Softball Bats?

[SoCalYo]

I am in the market for a softball bat. I have seen a Miken "Freak" in action and the bat just flat out kicks A$$! That is the bat I am leaning towards. However, since these things are quite $$$, I wanted to gather some softball players opinions on bats before I purchase. The bat must be ASA certified. Opinions? recommendations? cheapest place to buy not named ebay?
Thanks

 

[toastonastick]

Are you "softball guy" ?

Do you wear Bike athletic shorts?

 

[SoCalYo]

why does that turn you on? :shrug:
stay away from my field :s8:

 

[beckster311]

SoCalYo,

I play quite a bit of ball and actually just purchased a new bat. While the original "Freak" is the bat to have for ASA the price tag is a little steep, I've seen them go for over $450. Miken has a new bat this year which is the Maniac 484 Camo. I bought this bat on ebay brand new with a receipt (for warranty purposes) for $275. List price for these bats are @ $329. Swung it @ two practices and has a lot of pop, although the word is that they need upwards of 2-300 cuts to be broken in. They swing much like the freak.
I also hear the freak 98 is a good bat. As far as other bats that you might look at the Easton synergy flex (blue) is hot right out of the wrapper...Also the Easton Synergy (red) has good pop, we used those quite a bit last year. Most people still swing the original freak until they break...then look at their options. check ebay for bats, can usually find a pretty good deal.

Places to buy:

sportsdiamond.com - recommend
batsbatsbats.com

 

[toastonastick]

just made me think about the Jim Rome show.

 

[Penguinfan]

Out of honest curiosity, what makes one aluminum stick different from another aluminum stick? Especially one that cost $450?

 

[SoCalYo]

Thanks beckster.
Yea the Miken Freaks retail for about $400 but you can get them for about $229 online. A friend of mine just happens to have the maniac 484 camo that he won at one of the tourneys we played in and didn't like how it swung. He said he'd give it to me for $50. I haven't really tried it out but I hear it suppose to be pretty good. I don't think the Easton Synergy (Blue) is ASA approved but the red one is pretty sweet. I've alway liked the freaks was just wondering if there was something better.

Pfan-without getting into any details to answer your question, the way they are built and compressed make a ton of difference. They won't let you use some aluminum bats on some leagues/tournaments for fear of getting somebody hurt.

 

[beckster311]

Pfan - Actually most of the bats used today aren't aluminum, but a composite material. We broke a freak last year and they basically pop. The guts look like shards of fiberglass. Totally different than the old bombat days.

Socal - There are to easton synergy's, the green one is called the synergy + and it isn't legal in ASA, the synergy flex blue, is legal. Becareful of buying used freaks, you don't know how they've been treated and may only have a couple swings left in them. Since the freaks and synergy2's are grandfathered in, there won't be anything better than those two bats ever again. Those two bats have ratings of the balls coming off the bat over 100mph, now anything made cannot exceed 98mph, thus the new freak is called freak98.

DeMarini actually has a new singlewall bat out that sounds promising. only 189, and its steel not composite.

I shouldn't know this much about softball bats, but I was in the market earlier in the year and did my research.

 

[volfan]

http://www.batreviews.com/

I like the ORANGE crush

 

[volfan]

Louisville TPS Catalyst $280 at softball sales . com

good looking bat, good rating..

 

[Hokie Fan]

I love softball
My number is 69.. Hammer for a name on the back..
I have had a hard time deciding.. eye black or the new eye strips..
Of course I take it seriously... every game is game 7 baby..
I get mad when the accounting guys dont take that extra base..
Damn John Clayton look alikes....
After the big game I retire to the local pub/sponser and relive every precious moment of the win over the girls in Accounts Rec.
I coulda be in the majors if..
a. The coach played me more
b. My knee didnt tweek out on me
c. Damn wife and kids.. responsibility man
d. Other knee went out
e. all of the above

 

[Blazer]

Dude,

I don't really understand the big difference. I play in a beer league and I bought a bat at a used sporting goods store (playitagainsports) and it works fine.

gl

 

[SixFive]

Dude,

I don't really understand the big difference. I play in a beer league and I bought a bat at a used sporting goods store (playitagainsports) and it works fine.

gl

bats do make a big difference. Some of them have so much more pop.

 

[Old School]

"Those were the Days"

.... all 10 guys in the lineup are 6'1''to 6'6" or taller,weigh from 190 to 255 or so and each one can take it downtown to the tune of 320 to 400 foot blast or even further w/regularity.
Then as a pitcher ya get cute and try to pitch around one monster or another and then the monsters start taking dead aim at the middle of the diamond seeing who can hit the hardest shot off a shin or a ankle or a forehead shot :scared
I pitched for 18 years averaging 140 games a year up and down the eastcoast so I have a little experience at ducking and getting hit.
Big Boys were always lookin for a bat w/ the right makeup to hit it harder and farther.Thus the manufactures over the years have provided the bats to do so.

I retired before the Freak came along and damn glad I did but I wouldn't give back those 18 years for anything in this world..What a hell of a time in my life..
Enjoy every minute on the field fellas it's over before ya even realize it!!!!
"Those Were The Days My Friends"

ps....Man "O" Man did the hotest chicks come to the field to darken that tan and drink beer after beer. Like shooting fish in a barrell :SIB

 

[SoCalYo]

"Those were the Days"
Then as a pitcher ya get cute and try to pitch around one monster or another and then the monsters start taking dead aim at the middle of the diamond seeing who can hit the hardest shot off a shin or a ankle or a forehead shot :scared
I pitched for 18 years averaging 140 games a year up and down the eastcoast so I have a little experience at ducking and getting hit. ]

now a days it's an unspoken rule that you can't go up the middle (box) without appologizing if you accidentally do or it will become pitcher target practice for the rest of the game.
:com:

thanks for all the great bat tips!

 

[groove16]

softball bats make a huge difference....with old school softball bats, only home run hitters hit it out of the park...now everyone can do it....but it also helps the basehitter shoot hte ball through the infield a lot harder.....

in my opinion, the best bats on the market today are the worth mayhems, in order of preference, blue, green, then red......

miken freak plus is the bat in my batbag.....i love this bat... i am not a power hitter, it has a big sweet spot, and is hot out of the wrapper.....some of the worth mayhems need to be "broken in" with 50 or so swings.....the easton synergy and synergy plus were also favorites of mine....my buddies have all gone to the mayhems, and when my freak busts, I may do the same.......

I travel all over the southeast playing this game...I know most don't understand the hobby, but I can't do without it....

I am a pitcher....it is dangerous these days, with the hot bats...they are trying to control the balls more to help, but.....

good luck to all the weekend warriors.....

 

[jhorton]

miken doesnt seem to make a bad bat everything ive seen from them has pop, we played a feb tourney the mayhems didnt seem to like the cold, moneywise i swing a combat composite i got for 200.00 pretty hot and durable still has pop after cracking as far as the bats that need breaking in get a buddy who is a base hitter to take bp with it just make sure he rotates it, if you are a power hitter i would go ahead and eat the cost and get the best something is gonna change soon either the balls or the bats this isnt golf they cant build 400' softball fields for us and its hard to slowpitch from 70'

 

[groove16]

The Freaks are about 260.00 in the stores around here.....

jhorton is correct about breaking in the bats......