Which bat to get for a beginner?

[WNC]

So, I have finally started to take up hard ball cricket. Played tape ball cricket all my life, the only experience of hard ball being minimal.

So which bat should I get to begin with? Considering that I may be going lower down the order, in the beginning at least.
I am thinking it may not be a good idea to spend big on my first bat?

 

[usynn]

GM Octance or Argon 404 or 606 if you have a little more money

 

[khalil1986]

eBay is a good bet you can get some top quality bats for brilliant prices.

Best pinging bat I used only cost me £55

 

[usynn]

eBay is a good bet you can get some top quality bats for brilliant prices.

Best pinging bat I used only cost me £55

don't you think though that bats on eBay are prone to being fake and what have you. by the way, what bat did you buy on eBay for £55? branded or plane?

 

[Sidney]

You will not get a good branded bat cheap. A cheap branded bat will likely be rubbish as most the money will be for the brand. If your budget is up to 70 odd quid you can pick up a decent plain bat for that much. I would say because you are new to hard ball hav a pick up of some hard ball bats and get feel for kind of weight you prefer and idealy if you like medium or low middle then aim to het the closest thing in that price range. Last thing you want in my opinion is bat you dont feel comfortable with irrespective of the price or brand

 

[usynn]

yeah sidney is right. you can get a lot of no sticker bats on ebay that look pretty good. made in Pakistan too

 

[Sidney]

A lot of them are rubbish but if you look in the right places you can get some decent stuff. The make in pakistan bit is not always a good thing tho lol

 

[usynn]

how comes? if the pakistani bat makers get the english willow from england. as long as the moisture content in the willow is between 6-10% it should all be okay

 

[khalil1986]

don't you think though that bats on eBay are prone to being fake and what have you. by the way, what bat did you buy on eBay for £55? branded or plane?

It was a Mongoose Cor3 Super Premium, this can retail over £300.

If you know how and what to check getting a fake isnt an issue. Mongoose is pretty easy to check from splice as it won't be visible as they have a different way of splicing their bats.

One of the main things you can do to identify fakes is check sellers history if they regularly sell bats than stay away as they will be selling to make profit and also feedback is another way to check.

 

[khalil1986]

You will not get a good branded bat cheap. A cheap branded bat will likely be rubbish as most the money will be for the brand. If your budget is up to 70 odd quid you can pick up a decent plain bat for that much. I would say because you are new to hard ball hav a pick up of some hard ball bats and get feel for kind of weight you prefer and idealy if you like medium or low middle then aim to het the closest thing in that price range. Last thing you want in my opinion is bat you dont feel comfortable with irrespective of the price or brand

I have bought some very good bats which are branded for a great price.

Key thing is patience and checking regularly.

 

[usynn]

It was a Mongoose Cor3 Super Premium, this can retail over £300.

If you know how and what to check getting a fake isnt an issue. Mongoose is pretty easy to check from splice as it won't be visible as they have a different way of splicing their bats.

One of the main things you can do to identify fakes is check sellers history if they regularly sell bats than stay away as they will be selling to make profit and also feedback is another way to check.

sounds like a one off though. for him, he should be looking at decent bats and not waiting for that one off because he could be waiting 6 months. he should get a decent bat and get out to the nets and play!

 

[khalil1986]

sounds like a one off though. for him, he should be looking at decent bats and not waiting for that one off because he could be waiting 6 months. he should get a decent bat and get out to the nets and play!

Yea I was talking in general but even still you can easily get top of the range bats on eBay for a fraction of RRP.

 

[usynn]

Yea I was talking in general but even still you can easily get top of the range bats on eBay for a fraction of RRP.

yes i was looking around on ebay UK and wasn't really impressed. its cricket season as well! just be careful in buying CA or spartan bats from ebay. there's ALOT of fakes floating about

 

[QasimAli]

Be carefully of Fakes ! Loads of them flying around, best thing to do is go direct

I am pretty sure AS bats are pretty competitive may be slightly more than £70,(send them an email for a price list)

Look also for verified sellers. Tasks Sports on Ebay UK got some great genuine PK bats at a good price!

You dont need to blow £120+ on a bat but at the same time no sense getting a weak willow cheap bat because they wont last. Happy Medium between the two

 

[usynn]

Be carefully of Fakes ! Loads of them flying around, best thing to do is go direct

I am pretty sure AS bats are pretty competitive may be slightly more than £70,(send them an email for a price list)

Look also for verified sellers. Tasks Sports on Ebay UK got some great genuine PK bats at a good price!

You dont need to blow £120+ on a bat but at the same time no sense getting a weak willow cheap bat because they wont last. Happy Medium between the two

yes very true, i really don't recommend you getting a kashmir willow bat. they're very brittle

 

[Sidney]

Agree. Get decent english willow. I know a dude who can sort you out a decent bat without crazy prices if interested get in touch...

 

[RagingJ]

I, like the OP have just started playing cricket, I am a beginner, and the bat that I am currently using is outdated as I've had it since 2006, also it has cracks and has been exposed to water, while also been heavy.

So where's best place to buy a cheap, good, English willow light bat? Looking at the price range of around £50-85.

I've seen a few on ebay but I'm likely to get outbidded.

 

[RagingJ]

Is this bat any good?

It's English Willow, Grade 1, comes with a toe guard with a weight of 1.2 to 1.3kg, which is the equivalent of 2lbs 10oz-2lbs 12oz (not sure if it's heavy or not). Only thing is, that it's unbleached and not 'knocked in'.

Here's the link:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150831402167?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Not sure of the brand.

 

[FusedBulb]

For you, the biggest challenge will be the transformation of weight.
You are used to play with feather light wooden planks, so you don't want to buy a bat heavier than 2 lbs and 8 OZ otherwise you will get tired and frustrated pretty quickly.

Ideally, you should look for something in around 2.6 which are hard to get in chunky bats, but look around and make sure that are you are able to pick the bat and see how it feels BEFORE buying it. Brand and origin of the bat should be irrelevant to you.