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Online now: 2 members: Metoy16, TABLE SETTER 11; 188 anonymousDiscussion: Mikens New Ultra II Black debuts.....
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| Oct. 17, 2015 Tri18 352 posts | Mikens New Ultra II Black debuts..... Mikens new Ultra is slowly making it's way around the country and receiving rave reviews. Miken is slowly catching up on production and I'm guessing there should be a more regular supply in 3-4 weeks. The demand after Vegas has been high so they are steadily producing and shipping in an attempt to catch up. It was a lot of fun watching guys peeling the wrappers off in Vegas and seeing them knocking balls all over the place! Any questions get with me at 561-718-7504. Alan Tanner Team 1 Sports |
| Oct. 17, 2015 DieselDan Men's 75 601 posts | Could you give us your thoughts Tri18 on some concerns mentioned in the "Bat Weights" thread. |
| Oct. 17, 2015 Tri18 352 posts | Diesel, Great topic....pretty much every bat company has differences in finished bat weight versus what it's marked. Usually it's plus or minus .4 ounces or less which GENERALLY speaking can be adapted to by most players. If you are one of those players that thinks or needs a certain tolerance level in weight here is my suggestion and what I now do for players. When they call and voice a specific weight tolerance I literally will weigh each bat in my inventory to get the one within their requested weight range and ship it to them. This way they are happy and their mind is comforted with what they have in their hands. I feel after extensive testing this new Miken bat lineup is certainly the best all around senior package out there but,,,,, As I have stated many times after studying thousands of hitters and supplying tens of thousands of bats: 1. Choose a TOP TIER bat that feels good in YOUR hands and you will most likely have your best chance of continued success with it. 2. No one bat fits EVERY player. 3. Hitting is 50% mental, 50 % physical and the rest most definitely mental. (My best attempt at a RIP Yogiism) 4. Some players require more mental than physical and you most likely know who they are.... AT18 Team 1 Sports |
| Oct. 17, 2015 FOFO Men's 60 284 posts | They had all three models for sale at the Huntsman games. |
| Oct. 24, 2015 17Black Men's 60 414 posts | Tri18, I see you are playing in Ft Myers, are you bringing any bats with you??? |
| Oct. 24, 2015 Tri18 352 posts | I will be there for sure. I am awaiting Miken to let me know for sure as they are working out details with SSUSA out of respect for them I must have their approval. And then there is the inventory issue....some models/weights are still a bit scarce but each day is getting a bit better on the production line. If you want something specifically, it's best to check with me first so I can do my best to get my hands on them for you. I may have some demo models there too... AT18 Team1Sports 561-718-7504 |
| Oct. 25, 2015 Lefty Men's 75 721 posts | I have 400 swings on my 28 oz and 27oz Big Cats. They hit for distance as far as last years Big Cat with a much larger sweet spot with durability. Thanks Alan for putting the video out on the new Max load. |
| Oct. 26, 2015 maurice 9 posts | Miken still seems to be the bat of choice for most players. Have you ever done a poll to see the preferred bat and see if it differs by age group or level of play? |
| Oct. 27, 2015 LeeLee50 140 posts | Not sure what part of the country you are playing in but in the west and ages 40-60 the Dudley is the bat of choice. |
| Oct. 27, 2015 B94 Men's 50 138 posts | I was quite surprised that there was no one selling the new Mikens at BLD this past weekend. Dudley was there and there was someone selling Eastons, however, there was no Miken representation at all... |
| Oct. 27, 2015 OZ40 549 posts | Is the Ultra II Black replacing the 2-piece White Miken Ultra II. The white has been the best performing senior bat for me. If it replacing the white, what are the differences if any? |
| Oct. 27, 2015 Gorilla Boy Men's 50 271 posts | OZ40, this year the White Ultra 2 Black model bat is the balanced model. The Black with Green Lettering is the Max Load-1/2 oz endload. My Big Cat is 1 oz Supermax endload. That bat is black and gold. As far as differences in the bats, there is none as far as the shells go. The walls are constructed the same on all 3 bats. That is a fact. It is the weight at the end of the bat that makes the bats different from one another. The endload is the diffrence with the rod in the handle for the counter balance to give you your swing weights. I just finally hit some balls like I use to today and there is no better feeling than connecting on a long one. I have been sidelined for almost teo years now and today I finally hit some softballs the right way. The way the ball came off of my bat today I am really pleased with the performance of this bat. It also has a distinct sound compared to the last Ultra 2 2 Piece bats. Great job Miken's Research and Developement Dept. Mighty Mike Macenko aka: Gorilla Boy |
| Oct. 28, 2015 OZ40 549 posts | Big Mike, thanks for the information. I've met you on several occasions back in the day (usually when you were in the Major Last Chance tournament at Liberty Park in Michigan, we even once talked about fishing. Back in the late 80's our team was near Cleveland in a "C" tournament and you took time out of your schedule to give our team some hitting tips. I will never forget that. I remember the Homerun Derby at old Tiger Stadium in Detroit when you cleared the right field roof. Good times. Glad to hear you're back to hitting it, best of luck to you. |
| Oct. 28, 2015 Gorilla Boy Men's 50 271 posts | OZ, thank you very much. It is funny. I have been on the wounded list for the past 2 years. Finally getting that spirit that softball can put on you. Glad I was able to help back in the day and help now. Have any other questions just give me a shout. Thanks Mighty mike Macenko |
| Nov. 28, 2015 Tri18 352 posts | So the 3 different models of Mikens new Ultra II Black have been out for a couple months or so and....the reports across the board show us what my testing showed..: a very high performance and durable senior bat in a variety of weight distributions. Mikens engineers go these bats done correctly and have set a new standard in the senior bat market. The good news now is that Miken has caught up at the production line and we have all sizes readily available to us. Get with me with any questions. Alan Tanner Team 1 Sports Tricoach18@att.net |
| Nov. 28, 2015 Tim Millette 615 posts | My view on all things Miken is... I have already spent alot of money to Miken when they were the top bat that broke so easily...and... honestly it didn't seem like Miken cared one bit that thier bats were not durable as long as we kept buying them...their lack of care about customer satisfaction is without debate. Was that a good business decision ? Maybe for the short term bottom line ...but only for the time they had the best bat.. Now that there are other bats as good or better with durability...my money will be going to some bat company that didn't abuse me as I believe Miken has in the past... |
| Nov. 28, 2015 DOERBAUM Men's 55 86 posts | Gee Tim, is there anyone or any company in senior softball that hasn't slighted,offended, given you a raw deal, or hurt your little girly man sensibilities in some way ??? You need to find another sport. May I suggest hopscotch. Perhaps tiddlywinks?? |
| Nov. 28, 2015 Slap hitter 28 posts | Doerbaum--I thought the same thing...My guess is, he joins a 50 Major team and takes them ALL down to the 50 AAA. |
| Nov. 29, 2015 OZ40 549 posts | Is it true that the first production runs of a new model bat are a bit hotter than secondary runs? |
| Nov. 29, 2015 DOERBAUM Men's 55 86 posts | Slap Hitter - i'm sure he would drag any team down a level (or two) just by showing up. I broke the first Miken senior bat i bought in 40 swings. broke the senior freak black in under 100. still didn't bad mouth miken. just went out to find a better alternative. found dudley and have used them for the last year. Bought a new miken two weeks ago because they seem to have figured out the durability issue. I just don't understand the whiny butt attitude from a grown man..... |
| Nov. 29, 2015 Tri18 352 posts | Oz, I have sent hundreds of them around the country from various points of production runs. I have also personally hit bunches of the different models at different times. I haven't had anything reported to me note I have I experienced any major differences in performance in any of these bats. I did have one that took me an extra 50-60 swings to get it hot but otherwise, we have seen very consistent performance throughout these bats lives. Additionally, we have only seen 1 or 2 "early failures" that happened around 400-500 swings. Remember when we dreamed of getting 400-500 swings out of a hot senior bat? , lol Alan Tanner Team 1 Sports |
| Nov. 29, 2015 Slap hitter 28 posts | Doerbaum - He is a cancer to a team. I'm soooo glad I don't have to be around a guy like him. I know a few guys on that team that I thought would have stepped up by now....Maybe they have tried...Maybe not...Maybe I misjudged. I know I would have! As for the bat / bats...I'm going on year four with my Reebok, nice and hot right now, love the sound. You see, when you don't swing has hard as you can EVERY time, they last 4-5 years. Lol! Hey, I feel your pain...Those things are expensive! At least in Florida, no state tax. Lol |
| Nov. 29, 2015 DOERBAUM Men's 55 86 posts | 4 years !!! I'm happy as a clam to get 4 months out of a bat! Got spoiled when I was younger and didn't have to pay for most of my bats. Just another reason it sucks to get old....lol. |
| Nov. 29, 2015 Tim Millette 615 posts | Gary Springer...is it possible to explain how a 50 major plus ranked player is able to be added to cornerstones 50 major roster right before worlds as a "legal" add? It's amazing that you can play so often on this board and not be able to find a rule that shows you were not an illegal add for cornerstone at this years 60 major worlds. As for hating being around a guy like me...that would be because I would tell you the truth....IT WAS/IS AGAINST THE WRITTEN SSUSA RULES for you to be added to Cornerstones roster...that's why cat and all the rest of cornerstone are scared to post on this site...they know I am telling the truth. Maybe your just more comfortable hanging around softball guys that hqve steroided up for softball, swung altered bats, or cheat on roster adds... Yah...if that's what your looking for...I can understand you not wanting to hang around me. As to DOERBALM... It's easy...as long as there is another bat manufacturer with a bat even close to the Mikens I will support a company that's didn't show me they didn't care about customer satisfaction...again...as far as I am concerned...a Miken manufactured bat is a bat of last resort. |
| Nov. 29, 2015 DOERBAUM Men's 55 86 posts | Tim, at least bitch with proper English. |
| Nov. 29, 2015 TheCat43 Men's 55 26 posts | Tim: The Cat fears nothing. I have not posted because you're still beating the same tired drum nearly two months later. While there is a degree of truth to what you say, you are still spinning it... over... and over... and over... and over... and over... SSUSA used its discretionary powers when it considered each player within the "intent" of the current rules. I sleep well knowing that there was no "intentional" wrong doing by anyone. It's been fairly adjudicated. Change the rules if you can, but stop irritating everyone. Hey, were is the Message Board Restraining Order Section? How much does it cost? Who do I hire to serve it??? How long will it take??? |
| Nov. 29, 2015 TheCat43 Men's 55 26 posts | OOPS! Another hijacked thread. Sorry for my part - I got sucked in. I'll try to make it up with an applicable post: I bought two of the new balanced Mikens just before the 50 Worlds. I only took about 50 swings in batting practice there. I also tried a few swings with it at the Huntsman. They swing nicely, but it will take me awhile to get it going because I try to emulate my hero Slappy as I don't swing hard very often. I did hit the small sweet spot a couple of times, and it worked pretty well. In summary, I have yet to see it truly pop, but I am optimistic that it will break-in well and last a long time. It seems to have potential if the sweet spot will grow. |
| Nov. 30, 2015 Turbo 34 Men's 50 47 posts | I will say that I agree with Tim about Miken having bad customer service in the early days of the Ultra and Ultra II bats. I called Miken and got a return number for a busted Ultra II that had a warranty and valid receipt. When the bat was being processed they declined it because the warranty ran out after I got my return number. It was shipped with a good warranty but after they got around to processing the bat the warranty ran out. I talked with the rep and he said it was their policy to decline any bat with no warranty. Miken was head and shoulders ahead of all other composite bats at that time (2002) so they just screwed me over. I havenever bought another new Miken. I've only swung the Melee and the Dudley since playing 50+ four years ago. Screw me once shame on you. They will never get another chance so there will be no shame on me! |
| Nov. 30, 2015 OZ40 549 posts | There are a million stories in the Naked City, this is another one: Speaking for myself and my experiences with Miken they have been top-notch in all my dealings with them, not just bats and they have exchanged senior bats for me but also with their apparel. The turn around time has been good and they were friendly. If you want to talk shoddy, rude customer service let's talk Boombah shoes in another thread. |
| Nov. 30, 2015 Turbo 34 Men's 50 47 posts | I'm sure because of the competition they are much better today. I've never had the first problem with Boombah! Best shoes I've ever worn. |
| Nov. 30, 2015 OZ40 549 posts | Turbo I'm glad you've had good luck with them, mine fell apart after 2 1\2 months. I used my 4 year old 3N2's until my new 3N2's arrived. |
| Nov. 30, 2015 bkb555 301 posts | I have the new balanced Miken Ultra2....it swings EXACTLY like my Miken DC41 and Miken 4 the Fallen.....although mine has 100 hits on it, it doesn't feel like my Reebok Melee or Dudley Balanced... I know with my U trip mikens, it took a bit to break in those bats but once they did...POW.....I still have to take more live hits with the Miken to be convinced it outperforms my other two senior bats but as of now, it feels good.....I will bring all 3 to Spring Training to really give it the acid test.....apples to apples I always say....may the best bat win |
| Dec. 19, 2015 Wayne 37 Men's 65 773 posts | Question? Are there now three new Miken two piece bats on the market. One balanced. One end load (how many ozs.). One max load (3 ozs.) |
| Dec. 19, 2015 OZ40 549 posts | Wayne, as stated above: this year the White Ultra 2 Black model bat is the balanced model. The Black with Green Lettering is the Max Load-1/2 oz endload. My Big Cat is 1 oz Supermax endload. That bat is black and gold. As far as differences in the bats, there is none as far as the shells go. The walls are constructed the same on all 3 bats. That is a fact. It is the weight at the end of the bat that makes the bats different from one another. The endload is the diffrence with the rod in the handle for the counter balance to give you your swing weights. |
| Dec. 20, 2015 maurice 9 posts | I swung the big cat the other day and it still seems to me that miken is the bat of choice. Big sweet spot. |
| Dec. 20, 2015 Wayne 37 Men's 65 773 posts | OZ40, I don't usually peruse each and every post because the software is so antiquated you can read the same posts over and over until you get to the one you want to really read Question. Is the red Mikan a 3 oz. end load? I don't recall. FYI~ I have a Dudley 1/2 oz. end load, but have found the sweet spot extremely small. I bought a Dudley balanced late in the season and it seems somewhat better than the balanced Mikan Ultra II. I have found it somewhat difficult to compare bats when I have to play with different brands or compression balls. I haven't been the picture of health lately, so my swing hasn't been really consistent. Hard to tell when you can only swing using your upper body for the most part. Everybody have a Happy Kwanzchristmakkah. Yeah, I said it! |
| Dec. 21, 2015 Gorilla Boy Men's 50 271 posts | OZ40 is right on with the weighting system. The Balance has 0 polyurethane in the end cap. The Maxload is 1/2 oz and Big Cat is 1 oz. Let me explain something here. Even if it is a balanced bat there is still some additional weight at the ends of the bats. This additional weight is to help with the insertion of the end caps. The way the end caps are done is exclusive. But there is some weight in the end of the bat. I have notice that the end caps are not coming out like they use to every now and then. There is some additional polyurethane in all of the bats to help with securing the end caps. The rods in the handle will offset the end weight so that the bat will swing like a balanced, 1/2 oz. or 1 oz. feel. I hope this will help. I do know that you can find the original red Miken Ultra 2 for seniors at Direct Sports. This is an exclusive Miken has with them. Mighty Mike Macenko aka: Gorilla Boy |
| Dec. 21, 2015 DBurke23 Men's 50 22 posts | In theory - wouldn't the end load ( and especially the max end load ) decrease the "hitting zone " and the trampoline effect? A teammate of mine cut his bat open after he cracked it and he said the polyurethane that Gorilla Boy is talking about was 2 1/2 inches from the end of the bat. If this is true it would certainly decrease both the hitting zone AND the trampoline effect. Has anybody cut one to verify? Any specs from bat companies? |
| Dec. 22, 2015 OZ40 549 posts | DBurke,I don't think so, here's why: No bat will ever have a portion of the sweet spot 2 1/2inches south of the barrel end, it's not possible because of the rigidity of the area. Trampoline effect needs two types of energy generated. First the area needs to be compressed upon contact with the ball and then that compressed or stored energy needs to be imparted to the ball as it "trampolines" from the barrel which is rebounding back to it's original shape. If you grab a stick and bend it it will bend and flex much more in the middle than near the end, it's the same principal. That's why probably 95% of bats break somewhere near the sweet spot because that's where the most flex or "trampoline" is generated. |
| Dec. 22, 2015 jfsully 82 posts | Sweet spot studies : http://www.acs.psu.edu/drussell/bats/sweetspot.html http://www.acs.psu.edu/drussell/bats/cop.html |
| Dec. 22, 2015 DBurke23 Men's 50 22 posts | OZ40 I think you misinterpreted my point. I don't think sweet spot is 2 1/2 inches from end. I think having 2 1/2 inches of polyurethane makes hitting zone smaller. If you have less hitting zone does that have any bearing on the trampoline effect? I would think sweet spot is dead center of the 2 most rigid points - those being point where barrel starts and end cap. If you shorten that distance does it affect trampoline effect? |
| Dec. 22, 2015 bkb555 301 posts | I have used the Utrip versions of Miken's endload and balanced bats (DC-41 and 4 the Fallen).....my observations are, they both have good pop after a 150-200 swing break in period.....the end load had MORE pop compared to the balanced BUT, it had more swings on it, thus better broken in barrel.....now to the "balanced vs. end load" question.....I noticed that as the season progressed and I got worn down from the long summer, my swing was a bit slower getting around....I switched to a BALANCED version of the same bat minus the 1 ounce endload and Voila, my hitting and swing returned to "normal"...I attributed this to an "easier" swinging bat and not having to lug that extra 1 ounce through the hitting zone at precisely the right time....I know it seems minute for that bit of weight but FOR ME, that was my observation.....endload has more momentum through the zone but bat speed is probably less compared to a balanced bat.....maybe this can help someone, it did for me |
| Dec. 23, 2015 OZ40 549 posts | That extra poly on the inside of the barrel at most may add to the stiffness of the bat until it's broken in. If the poly were uniformly spread and considerable in mass it may slightly shift the location of the sweet spot a bit further down the barrel. If the extra poly was just a few runny streams it really wouldn't affect the bats performance. |
| Dec. 24, 2015 Italian Bulldog 2 posts | Fellows AT18 is wright! I Like what I've seen and heard about the new Miken Seniors. Things are looking good for them this year. IM 757-639-5161 |
