Bat: 27oz 2017 USSSA Mizuno Nighthawk Roboload (brand new in wrapper)
Location: Dorchester Arena
Dimensions: approx 310' all around from where we were hitting
Time: Dusk
Temps: 10/12 C or 50/55 F
Slight wind in our face 10 or 15 MPH
Ball: Mostly old used 52/300's with the odd harder ball mixed in
My review:
Appearance:
Like we've come to expect from Mizuno, the 2017 bats have very clean, slick lines and are tasteful graphics. The USSSA Roboload is mostly black with grey accents, it's nice. I personally would like a splash of vibrant color mixed in, but on a whole I do like the design a lot.
Handle/Grip:
It could be optics however it seems the handle is a little thinner this year. I like this a lot, if you don't like it then build it up with tape.
I loved the grip last year, however it wasn't very durable and after a few BPs it would get destroyed. I defaulted to tape just because I knew the grip wouldn't last. This year they have a new grip that has great tack however seems a lot more durable.
Weighting:
Coming to Mizuno from Easton was a transition for me at the plate. The Mizuno bats definitely had softer and more responsive barrels and I loved that. However, I really love the Easton swing weight/ loading and how their bats came through the hitting zone. In 2016 Mizuno had a more conservative end load. In 2017 the end load is more pronounced and is much more obvious than last year however it's not aggressively in your face where it might scare away some people.
Barrel:
This bat was brand new when we began and we had no problem getting the ball to carry over a 310 fence. It was very responsive right from the beginning and we could feel it open up already in the 100 or so swings we took with it. Its difficult to say how good this will get, the balls we were using were terrible and the bat was brand new. I was incredibly impressed how well it performed under these circumstances and I suspect when fully broken in this will be a rocket launcher that spits hot fire.
We compression tested the bat after we were done our BP and it was coming in at 235/240. The 2017 Mizuno Nighthawk is game ready right out of the wrapper.
The 2016 Mizuno Nighthawk was one of the top bats in softball that most people didn't know about. Mizuno has listened to their customer's and made the appropriate changes for 2017 to make it even better. If you haven't given the nighthawk a chance, talk to a local rep and we will get one in your hands!!
We will be doing plenty of testing in the tunnels and I'll update this as we go. I've attached video of us hitting the bat. Thanks for taking the time to read my review!
RG43
Location: Dorchester Arena
Dimensions: approx 310' all around from where we were hitting
Time: Dusk
Temps: 10/12 C or 50/55 F
Slight wind in our face 10 or 15 MPH
Ball: Mostly old used 52/300's with the odd harder ball mixed in
My review:
Appearance:
Like we've come to expect from Mizuno, the 2017 bats have very clean, slick lines and are tasteful graphics. The USSSA Roboload is mostly black with grey accents, it's nice. I personally would like a splash of vibrant color mixed in, but on a whole I do like the design a lot.
Handle/Grip:
It could be optics however it seems the handle is a little thinner this year. I like this a lot, if you don't like it then build it up with tape.
I loved the grip last year, however it wasn't very durable and after a few BPs it would get destroyed. I defaulted to tape just because I knew the grip wouldn't last. This year they have a new grip that has great tack however seems a lot more durable.
Weighting:
Coming to Mizuno from Easton was a transition for me at the plate. The Mizuno bats definitely had softer and more responsive barrels and I loved that. However, I really love the Easton swing weight/ loading and how their bats came through the hitting zone. In 2016 Mizuno had a more conservative end load. In 2017 the end load is more pronounced and is much more obvious than last year however it's not aggressively in your face where it might scare away some people.
Barrel:
This bat was brand new when we began and we had no problem getting the ball to carry over a 310 fence. It was very responsive right from the beginning and we could feel it open up already in the 100 or so swings we took with it. Its difficult to say how good this will get, the balls we were using were terrible and the bat was brand new. I was incredibly impressed how well it performed under these circumstances and I suspect when fully broken in this will be a rocket launcher that spits hot fire.
We compression tested the bat after we were done our BP and it was coming in at 235/240. The 2017 Mizuno Nighthawk is game ready right out of the wrapper.
The 2016 Mizuno Nighthawk was one of the top bats in softball that most people didn't know about. Mizuno has listened to their customer's and made the appropriate changes for 2017 to make it even better. If you haven't given the nighthawk a chance, talk to a local rep and we will get one in your hands!!
We will be doing plenty of testing in the tunnels and I'll update this as we go. I've attached video of us hitting the bat. Thanks for taking the time to read my review!
RG43
