27.5 USSSA Reckoning review

dpadan17

dpadan17

Will play for beer!!!!!
Got to hit this in some games in the past week. The bat has around 25 hits on it.

1. Graphics- simple and sweet. The bat has a sheen to it that makes ball marks very hard to stick to the bat. After all my swings, there were still no ball marks even when I cut the ball on a few of the hits. I like the simple design of the logo/s and lettering.

2. Performance- Out of the wrapper, this bat performs quite well. Some of the 25 hits, went out on a 300 ft. fence with good distance. Other balls were hit well (sweet spot seems pretty generous IMO). The bat has a crisp feel to it when hitting, and exit speed is very nice. As for comparison to other bats? I would have to say that out of the wrapper, this bat performs much better than all the other eastons i have swung from NIW. The distance from the bat is quite well, but again, the bat hasn't been broken in yet.

3. Feel- The bat has a very good crisp feel to it, but much softer than all the other Easton's i have swung. (L1/L2/L5/2013 wegman/2013 helmer). This bat almost feels like the old CNT/FLex/Extended line. Or even going back further.....a synergy 2/+ line that has been broken in. The endload on the bat isn't weighted to much. I would have to say that it is more balanced than endloaded. Really reminds me of the endload of the 2013 black/purple wegman. There is some there, but not too much.

4. Durablilty- Obviously i cannot elaborate too much on this because the bat has only 25 hits on it. (But for grins....i did test it after them and it still compression tested at 260). I will update this later when i get around 200 hits on it.

Overall, the bat is a good. I would recommend this bat to anyone that likes Easton bats. It looks like Easton has stepped up their game to try and get bats more ready "out of the wrapper". Stay tuned for an update on this bat when i get more swings on it.
 
W

white_gt

Addicted to Softballfans
I agree with the graphics comment. In pictures I thought the bat looked dumb but in person the bat looks a whole lot better.

hanseej said:
How's the weighting? Can't decide between the 25.5 or the 26.5.
Click to expand...

Doesn't feel very endloaded. My 27.5 Weighed 27.4/5 with the stock grip and with a thin layer of bat tape (no OG grip, which sucks BTW) it weighs 27.2.
 
bakesta72

bakesta72

washed up hasbeen of SBF
white_gt said:
I agree with the graphics comment. In pictures I thought the bat looked dumb but in person the bat looks a whole lot better.



Doesn't feel very endloaded. My 27.5 Weighed 27.4/5 with the stock grip and with a thin layer of bat tape (no OG grip, which sucks BTW) it weighs 27.2.
Click to expand...

Thats good news. I grabbed a 26.5oz. My fulks are 26.8 and 26.9 bare. Im hoping this Easton will be around that when I put a lizard skin on it.
 
dpadan17

dpadan17

Will play for beer!!!!!
hanseej said:
How's the weighting? Can't decide between the 25.5 or the 26.5.
Click to expand...

couldn't tell you to be honest. didn't weigh it. I got the 27.5 oz, and most other bats i have/had were this as well, and this felt the same. I would have to say it was almost identical to the 2013 wegman.
 
dpadan17

dpadan17

Will play for beer!!!!!
bakesta72 said:
Thats good news. I grabbed a 26.5oz. My fulks are 26.8 and 26.9 bare. Im hoping this Easton will be around that when I put a lizard skin on it.
Click to expand...

gotta say, the fulk elite i had was one of the HOTTEST bats i have swung in a loooooonnnngggg time. But after 100 swings on it....it tested at 225/230. So i had no choice but to get something more durable for tourney's.
 
Cali_4sb

Cali_4sb

Coach
Good review right here. I have the dual stamp and its a bit stiff but after I put 100 hits it will be ready.
 
chirotob

chirotob

Active Member
I'm copying and pasting and updating with my own review:

I have a 26.5oz USSSA Reckoning. It now has 40 swings on it and I took it out of the wrapper at the field for BP today. I used all 2-3yr old 44/375 and classic m's, with about 4 old 52's mixed in as well. For comparison, I hit it alongside my very well broken in 27oz 100w(900-1k swings) and a 175-ish swing 27oz 2016 Demarini aftermath 1.2 12" barrel.

Reviewer info: 5'3" and 217lbs. Im short, lol. I'm not a power hitter but I hit the ball hard. I can put the ball out but not on command. That's not who or what I am. I'm a line drive/gap hitter who shoots liners all over the field. So your basic singles/doubles guy who can burn people when they underestimate my size. I'm also a left handed hitter and you'll notice I was hitting to center field and opposite field. I could not pull because there was a little league team on the field in right field.

The field I was hitting at:

CCE739DD-2964-443D-A7EA-EEAB814D4EF6_zpsgjbgshik.png




1. Graphics- like the OP, simple graphics. I could care less about them though because I loved the fugly looking og 2004 catalyst clown bat.

2. Performance- Out of the wrapper the reckoning was 5-10ish feet or so behind the 100w. Ball exit speed wasn't quite as good as the 100w yet, but about 80-85% as good. After 30 swings on the Reckoning, I could feel it opening up and ball exit speed is ever so close to the 100w...90%-ish? It has already surpassed the Aftermath 12 in exit speed. I was consistently hitting the balls to the trees in the pic above with the 100w, and was falling just shy with the Reckoning for the first 25-30 hits. Between 30-40 I was hitting the trees.

3. Feel and weighting - I have to agree that the bat feels like a BROKEN IN old synergy line. If you're used to the feeling of a 2-3k swing Synergy/2/+, then that's what this feels like, however I didn't notice any exaggerated handle flex/whip. Softer barrel than any out of wrapper Easton and definitely taking less time to open up. As far as weighting, I noticed the endload but again, it's not exaggerated like any of the L lines from previous years. It's slight, and the bat has a MILD endload, almost midload to endload-ish feel.

4. Durablilty- Like the OP, I have no way of knowing durability yet. I'd have to take it to my league office to have it compression tested.

The burning question:
Is this Easton's answer to Miken and Worth's hot out of the wrapper bats?

It may be. I doubt that Easton will ever abandon making bats that will remain durable and perform after work, but this is definitely a HUGE step in the right direction. The flex line will require work, but not the amount or time investment of older Eastons. As a new parent, I no longer have time to spend 1000+ cuts to break in an Easton to get it game ready. This is definitely going to be be able to be used in game after another round or two of BP. Probably 200 swings to be considered ok to use in game and 300-400 to be fully broken in and straight gas.

The bottom line:
If you're an Easton fan, you want a flex series bat. If you're a casual fan of Easton and simply stay away from them because of long break in periods, you want a flex series bat. Should you take your Freak 12's/blacks and Legits out of your bag? No...but you should make room for one flex line to sit alongside them.
 
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chirotob

chirotob

Active Member
So now I'm getting some feedback from FB saying that these bats are failing in 50-60 swings. Is anyone hearing this also? It's concerning to me and I'd like to know if there's some truth to it.
 
K

KinGClowN

Half Man Half Amazing
I'm not saying it can't happen because bad ones happen in a bunch. But mine was 295 in the wrapper, there is zero chance that thing fails in 50-60 swings.
 
Crusty

Crusty

Addicted to Softballfans
I'm a big Easton fan and always find myself coming back to em. I will say these did disappoint. Many have been failing compression or breaking quickly. This shouldn't be a surprise considering the same thing happens with Miken, Worth, Combat and everyone else who has tried making a hot out of the wrapper bat. Even the ones that tested higher out of the wrapper from what I gathered dropped compression quickly and soon failed. My biggest complaint was the distance and SS. While it was much better then previous Eastons it was still not on par with other Manufacturers. If I'm gonna get 500 swings out of a bat. I want it to the best 500 possible. It is the first year Easton has tried this so I still have faith. No different then the first year of a new type of engine in a car. I really don't care which...Give me 500 swings of awesome or make me break it in to get those 500 swings. But don't give me 500 swings of its a pretty good bat until it fails or breaks in two and I feel like the bat never reached its full potential. Personally I still prefer some of the models from the last few years. At least when they get down in the <240 range they stay there for a long time and you've put so many swings on em at that point the whole barrel is the SS.
 
W

white_gt

Addicted to Softballfans
KinGClowN said:
I'm not saying it can't happen because bad ones happen in a bunch. But mine was 295 in the wrapper, there is zero chance that thing fails in 50-60 swings.
Click to expand...

This. Mine tested 300 with some swings on it. Im hoping that it will just break in quicker than Eastons in the past. If not well I didn't pay too much for mine so I can probably flip it pretty easy and make money.
 
chirotob

chirotob

Active Member
Crusty said:
I'm a big Easton fan and always find myself coming back to em. I will say these did disappoint. Many have been failing compression or breaking quickly. This shouldn't be a surprise considering the same thing happens with Miken, Worth, Combat and everyone else who has tried making a hot out of the wrapper bat. Even the ones that tested higher out of the wrapper from what I gathered dropped compression quickly and soon failed. My biggest complaint was the distance and SS. While it was much better then previous Eastons it was still not on par with other Manufacturers. If I'm gonna get 500 swings out of a bat. I want it to the best 500 possible. It is the first year Easton has tried this so I still have faith. No different then the first year of a new type of engine in a car. I really don't care which...Give me 500 swings of awesome or make me break it in to get those 500 swings. But don't give me 500 swings of its a pretty good bat until it fails or breaks in two and I feel like the bat never reached its full potential. Personally I still prefer some of the models from the last few years. At least when they get down in the <240 range they stay there for a long time and you've put so many swings on em at that point the whole barrel is the SS.
Click to expand...

This is why I'm not selling all my bats. I definitely like the Reckoning a lot. If the bat isn't going to fail, then it's gonna be a great bat. I'm hoping it will just redline and stay there rather then just keep dropping compression. Only time and compression testing will tell.

I still have 3 100w's (one is for sale though, LOL), so I know what you're saying.
 
Pretty

Pretty

Softball is cool
What kind of balls are you hitting that a bat fails that quickly?

Maybe it is different with ASA but that is all we have where I play and what I know best. Also I have only had a couple bats ever compression tested but with the Mercy's everyone was saying how they fail compression quickly. What I heard all the time was "mine was good for 200 hits then it failed."

I had a cousin who plays a lot of tournaments with testing and he had Mercy's pass with over 1000 swings, webbed up everywhere. I had to have mine tested at league I subbed on and it had over 600 swings on it at the time and it passed easily. Maybe it is because we only hit 52s with them.

I know Utrip uses the two different balls so that could play into it since you have to sometimes hit the harder balls. I know I am not comparing apples to apples here but it is what I have experienced.

I love my ASA Reckoning and will be swinging it again this weekend to update more. If they do fail that quickly on the ASA side, then I am glad my league and most places I play don't test.
 
J

Josh L.

Extra Hitter
How does this compare to the Black and Gold Helmer? If anyone has swung both. I've been slowly dropping Miken and Worth from my bag in favor of more durable sticks. I'm a place hitter and rarely put balls out so how hot a bat is doesn't matter to me. I've swung and liked the black and gold helmer but this bat has my interest.
 
4xtra

4xtra

Player/Coach
Reckoning..

dpadan17 said:
got to hit this in some games in the past week. The bat has around 25 hits on it.

1. Graphics- simple and sweet. The bat has a sheen to it that makes ball marks very hard to stick to the bat. After all my swings, there were still no ball marks even when i cut the ball on a few of the hits. I like the simple design of the logo/s and lettering.

2. Performance- out of the wrapper, this bat performs quite well. Some of the 25 hits, went out on a 300 ft. Fence with good distance. Other balls were hit well (sweet spot seems pretty generous imo). The bat has a crisp feel to it when hitting, and exit speed is very nice. As for comparison to other bats? I would have to say that out of the wrapper, this bat performs much better than all the other eastons i have swung from niw. The distance from the bat is quite well, but again, the bat hasn't been broken in yet.

3. Feel- the bat has a very good crisp feel to it, but much softer than all the other easton's i have swung. (l1/l2/l5/2013 wegman/2013 helmer). This bat almost feels like the old cnt/flex/extended line. Or even going back further.....a synergy 2/+ line that has been broken in. The endload on the bat isn't weighted to much. I would have to say that it is more balanced than endloaded. Really reminds me of the endload of the 2013 black/purple wegman. There is some there, but not too much.

4. Durablilty- obviously i cannot elaborate too much on this because the bat has only 25 hits on it. (but for grins....i did test it after them and it still compression tested at 260). I will update this later when i get around 200 hits on it.

Overall, the bat is a good. I would recommend this bat to anyone that likes easton bats. It looks like easton has stepped up their game to try and get bats more ready "out of the wrapper". Stay tuned for an update on this bat when i get more swings on it.
Click to expand...



imx?
Cnt??
 
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