Underrated bat alert (L8)

TWmccoy

3DX Connoisseur
The only people I've ever known to really like oldschool Eastons are guys that truly swing hard. I've never seen a wrist-flicker do well with a pre-'17.



The key is "well broken in". So many people gave up on the older Eastons waaay too early. It was always common to see them on clearance the year they came out, then command a premium on the used market a year or two later.


I started swinging Eastons heavily in 2012. I probably own 35 of them right now, almost all of them 2016 or older. I really like the stiff feel. Also, I played a lot of softball in the years when we used only hard balls. I didn't want bats breaking all the time.

IMO Easton hit their "pre Fireflex" peak in 2013-14. Those two years had some good bats that combined great performance with awesome durability. '15 and '16 weren't bad either. The TCT composite wasn't quite as durable as IMX, but it performed well.
 

baseman

in your face nancy grace
I still use my scn5 90% of the time. It isn't clicking yet but hits the ball very well.
 

Hiltz

Built for comfort
I still use my scn5 90% of the time. It isn't clicking yet but hits the ball very well.

Clicking/wobble isn't always an indication of how broken in it is. Some of the old 2-piece Eastons developed the click well before the barrel was broken in, some never got the click at all, even after thousands of swings.
 

TWmccoy

3DX Connoisseur
Clicking/wobble isn't always an indication of how broken in it is. Some of the old 2-piece Eastons developed the click well before the barrel was broken in, some never got the click at all, even after thousands of swings.

I've owned a LOT of two piece Eastons. The only one I ever had that got wobbly at the connection point was the ST1-Z Connexion. It was a bad wobble, and I sent it in for replacement. Still have the warranty return bat.

None of the composite bats have ever wobbled for me. 30+ of them.
 

Hiltz

Built for comfort
The early 2-piece Eastons (alloy Connexion, SCN5, SCN9, etc) were actually joined by the Connexion piece. It was a component in the construction of the bat and they were prone to clicking/wobbling.

On the newer 2-piece bats, the Connexion piece is just a cosmetic rubber band that covers the ugly glued joint underneath. Bats made like this don't click/wobble because the "joint" doesn't actually join the barrel and handle and can't work loose. ST100/100H, L1, Kirby, Baker, all the Fire Flexes are like this.
 

bigcam406

Addicted to Softballfans
I'm probably in the minority, but I loved Easton's IMX models. The bats could take a long time to break in, but they're super durable. They just aren't made for bad hitters. You need a little bat speed to make the bat work.

You could also get 2000+ swings out of these bats before they'd even come close to failing compression. Maybe more.
totally agree. was out this past weekend with my L5 hitting Gold and Grey Dots off of my tee, and after 150 balls, it was no worse for wear. mine has approx 2000 hits on it and the only thing that has worn on it is the grip (which was terrible to begin with)
 
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