Juno MR-1

TWmccoy

3DX Connoisseur
I picked up a Juno MR-1 recently since I was playing in a conference USSSA tourny and needed a 240 bat. Doing some research beforehand, I wanted a bat that would last for a long time without dropping below 240 compression. Reading up on most new bats, the durability reviews weren't good at all. Many bats were starting at less than 260 and dropping under 240 in under 100 swings.

Juno claims their bats start at high compression and take a long time to break in and get to 240.

Based on what I've seen with my bat so far, I will agree with their assessment. I didn't see the bat get compression tested, but based on the way it hits out of the wrapper I'd put it at 300ish. The MR-1 reminds me of an older Easton. Short barrel, small/unforgiving sweetspot, and a big endload. The MR-1 comes in various weighting options. Everything from 25 balanced to 27 endload. I got 27 endload, and I'm happy I did. The endload is very noticeable, but not "sledge-y". The endload seems to carry the barrel through the ball with ease, producing nice power despite a fairly stiff barrel.

I took 15-20 BP swings with .52s just to get a feel for it, and I liked the results. Nice power when you find the (small) sweetspot.

The MR-1 isn't a bat for wimpy hitters who want instant gratification. The barrel starts out pretty stiff, and mis hit balls get no help.

The MR-1 has a noticeably thin handle and a small knob. This can either be a good or bad thing. I personally liked the thin handle, and I felt like it increased whip a little.

Conclusion: The Juno MR-1 is a very solid bat if you're looking for durability. It isn't overly hot at first, and won't provide any easy power on mis hits. If you want to buy a bat that won't fail compression immediately, Juno is probably worth a look.
 

pkc31887

Addicted to Softballfans
This is a very thorough and accurate review. My BP partner and I had 3 total MR-1's. 2 were the prototypes, 1 was the actual MR-1. 2 vastly different bats but the MR-1 could withstand a beating with any ball. the prototypes were gamer only for maybe one tournament if you wanted it to pass the 240 compression.

BY the way TW, we recently gained an additional BP partner who has provided us with TRASH CANS full of balls for BP that just relocated from the sunshine state. I believe you sold him (JB) the majority of those balls so i appreciate it.
 

TWmccoy

3DX Connoisseur
This is a very thorough and accurate review. My BP partner and I had 3 total MR-1's. 2 were the prototypes, 1 was the actual MR-1. 2 vastly different bats but the MR-1 could withstand a beating with any ball. the prototypes were gamer only for maybe one tournament if you wanted it to pass the 240 compression.

BY the way TW, we recently gained an additional BP partner who has provided us with TRASH CANS full of balls for BP that just relocated from the sunshine state. I believe you sold him (JB) the majority of those balls so i appreciate it.

Yeah, I figure I sold John about 700 balls over a couple years. I find about 1000 softballs a year.
 

Hiltz

Built for comfort
I didn't see the bat get compression tested, but based on the way it hits out of the wrapper I'd put it at 300ish. The MR-1 reminds me of an older Easton. Short barrel, small/unforgiving sweetspot, and a big endload. The MR-1 comes in various weighting options. Everything from 25 balanced to 27 endload. I got 27 endload, and I'm happy I did. The endload is very noticeable, but not "sledge-y". The endload seems to carry the barrel through the ball with ease, producing nice power despite a fairly stiff barrel.

Sorry for bringing back an old thread but I noticed that you said somewhere else that you also got an MR-2. I just snapped up a 28oz when they were on sale for $150 and was wondering what your opinion was of it and how it compared to your MR-1.
 
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