Hi Guys, It's that time of year again. First, let me thank all of the CDMSBL ballers who supported RAKE Bats in 2011. Thank you!
2nd - I received this years stock on Monday. Last fall, I asked guys to submit bats to me that they'd like to have duplicated. I received about a dozen bats - I was able to have six of them made into new models for 2012. They are:
R024 R007 R099 R715 R400 R042
The numbers have a significance (feel free to guess what they are)
All are available in Maple and Ash - 33", 33 1/2" and 34". I have to say, to the guys who dropped off bats to be cloned - you did an awesome job - a great mixture of big barrel, medium barrel, thin and thicker handles, flared knob and traditional knobs.
This year, I'm venturing into T-shirts. RAKE logo on the front with the following sayings on the back:
1) Swing hard, you might hit something 2) I dont want to play golf - when I hit a ball, I want some else to go chase it 3) Id walk through hell in a gasoline suit just to play baseball.
All available in Black (white lettering) or white (black lettering).
last season i bought two birch bats from steve and found i really like them. i got 33-inch p72 (a mild taper from a medium handle to a slightly wider barrel) and a 110 (wider handle, less taper) and this season an r243 (thinner handle, fatter barrel.)
the numbers that steve lists are for the most part standardized references to bats. i couldn't find a single place online that listed all the bat model numbers and provided images or descriptions of them. but i did find that if i took one of the bat model numbers, the r243, for example, i could google that and see pictures and descriptions of what the bat looks like, though of course it was through various batmakers' websites.
the good news is that when i did that, i saw that the birch r243 i got from steve for $50 is about $25 cheaper than some advertised on line. and i got the transaction done, at the league banquet, in a jiffy.
so customer review time here: steve puts out a good bat at a very fair price and it's easy to get bats from him. he deserves to rake in the customers. i hope he does.
-mike
-- Edited by mhart on Saturday 10th of March 2012 06:36:52 PM
The biggest misconception about bats is that most focus on which manufacturer makes the "best" bats. To the point of this thread, you first need to figure out which barrel type best fits your swing and Steve can help you with that. You don't want a 243 if you're a slap hitter, and don't want a 110 if you want to swing for the fences (for the most part).
I've heard good things about a variety of branded bats, but a conversation with Steve and holding the models will get you a world of knowledge about what stick you should pick out of the pile. Whether you should throw it in your fireplace or your opponents would rather crack it over your head depends on what you do with it after purchase.
