All Out Cricket's Discussion of the Week - How much would you pay for a cricket bat?

Today on All Out Cricket we've reviewed some rather lovely M&H equipment:

http://www.alloutcricket.com/player/gear/gear-on-test-sets-on-fire-part-two

Although if Facebook fan Wayne Hewison is anything to go by not everyone is willing to shell out £350 for a new bat:

https://www.facebook.com/alloutcricket

"Don't like the pads at all. Not keen on the gloves. And the bat is out of most peoples price range. I will stick with Gray Nicolls, as THEY are unpretentious, and cater to players of every budget."

How much are you prepared to pay for your cricket equipment? Which manufacturers offer the most value for money?

I haven't actually played competitive cricket in a while, but for me, not a great deal as my batting leaves a lot to be desired!!

Usually go for somewhere around the £150 mark, as it only faces an average of about 8 balls per innings, meaning that over-use is never an issue!!

I want it to be something that sixes can be hit with, particularly given that my last involvement in competitive cricket was in a T20 league, so a decent middle is obviously required.

Likewise, with the rest of the gear I always tend to get the mid-range stuff. I've never liked having the budget gear, but at the same time will never pay for the top range stuff as it is rarely used and wholly unneccesary at the speeds I'm facing.

My current bat is a Grays bat and that lasted me well, though not hitting too many sixes! The 'nurdle off the legs for a sharp one' was the shot it became most accustomed to!

Come wednesday a £280 bat for free

It's alright for some!

I don't play that much anymore.

Bats: I like a light pick-up and solid middle. I like my bats straight, not with the slight curve some bats in particular those from the sub-continent seem to have. Short Handle. Price range is usually the £150-200, but aware you can get good deals in post-season sales for about £100. May spend a bit more than that, but wouldn't consider anything above £250. Simply not worth it. Favourite makes: GM, Salix, Newbury. I've got a stunning county ATM (about £220) which I've used for 4 years or so.

Gloves: for me these are everybit as crucial as the bat. Having a comfortable grip is key. I look for extra padding on first two fingers of bottom hand, but flexible and light to hold. Gray Nicholls and GM are usually first rate, whilst I just don't get on with the slazengers. Willing to pay upto £60-80 if necessary although you can get good stuff around the £40-50 mark.

Pads: have to be honest, if they're comfortable they're fine. Nothing fancy is necessary, you just need enough flex to run comfortably.

Other equipment: I find a well-fitted thigh-guard makes a big difference to running between the wickets. I prefer the slightly flexi ones again, not a fan of the hard stuff but if you're facing proper fast bowling (I've rarely if ever faced faster than 80 mph) then you might want to consider. Have used GM and Slazenger.

A helmet which fits is key, too loose and it moves when your head does and can obscure part of the ball's trajectory. Too narrow and it's uncomfortable and will make batting for long periods uncomfortable. Make sure the grill is well set.

Shoes are vital. I still think Asics are in a league of their own for breathable, solid, balanced shoes.

In all seriousness many moons ago when i first bought my first set of whites, boots, pads and bat at a famous sports shop near Piccadilly Circus, the whole lot cost me nearly £200, with my Slazenger bat costing £70.
Hate to think what a good Slazenger would cost now.

Haha there's confidence for you, Skye!

By the way, it's £260

Salix bats have always intrigued me, I like the real traditional hand crafted stuff and that is an absolute beauty in the one blog you've got on AOC. However, being very much an agricultural batsman renowned for the cow corner mow I don't think we go hand in hand!

Bats. I like a reasonably heavy bat, with a light pick-up and a nice middle. Used to use a cheapish Fearnley until some bloke broke it at practise (it had served its time). Nowadays our club has a deal with Newberry (who come over to play a couple of friendlies every year and hand on some equipment) so I use the club bats. Cost between 150 and 200 I think.

Gloves. Need to be comfortable. I have a pair of my own, but can't remember what make they are.

Keeping kit. I'm not hugely fussy abut pads, as long as they're not too big and don't impair my movement I'm fine with them. Much more choosy with my keeping gloves, I need them to feel comfortable and have good "stick". Current pair is Pumas and they're very good, have also gone through G&M (pretty good), Slazenger (good) and Kookaburra (not great, and one of the webbings broke fairly quickly too). Current pair cost roughly £45 IIRC. Inners again not fussed, slight preference for chamois over cotton but I'll use both. Change them fairly regularly though.

Completely agree re. Keeping kit. Pads are much of a muchness as long as they're not too bulky, but some gloves just don't feel right.

One to try if you like your gloves supple straight from the pack are Willostix. Similar to Puma but a touch more room in them. Definitely an AOC favourite.

thanks for that AOC. Just had a quick browze of the website to chack out the AOC "best Keeping Gear" for 2011. I'd never heard of willostix but their keeping gloves seem to be highly rated. May have to look into these...

They're lovely and soft, the rubber is well fitted and they've got a decent catching cup. Definitely worth trying on a pair if you get a chance.

Being more of a batsman than a bowler these days it's paramount I get the right bat for the right price.

I look for quality over expense and have found through my team mates experiences that maybe the more expensive bats don't last.

My current bat is a Puma Atomic, which I've had for nearly 4 years now, cost me 75 quid through me haggling with the guy in the shop and just chatting to him.

It's still going strong and I've knocked many a good score with it.

It's also worth noting that you get a lot more out of the bat if you knock it in properly when you purchase it. I spent at least 20 hours on my Puma before use.

Currently nursing a Mongoose through it's last days. It's coming into it's third season now and should make it to the end in tact. Cost me 100 quid and it's been good quality. Nice weight at about 2'8 and I have the reasonable length one so not too much difference between it and a normal bat. Really nice pick up, really light, which I need as most of power come from having quick hands through the ball, and the middle is quite low down which I have enjoyed. But the big difference between it and a regualr bat is that your mis hits go so much further!

Enter the Barrington competition for the chance of a new puma kinetic 5000 bat if you haven't already chaps, RRP £260. Anyone can enter other than me, which is a shame! Haha.

Would probably be wasted on my horrific slogging though.

AOC, any chance of a mention/link to the competition on your Facebook/Twitter? That'd be much appreciated.

Did you have a knock with those bats that have been reviewed, by the way?

Have any of you guys ever bought a real top of the range, £500 job? How much is the difference when it comes to bats that are that expensive.

I've always wondered how much better they can actually be than say a mid-range one.