2018 Louisville Slugger 718 Select Review

Last Updated: Sunday, June 4, 2017We have yet to hit with the 718 from Slugger. It is not yet released to the public and will not be until September of 2017. That said, we have seen enough pictures of the bat, and heard it at a few CWS games, to make a few notes. We […]

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Marucci Podcast with Ryder Dupuis

Last Updated: Tuesday, May 30, 2017On the 9th episode of the BatCast we spend some quality time with Ryder Dupuis, bat product manager for Marucci Sports. We talk CAT 7, Hex Connect and a host of Marucci insights otherwise unknown to the podcast and internet space. You can download the full version on iTunes or […]

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5 Gravestones of Great Baseball Players

Last Updated: Monday, May 29, 2017If the summer plan was to see the grave sites of 5 of the best baseball players then, if you lived in Mount Pleasant New York, you could do it in just over 13 hours. Much of that drive is getting to Macon, Georgia to see the mausoleum of Ty […]

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BBCOR Bats reviewed are found here.

We've moved this site a long time ago. You can read much more about the use of BBCOR Baseball bats and there reviews with swing weights and ratings at www.justbatreviews.com.

Good luck!

Composite vs Aluminum vs Both vs Neither

WE HAVE MOVED TO WWW.JUSTBATREVIEWS.COM

www.justbatreviews.com


Previous: Step #3 To Piece or Not Two Piece

Next: Step #5 Finding the right swing weight

After you've narrowed down the bat choices by what is legal in your league and decided on a one or two-piece bat design, the next logical step is to decide what material you'd like the bat to be made.

I will proceed as if you know the possible materials and understand them to some extent. If you need a refresher try here on composite, aluminum and wood.

Composite bats almost always cost more than their aluminum counterparts. Bats with a combo of composite and aluminum (like a composite handle and an aluminum barrel) usually cost more than aluminum and less than full composite. 

Why some justify the extra cost in composite:

Composite Break

1- it is a fact that Composite bats (in the little leagues) do possess the ability to have greater pop than their aluminum counterparts. (Do know it takes a good 200 swings to get a composite bat in true form. Most suggest you do this on a tee, rotating the bat a quarter turn each hit). Composite fibers gain flexibility as they are worked in--this increases the trampoline effect. Some argue that a composite bat always gets hotter the more you hit it until, eventually, the bat breaks in sometimes spectacular fashion.

2- For High School and NCAA the BBCOR requirements for composite bats don't alloy the graphite fibers You may find a smoother swing for your style in a two-piece composite or appreciate the sting dampening or plate coverage in the barrel, but don't think your $399 Mako has any more pop than a Sam RMC1.

2- Aluminum bats, on the other hand, lose pop over time and are never hotter than when they are taken out of the wrapper. Aluminum bats don't break as easy as composite but imperfections in the aluminum caused by hitting baseballs negatively effect the pop in the bat. Better aluminum tends to imperfect less easily but also comes at an added cost.

2- Composite bats, which can have thinner walls than aluminum alloys, allow bat designers to orchestrate more optimal swing-weight and plate coverage. 

3- Bat designers can also tune trampoline effect more effectively with composite bats. 

4- Composite bats also tend to sting less than aluminum.

And, maybe most damning, it is not clear if new regulations on composite bats in little league will require them to have a trampoline effect no more effective than high end aluminum bats even after they are worked in. Such regulations have already made highschool and NCAA composite bats no more bouncy than wood. If you are buying composite in highschool/NCAA for the added pop you'll be disappointed.

BBCOR Certification makes this
bat bounce like Wood.

The catch-22 is that if composite bats at the little league level do show a marked propensity to increase batted ball speed compared to their aluminum counterparts then its more likey little league will move to ban them.

Conclusions

For little league, those who should consider purchasing composite barrel bats are those who (1) play a lot of baseball (maybe 75 to 100+ plate appearances a year), (2) those who already hit the ball pretty well and (3) those who intend to play for as long as possible.

If your player is in little league and you don't meet all those requirements I'd save the extra $100+ and put it towards a great glove or the mortgage payment. As well, there are plenty of aluminum barreled bats on the market with plenty of suave.

If you feel like you are right on the cusp of the composite bat craze but not quite there, I'd go for a two-piece aluminum handle composite barrel combo bat. Some models have really caught on among the little league ranks: DeMarini's Vexxum and Louisville Slugger's Vortex.

If you are not quite sure on any of it I'd go with aluminum. Better to start there and get a feel for it. It's always much more satisfying to spend money to upgrade then to spend money to downgrade.

Now that you've decided on a legal bat, with either a two or one-piece design as well as the type of material you want you are well on your way to making a decision. Just one more step: Finding the Right Swing Weight.

Next: Step #5 Finding the right swing weight

Previous: Step #3 To Piece or Not Two Piece

Aluminum, Composite, Wood explained

You have four options when it comes to bat material: Aluminum Alloy, Composite, Composite/Aluminum combo and Wood.

Aluminum

An aluminum alloy is an aluminum based metal with different additives to allow for more durable and thinner bat walls. Most aluminum bats began, some 30 years ago, in a 7046 Aircraft Aluminum. The Aluminum was strong but heavy. Since then, after the invention of an even better Alloy called 7050 Aluminum, most major bat companies have created their own special blend by adding proprietary portions of, among other things, zinc, copper and magnesium and scandium. They name these special blends with catchy titles like X10 or THT Scandium Alloy. These companies continue to produce the older 7050 and 7046 alloys bats at a lower cost while their feature bats are the 'special blends'.

Higher quality and stronger aluminum alloys allow for thinner bat walls. Thinner walls allow for more control over the bat's weight distribution as well as increases in trampoline effect. Among the newer high end aluminum, with each company's special blend, it is very unlikely there is a superior alloy.

Composite

Composite bats use the same aluminum shell as aluminum bats but have woven graphite on the inside. These graphite fibers can be sorted and pointed or thinned to help control swing weight, trampoline effect, flex and sting dampening. Because of these benefits (especially the trampoline effect) composite bats are highly regulated in little league, highschool and college play. Composite bats also tend to cost more than aluminum bats.

Wood

As of this writing wood bats are making a serious run. The newer BBCOR rules, which force highschool and college aluminum and composite bats to mimic wood bats in trampoline effect, force the consumer to consider wood bats. If there is no longer any benefit to swinging an aluminum or composite bat, they should ask, why not put on the big boy pants and swing a wood bat?

Wood bats do break easier than either aluminum or composite and going through four or five bats in a season might make you question your budget, but there is absolutely nothing like dropping a big bomb with a maple stick. And only the dead don't like the smell of pine tar on a summer afternoon. Plus, swinging a wood bat is cool.

2013 DeMarini CF5 Youth Baseball Bat DXCFL-LE vs 2013 Easton XL3 YB13X3

DeMarini CF5 Youth Baseball Bat DXCFL-LE and Easton XL3 YB13X3 were two feature bats in the 2 1/4 barrel of 2013. Both are a drop 11 bat. How do they compare to each other? Let's take a look.

The most obvious difference between the two is the XL3 is a one-piece aluminum bat and the CF5 is a two piece composite bat. (You can read more about the  two piece/one piece debate here and composite/aluminum debate here.) But let's look at the bat's metrics on paper and help you in your buying decision.

Better Design? I vote the CF5. But the XL3
does look pretty smooth.

Balance Point

18 3/4 inches from knob - Demarini

18 1/2 inches from knob - XL3

Total Actual Weight

22.10 oz - Demarini

20.45 oz - XL3

MOI Calculated at Knob

7213  - XL3

7388 - CF5

I am surprised at how much the CF5 weighs compared to its stated weight. I know many two-piece composite bats are weighted without their handle or end cap--its just a barrel measurement. However, I have received bats before that have been mis-weighed/printed. The fact it is 2oz off makes me wonder....

Assuming the CF5 isn't misidentified at the factory (and I'd guess it was not) then the results are surprising. The swing weights (or MOI's) of the XL3 and the CF5 are virtually identical  (less than 3% different at the knob) at the same stated length (31 inches). If we are going to call the XL3 a 'heavy swing' that is endloaded then we better start calling the CF5 the same.

There is no fair answer as to what bat is better. They are both high end bats from well known companies. Based on the above valuation we can know that swing weight from one to the other should NOT be an issue. If you are trying to decide between these two then it will come down to your preference of composite two-piece and a aluminum one-piece. I'd suspect most folks, assuming the prices were the same, would take the CF5 simply because it has a higher retail value (because it is composite), but the fact its more expensive is never a reason to buy something.

Post Script 1:

Anyone at home have a CF5 2 1/4 31 inch they want to weigh? I'd love to confirm it is 2oz+ the identified weight.

Post Script 2:

Clearly the more common comparison will be the XL1 vs the CF5. One day I'll compare those.