Where are all the 28-30oz bats?

trippy1313

Starting Player
I feel like this is a topic I've seen before but cannot find it by searching.

I haven't bought a bat in years, but was browsing new bats, and noticed I didn't see a single bat 28oz or higher.

Highest I saw was a 27.5oz and a ton of 25oz, which I hadn't noticed before.

People don't like swing the "Heavy" bats anymore? I understand the concept of lighter=faster, but isn't lighter more likely to break? There for we have to but more bats?

I've always played with 28, 28 end loaded, or 30oz bats. I never really liked the lighter bats. I suppose I could re-train myself but I always popped up when I'd try 27 or below, and didn't feel as much power behind it.

I feel like maybe this is poll worthy if there isn't one, but does anyone else still use 28 or 30oz bats besides me???

What do you all prefer, and... why? Purely bat speed? Do they break more often?
 

ShortYellowBus

Well-Known Member
Hi.

Let’s talk about bats first.

Typically all the bats are one piece or two piece. Theres the shell of the bat, which is the barrel part. The non-linear bats usually have a restrictor placed into the barrel and attached to the end cap, which is glued on at the end of the barrel.
There’s a tuning rod inserted into the handle and the knob is assembled last to hold it all in place. Still with me?

Just like in the old days, some bat companies add weight to the tuning rod or glue-on weight to the end cap. Creating a new shell with added weight is expensive. The bat is typically stamped with an expected weight and shipped to the customer. Some 26oz bats are heavier than 28oz bats, and same is true the other way around.

This is what I recommend. Find a bat that suits your swing. Try different configurations and weights. I like 30oz bats that have 14” barrels with 1oz endloads. There’s three other guys on my team that used to swing 25oz midload bats, but now they swing what I swing.

Some people think they can only swing 25oz balanced bats, but when I hand them a 28oz bat with a 12” barrel, the results are spectacular. The issue is that people are mentally exhausted in the process of attaining and swinging new bats. It can be expensive. And just like politics and science, they would rather watch a YouTube video instead. What they don’t realize is that the YouTube videos are heavily edited content of bat reps selling bats that the store they work for exclusively sells. That’s not helpful.

Swing what works for you. Take lots of BP, and don’t rush it. You’ll find something that suits your unique swing.
 

ShortYellowBus

Well-Known Member
I forgot to mention the part about bat speed. I think it’s fraudulent.

First off, the way to get any information from the internet is to watch guys on YouTube hitting the ball from a tee into the ground. The tee is usually shoulder height and the ball is spiked down towards the ground. Who hits like that in games? Go watch the videos, all of them have inconsistencies. If you’re looking for reliable performance information, swing the bat yourself. What you’ll learn is that a lot of the news bats are too good.

Hopefully with the rise in shipping prices, the fraudsters on social media will finally stop flipping bats and start playing softball instead.
 

lorichie56

Active Member
Hopefully with the rise in shipping prices, the fraudsters on social media will finally stop flipping bats and start playing softball instead.
No lie man I mailed out 2 bats yesterday USPS. Flat rate box used to be like 14 bucks now they add a $15 additional charge for the length on the flate rate box :(
 

trippy1313

Starting Player
I don't actually take much if any advice from youtube. Actually, when they had the bat review section and ratings on this site. I loved that. Being able to read how people felt about bats, durability, comfort, sound. How they felt compared to others or for its weight. I loved that.

Problem is, I don't have access to good bats. My local stores sell cheap ones or no way to demo them. I dont play tournaments, I don't play on a bunch of teams to be able try different bats. I consistently play on the same team, spring and summer league. And I own 4 of the 6 legal bats on the team. And one of the other 2 bats I'm the one that ordered for the team. I just like bats. But can't afford or justify buying a bunch to try and reselling ones I don't like. My wife already hates me for collecting boomboxes. Lol.

And I absolutely agree, I prefer to feel the swing of a bat over just assuming same weights swing the same. Because they don't.

But to my original question.... why no more 28oz or above bats? Are they making 25oz swing and feel like 28oz bats? Does nobody like the heavy bats anymore? 28 used to be pretty standard.

I've never seen the videos you mention of people teeing up shoulder height hitting to the ground. That sounds dumb and doesn't make sense. Lol. I can't watch youtube bat videos cause most of them say "bro" way too much, and only try to hit bombs. I play in progressive leagues, I dont need to always hit bombs, one a game or week is fine. Lol. Gotta play small ball too.
 

loxx0050

Member
What stamp do you use for your league?

I did a quick Gooch search and found a 30oz ASA Worth bat

i know Worth still offers 28oz bats same with Miken. It's kind of changed as I picked up a .5 Oz end load Worth Mach 1 428 XL (2020 version with the Utrip 220 stamp) that is was listed as 28.5oz weight. Weighed it on a food scale and it was actually pretty darn close to listed weight including the grip.

Previously I used to see some Worth and Miken 0.5oz end load bats listed in those 0.5oz weights (like 26.5, 27.5, 28.5) when I was bat shopping last year around this time but it seems that isn't so anymore with the 2021+ bats. It probably ended with those 2020 bats, at least for Utrip versions.
 
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D-ROCK13

Well-Known Member
USPS is charging extra for any package over 32" long I believe. Ship with UPS or Fedex.

A certain company, pushed the lighter bat for bat speed lie so much, that a ton of people believed it, and changed the market.

You should swing the heaviest bat you personally can swing confidently. Extra weight/mass equals distance.

I just sold a 29 oz demarini brungardt locally and hardly anyone was interested because it wasnt a 26oz or less.

Demarini, Worth, Miken, Easton, Onyx, Pure, Anarchy, Slugger, Juno, Dudley all offer 28oz bats, most offer 29oz and very few 30oz. Just have to really shop around the web. My gamers this year are 28oz superZ1000dg, 28oz Anarchy Highway Star, 27oz Dudley Doom, 27oz Worth est XXL, all utrip. They all perform about the same with different feel/sound/sweet spot size. The 2 27oz bats are 1oz endload so swing similar to 28oz
 

Redsfan

Well-Known Member
I have 4 different 28 oz bats and all of them feel like different weights. Actually a pretty wide range. I agree with the other posters to where you really need to get the bat in your hands to see if it will work for you. I also agree the light bat more bat speed thing is a myth. The majority of the guys playing this game can't swing fast enough to make up for the loss of bat mass.
 

ShortYellowBus

Well-Known Member
Monsta sold one bat design, offered only in one weight, and did it for $209. So marketing can be blamed, but it’s probably just newbie softball players buying bats that were easy to swing and $90 cheaper than Worths or Mikens.

The fact that people think “swing speed increases” is a real thing just demonstrates the fact that people don’t understand how non-linear bat tech works.
A certain company, pushed the lighter bat for bat speed lie so much, that a ton of people believed it, and changed the market.
 

trippy1313

Starting Player
Not gonna lie, I dont know what linear or non linear bats are..

But I know in Slowpitch, bat speed isn't really a factor... it's not like we're trying to catch up to a 95mph fastball. Where a lighter bat might make a difference, but even then.... just choke up on the bat. Lol.

I play in Usssa. Started my softball career with DeMarinis, and loved them, but all of my demarinis broke, so I moved on to Miken, but then the bat stamp came out rendering my favorite mikens illegal. Since then I bought 4 bats, one Easton, a Miken Psycho, a demarini that I got for nearly free, and a Mizuni Blackout from Ebay... my easton is my favorite legal bat... I think it's a Stealth St100. The black/real in a 30z.

But either its finally losing its pop, the ball changed, or I'm getting weaker at a spry age of 35.... lol.
 

ShortYellowBus

Well-Known Member
The st100 is top three best bats of all time for me, and regarded by most as one of the best performing USSSA bats ever made.

It’s a linear design and the composite is very durable. It doesn’t lose performance as it ages; it only gets hotter.

Regardless, it’s the Archer. Not the arrow.
 

loxx0050

Member
As others have said bats really feel different than just what the weight is listed between different models/brands.

I am still going through a carousel of bats to find a new gamer favorite since my previous one broke right before last spring. That was a Izzy Miken Pyscho 28oz balanced.

I've got a 2020 26oz DC41 supermax that feels like it swings heavier than another Izzy Miken Pyscho I picked up in a 27oz supermax (same model year as the balanced one I broke). Also have an 27oz Easton Mako Torque that just swings differently than my Mikens (that's a backup bat for cold days and such now, but it's seems to be built like a tank but is super unforgiving vibrations wise if you mis-hit it). I've tried a buddy's Miken Pyscho (2020 Cory Briggs I think) in a 26.5oz maxload and it feels way lighter than my DC41.

Currently trying out a Worth Mach 1 I mentioned earlier but it's practically new as I didn't start using it until playoffs last fall and finally did some BP with it a couple of days ago (so not even more than 60 or so hits on it so far). So far I'm liking it better initially than my DC41 even though that's broken in. I just can't consistently get the sweet spot on my DC41 with that 1oz end load but I couldn't find a heavier one at the time to start the season. When I nail that Dc41's sweet spot it really pops but in games I'm not getting that many meatballs to feast upon. Hence switching to the Worth with a different end load as I tend more often than not make contact with the middle to lower half the barrel unfortunately during games than I'd prefer.
 

trippy1313

Starting Player
The st100 is top three best bats of all time for me, and regarded by most as one of the best performing USSSA bats ever made.

It’s a linear design and the composite is very durable. It doesn’t lose performance as it ages; it only gets hotter.

Regardless, it’s the Archer. Not the arrow.
That's kinda nice to hear. I actually bought my Easton very lightly used from this forum. I remember it taking about a season to break in, but once my Nrg600 became banned, I really got to using the Easton and once it started popping I didn't feel so sad about missing my Nrg. Lol.

That Nrg though... before the stamps, I cannot tell you how many times teams asked to check if it was legal. At the time I was 6'4" 190lbs, just a scrawny guy, so people couldn't believe the bad was legal. My most comfortable bat I've ever swung.
 

ilyk2win

Addicted to Softballfans
30oz for life here. Attempted to go down, multiple times, always come back to the 30's. Much harder to find these days. My ideal specs.....13.5" barrel & 0.5 oz EL....aka WORTH.
 

defos

Well-Known Member
I've used 30 oz endloaded bats for years - since I couldn't find 32s anymore. Switched to 28 oz endloaded bats and sold one of my 30 oz 4 years. Regretted doing that, and just bought it back last month.

I've shipped 2 bats recently through USPS, and there was no surcharge. USPS 3 day Priority in a 4x4x36" box was $13.40 from Des Moines to SoCal, and $12 and change to Indiana.
 

basilray

Active Member
I am by no means a great hitter, but even trying to drop down to 26oz w/ 1oz EL, my swing gets loopy.

I generally try and swing 27oz w/ 1oz EL or 28oz Balanced/Midload.

Things just feel weird when I try and swing a 24 - 26oz bat.
 

msw4indy

Addicted to Softballfans
You can still find some end loaded bats in a 30oz. I swing balanced and swung 30oz for a long time until they weren't being made anymore then I dropped to a 28oz balanced and have used those the last 5 or 6 years or so. Once I reached the ripe old age of 50, I just stuck with the 28's although there are some Sr bats that come in a 30oz balanced.
 

blakcherry329

Well-Known Member
I used to be a 30oz'er. Hell, back in the day, I used to swing 36 and 38oz in windmill/sling leagues. Then I dropped down to 28oz. I got a couple 26oz ELs in trades. They don't feel like 26 because of the EL, but definitely lighter than 28.
I think it's definitely mental because I use my 28s and my 29 Ultra II in the batting cages hitting 70mph baseball without a problem. I always swing the heavy stuff in pickup games, just because. A couple years ago I felt like I lost my bat speed, so I dropped down from 30 to 28 to 26 EL. I think now I've come to grips with the reality of being old AF and I hit accordingly. :mad::rolleyes::D
 

bimmerpilot

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Only playing 2 nights per week and still swinging my 30oz USA Aftermaths
Last bat purchase was a 27.5 DB44 Nihilst

Mentally I start off with the AMs, if anything because I've swung them and 30oz bats for so long.
I really can't complain of the results when I do swing the Nihilist though...
 
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ilyk2win

Addicted to Softballfans
Only playing 2 nights per week and still swinging my 30oz USA Aftermaths
Last bat purchase was a 27.5 DB44 Nihilst

Mentally I start off with the AMs, if anything because I've swung them and 30oz bats for so long.
I really can't complain of the resuly when I do swing the Nihilist though...

Yo, let me hold one of those AMs
 

dunno

Member
the guys I play with swing what they like and most prefer 25-27
some smaller players hit them out the park with the same frequency of the bigger players with heavier bats leads me to believe ymmv
the people i see breaking bats are those in a rush and tap their barrels against chain link posts lol
 
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