I have always been swinging a balanced 26 or 27oz bat. most of my hits are to right center and right field as a right handed hitter. Some have told me that I would probably really like a end loaded bat???
I am 67 and once in a while, the ball goes out on a 300' fence. Any feedback would be appreciated.
Would like to buy a new bat and am leaning toward a Dudley.
If you want to try an end loaded bat and you have been swinging a balanced bat I would suggest a bat with a modest end load. The Dudley and the Reebok end loads are heavy as is the Miken "Big Cat". If you know someone with a Miken Black Max load give that a try. The Miken Black Max load bat replaced last years red & white Miken Max load. Unlike previous years, this years balanced Miken senior bat is red & white.. Good luck.
If you like to swing an end loaded bat try the Nightmare, $139
Adidas Melee is only a 1/2 Oz endload. Hottest bat on the market by far!
Thank you guys. What I am hoping to find out is an opinion as to if an end loaded would be more beneficial for a right handed batter that hits, primarily, to the right side???
I'm not really sure which bat property is best for going to the opposite field.
But it's likely that you will be the best judge of that.
One question you may already have an opinion on .......
In which situations do you prefer your 27 balanced over the 26 balanced?
IMO, the biggest differences between balanced and endloaded bats from any particular manufacturer is that the endloaded bat with behaved like a balanced bat that is approx 1 ounce heavier.
Even though they may be the same weight, the weight distribution in the endloaded version will increase the moment of inertia relative to the balanced version. The endloaded bat will likely have more "pop" than the balanced if you can swing them the same speed. However, most folks will suffer some loss in bat speed when they swing a bat with increased MOI.
Individual mileage will vary.
Your ability to maintain batspeed will probably be the deciding factor when choosing an endloaded flavor that is same weight as your current balanced bat or just a balanced bat that is a bit heavier.
Regards,
Bill
Crew,
Based on your comments I would stay with a balanced bat. That is what you are used to and have developed muscle memory with the balanced. The weight is truly based on what you feel like you can get the bat around the fastest. As Dave out of San Antonio would say, "Stick with one bat weight and one type of bat" "Buy two of them, break one in and put it away for tourneys and use the other for BP".
PS, watch Seniorsoftballbatreviews.com
Dave has reviewed both the Dudley and the Adidas Melee, which both have a balanced version.
