New Bat

[gef2003]

I am a line drive hitter. I hit a lot of singles and doubles. I want to upgrade from my Easton Stealth. The bat has cracked on me after 6 months. I was looking at getting a Demarini Vexxum. please help

[dear ol dad]

What is your budget?

[gef2003]

I use a 31/28 bat. I can go up to 500.00

[dear ol dad]

I would recomend Exo if you want a composite Triton or CF3.

[dsore1218]

A cracked 6 mo. old bat should be under warranty. Did you not like the Stealth? Did it feel end loaded to you or did it feel balanced? Have you tried teammates bats that you like? The Exo is a good neutral bat, is that what you are looking for? Bats come down to feel, if you hate the feel you will hate the bat not matter what the technology is, alloy or composite, etc.

I really don't consider the Vexxum an upgrade from the Stealth unless you like the feel better.

[gef2003]

composite bat? explain please

[dsore1218]

Composites are just coming into the limelight. Composites let the bat makers control the properties of the bat more than alloys. Alloys are the metal bats you have been swinging.

Demarini CF3, Louisville Catalyst, Louisville Triton, Rawlings Rush Comp Lite, Easton Stealth Comp, are just a few examples of Composite bats.

A metal bat will 'break in' some but they are generally hotter right out of the wrapper than composite bats. A composite bat usually needs 75-100 good solid hits to 'break in' and really become a hot bat.

The biggest thing is making sure you are swinging a bat you prefer. Try some out on your team, go to a sporting goods store and get a feel for some of the bats there.

Good luck!

[gef2003]

Should I get one of each bat?

[dsore1218]

The bat makers would love you.

When all is said and done, you are the hitter and the bat is your tool ( or weapon or instrument). You need to be comfortable with what you are taking to the plate. You do not need one of each, you need to love the one you swing.

The biggest difference you can make in your batting is with you. Keep working on the basics, get lessons if you can or if you need them, find opportunities to play as much as possible, get dialed in. There is no technology out there to help you hit a curveball or catch up to the high heat. But when you do make those hits, there are some great bats out there that will let you really tattoo that pitch. You need to find the one you like the best.

Metal vs. Composite is a fun argument. Composites sound weird, which is what they said when metal came out. Composites let the bat makers change the feel of the bat more than alloys do, that can be good or bad. My son loves his Catalyst. Everyone pretty much hated the Rush Comp so they came out with the Comp Lite really fast. If you haven't swung a composite and loved it, you might considered staying with the elite alloys until you do have a chance to swing composites and figure out if you like them.

You have gotten some good recommendations. See if you can find those bats and at least swing them in the aisle of a store. Maybe a teammate has one you can swing. When you find one you like, get it and move on. Get back to learning the sweet science of hitting.

[gef2003]

I am going once a week for hitting lessons. I dont think Im going to go with a composite bat. What are some off the best metal bats to buy?

[dsore1218]

Exo, Vendetta, Voodoo, Stealth, Rush Gold Lite are just a few. Make sure you swing them if you can before you buy one. The best one is the one that compliments your swing.

[gef2003]

single or double wall bat?

[dsore1218]

It is all about preferences. I would go Air Exo. Others swear by anything from Demarini - Double-wall, half and half.

You gotta swing it first though. My oldest son would go with the Vendetta, new from Demarini, basically a Voodoo with internal ribs. My second son would go with the Air Exo or Exo 2. So even in our family there are different opinions about it.

[dsore1218]

Second son says that the new Rawlings Rush Gold Liquidmetal Lite is really nice as well. I missed his games today but he went 3-3 including a fister that went over 3rd base.

[gef2003]

who makes the air exp?

[gef2003]

Ok should I get regular or stiff flex bat?

[dsore1218]

You really need to swing it and decide for yourself. All I can do is tell you what I see and talk to my players about. I can tell you that 90% of my guys would go as stiff as they can. But that is just them.

[gef2003]

ok i went to the store and like the way the stealth comp ( the blue/silver one felt) I think that is the regular flex. the composite bat felt more top heavy then a metal bat with the same ouuce and length. I was swinging a 32/29 bat in the store. The comp one was heavier. I am thinking about going to 32/29 for a metal bat and staying with 31/28 for the composite bat. They did not have the stiff flex stealth in the store.

[gef2003]

Im down to three bats Stiff 2008 stealth comp, demarini vendetta and the TPX Triton.

I may get 2 out of the three bats.

[Xiled_Pro]

I Have A Steath and They Loose There Pop After Using It For Awile

[tica]

if it cracked after six months and you did not use it to hit machine balls, submit a claim to Easton. Most of the folks I know have gotten bats replaced. I have been told that if they do find imprints of machine balls embedded in the finish, they may deny the claim. But the bats are warrantied for a year. If you don;t like the replacement, sell it on ebay and get what you want.

[homerunhitter]

definetly go with the exo its the best bat on the market

[Kupuna]

I was told by an easton rep that the 2009 blue stealth composite is almost identical to the orange 2008 stiff stealth composite. Took my grandson quite a while to break in his orange stealth-he estimated probably 250 solid contacts during HS baseball practice. Solid contact now sounds like a wood bat hit right on the sweet spot. While watching the college world series, I thought that the most popular bats or the easton sponsored teams were the blue and orange stealths. For the demarini teams the voodoo and for the louisville supplied teams it seemed that as many players used the omaha as the exo.

[dfoke]

What do you all think about this bat?

http://www.justbats.com/products/detail_view.asp?i=7450