take long to open up but GM bats perform from ball one & it doesnt matter how many grains they have, I've had one before and that performed straightaway and it played as good as a bat with 10-15 grains.

 

[Knightrider]

? Can you compare Halos pick up with any other bat which you have found to have same pick up like Halo?

I remembered when I went to Owzat earlier this year and I picked up a M & H Amplus & it had worst pick up ever very bottom heavy and the feel was awful. GM halo had similar pick up though not as good as M & H. GM also reminded me of this years salix bats heavy pick ups.

 

[Cover Drive]

Wow!! I will kill for those.

I have a Hero but the pick up is quite alright I would say; I know the sweetspot is a little down on the blade but mine has a nice pick up. It's a 2.9 though. It is not as bottom heavy as lets say a GN Ingnite or Evo.

I have held both Evo and Ignite and I loved the feel of them especially Evo. I once saw Hero and it had horrendus pickup and very bottom heavy but since you have all bats at the moment and if Hero picks up better than Evo and Ignite then I'm sure it will pass my selection

I remembered when I went to Owzat earlier this year and I picked up a M & H Amplus & it had worst pick up ever very bottom heavy and the feel was awful. GM halo had similar pick up though not as good as M & H. GM also reminded me of this years salix bats heavy pick ups.

Ah okay JazaakAllah Khair for comparison.

I have Amplus and love the feel of it so if you say Halo has a better pick up then as I said I'm sure it will pass my selection test

 

[Knightrider]

I think Umar Akmal sometimes uses GM Halo bat shape. Its similar spec to the shape he asked GM to make for him.

 

[Cover Drive]

Bro did you see any GM Players bat as Mapperly is 5 Star dealer.

Nope Umar does not uses Halo he uses Flare but with big profile I have seen his bat

 

[shirazi_r]

Maj, the Epic looks amazing! Thick edges all the way up to the shoulders and a slightly lower sweetspot should make this even better than the Icon.

This is one bat I'm really excited about this year.

 

[ammo]

Majid Bhai real epic bat you got yourself there, the blade is really meaty all the way thrugh and how big are those edges? and the shape looks very nice indeed

 

[Knightrider]

Maj, the Epic looks amazing! Thick edges all the way up to the shoulders and a slightly lower sweetspot should make this even better than the Icon.

This is one bat I'm really excited about this year.

thanks Riz.
Long time no see, add me on ur new msn. Bat does seem to have a very long sweetspot and hopefully this will be good as my last GM+Icon 808 which was a tremendous bat.

 

[Knightrider]

Majid Bhai real epic bat you got yourself there, the blade is really meaty all the way thrugh and how big are those edges? and the shape looks very nice indeed

thanks Anmol.
The edges are about 32/33 mm and bat still has a nice steep spine.

 

[Knightrider]

Bro did you see any GM Players bat as Mapperly is 5 Star dealer.

Nope Umar does not uses Halo he uses Flare but with big profile I have seen his bat

Not yet they will get them soon.
Umar Akmal doesnt use just one shape, he changes his bats. The specs he asked GM to make for him is GM+flare with some wood taken frm the shoulder of the bats and If u take shave wood of the shoulder of Gm flare it turns into a bat shape similar to Halo.

 

[Cover Drive]

Is the shape of 1885 like Newbery Mjolnir?

 

[SempreSami]

They all look nice but I'm becoming proper disillusioned with cricket gear. The amount I paid for a 909 Hero DXM three years ago would barely get me an 808 now.

 

[Cover Drive]

They all look nice but I'm becoming proper disillusioned with cricket gear. The amount I paid for a 909 Hero DXM three years ago would barely get me an 808 now.

Was it during season?

As time goes inflation is increasing so everything gets expensive. Original LE used to be 295 last year and now it is 325.

 

[SempreSami]

It was just at the start of the 2009 season when the range was still fairly new.

 

[Knightrider]

Is the shape of 1885 like Newbery Mjolnir?

no, GM 1885 is different

 

[Cover Drive]

no, GM 1885 is different

Great, jazaakAllah Khair for that.

How was the pickup up?

 

[Knightrider]

I dont remember sorry. I picked it up to just take pictures & I didnt check the balance or had back swing with it.

 

[Cover Drive]

No worries bro.

That Epic Original LE in the pictures have amazing grains.

Majid Bhai did you see 2012 GM LE softs as well?

 

[Knightrider]

GM softs are not available/not in stock yet.

 

[Knightrider]

Here is a clearer picture of GM halo bat profile. This GM Halo DXM Limited Edition- weighs 2lb 11oz, pick up index 3 and has 31mm edges at the thickest point.
Mapperley sports are one of the only major UK retailers who use actual pictures of the bats for sale and they dont mind sending pictures of bats before you buy.

 

[shirazi_r]

Damn, I'm such a sucker for GM!

I'm thinking about ordering an Epic for next season. If it turns out the pickup is anywhere near the Icon I'll definitely try and get my hands on one.

 

[ca_gold]

Damn, I'm such a sucker for GM!

I'm thinking about ordering an Epic for next season. If it turns out the pickup is anywhere near the Icon I'll definitely try and get my hands on one.

Does yashi sports have them ?

 

[ca_gold]

Here is a clearer picture of GM halo bat profile. This GM Halo DXM Limited Edition- weighs 2lb 11oz, pick up index 3 and has 31mm edges at the thickest point.
Mapperley sports are one of the only major UK retailers who use actual pictures of the bats for sale and they dont mind sending pictures of bats before you buy.

Another great bat to the collection.

 

[Cover Drive]

Does yashi sports have them ?

Yashi, Hagee etc will get GM stock near March.

I have spoken with Hagee and Fahad Bhai told me that they will be getting GM bats and softs [too this year] around March same time they got last year.

One of my team mate has GM Flare + which was bought from Hagee and that bat pings like no tomorrow!

 

[shirazi_r]

Does yashi sports have them ?

Not sure but I doubt it. Yashi is on the other side of town for me so I haven't been there though I've heard it's quite nice.

 

[Cover Drive]

Not sure but I doubt it. Yashi is on the other side of town for me so I haven't been there though I've heard it's quite nice.

There opening sale was remarkable, I got my GM Original LE Duplex bag for $90. The Original Limited Edition bats which go fro $500-$550 were sold for $350.

 

[shirazi_r]

WHAT!?

When was this? Is it still going on!?

 

[Cover Drive]

WHAT!?

When was this? Is it still going on!?

Not anymore but that was when Yashi opened like a month or so ago.

 

[shirazi_r]

Did you buy anything from them?

What brands do they stock? Any lower end 505/606 type stuff?

 

[Cover Drive]

Did you buy anything from them?

What brands do they stock? Any lower end 505/606 type stuff?

I never went there as it was too far from me but I got GM Original Limited Edition Duplex bag for $90.

I think they do, have a look at there website;

www.yashisports.com

 

[shirazi_r]

Seems overpriced, as usual.

 

[ca_gold]

Seems overpriced, as usual.

those prices are ridiculous. its cheaper to order things from the UK.

 

[shirazi_r]

those prices are ridiculous. its cheaper to order things from the UK.

Yup, that's what I always do. Prodirect is fantastic in terms of pricing and I've yet to have any sort of customer service issue with them. My only complaint is that I can't pick out specific weights for bats; I have to go with "light, medium, or heavy"

 

[Cover Drive]

those prices are ridiculous. its cheaper to order things from the UK.

Not really, he has GM Flare Original Limited Edition for $499 whereas if you order from England it comes upto $550 including customs, shipping etc.

$500 is standard rate of GM Original Limited Edition model, Hagee sold for this price too!

 

[Cover Drive]

Yup, that's what I always do. Prodirect is fantastic in terms of pricing and I've yet to have any sort of customer service issue with them. My only complaint is that I can't pick out specific weights for bats; I have to go with "light, medium, or heavy"

I agree, ProDirect usually have great bargains but is it me that this year ProDirect did not have great sale like they had last year and year before that?

Or I missed it..

 

[shirazi_r]

No, you're right, the sale this year is nothing compared to last year. I think it might pick up and prices might drop by the end of November as that's when the new stuff starts shipping out.

They'll have to clear out 2011 stuff sooner or later so I do expect some good bargains.

 

[ca_gold]

Yashi does have clads which is interesting - maybe tempted to get new pads and fit these on

 

[Cover Drive]

Yashi does have clads which is interesting - maybe tempted to get new pads and fit these on

But don't you already have Padskin?

 

[Cover Drive]

No, you're right, the sale this year is nothing compared to last year. I think it might pick up and prices might drop by the end of November as that's when the new stuff starts shipping out.

They'll have to clear out 2011 stuff sooner or later so I do expect some good bargains.

Thats true, what some retailers did (not talking about Pro Direct) like Barrington did was that they had a sale near the end of season where some people have once the season ends.

However, some products are at good price like Calibre FXT Pads AamerM Bhai bought from them.

 

[Blazer]

Just a quick one, Where do I find the pick up index on a GM? cheers

 

[Cover Drive]

It is on a small card which is on handle with a string

 

[Blazer]

oops my baby chewed it,so had to throw them away lol.Thanks bro for the info.

 

[Cover Drive]

Haha

 

[shirazi_r]

oops my baby chewed it,so had to throw them away lol.Thanks bro for the info.

 

[Knightrider]

Better quality pictures taken with Nokia N8 best camera phone.

 

[Cover Drive]

You didn't get to use it yet?

 

[centuries]

Nice bat, tell us how it plays when you get a chance to use it.

which gm bat in would you say has a bow like sub continent bats?

 

[SempreSami]

They all bow similarly now.

 

[Knightrider]

You didn't get to use it yet?

No havn't had a chance to use it yet. CD I sold the SS TON LE and M & H. Both were put on ebay yesterday and were sold within few hours after listing. I didnt think they would sell because its off season but the bats looked such good quality n were quickly snapped up. I paid £121 for M & H and sold it for £145 n I think I could've got 15-20 more for it.

 

[Cover Drive]

Really?! I'm surprised, I'm thinking of selling my Amplus but locally I got horrendus offers, I paid around £280 whereas I got offers of £150 and I was offended by it

Teach me eBay bro

 

[shirazi_r]

They all bow similarly now.

Agreed. The only remaining bats without much of a bow are the more traditional English bats and even those are declining in number.

No haven't had a chance to use it yet. CD I sold the SS TON LE and M & H. Both were put on ebay yesterday and were sold within few hours after listing. I didnt think they would sell because its off season but the bats looked such good quality n were quickly snapped up. I paid £121 for M & H and sold it for £145 n I think I could've got 15-20 more for it.

That's awesome Maj! Turned a nice profit and got to try out the bat as well.

Keep me posted on how the Epic plays, I'll be keeping a close eye on it. If I end up buying a bat soon, it'll likely be the Epic.

 

[littlemaster64]

YAshi sports has some good bats. A couple of overpriced GM's, some beautiful TRD's, and a lot of SS bats too (Dragon t2o, LE, Gladiator etc...) The SS bats he has are real gems, much better then his GMs

 

[Cover Drive]

Won't say overpriced to be honest, when he had opening sale he was selling them very very good price in fact

 

[Silencer]

Where is the middle? Highm middle or low? How do you compare this bat with your other older bats?

Did you get anything else new in your collection or anything you intend to buy?

Also how is the handle? I have always found GM handles to be thin.

PS: Nice bat by the way.

 

[xkalibur80]

Picked up a similar bat - will post pics later on

 

[Tendaywala]

Good bat OP, how is it playing now?

Kali waiting to see its pictures

 

[Mlapse]

Hi knightrider,

Can you provide an update on the Epic's performance? How are you liking it? What's good and not so good now that you've (hopefully) played with it.

Thanks

 

[Knightrider]

I didnt play cricket last summer because of illness/health.
I have started using this bat now it required lots and lots knocking and finally its opened up and plays well. I did use it in opening match and scored 26 with it.

 

[Knightrider]

This is 2010 GM+ icon 808 from mapperly sports truly awesome bat.
Gave it to Mapperley sports to get it refurnished by Gunn & Moore.
Before pictures.

 

[Knightrider]

Got it back today from mapperley sports
Now it looks new again

 

[ammo]

nice bat, hope your better now, goodluck for the new season

 

[zaid133]

nice service by gm!

 

[zaid133]

how much did u pay for the refurbishment of the icon?

 

[Knightrider]

how much did u pay for the refurbishment of the icon?

£41.50

 

[zaid133]

how do u rate it? expensive or cheap?

 

[Knightrider]

Refurbished well but I would say it's a tad expensive.

 

[zaid133]

i thought the same..........