What, exactly, is the difference between a $70 bat and a $700 one?

[The Coach]

Quality of the wood is key to the quality of the Bat.
English willow mostly / always is better than Kashmir = cost more
Nearer the centre of the tree the wider the grains = older wood = cheaper = 4-6 grains on the face
Nearer the outside of the tree the narrower the grains 10+ is good, 15+ is reserved for sponsored pro's only.
Uniform colour of grain and no knots on the face also pulls the premium badge / price

And its quite true that small grains tend to be more susceptible to damage so the more expensive bats don't last as long - assuming equal pressing.

In general, you get what you pay for, but if you can't handle the performance of a Porche or Ferrari don't buy one.

[TLBcricket]

Cricket bats are graded first by willow merchants and secondly by cricket bat manufacturers. Grading is very subjective, and one companies view on grade one will not agree with another. Grade one is typically straight and evenly spaced grains without any red-wood or stains to the playing face of the blade. This however doesn't mean that a grade 3 bat won't perform as admirably as a grade one.

Typically English made bats will be more expensive than their sub-continent counterparts mainly due to labour costs. It's a general belief that English made bats are better than sub-continent ones, although the gulf is becoming narrower. However the differences can become apparent in the finishing of bats and also the handles.

Prices can also be escalated by the bat being custom made to your desires. This of course takes more time for a batmaker to make it to your exact requirements instead of him churning out his usual shape and profile.

If you have any other questions I might be able to help you.

[Goughy]

Who is buying 300-400 pound cricket bats? Surely if you are good enough to need them then they will be giving you them for free.

[Daemon]

Markarse recently won a 500 pound bat iirc. Very jelly.

[SLA]

I've had everything between a £10 bat and a top of the range £200 bat. The only difference between them was that one cost a lot more money.

I currently use my £10 bat for indoor and nets and a £80 bat for outdoor matches. You couldn't tell the difference between them in terms of the wood quality - both English Willow.

Expensive bats (£150+) break more easily because they're pressed less, they're not really designed for amateurs, they're complete a waste of money frankly.

[TLBcricket]

Some cheaper bats may perform as well but a lower percentage will.

SLA if you post some pictures of your cheap and expensive bat I am 99% sure I will be able to spot the differences.

Top range EW has no blemishes, ruler straight grains that are evenly spaced and no butterfly knots or staining etc. Lower grade bats will have the previously mentioned issues, but may perform as well EVENTUALLY. They will take time to 'open up' and play well, whereas a grade one won't take as much time.

Higher graded bats are not pressed less, they are pressed better and each cleft is pressed according to the individual needs, as no two clefts are the same.

If you are scoring around 600-800 runs a season plus practices etc etc then you are looking at one seasons use maybe two. For £150 I think that represents good value for money if you are playing at a reasonably high league level.

[SLA]

What do you make of this article?

Choosing a Cricket Bat: Peformance vs. Endurance | Cricket coaching, fitness and tips

It seems accurate enough to me; I think there is a pay off, pros can quite easily get through 5-6 bats a season because they're sponsored, most people can't afford that.

At an amateur level, I'm looking to get minimum 2000 runs out of a £80-100 cricket bat. Thats 2-3 seasons.

I made the mistake in the past of buying the hype and bought a series of £120-150 bats. None of them lasted for 2000 runs, some of them didn't even make 1000.

A few years ago after my latest £150 down the drain I bought a very carefully selected £80 bat with an artificial cover. It plays just as nicely as any bat I've had, and we're on 2000 runs and going strong.

[TLBcricket]

Yes the article is quite accurate.

However we sell our G1 bats for only £130 at the moment and I have been using mine for 2 seasons now. I don't make huge runs but I always use it for practices etc etc.

I think you have to find a balance between endurance and performance. I would say 8 grains would be a happy medium. But more importantly you are looking for clean playing faces without any marks, or stains.

However some batmakers believe the complete opposite. Take some time to have a look at Vulcan Cricket's Butterfly Bat.

[SLA]

Why would marks and stains affect the performance?

[BulkBogan]

I've always wondered how much further I could hit the ball if I was using an international batsman's blade...reckon the ball would surely go 10-15% further than my $300 bat.