New Kids On The Block - Bat Manufacturers

JN137

Active Member
The past few years have shown a rise in popularity amongst newer or less established bat companies.

Monsta, Anarchy, Onyx, Juno, Suncoast etc.

Are any of these companies on track to reach elite status in the sport, the likes of which Miken/Worth, Easton have held for years? Are some even better?

Monsta has seemed to have solidified themselves as a performer in the ASA world for sure.
 

r8dr_rider

Well-Known Member
Only time will tell. But I’ll tell you this. My Anarchy’s are smoke. Also kinda like craft beer. If you’re into it you know what you like. Most ppl don’t know about them until a bigger business buys them out.
 

jkwoody22

League ball huer
I think with performance pretty much being equal with the equipment, the bat standards, compression etc, it’s the longevity of the companies financially, Easton, worth, miken, Rawlings all owned by the same company, Wilson, demarini and louisville the same, so they have the backing, these smaller companies are building the brands through social media etc, and the fact they market their bats as limited editions, same bat specs, limited paint jobs, keep them at a higher cost, sought after supply and demand, it’s a great marketing ploy to keep interest and money coming in
 

D-ROCK13

Well-Known Member
Monsta isn't worth fooling with in my opinion, because of drama and wait time, but no asa here so doesn't matter lol Anarchy and Juno utrip are both good once broken in, just takes longer to get there, but much more swings for your dollar. No experience with Onyx yet. Heard nothing but good things about suncoast bats, but mostly bad things about their customer service.

Hard for the small companies to compete, but it's nice to see a few are trying.
 

BSBR

Starting Player
As far as USA/ASA goes it seems like every time I watch a bat reviewer (softball bat bros, the bat hound, tomahawk), Monsta is outperforming everything (which has also been my experience) The only question is are they worth the drama, the wait, etc, because they outperfom everything else for me. Anarchy seems to be close though. Miken/worth has the occasional bat that also performs great. From my experience, just on bat performance,
1. Monsta M2 composite bats (m4/m6 isn't durable at all)
2. Anarchy.
3. Miken/worth
4. Everything else
The only major manufacturer bat that has come close to the performance of monsta is the kretcher.

I'll be really curious to see how the monsta usssa bats perform.

I haven't had the opportunity to swing a Juno, onyx, or Suncoast, not very popular up north.
 

stork

Rocky Mountain Oyster aka DirtDog
I think with performance pretty much being equal with the equipment, the bat standards, compression etc, it’s the longevity of the companies financially, Easton, worth, miken, Rawlings all owned by the same company, Wilson, demarini and louisville the same, so they have the backing, these smaller companies are building the brands through social media etc, and the fact they market their bats as limited editions, same bat specs, limited paint jobs, keep them at a higher cost, sought after supply and demand, it’s a great marketing ploy to keep interest and money coming in
With so many bats being fairly similar, durability would be a more important selling feature. Ultimately, finding the right weighting, balance, and stiffness to one’s liking is the most important as isn’t it really one’s skills that it comes down to? Everything else is just ego and window dressing.
jme
 

jhitman

Well-Known Member
Monsta isn't worth fooling with in my opinion, because of drama and wait time, but no asa here so doesn't matter lol Anarchy and Juno utrip are both good once broken in, just takes longer to get there, but much more swings for your dollar. No experience with Onyx yet. Heard nothing but good things about suncoast bats, but mostly bad things about their customer service.

Hard for the small companies to compete, but it's nice to see a few are trying.

I agree on Monsta. I do think they make great bats for ASA/USA but not worth the wait and also to pay so much more if you want the warranty. I found that my Worth Krecher bat is every bit as good as the Monstas.
 

TWmccoy

3DX Connoisseur
Monsta isn't worth fooling with in my opinion, because of drama and wait time, but no asa here so doesn't matter lol Anarchy and Juno utrip are both good once broken in, just takes longer to get there, but much more swings for your dollar. No experience with Onyx yet. Heard nothing but good things about suncoast bats, but mostly bad things about their customer service.

Hard for the small companies to compete, but it's nice to see a few are trying.

I don't care if Monsta makes the best USSSA bat anyone's ever seen, I still wouldn't buy one. Their company is a slipshod disaster, and their scuzzy owner looks for any reason to deny a bat warranty claim. Plus, I don't like the amount of "fanboyism" that surrounds Monsta. A bunch of lousy w(rec)k ballers pretty much formed their own little cult with Monstas.

I bought a couple Junos last year because I needed 240 bats to play a couple conference USSSA events. They're good bats, but by no means the hottest thing I've ever swung. What I like about Juno is that their bats (at least last year's) are built with durability in mind. The bats start at about 300, and take a long time to come down in compression. I've heard this year's Junos are hotter (and less durable).

Another main selling point for Juno is you can get any weighting you want on any of their models. Balanced, 1/2 oz, or full oz.

The Suncoast bats look decent. If they prove to be durable I might give them a look.
 

bigwignj

Addicted to Softballfans
I don't care if Monsta makes the best USSSA bat anyone's ever seen, I still wouldn't buy one. Their company is a slipshod disaster, and their scuzzy owner looks for any reason to deny a bat warranty claim. Plus, I don't like the amount of "fanboyism" that surrounds Monsta. A bunch of lousy w(rec)k ballers pretty much formed their own little cult with Monstas.

I bought a couple Junos last year because I needed 240 bats to play a couple conference USSSA events. They're good bats, but by no means the hottest thing I've ever swung. What I like about Juno is that their bats (at least last year's) are built with durability in mind. The bats start at about 300, and take a long time to come down in compression. I've heard this year's Junos are hotter (and less durable).

Another main selling point for Juno is you can get any weighting you want on any of their models. Balanced, 1/2 oz, or full oz.

The Suncoast bats look decent. If they prove to be durable I might give them a look.
And this is why I won’t buy Juno. In reference to your monsta comment. Juno comes from my area and I love RIP who is one of their main guys but Carrucci turns me off to anything he will ever put out with his name attarched to it.
 

D-ROCK13

Well-Known Member
Only way I'd ever have a monsta is if it was used and super cheap, not supporting that business in anyway personally
 

stang7222

Addicted to Softballfans
And this is why I won’t buy Juno. In reference to your monsta comment. Juno comes from my area and I love RIP who is one of their main guys but Carrucci turns me off to anything he will ever put out with his name attarched to it.
I played league ball against them last summer. I don't think I could have worded it any better.
 

jhitman

Well-Known Member
I heard the USSSA APG 240 bats are all straight fire too. Our league ball uses the 52's so most use USA/ASA bats. I've seen a few Monsta's, but as stated above, because of the Owner, warranty denials and added price to get the 1 year warranty most here steer clear from them. The Krecher is about as good of a bat as I have hit with the 52 cor 300 comp softballs.
 

D-ROCK13

Well-Known Member
Teammate bought a Suncoast Ruckus, i believe, (Black w red lettering). It's pretty impressive for a 25oz...
 

Normy

Well-Known Member
The ASA Onyx reviews I've seen so far this year have been really good out of the gate. Not sure about durability, compression, sweet spot yada yada yada. Just first impressions.
 

jbo911

Super Moderator
Staff member
I want a proton. Suncoast is hit, but don't seem to hold compression well if you're in a testing area. My anarchy are pretty good but haven't put many swings on them outside. The 240 seem to break in faster than the 220s.
 

basilray

Active Member
I like to play two nights a week, and generally try and play one Utrip and one USA.

For USA, I've pretty much settled in on a 28oz '16 Torch. It just fits my swing well, and feels good. I do have a DNA Legacy still in the wrapper, and it might stay that way for a while as I'm not playing USA this spring, it appears.

For UTrip, I've largely settled in on Pure EL 2pc as what I like to swing.

That being said, I'm not a power hitter, and nobody cares what I think. 🤣
 

EAJuggalo

Addicted to Softballfans
I want a proton. Suncoast is hit, but don't seem to hold compression well if you're in a testing area. My anarchy are pretty good but haven't put many swings on them outside. The 240 seem to break in faster than the 220s.
Darling put a pic on facebook that all 16 of their bats that they used in Vegas also passed this week at the Dual. That isn't happening with any other manufacturer. You usually end up with one or two that fail just between Friday and Sunday. If it's a Pure you usually get three or four that fail throughout the day on Saturday.
 

Bobby Buggs

SBF Site Sponsor
Keep your eye on Suncoast, they are really dominating the senior market and have it just about nailed for Utrip.
I have heard some foolish excuses for bat durability lately that have made my head spin. Like you need to let your bat rest, let the carbon breathe, dont put too many hits in a row on the bat..... This is complete trash and just people making excuses for poor construction/design. Also this only hit 52s to break in your bat?? composite fibers fracture on every composite design from the initial impact. There is no way to stretch carbon composite materials. They start to separate and in the end the micro fracturing of the layers is what opens sweetspots and allows the bat to get hotter. If the bat is rated for Utrip or NSA balls its going to fracture when you use those balls so if your design cant stand that level of impact its going to have weak durability.
 

D-ROCK13

Well-Known Member
I've never understood the reasoning behind hitting only .52s at first, to break in a bat, designed for harder stuff. It's like most Automotive engine builders will tell you, break it in the same as you plan on running it.

Suncoast really seems to be coming on strong in the 240 market, only real complaint I've seen is with customer service/long waits and a few broken handles.

I'm really enjoying the 220 stamp Dudley doom right now, since we don't get tested here
 

TWmccoy

3DX Connoisseur
I've never understood the reasoning behind hitting only .52s at first, to break in a bat, designed for harder stuff. It's like most Automotive engine builders will tell you, break it in the same as you plan on running it.

Suncoast really seems to be coming on strong in the 240 market, only real complaint I've seen is with customer service/long waits and a few broken handles.

I'm really enjoying the 220 stamp Dudley doom right now, since we don't get tested here

I think there actually IS some merit to starting off a brand new bat with .52s to break it in. You want to stretch the walls of the bat gradually, not shock them immediately with ZN classic Ms in 40 degree weather. I've seen countless bats break out of the wrapper when used on hard balls right away.

I like to break a bat in gradually. I don't want to pull the wrapper off and try to make it hit 400' with stadium balls right away.

Frankly, I don't think ANY USSSA 240 bat is designed for long term use with Pro Ms or classic Ms. Bat durability sucks these days. The original Junos are VERY durable, but the newer ones don't seem to be. I don't know anything about Protons. Maybe they actually are durable.

I think the best way to make a bat last now is to use it only for games. Don't BP your 240 gamers. Most bats today don't need much (if any) BP to really get going.
 

TWmccoy

3DX Connoisseur
Keep your eye on Suncoast, they are really dominating the senior market and have it just about nailed for Utrip.
I have heard some foolish excuses for bat durability lately that have made my head spin. Like you need to let your bat rest, let the carbon breathe, dont put too many hits in a row on the bat..... This is complete trash and just people making excuses for poor construction/design. Also this only hit 52s to break in your bat?? composite fibers fracture on every composite design from the initial impact. There is no way to stretch carbon composite materials. They start to separate and in the end the micro fracturing of the layers is what opens sweetspots and allows the bat to get hotter. If the bat is rated for Utrip or NSA balls its going to fracture when you use those balls so if your design cant stand that level of impact its going to have weak durability.

I do agree with what you're saying, but a lot of NSA/USSSA bats have HORRIBLE durability, despite being "rated" for .44 400 balls. For anyone who plays where they test bats, durability is a real concern. Many 240 bats are known to fail compression in under 100 swings, some in as little as 50. Hitting harder balls obviously speeds up the process to compression failure.

Any bat will last FAR longer only hitting .52s, because the ball is much softer and more elastic than a .44 400.

Not gonna lie, I miss the days when it took 1000 swings on a bat for it to start getting decent. Today's bats come out of the wrapper hotter than many old bats ever got before they broke.
 

Bobby Buggs

SBF Site Sponsor
For the Last time, You cant Stretch the fibers of a composite bat, You CANT.
The only way composite bats get better is through micro fracturing of the layers.
Todays bats are made to be hot quickly and the companies have no concern how long they pass compression as long as the user experience is good. With the amount of pressure put on companies to move significant volume of bats Its not a good business decision to make bats that last multiple seasons
 

D-ROCK13

Well-Known Member
Honestly I dont know the actual science behind it, but, what Buggs says make sense to me. I know you cant really stretch a piece of fiberglass or carbon fiber etc once its cured anyways

Want 1000 swings on a newer utrip bat, get a 220 stamp anarchy, the ones with blast/reaper technology, super durable and good performance
 

swingnmiss

#1 IN YOUR HEARTS
I had a Monsta Daisy Cutter and also a Torch. They both broke fairly quickly, but they did perform very well and their sound and feel were also great. I like them both, but the durability is just not there for me. I also have an Anarchy 50 Cal for Senior ball. It's really really good and I'd have no problem swinging it in games. Except.........My Lightnings and Mele's are just out of this world. Are the newer company bats good? Yeah, but I still find myself swinging DeMarini for ASA and Lightnings for Senior ball.
 
Top