ASA Bat Reviews

2018 Monsta DNA Mutated  – What can I say about this bat that wasn’t answered with the War on the Shore? Since my tester is USSSA only I could not test the bat and give any accurate readings.  What I can say is that this 12 1/2 barrel bat is a absolute BEAST for hitting ASA balls.  In this test I used the ASA .52/300 Tattoo spinner balls.   First I did the usual tunnel testing and hit even a few off the T.  Since I normally swing a Monsta Torch I was thrown off a bit by the .5 weight difference.  Surprisingly the 27.5 did not feel as smooth as the 27 Militia I have.  However, after a few swings I began to get a feel for it.

The bat comes in a nice bag without the handle tape applied.  This is a nice touch as you can see your name and handle model, and if you don’t like stock tape you don’t have to cut it off.  Monsta provides a unique configuration that allows you (the buyer) to specify the handle type.  The 2500 (whippy), the 3500 (stiff) and the 4500 (super stiff) allow the bat to be comfort fitted for the player.  I have two models that I’ve tested.  One was configured as a 27.5 with a 2500 handle the other was a 27.5 with a 3500 handle.

After a scant 50 swings the bat began to feel much better.  By 100 swings I was really starting to drive the ball.  So we moved outside to do some real distance testing.  The bats were really starting to loosen up at this point as the FIB (floating inner barrel) was now starting to slide better.  Another 100 swings and I was digging it.  This bat is different from the Torch…not in construction so much as the weighting changes the “feel” of the bat.  It does however, REALLY smash the 52/300 ball.  In the outdoor test we switched to hitting the .52/300 NX3 Tattoo ball (with some standard .52/300 Tattoos thrown in for comparison).

Final Thought: This bat is MADE to hit this ball a country mile.  With my Torch prefer the 3500 handle but with the DNA Mutated I found the 2500 handle more to my liking.  Overall this bat is one of the best made PERIOD for hitting the 52 core balls.

2018 Easton Ghost – I’m not sure what they’ve put in the water over at Easton, but this is the year of Easton, because they’ve come out swinging.  The new ASA Ghost is no exception.  If you’ve swung the Easton Fire Flex then you’ve got a good idea what this bat feels like.  With a 13 1/2″ barrel the sweet spot is massive.  The bat itself is not marked as having an endload and for the life of me, I didn’t notice if it was missing (a quick web search indicates that it’s balanced).  The ball flat out JUMPS off this bat.

The first time I unwrapped this bat at a League night I hit back to back dingers.  I loved the thin handle tape, which provided good grip without added thickness.

In the tunnels I had no problem judging the bat to be a launcher.  This bat felt great and with each swing I was more impressed with what Easton has accomplished.  To get a solid ASA bat is not as easy as you’d think.  The fact is that Demarini with the Linear compression technology changed the bat game a few years back follow by Monsta and the FIB and now Easton has done it with the dual barrel technology.  Easton uses a double wall technology to achieve a better  flex and the lowest allowable (750 PSI) compression rating.

When we moved outside I noticed that I could easily hit gaps as well as blow the ball out.  The lack of an end load did affect my ability to pull the ball some, as I didn’t hit many to Left Field.

Final Thought : For those (like me) that play different associations this bat provided me with a quick transition from USSSA to ASA with little effort.  The bat’s big sweet spot, light swing weight, and double wall technology make it a true hammer.  A must have for any serious ASA ball player.

2018 ASA Worth Legit Ryan Harvey XL –  This bat is the ASA version of Ryan Havey’s Worth Legit.  I loved this bat.  The XL refers to having a .5 oz end load.  Again with no ASA dial for my tester I could not determine compression and/or loss of compression after testing.  Like the USSSA model this bat is a 13 1/2 barrel.  It boasts a massive sweet spot and felt almost identical to my USSSA model.

The 52/300 ASA Spinner balls came off the bat well in the initial testing the tunnel. The first 100 balls took nothing to get used to.  The 27 oz model I tested was slightly used when I got my hands on it (the owner claimed 25 cuts) and the more I swung it the more I really liked the feel.  This is definitely a bat that a casual ball player can swing.  In typical Worth fashion the bat has a nice mid load feel (although it claims to be XL for max load) and swings very clean and it’s easy smash the ball.

Once we went outside and continued hitting it was more of the same. The bat has plenty of pop and you can hit the ball out with it, but the handle felt a bit to stiff for me.  It was a great bat for spraying the ball around as the stiffness of the handle made it easy to judge where the bat head was going to wind up.

Final Thought : Overall this is a great bat for ASA and an excellent choice for the casual ball player as it doesn’t require hours to get comfortable with it.

Bat Reviews Continued

2018 Louisville Slugger Jeff Hall Z1000 – This bat was one that originally I didn’t think I would like it.  Ease of use is not out of the gate… by that I mean, that unlike many of the other bats I tested this bat took some rounds of BP to get comfortable with…but once I had a feel for it, it was golden.   This bat tested at a shocking 300 in the plastic.  I took 2 rounds of 100 balls (Tattoo NX3 Spinner 40/325) and at the end of the second round I finally started to get a feel for the bat.  The weight distribution feels very good, but to my surprise the extra .5 oz took some adjustment.  The bat has a half ounce end load and swings light for a 27.5.  On the scale with the handle tape on she weights 27.7 oz.

After the first two rounds I tested the bat again, and she was still hovering around 300.  The next 100 balls (also 40/325) flew by.  By the middle of the round I was really getting the swing dialed in.  Like the original Z1000 this bat has a decent sweet spot (not huge but good sized), but what I did notice was that it was almost natural to cut the ball with this bat.  The more I swung it the more I found myself cutting the ball, and it was easy to do.  Testing again and we’re down to the 250 mark but now she’s REALLY starting to break loose.

I was running late so we took it with us to a game, and some of my buddies asked to use it.  Both immediately were crushing the ball, so much so that after hitting homeruns over our limit the bat was tested another 3 times…and still clocked in at 250.

Final thought :  This bat is definitely hot.  To me it took work to adjust from a Worth or Easton, but for others they picked it up and just started crushing the ball.  This bat is competitive.  TPS will turn heads this year for sure.  In previous years the bat has simply not been at the level of the competition but now, the numbers on the tester may not say it is, but this bat is on point.  Best Z to come out in the past 4 years.  Go get you some!

2018 Pure Integrity –  This bat was a conundrum… I do not like 1 piece bats since making the change to two piece bats 6 or 7 years ago…that being said.. Surprise!!! Unfortunately I did not get this bat new and actually borrowed it (they aren’t the easiest to get your hands on right now) so I couldn’t test it in the plastic.  I tested it with some league hits on it, no BP and it tested at 245.  I have been warned that this bat would get super hot very fast, so I didn’t tempt fate by using 40/325 balls.  Instead we use the NX3 52/300 Spinners.

Just a scant 50 balls in and this bat was REALLY breaking loose.  The stiffness in the handle was not reflected as the barrel was just stupid hot.  Sweet spot is not the biggest but it my well be the only non-senior bat I’d use for the senior circuit.  This bat immediately brought to mind the original Ultra or Ultra II.   It was that hot.  After hitting 100 balls I tested it again…fluttering at 225-230…  and it felt like it was going to bust with every swing.  When you hit it on the sweet spot its absolute money, even when you miss the ball comes off hard.

Final Thought : While I do think this bat is a missile launcher I can’t see it lasting very long.  I suspect that another 100 balls and we’d be below the 220 mark.  It’s everything you’ll want in bat…except it’s not going to be legal for very long if you take much (or any) BP with it.  The good news is that it’s not a complicated bat and it’s easy to get a feel for.  A dozen swings and you’ll have it down.  The Good : Unreal performance.  Borders on being a Senior bat.  The Bad : Can’t see this bat staying at 220 for very long.  Overall for those who play some league and the occasional tournament this bat is definitely for you.  Get your hands on one and start hitting scuds.  Make sure you keep the reciept though… because it’s not a matter of IF you’ll need it, but rather WHEN.

Bat Reviews – Continued

As promised the Bat Reviews continue.

2018 – Twisted Mistress – Another Demarini bat, right?  Not so fast my friend another 2-piece bat designed using Demarini’s Advanced Performance Composite (APC) barrel.  It also comes with the ZnX Alloy Handle.  This bat tested at 375 in the plastic…but don’t let that number fool you.  This 12″ barrel doesn’t take much to shake loose.  Since it tested so high I decided to start with the Tatoo NX3 Spinner .40/325 Classic Ms.  One round…One ROUND and she was ready…  The ply (composite layers) technology that Demarini uses is quite impressive.  The bat got hot F-A-S-T.   You’d think a bat that tests at 375 would be stiff…and it was…for about 10 hits.  Then it started to heat up.  By the end of the round (108 balls later) it was testing at 270.  I switched to the NX3 .52/300 spinners for the next two rounds.  The sweet spot was a bit further up the barrel from what I expected but overall it was a good experience.  This bat does have bigger sweet spot than the New Breed for sure..but that could also be the nature of the end load.  If you hit it…it will go..if you miss it..head to the dug out.

Final thought :  This bat also has that distinctive Demarini  feel to it. Unlike the New Breed however, this bat “felt” better.  The end load felt better (and from what I’ve been told that New Breed was supposed to be more of mid-load than end load anyway) and your hands come through the zone quicker with this one.  Mine hit 250 by the end of the 3rd round, and I suspect will continue to drop with more BP.   The unique thing about this bat is that you can go on the Demarini website and customize it. http://www.demarini.com/custom/slowpitch/model pick your paint color and finish, handle color, grip tape and even the end cap and knob design.

2018 – Juggy (DB44) – This update from last years Juggy is worth the wait.  Demarini again used there ply technology to produce a bat that tested at 400 in the plastic, yet immediately felt like it was hot.  I also hit the Tattoo NX3 Spinner .40/325 balls to get this bat broken in.  The surprise to me was that it felt hot even after testing it at 400.  At the end of the round this bat still tested high (320) but didn’t “feel” like it was at 320.  The ball was jumping off the bat.  So I continue to hit the .40/325 for another round.  The result was another drop in compression, though not as significant as the first round to test at 280.  However, the bat was really starting to feel good.  At this point I switched to the .52/300 for a round.  To my surprise the balls continued to come off just as hard as the .40/325.  Final test put the at at 265 (ish).

This bat also felt “whippy”.  For those of you that have swung a Juggy you’ll know what I mean.  With a composite handle the “whip” from this bat is insane. The sweet spot on this bat took some time to find, because you had to get the feel for where the bat head was.  Also a 12″ barrel construction this bat uses what Demarini calls a “Stacked Double Wall Construction”, and like last years model, is one of the BEST bats to use in the heat.  Being from Texas, it gets HOT down here and with the DB44 performance doesn’t fall off in the heat.   This bat is not for the faint of heart.  Takes some work to get used to it.  The whip puts the bat head back behind your hands in many cases.  It’s a massive risk/reward scenario.  Master it and you can blast the ball at will, but until you do, you’ll feel off while hitting it.

Final thought :  This 12″ barrel does not feel like the other Demarinis. Unlike the New Breed or Twisted Mistress this bat has a completely unique “Juggy” feel to it. Overall my impression of this bat was one that if you master it (as Dale has) you will be surprised at how much control and velocity you can achieve with it.  It is NOT a bat to use at game time if you haven’t hit it before, and it’s not one for beginners.  This bat will take some work, but in the end it’ll be well worth it.

2018 – Miken Psycho (Brandon Dillon)  – Another Long Barrel Bat.  This one is listed as a 14″ barrel.  On the tester this bat starts out at 270.  The first thing I noticed was that this bat didn’t feel like a typical long barrel with a mid load feel.  The 26.5 I got my hands on felt a bit weighty in the end.   If your accustom to a 27 then you may want to pick up the 26.5 instead of the 27.5 given the way this bats end load felt.  With it’s lower tester rating I only hit a few of the Tattoo NX3 .40/325 before switching to the .52/300s.

This bat is MADE for the new players.  They can grab this bat and hit shots right out of the plastic.  It’s a great all purpose bat.  Now let me clarify, when I say made for the new players I don’t mean ONLY new players.  I mean that it’s ease of use makes it ideal for a new player just coming up OR a pro who’s been at it for years.  The bat I tested did have a small problem with the paint cracks at the bottom of the barrel, which is no doubt a result of the whip produced by barrel with the heavy end load.  Miken says the Max Load is .5 oz but this particular one felt heavier than that.  This 26.5 swung like a 27 (to me).

Final thought : Good all purpose bat.  The heavy end load makes it ideal for guys with less power to generate more hand speed and hit harder/deeper shots.  With the big barrel you have a massive sweet spot and it’s much easier to hit the ball harder.  If i have a knock on this bat it at times did feel “stiff” because the long barrel didn’t seem to lend itself to having such a heavy end load.

Still to Come… the Jeff Hall Z1000 and the Worth Legit (Dedonatis), and the Easton OA Connell