When buying A New Bat....Plz help!

[Turbinator]

When buying a new bat....they always say its knocked in and everything......but is it really.....do you still have to knock it in?

[pasag]

Yes, to be safe.

[andyc]

Yeah, as Pasag said, it's better to be safe and knock it in, probably just as much as you would with a normal bat to be honest. Someone from my old club took a 'ready to play' bat to the nets straight after buying it, and ended up with a massive split in it.

[Mister Wright]

Always knock your bat in too much.

[Dravid]

Thats pure BS...most bats come saying that they are knocked in, but they aren't. The bats are pressed at the factory but they still need knocking in. There is no such thing as over knocking your bat. The more you do it, the better your bat will be. I recommend atleast 6 hrs of knocking in. You should knock in the middle, toe, edges, and just do taps for a little bit on the sticker part on the front.(whatever thats called)

You should also oil your bat before you knock it in. Get raw linseed oil, and a small cloth. Always be aware however that you do NOT over oil your bat...it's not good. You should only use a teaspoon or like 3/4 a teaspoon of oil on your bat. Oil the face, edges, and toe. Then let it dry for a day. After that put on another coat but with less oil. Like not even half of what you used for the first coat. Than let it dry for a few days. You can put on another coat with even less oil but its optional, you don't need to. After you let it dry, begin knocking in your bat.

[Burgey]

Yep. And once it's ready to rock and roll after being oiled and knocked in, you can buy a plastic face to put over it to protect it even more. Make sure the oil is dry before putting it on though.

[Turbinator]

Thanx for the advice guys......also, one more thing how do you exactly knock it in PROPERLY, and won't knocking it too much make red marks on the bat?

[Mister Wright]

Thanx for the advice guys......also, one more thing how do you exactly knock it in PROPERLY, and won't knocking it too much make red marks on the bat?

Use a very old ball and just hit the face of the bat and the edges very softly as often as possible. Then take it into the nets and use a very old ball. Check after every shot if the ball has made a mark or not and if it hasn't keep using it, if it does then you need to knock it in more.

[Turbinator]

Use a very old ball and just hit the face of the bat and the edges very softly as often as possible. Then take it into the nets and use a very old ball. Check after every shot if the ball has made a mark or not and if it hasn't keep using it, if it does then you need to knock it in more.

thx alot man!

[adharcric]

Guys, I have a sweet new SS Ton which I knocked in using a ball. Do I reallly need that mallet?

[andyc]

Guys, I have a sweet new SS Ton which I knocked in using a ball. Do I reallly need that mallet?

No, a ball is just as good as a mallet really. Just keep knocking it in

[Burgey]

This may sound weird, but you can also roll the bat down the rounded enamel edge of a bath tub.

In fact, it does sound weird, but it works apparently.

[social]

This may sound weird, but you can also roll the bat down the rounded enamel edge of a bath tub.

In fact, it does sound weird, but it works apparently.

Or roll a stump over the face and edge

To check whether the bat is properly oiled, day after oiling run your fingernail over face - if oil comes to the surface, it's OK. If not, lightly oil again.

Repeat process throughout season - no oil appears, lightly sandpaper then oil

BTW, after oiling, lay bat down flat - standing it up causes oil to collect near bottom and softens this area dramatically

[Johnners]

didn't see the point of making a new thread so.....

I was lucky enough to get a "ready to play" Kookaburra Kahuna Tornado for christmas.

After about 1.5-2 hours of knocking it in, and around 1 hour of hitting "slips" catches with with an old ball, i headed down to the Nets with a few mates to test it out. The deliveries i hit out of the middle felt good, and fortunately those which received an edge didn't jar the bat, or damage it, barring of course a few seam marks.

However, that was the good news... the bad news is.... courtesy of one of those Nasty old Cement like "made in china" $5 leather balls (pissed me off when i found out they used 1 of them) the last 2 deliveries i faced (i didn't think to look after the 1st but certainly did after the 2nd) didn't do the bat much good at all.

The first was an outside edge up the top half of the bat just underneath the stickers, which left a very minute crack & dent. The 2nd however, was a think inside edge down the bottom of the bat, which has left a rather nasty indent and crack, about an inch long, and about 3mm deep.

A) The smallest of my worries, does the fact that the newer ball was leaving seam marks mean more knocking in is required? or is this normal for a first time use against any speed of bowling (wasn't anything fast)?

B) The biggest of my worries, how do i go about fixing the crack/dent at the bottom of the bat? Is it as simple a problem as 1)More knocking in of edges & 2)Shooting all people who i think are about to use dodgy $5 made in china cement like leather balls . Or should i be looking at oiling it & using 1 of those plastic covers (i hadn't oiled it previous to use)

C) Should the bat in the worst case scenario need repairing, whom do you go to for such services?? (I'm assuming shops like Amart All Sports & Rebel - bat was purchased at rebel, don't offer such services?)

[James]

Really? They were saying on the Channel 9 commentary team during The Ashes that the latest bats don't need to be knocked in, because of a change in bat technology and the lighter wood being used.