Favorite Bat You Have Ever Swung?

lakeyale13

Manager
I was playing when the Miken Ultra was still approved for ASA play LOL. So what is your favorite stick you have ever swung and why? What would be your gamer no matter what the stamp or regulations?

For me, it would be a well broken in Freak + or the OG Jeff Hall Mayhem. No way any legit bat could be better than these two when broken in....maybe just as good...but none better. So what's your choice?
 

lakeyale13

Manager
Yup. My disc rattling 2016 DBA would probably have to be my fave. God rest her soul.


Just got back into the game in the last 2 months. One of my biggest shocks was the "folding" of Combat Slow Pitch Bats. Was totally shocked. I remember the launch of B1 Da Bombs. First batch of those bats were HOT. Brittle as a china plate...but HOT.
 

Normy

Well-Known Member
Just got back into the game in the last 2 months. One of my biggest shocks was the "folding" of Combat Slow Pitch Bats. Was totally shocked. I remember the launch of B1 Da Bombs. First batch of those bats were HOT. Brittle as a china plate...but HOT.
Yeah, it was definitely a heart breaker.
 

TWmccoy

3DX Connoisseur
Probably the OG yellow USSSA Catalyst. Those were some of the best engineered bats I've ever seen. Extremely durable, and they performed very well on the harder balls of the time.

I've loved many Eastons, but I don't think any of them compared with what I got out of the Catalyst. If LS could produce this bat again to EXACTLY the same specifications and have it be USSSA legal I'd buy one.

Thing is, LS did a couple really crappy, half baked Catalyst re issues that sucked. The bats performed like crap and had horrible durability. The OG Catalyst may be the most durable composite bat I've ever seen.
 

lakeyale13

Manager
Probably the OG yellow USSSA Catalyst. Those were some of the best engineered bats I've ever seen. Extremely durable, and they performed very well on the harder balls of the time.

I've loved many Eastons, but I don't think any of them compared with what I got out of the Catalyst. If LS could produce this bat again to EXACTLY the same specifications and have it be USSSA legal I'd buy one.

Thing is, LS did a couple really crappy, half baked Catalyst re issues that sucked. The bats performed like crap and had horrible durability. The OG Catalyst may be the most durable composite bat I've ever seen.


TW...I had an OG Yellow Catty for all of about 2 weeks. I took two rounds of BP with it and sold it. It was MILES behind the Worth and Miken Stuff I had at the time. I did hear they were similar to the OG Synergy stuff. Gotta put 750-1000 cuts on them and then they open up and are as durable as tanks.
 

Hiltz

Built for comfort
Thing is, LS did a couple really crappy, half baked Catalyst re issues that sucked. The bats performed like crap and had horrible durability. The OG Catalyst may be the most durable composite bat I've ever seen.

I honestly think there was a bad batch of re-issue Catty's. So many of them sharktoothed within 100 swings, but I had 2 endloaded models and they were tanks. One I used for 2 seasons with all balls, in all weather. The endcap worked its way out but the barrel had no signs of damage at all. I hit some of the farthest balls I've ever hit with that bat. The second one I sold to a teammate who's still using it.

TW...I had an OG Yellow Catty for all of about 2 weeks. I took two rounds of BP with it and sold it. It was MILES behind the Worth and Miken Stuff I had at the time. I did hear they were similar to the OG Synergy stuff. Gotta put 750-1000 cuts on them and then they open up and are as durable as tanks.

750-1000 is the absolute bottom end. It was nothing for guys to get 4-5K swings on those things and have them keep improving right to the end.
 

Hiltz

Built for comfort
OG Mizuno Blackout is my favourite, and also my nominee for most under-rated bat ever. You could hit Stadium balls in January with them and not worry, and they hit .52's almost as well as harder balls. Once you broke them in fully, the entire 13" barrel was the sweetspot.
 

4xtra

Player/Coach
OG Mizuno Blackout is my favourite, and also my nominee for most under-rated bat ever. You could hit Stadium balls in January with them and not worry, and they hit .52's almost as well as harder balls. Once you broke them in fully, the entire 13" barrel was the sweetspot.
the yellow and black one?
 

TWmccoy

3DX Connoisseur
TW...I had an OG Yellow Catty for all of about 2 weeks. I took two rounds of BP with it and sold it. It was MILES behind the Worth and Miken Stuff I had at the time. I did hear they were similar to the OG Synergy stuff. Gotta put 750-1000 cuts on them and then they open up and are as durable as tanks.

The Catalyst had to be swung hard. The walls were stiff and it took a lot to flex them. That bat had EVERY BIT as much pop as any bat of the era.
 
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TWmccoy

3DX Connoisseur
I honestly think there was a bad batch of re-issue Catty's. So many of them sharktoothed within 100 swings, but I had 2 endloaded models and they were tanks. One I used for 2 seasons with all balls, in all weather. The endcap worked its way out but the barrel had no signs of damage at all. I hit some of the farthest balls I've ever hit with that bat. The second one I sold to a teammate who's still using it.



750-1000 is the absolute bottom end. It was nothing for guys to get 4-5K swings on those things and have them keep improving right to the end.


I had that red endloaded reissue Catty. Thing was an absolute POS. I probably got 50 swings out of it. Never got hot, and swing 50 produced a huge shark tooth crack that almost split the barrel in half. Never bought a LS product since.

Worst freaking bat I've ever had the displeasure of owning.
 

Matth

Active Member
I feel like the Boombah Cannon may be the hottest bat I ever swung in softball. In baseball the Easton Redline came out in 96 I believe. And that bat was easily the top baseball bat when it came out.
 

dunkky

Well-Known Member
this is confusing. we talk about how awesome bats nowadays are and they have reached their maximum threshold, thus bats can't get any better.

yet, all the favorite bats are from old days. So, bats from old days are better performer and last longer?
 

ShortYellowBus

Well-Known Member
this is confusing. we talk about how awesome bats nowadays are and they have reached their maximum threshold, thus bats can't get any better.

yet, all the favorite bats are from old days. So, bats from old days are better performer and last longer?
Favorite bat is commensurate to the peak of the athletes who wield such magnificent tools.

A favorite bat is a decision based on emotion and does not factor the analytical information privy to the current generation of athletes.

Radar and other such factors with new bats don’t tug the strings of this or any other person’s hearts like taking silly swings with a Titanium bat.

Perhaps using athlete and athletes is generous. Again, facts aren’t important in this discussion.
 

jkwoody22

League ball huer
this is confusing. we talk about how awesome bats nowadays are and they have reached their maximum threshold, thus bats can't get any better.

yet, all the favorite bats are from old days. So, bats from old days are better performer and last longer?

The balls where harder and bats actually required breakin, when they got broken in they hit harder stuff like a shaved bat, walls got super soft, much like today’s bat tech with the softer 52 ball, imo any well broken in bat from 10 years ago to today’s bats probably equal about the same performance, 1pc vs 2pc etc may change your distance, I enjoyed a well broken in red asa miken recoil, but it took like 2000 bp swings with 44’s and a Rawlings rush asa that was presumed to be a repaint of freak 98, both bats tanks but once broken in super hot and durable,

Ps the j2u was the sh!t, never owned one but used it occasionally
 
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blakcherry329

Well-Known Member
The Catalyst had to be swung hard. The walls were stiff and it took a lot to flex them. That bat had EVERY BIT as much pop as any bat of the era.
It took so long to break them in, just like every other bat from that era. But once it was broken in, if was da goods. Balls were a lot harder back then and it still took, at least, 500-1000 cuts. They're still being used in my modified leagues. lol

I second the vote for the Yellow and Black Blackout being the most underrated. I also like the fact that they came in heavier sizes. I have a 29.5, unheard of in these Millennial times we're living in. lol

My favorite bat, however, was the Ultra II (I never got to swing the OG Ultra, but I did pitch against a couple. very scary) The OG Freak, Flex and Extended were all great bats, when broken in, but still a step behind the Ultra II.
 

bigwignj

Addicted to Softballfans
OG psycho

It was always accused of being shaved
I still have it and to the point above if you hit Classic m
With it along side the newer bats it doesn’t perform as well
It’s not a drastic fall off but it’s kind of amazing to think that this bat was head and shoulders above a lot of other bats out at the time and it gets left in the dust by a bat made to today’s standards
 

Hiltz

Built for comfort
I had that red endloaded reissue Catty. Thing was an absolute POS. I probably got 50 swings out of it. Never got hot, and swing 50 produced a huge shark tooth crack that almost split the barrel in half. Never bought a LS product since.

Worst freaking bat I've ever had the displeasure of owning.

This was typical for a lot of re-issue Catalysts: no performance and sharktoothed in under 100 swings. Mine had well over 2K swings with nothing but regular spider-webbing, and it hit as well as anything I've ever owned. I still think there were good and bad batches.


this is confusing. we talk about how awesome bats nowadays are and they have reached their maximum threshold, thus bats can't get any better.

yet, all the favorite bats are from old days. So, bats from old days are better performer and last longer?

Favorite bat is commensurate to the peak of the athletes who wield such magnificent tools.

A favorite bat is a decision based on emotion and does not factor the analytical information privy to the current generation of athletes.

To this day I can still hit my my Blackout next to my newer bats (Purcell Legit, Fulk Legit, Freak30) and it will hit as well, or better than any of them. With .52's. And the Blackout has to have at least 3K swings on it, probably more. I know I'm never going to get that many swings from a Legit or Freak30.

And the real kicker; I bought my two Blackouts off eBay a year after they were released. After US-Can exchange and about $40 shipping I still remember paying less than $100 Cdn for each of them.
 

D-ROCK13

Well-Known Member
My vote has to go to the u-trip Combat Dirty 120 re-load, bat was just filthy, too bad it only made it 500 hits or so. As far as the hottest and most durable I've swung, the OG u-trip synergy is hard to beat
 
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