Back in ASA, needing a new bat after the Easton bans

[Masher816]

OK guys, I know there have been a few different posts for this topic, but nothing conclusive IMO. Played U-Trip for the last 4 years exclusively, started playing ASA again this year and my Synergy Extended has been banned (thanks, Easton...). Looking for a new bat. League rules are 52/300 balls (my team hits xrocks), 2 homers and 1 up after that, I'm the only real power hitter on the team, so I typically get to use all the homers myself. Been hitting a buddy's Z4000, and it's OK, but it's taking forever to break in, and it's balanced, which I'm not a huge fan of.

I've read a lot about the 2015 Freak Black, and know a guy that has them for sale locally, but am wanting to look at all options. I'm a Miken guy for the most part, but really open to whatever. So...best ASA bat, and where is a good place to pick that bat up for a good price? Thanks in advance!

 

[hitless45]

If you like /have liked miken then the freak line is a great option and they just put out an ASA dc41 that is getting good reviews but if you want to try something different check out some demarini ie aftermath, juggy,mercy etc and I'm sure you won't be disappointed..

 

[Masher816]

Thanks for the reply!

I love my 2014 DC41 that I still use in Utrip, and have heard the new ASA Supermax DC41 is stupid hot. Just spoke with my Miken guy, he's got a demo he's going to let me hit this weekend, and if so, he can get it for me for $225 shipped to my door, returnable with a receipt.

I'm kicking myself in the ass for not picking up a leftover Black ASA this winter when I saw them for $175!

 

[lcky3]

From what I'm seeing, the Freak 52 is a good option as well, I've seen them in the $150-180 range.

 

[Masher816]

From what I'm seeing, the Freak 52 is a good option as well, I've seen them in the $150-180 range.

I've heard that as well, but a few of the Miken guys on here have also said the 52 is a gimmick. I dont know anyone personally that has hit them, but know 4 or 5 guys who have hit the DC41, and liked it enough that they sold their Freak 12s to buy a UTrip DC41 also.

 

[ol78hunter]

I just bought an 2014 Easton L3.0. I got it online for 97 shipped niw with warranty. I took it out of the wrapper yesterday and hit with it. I was pretty impressed with the pop. I hit 30 balls and hit 10 over the fence. Ball is coming off the bat very well. These were the 52 300s. I too am a power hitter and bought the 28 ounce. The bat has a 3 ounce end load and you can really feel it. Swings very smooth. I also just bought a 2015 Wegman in a 27. I basically bought this one for a team bat. You can get this bat super cheap online as well. Took it out of the wrapper yesterday and I hit a few over the fence with this one but is a tad light for me. This bat is very end loaded too. I bet I would really like it in a 28. The rest of my team was hitting well with it. Two guys who never hit any out last year hit two out a piece and another guy was hitting the fence. The ball was coming off very fast off that bat. They all seemed to really like it. I really cant wait to get these bats broke in and get them super hot. I am very impressed so far. Already hitting better with this bat and more power than any other I have used including the z3000 and z4000 and our Juggy. Easton is known for being very durable too. I am sold so far.

 

[Masher816]

You're probably the 10th person to tell me about the L3.0 being the best budget bat you can buy...I even know a guy selling his (maybe 150 cuts on it) for $50 because he's hurting for money...But, out of principle, I'm staying 100% away from Easton because of this move to ban the OG bats. They lost a customer for life by doing this. They made me mad when they brought out the Reveal line of bats and convinced a ton of people (myself included ) to buy those stupid things because every ASA League was going to them...but REALLY was the last straw here with the voluntary ban "to get old and dangerous bats off the field". Honestly, we're talking about maybe 2% or less of the remaining ASA bats in use, and you're voluntarily banning those last few bats for no real reason, other than you hope those people will buy a new Easton? Lost a customer for life.

I'm hitting the DC41 ASA and Ressy Legit52 this weekend, I'll buy the winner. The Miken/Worth rep I know told me he's positive DC41 will be my choice (since I currently have 2 Utrip DC41s), but we'll see. I'll update this over the weekend with my choice, thanks to everyone for your opinions!

 

[doughydick]

Got a 200 hit 2015 freak black with receipt and barcode will will let go for 130

 

[Masher816]

Got a 200 hit 2015 freak black with receipt and barcode will will let go for 130

REALLY wish you would have posted that reply about a week ago! LOL

I already ordered a an ASA DC41 Supermax from my Miken rep and it got in last night.

For curiosity's sake, what's the weighting?

 

[BigWhiffa]

the best bats we are swinging right now are freak blacks, bhose wanted OG, and the dema flipper. the only reason i'm cautious to tell you to get one is non of them have passed a compression test. :/

 

[doublebagel]

Recently I've owned or swung a L3, 2016 Baker and freak black balanced...........all 3 are excellent options for ASA. I personally love the L3....sad I sold it but a guy on my team still has one that is crazy hot. Its common knowledge that Demarini is tops when it comes to ASA bats nowadays but I wouldn't swing them if you are using anything olther than 52/300's or is a team bat.

The Baker only has 100 hits on it but its opening up nicely. Here is a video of myself and LSXfreak swinging it. [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lkjqil7WKvU[/ame]

LSX also did a bp review of the L3, actually the one I sold to him. [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zysGJe_sjHI[/ame]

 

[Masher816]

Although I have heard great things about all the new Eastons, after their voluntary retirement of their OG bats that only a tiny percentage of people still hit, I refuse to ever buy another easton product. Their reveal bats were enough to make me very angry with their nonsense. This was it, for me.

I love Miken for Utrip, it's all I hit. I know they had problems with their old ASA bats competing after the OG Freaks, but I heard good things about their 2014+ ASA bats, and ordered a 2016 ASA DC41 Supermax. Brand new out of the wrapper, it crushes 52/300 balls better than my synergy extended. Sweet spot isnt even open yet either! I only hit it a couple times (under 10 hits) and am already very impressed with the bat. I'll update after 100 or so swings, which is when I hear they go from hot to insane.

Recently I've owned or swung a L3, 2016 Baker and freak black balanced...........all 3 are excellent options for ASA. I personally love the L3....sad I sold it but a guy on my team still has one that is crazy hot. Its common knowledge that Demarini is tops when it comes to ASA bats nowadays but I wouldn't swing them if you are using anything olther than 52/300's or is a team bat.

The Baker only has 100 hits on it but its opening up nicely. Here is a video of myself and LSXfreak swinging it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lkjqil7WKvU

LSX also did a bp review of the L3, actually the one I sold to him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zysGJe_sjHI

 

[doublebagel]

IMO there had to be a larger percentage of people swinging the OG's for them to ask ASA to remove them from the approved list in order to get people to purchase the newer lines.

Also, to write off easton completely from a bat they introduced in 2008 is crazy. Yes, the reveal's sucked but it was a result of a growing problem of altering bats. Thats like leagues banning all miken's because the league directors were under the assumption they were the most altered bats.

 

[Masher816]

IMO there had to be a larger percentage of people swinging the OG's for them to ask ASA to remove them from the approved list in order to get people to purchase the newer lines.

Also, to write off easton completely from a bat they introduced in 2008 is crazy. Yes, the reveal's sucked but it was a result of a growing problem of altering bats. Thats like leagues banning all miken's because the league directors were under the assumption they were the most altered bats.

You're misrepresenting what I said. I said the reveal line made me mad, but voluntary ban of the OG's was why I'm writing them off. Not like they'll ever feel the economic impact of just me refusing to buy any of their new bats, but out of principle I'm doing so.

I've never seen one of the OG bats explode like I have some of the others. Never seen a knob come off and the bat going flying, etc, like I have with even newer bats. So, they arent banning them over safety concerns and their age, because lots of old bats are still around, not just by Easton either...and those bats were notoriously durable. Mine has easily 3k+ hits on it, and that's a rough estimation. I have another friend who has as many or more cuts on his. So...I'm left believing this is nothing but an attempt to get rid of old bats and sell new ones.

 

[doublebagel]

I totally agree, this was purely a money grab.

 

[Masher816]

I totally agree, this was purely a money grab.

:beerchug:

Absolutely was the #1 factor in this decision, regardless of what they say. I hope most, like me, tell them to shove it and go buy another brand.

 

[doublebagel]

:beerchug:

Absolutely was the #1 factor in this decision, regardless of what they say. I hope most, like me, tell them to shove it and go buy another brand.

I always bought the SCN5's so it didn't bother me as much as say someone who (foolishly IMO) spent a lot on OG extended's and Flex's.

The newer stuff isn't bad.

I disagree with your reason to write off a brand but then again, I refuse to try a monsta because of the way the owner acts. LOL so I get it.

 

[Masher816]

I always bought the SCN5's so it didn't bother me as much as say someone who (foolishly IMO) spent a lot on OG extended's and Flex's.

The newer stuff isn't bad.

I disagree with your reason to write off a brand but then again, I refuse to try a monsta because of the way the owner acts. LOL so I get it.

See, I lucked out and bought both Synergy Extendeds for under $200 when they first came out in 2005! We bought one as a team bat for $199.99 and put over a thousand cuts on it in a year. I saw it open up over that summer and absolutely crush 44/375 evils. So, when the local sporting goods store we bought it from was going out of business, I went back and bought another one for myself, and it had been marked down to $129.99.

They had at least 5 or 6 left too, all 27/28oz. If I were smart, I would have bought them all and sold them about 4-5 years ago when NIW ones were going for $750-1000 on ebay.

 

[Jusrah99]

You're misrepresenting what I said. I said the reveal line made me mad, but voluntary ban of the OG's was why I'm writing them off. Not like they'll ever feel the economic impact of just me refusing to buy any of their new bats, but out of principle I'm doing so.

I've never seen one of the OG bats explode like I have some of the others. Never seen a knob come off and the bat going flying, etc, like I have with even newer bats. So, they arent banning them over safety concerns and their age, because lots of old bats are still around, not just by Easton either...and those bats were notoriously durable. Mine has easily 3k+ hits on it, and that's a rough estimation. I have another friend who has as many or more cuts on his. So...I'm left believing this is nothing but an attempt to get rid of old bats and sell new ones.

So you're mad that the OG's lasted you a decade...and they were finally pulled from the approved list...i think that they did their job making a great bat that lasted that long...

 

[Masher816]

So you're mad that the OG's lasted you a decade...and they were finally pulled from the approved list...i think that they did their job making a great bat that lasted that long...

Yes, because that's exactly what I said...

No, I'm irritated that they voluntarily chose to discontinue a bat for no reason other than to attempt to sell new ones. They know they made an incredible product back then, and know that people would continue to use them because they lasted forever and are still one of the hottest bats around, unless they did something like a voluntary ban. That's it.

Now your argument is semi-valid, that rather than being pissed about them banning it, be happy that I had one that was hot for 10 years...but...that's still a silly way to look at it.

Fact is, they knew those bats would continue to have a huge market on Ebay, and would continue to sell online and be used in leagues and tourney, and they'd make absolutely zero money off them because ASA had no intentions of banning the old stamps or these models. So, they voluntarily banned them (I cant even recall another manufacturer ever doing this with their most popular bat?) to get them off the fields in hopes that they'd move more new bats and make money. It's an insanely transparent business move, and one I disagree with as a consumer...so...my choice is to now hit Miken in ASA as well (as I said earlier, I've always been a Miken guy for Utrip).

 

[Jusrah99]

Yes, because that's exactly what I said...

No, I'm irritated that they voluntarily chose to discontinue a bat for no reason other than to attempt to sell new ones. They know they made an incredible product back then, and know that people would continue to use them because they lasted forever and are still one of the hottest bats around, unless they did something like a voluntary ban. That's it.

Now your argument is semi-valid, that rather than being pissed about them banning it, be happy that I had one that was hot for 10 years...but...that's still a silly way to look at it.

Fact is, they knew those bats would continue to have a huge market on Ebay, and would continue to sell online and be used in leagues and tourney, and they'd make absolutely zero money off them because ASA had no intentions of banning the old stamps or these models. So, they voluntarily banned them (I cant even recall another manufacturer ever doing this with their most popular bat?) to get them off the fields in hopes that they'd move more new bats and make money. It's an insanely transparent business move, and one I disagree with as a consumer...so...my choice is to now hit Miken in ASA as well (as I said earlier, I've always been a Miken guy for Utrip).

I'm not arguing anything...i'm just clarifying your opinion. No one knows for sure its a money grab...there are a lot of silly opinions and assumptions on Eastons decision...

Personally...i don't care if theyre banned because they make great new products that perform just as well (IMO)

I think it's silly how many people are butthurt about the ban...it's a 10 yr old ****in bat!

 

[Masher816]

I'm not arguing anything...i'm just clarifying your opinion. No one knows for sure its a money grab...there are a lot of silly opinions and assumptions on Eastons decision...

Personally...i don't care if theyre banned because they make great new products that perform just as well (IMO)

I think it's silly how many people are butthurt about the ban...it's a 10 yr old ****in bat!

Gotcha. I understand your point completely. And they do make good products that are probably the best value ASA bats on the market, to be completely honest. I've hit quite a few of their newer bats, and had even been eyeing them for a cheap back up in case my OG broke or cracked (10+ years and every bit of 5k+ hits, bound to happen, right?).

We can all say that nobody knows why and everyone can speculate, but I'm looking at this from a point of view with no bias toward any manufacturer. We can both agree that the OG Synergy line was by far the most popular line of bats Easton has ever made, and possibly one of the best line of bats ever (obviously debatable). What reason in the world would they have for VOLUNTARILY banning their most popular line ever, when the only league they are legal in voiced no concern or problems with those bats still being in use? You dont have to have an MBA to determine that voluntarily banning your most popular product is a terrible business decision...unless you were no longer profiting from them.

The Synergy line is the only reason why I even considered the new Eastons, because I had heard they were way better than the bats that had been produced 2009-2013 and were closer to the quality and performance of the old synergys. This felt like a money grab to me, so I bought a new DC41 (thing is fire), and our team went in on a new Z4k and Juggy for team bats.

To each their own, I've tried to look at this from every angle, and am convinced that it was a money grab and wont buy a new Easton they offer some sort of incentive that makes sense to win their customers back. Like turn in an old synergy and get 50% off new bat/gear purchase from them or something. I've heard they were offering something like that, but never found anything definitive online, but honestly didnt look too hard. I also ready on SBFans that they were requiring original receipts, which is a laughable attempt at customer retention, considering the age of most the bats that they banned.

 

[Benched02]

Granted I haven't swung anything else in ASA for the past 2 years. I haven't had anything making me want to put down my OG May98 when I do.