Jbird-21
Manager
been a bunch of demos all over USA in the last 3 months..
New Jeff Hall Bat
- Thread starter yahtzee3
- Start date
been a bunch of demos all over USA in the last 3 months..
jhitman
Well-Known Member
Will there be one for USSSA and will it be endloaded?
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jhitman
Well-Known Member
I saw that it will have a 1/1/2018 release date. If it's like the Z1000 but even better I would be in the market for one.
Jbird-21
Manager
pre orders 1-1 and drop date 2-1 and yes there actually better than the z1 we tested it side by side a z1 28 bal and the new one beat it out in exit speed distance and durabiltiy.. its huge for ls.. old ls guys will love it..had mush balls thrown in at a tourney and the new z1 crushed them... like i said I'm not here to hype it all up the bat will easily speak for its self. jeff hall is pushing it like crazy and there is a reason why cause its that good..
Was this with ASA or Utrip?
SandyWH
#Delicious
Will there be a balanced version? Only seen EL and 0.5 so far.
Anyone hit the Utrips that isn't a biased LS/Demarini rep or a poser wannabe rep fan boy?
I want real reviews from the unsponsored unpayed players.
Is LS "really" back in the game?
Cause the marketing efforts to date look like the same old scheme from the past to sell a repaint to me.
The others have been out there with demos for the masses to formulate an opinion.
I want real reviews from the unsponsored unpayed players.
Is LS "really" back in the game?
Cause the marketing efforts to date look like the same old scheme from the past to sell a repaint to me.
The others have been out there with demos for the masses to formulate an opinion.
FranDog33
Coach
To date all the marketing on Z1000 2018 has seemed a little like that to me.
And anyone with an unbiased review swung a Proto... We've all been had this way before too. Not naive. And videos of rep putting one in tester and showing pass/fail doesn't sell me a bat either.
LS has a bit of the boy who cried wolf syndrome. Big claims for about 3 years now with underwhelming product that follows. Forgive my skepticism. The last Super Z I swung woulda been great, if the barrel itself ever popped like Miken/Worth, Nighthawks or Easton Flexes. The Flexy handle always made for fun cutting the ball, but it needs comparable competing pop.
Look forward to more public unbiased reviews.
Personally awaiting to demo the Bal version rumoured to be a sig bat here in Canada for our own Jason Legault.
I'd love to be proven wrong for once by LS.
And anyone with an unbiased review swung a Proto... We've all been had this way before too. Not naive. And videos of rep putting one in tester and showing pass/fail doesn't sell me a bat either.
LS has a bit of the boy who cried wolf syndrome. Big claims for about 3 years now with underwhelming product that follows. Forgive my skepticism. The last Super Z I swung woulda been great, if the barrel itself ever popped like Miken/Worth, Nighthawks or Easton Flexes. The Flexy handle always made for fun cutting the ball, but it needs comparable competing pop.
Look forward to more public unbiased reviews.
Personally awaiting to demo the Bal version rumoured to be a sig bat here in Canada for our own Jason Legault.
I'd love to be proven wrong for once by LS.
jhitman
Well-Known Member
Once you demo can give us an update? I would like it to be like the Z-1000 with a little extra. IMO, it was the only LS bat I have swung from the Z line that was worth anything. I hope the hype is right this time because LS has been slowly phased out of the top tier bats over the last several years.
Will do. We all hope the same thing.
We would all love a Super Z with a barrel that rivals the top 3 makers in Utrip these days.
Even here in the days of 40/375 balls the OG Z2000 and Canadian Catty OG 2pc bats with due work in them were great.
The 52/300 ball gave way for Worth/Miken 2pc Utrip bats to take over the market. Then Mizuno and Easton eventually offered bats that got to the same level. But the Z2000 RI, Z3/4000 and Super Z lines never quite got on that level. Albeit some had a good feel, just lacked performance. Noticeably.
I even went through trying to work in the 2016 Super Z with absolute rocks for balls and 600 hits or so later, still felt like a dud vs a NOW Miken.
We would all love a Super Z with a barrel that rivals the top 3 makers in Utrip these days.
Even here in the days of 40/375 balls the OG Z2000 and Canadian Catty OG 2pc bats with due work in them were great.
The 52/300 ball gave way for Worth/Miken 2pc Utrip bats to take over the market. Then Mizuno and Easton eventually offered bats that got to the same level. But the Z2000 RI, Z3/4000 and Super Z lines never quite got on that level. Albeit some had a good feel, just lacked performance. Noticeably.
I even went through trying to work in the 2016 Super Z with absolute rocks for balls and 600 hits or so later, still felt like a dud vs a NOW Miken.
Jusrah99
Outstanding Bad Mudasuka!
I had limited swings on the proto and it’s definitely gonna get LS back in the game. I didn’t get enough to get a full review, but it matched up against the new Miken/Worth stuff that we were swinging just fine.
I’ll see if i can get my buddy to let me swing the demos and the 2018 bats he has and write a better review soon...
jhitman
Well-Known Member
I agree on the Z line. My buddy has one that we hit with the higher compression softballs and it never got better. In one of our BP sessions I was hitting a good number of balls over the fence with my Miken's...... picked up his dead Z bat (think it was a 3000...not sure) and felt like it had no pop at all. We all took turns with it and a complete dud. He was going to put in on Ebay just to get rid of it and get a newer Worth or Miken. Sad for me because I had the silver and black Z1000 and it was my gamer right from the get go.
jhitman
Well-Known Member
Thanks man. I appreciate that. If it's along the lines of the OG Z1000 I would be up for getting one. Need one more bat for 2018. Any information you can provide would be helpful. After making such a great bat in the Z1000 I don't know why LS would go away from that specific technology to make complete duds for the last 3-4 years.
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Jerrshoe
Active Member
I think the Worth looked like he had just pulled the plastic off and the grip on the LS looked like it had been pretty well broken in.
jhitman
Well-Known Member
I agree with this. Not saying the new Jeff Hall bat won't be a good bat, but it did look like the Worth was brand new and it performed more consistently. Hope to get some more good reviews because the Z-1000 was one of my faves.
FlashTheLeather
Addicted to Softballfans
The OG Z1000 EL Utrip and the following year's Z1000 EL Utrip were by far my favorite bats of all time. I didn't play back during the OG Freak or Ultra days, but I preferred the Z-1000 over any of the stuff out right now. I am not hating on the newer stuff from Miken or Worth, I just loved the Z-1000s that much. The biggest issue is I would break them within 200 swings. For a while LS was great about replacing them but either I wore out my welcome or they started running out of inventory. Either way, they were cheap enough that they were still worth buying even with the durability issues. I never liked the Z2000s or anything afterwards. There was just a crisp feel to the Z1000s that couldn't be matched so I jumped off LS. If these bats are really going back to the Z1000 technology, I will be buying a bunch of them.
jhitman
Well-Known Member
I agree and I had my teammates wanting to swing it in games as their bats weren't close to being as good. I didn't have the durability issues with the 2 that I had. We were using the 52 cor 300 comp softballs and I strictly only hit the bat with those balls. Right from the 1st swing the bat went into my bag and was my gamer. I've only done that with 4 bats in 30 years.......Ultra2, Miken Freak, White DC41 and Z-1000.
Not sure why LS put out a winner with the original z1ks and then decided to take a dump on themselves with terrible bats to follow .....thought the z2k was terrible....the thing the Z1k had over old and current bats was when you hit a 52/300 it sounded and felt like you were hitting a distance ball....not the subdued pillow sound of most bats
jhitman
Well-Known Member
I agree and mine was hot right out of the wrapper. LS had a great bat in the Z-1000 and instead of improving on it, they put out the 2's, 3's and 4's that were all bad IMO. Almost no one here is swinging them. I don't understand why they would regress.
FlashTheLeather
Addicted to Softballfans
There was no way they could continue to produce such fragile bats. I am sure margins are still solid with just a single return, but they were giving multiple returns under warranty.
jhitman
Well-Known Member
I had 2 and my buddy had 1 for many years and never broke any of them. We were hitting the 52's which I'm sure helps. I sold the last one I had to my buddy and he was still hitting it as of last Spring. The pop had left it as it had close to 5,000 hits.
Alright, I promised i'd come back and chime in. Forgive me as I traveled for work Mon through Wed so I am just back with some time to chime in about Sunday's demo.
Feel -- Super Z everything with a hotter barrel. Barrel felt like it had great pop out of the gate. Not the dud or logs they seem to have been even with a 1000+ hits in recent times.
Weight -- Hall was like the Backman models but on a Super Z frame. The Lloyd that I swung most was the typical LS EL we've seen on Super Z. Swung weight wise like last year's Kennington. I want to try the Balanced model, but the Jason Legault sig bat was not there as a demo. Can't wait to personally try it.
This is pretty foot in mouth of me to say - I am a known LS hater of their bats. And I never played Slow Pitch at the time of the Z1000. By the time I swung one and a Utrip model they were no longer allowed and old stamped. The ASA model I've never swung.
It did have a bit of a throwback feel to that old Utrip design. Odd gunshot barrel sound and all.
The handle still a bit bendy for my liking, but one thing was always a fact I get a nice cut action on the 52/300 with a LS bat. Just that downrange the barrels never had pop. This one seemed to.
Bottom line - I am eager to try the Bal model and will give it a chance moreso. I'd like to get it outside and test one vs my Worths and Baker Flex. I think it could be an addition to my bag if it's as good as it felt. Have not had this feeling about an LS in some time.
Don't think this will be a rock beater bat - Seems to be in line with the way everything has gone, hotter out of wrap and geared to smash 40/375 and 52/300's
Feel -- Super Z everything with a hotter barrel. Barrel felt like it had great pop out of the gate. Not the dud or logs they seem to have been even with a 1000+ hits in recent times.
Weight -- Hall was like the Backman models but on a Super Z frame. The Lloyd that I swung most was the typical LS EL we've seen on Super Z. Swung weight wise like last year's Kennington. I want to try the Balanced model, but the Jason Legault sig bat was not there as a demo. Can't wait to personally try it.
This is pretty foot in mouth of me to say - I am a known LS hater of their bats. And I never played Slow Pitch at the time of the Z1000. By the time I swung one and a Utrip model they were no longer allowed and old stamped. The ASA model I've never swung.
It did have a bit of a throwback feel to that old Utrip design. Odd gunshot barrel sound and all.
The handle still a bit bendy for my liking, but one thing was always a fact I get a nice cut action on the 52/300 with a LS bat. Just that downrange the barrels never had pop. This one seemed to.
Bottom line - I am eager to try the Bal model and will give it a chance moreso. I'd like to get it outside and test one vs my Worths and Baker Flex. I think it could be an addition to my bag if it's as good as it felt. Have not had this feeling about an LS in some time.
Don't think this will be a rock beater bat - Seems to be in line with the way everything has gone, hotter out of wrap and geared to smash 40/375 and 52/300's
jhitman
Well-Known Member
Great review. You have really peaked my interest in this bat now. I would love to demo this bat. Have a bat rep here in the area.....may ask him if he has one that we can hit.
Yeah, usually I would demo LS and after about 5-10 cuts put it down and resume a round with my own.
This time I hit the full round with it and once I got used to swing EL I clipped some nice ones. Felt really good. I want to hit a Bal and give it more respect and time, it feels like there's a potential there. I was getting a nice cut on the ball, just curious to see downrange if it flies deep like the Worths, Mikens and Flex Eastons do for me.
We obviously had to share it, and I also wanted to demo the FireFlex and work in my new Baker Flex throughout the night. FireFlex simply put felt like the Baker with 500 hits already into it right out of the gate. A nice improvement cause the initial work into the Baker Flex sucks to do. People were loving the hot out of the gate FireFlex lines. The EL is basically the Baker with a 1oz load. Should be a popular line but everyone is asking for the 12" EL follow up to the Green Flex - Those were hands down the return of Easton around here last year big time.
I was underwhelmed by Demarini - Just not for me, felt like more of the same. There is some buzz about the Mistress a lot of people liking it. To me it just didn't seem to hit like the other brands at all this year. Newbreed more of the same. I could be biased, as other than OG Juggy and OG Cartel I don't think I've like their Utrip bats since.
Mizuno Crush if a great bat and all new design/offering nothing else previously to compare it to from them. Except short barrel version of a better Nighthawk? If that makes sense?
Miken/Worth is great - But what else is new? More of the same greatness.
I'd like to hit Integrety Pure or whatever the heck it's called, but not part of the deal this year I guess in Canada.
This time I hit the full round with it and once I got used to swing EL I clipped some nice ones. Felt really good. I want to hit a Bal and give it more respect and time, it feels like there's a potential there. I was getting a nice cut on the ball, just curious to see downrange if it flies deep like the Worths, Mikens and Flex Eastons do for me.
We obviously had to share it, and I also wanted to demo the FireFlex and work in my new Baker Flex throughout the night. FireFlex simply put felt like the Baker with 500 hits already into it right out of the gate. A nice improvement cause the initial work into the Baker Flex sucks to do. People were loving the hot out of the gate FireFlex lines. The EL is basically the Baker with a 1oz load. Should be a popular line but everyone is asking for the 12" EL follow up to the Green Flex - Those were hands down the return of Easton around here last year big time.
I was underwhelmed by Demarini - Just not for me, felt like more of the same. There is some buzz about the Mistress a lot of people liking it. To me it just didn't seem to hit like the other brands at all this year. Newbreed more of the same. I could be biased, as other than OG Juggy and OG Cartel I don't think I've like their Utrip bats since.
Mizuno Crush if a great bat and all new design/offering nothing else previously to compare it to from them. Except short barrel version of a better Nighthawk? If that makes sense?
Miken/Worth is great - But what else is new? More of the same greatness.
I'd like to hit Integrety Pure or whatever the heck it's called, but not part of the deal this year I guess in Canada.
FlashTheLeather
Addicted to Softballfans
The OG black and blue bats I would unwrap them and only use them for games...never once BPed them. I would be willing to bet I never got more than 300 hits on one. The black and gold second year models I did the same thing and had very similar same results. I actually had one break in the very first game I swung it in playing NSA with 44/400s. I think I still have 4 hanging in my garage with cracks that LS said no more returns on.