Spartan Chris Gayle Authority player edition cricket bat by @cricstoreonline

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Spartan Chris Gayle Authority player edition cricket bat

Hey guys. Just wanted to do a little write up about the new 2014 Spartan Chris Gayle Authority player edition cricket bat. Spartan cricket have done really well this season to try and eliminate fraud with regards their brand. Smaller brands from india and pakistan have been ripping them off now for a couple seasons and i think these measures will at least keep them in check for a few months.

First couple things to look at is generally your bat will have some features like the Spartan branded hanger tag, and also the warranty tag. Whilst both of those features may be lost whilst the bat sits on the shelf in your local store there are a few features that you should insist on getting on your new 2014 Spartan cricket bats…

A: All new 2014 Spartan cricket bats should have the Spartan branded toe guard.*

B: All new 2014 Spartan cricket bats should have the Spartan branded bat grip.*

C: All new 2014 Spartan cricket bats should have the Unique hologram sticker with code so you can check on the spartan website that your bat is authentic.

** meaning Spartan has the right to change any of this at any time they wish and i am not responsible for anything they do. Also don’t expect to see any of these security features on the Spartan SVR cricket bat as the sample i received didn’t have a branded toe guard OR a branded grip. But did still have the hologram sticker.

As you see from the video the Actual Spartan CG authority does come in SH so the majority of people do have the opportunity to own one but they will be limited to heavier models..

Overall the CG authority cricket bat is very very good. I just wish i could see more grains out of Spartan. I don’t think i have ever seen one of their bats with more than about 8 grains. now i understand grains aren’t everything and my bats only have about 7, but many many people will complain with 7 grains on a bat that costs $600 +.

I do think these high end Spartan bats though are very good quality and well worth the money. Good job fro spartan on all the new security features.

Head to www.cricketstoreonline.com for more information, pictures and of course to buy your new bat.

GM Purist F2 cricket bat

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GM Purist F2 cricket bat 2014

The GM Purist F2 2014 cricket bat is new for the 2014 season.

Ive reviewed quite a few bats in my time. And now have even reviewed more than one generation of cricket bat as well. In this review i will be talking about the new 2014 GM Purist F2 cricket bat and also the differences between the original model from a few years back and the new 2014 version.

There are almost no similarities between the 2014 GM purist and the previous versions. You almost find yourself asking, “why have GM called this the purist”?

Here is the video from my previous GM purist bat review.

There are a few things you will notice from the video about the original GM purist cricket bat. Some of the characteristics of the old bat were no bow on the face, a 7mm camber ( F7 ) very small edges ( 25mm ) , little to no concaving and also a nice high spine.

The new bat is a complete contrast of the old bat. Here is the GM Purist F2 cricket bat review.

As you can see from these two videos about there are no similarities between the two bats. This also shows just how different modern cricket bats are from what they were 5 or 10 years ago.I think we also have a lot more smart people involved in cricket these days and many new designs and technologies are available and being used to produce cricket bats.

The 2014 F2 GM purist incorporates the F2 ( F-tech ) specs that GM are using on their bats this year. They feature the F2, F4.5 and the F7 specs. You can read more about those  by clicking here. Apart from the Ftech specs.

Here are a few pics of the GM Purist cricket bats fro 2014.

The Kookaburra Players edition cricket bat

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The Kookaburra Players edition cricket bat explained.

A lot goes into making the kookaburra players edition cricket bat. Years of planning, massive amounts of money, thousands of employees. Bat-makers, designers, couriers, Research and development staff etc etc etc. Here is a little look into what you can expect from your 2014 Kookaburra players edition cricket bat.

Screen Shot 2013 10 18 at 12.12.14 PM The Kookaburra Players edition cricket bat

Kookaburra player edition cricket bats

KOOKABURRA PLAYERS COLLECTION

The ‘Players Collection’ embodies over 123 years of Kookaburra cricketing heritage, into a strictly limited edition number of bats. These cricket bats are hand crafted using the finest English willow available. Our master bat maker has produced a selection of bats based on one characteristic alone – performance. Please note, this last statement means these bats are not selected on looks and you can expect to see some bats with about 7 grains and not necessarily be the most beautiful…they could have specs and blemishes on them. Specs and blemishes DO NOT affect performance. These clefts are selected on Performance, not on looks. ( just my opinion, not official kookaburra statement )

Combining huge power profiles with exceptionally light ‘pick up’, Kookaburra have provided the opportunity to own a bat that was previously only available to our ‘Team  Kookaburra’ network of professional players. Immaculately finished in all departments, with straight evenly spaced grains, and a clean hitting area generating maximum aesthetic appeal, players can take confidence in the fact that they own one of the best 100 bats that we can produce in each of our ranges.

Whether a club cricketer or seasoned professional Kookaburra is one of the top selling brands in the world and make quality products. Im sure these new 2014 bats will be more of the same.

Here is a quick look at the UK Kookaburra players edition cricket bats. Im surprised to see no bats with a low sweetspot in this range..

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Kookaburra kahuna players edition cricket bat

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Kookaburra ricochet players edition cricket bat

 

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Kookaburra impulse players edition cricket bat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also recently cut open a couple Kookaburra cricket balls. just to see whats inside..Here have a look.

 

Hammer Cricket Equipment 2014

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Hammer Cricket Equipment 2014

Screen Shot 2013 10 15 at 4.45.12 PM Hammer Cricket Equipment 2014

Hammer cricket bat range 2014

I have a bit of an inside line with the guys over at www.hammercricket.com and have heard from them they are busy developing a new line of kit bags for 2014. The bags will fall under the Vapen branding and include a Core, Pro and possibly an LE bag as well. The Hammer Cricket Equipment will also feature the release of the new 2014 line of Vapen batting gloves and vapen batting pads to compliment the current line of Core and platinum gear from 2013. And could be available in the 3 grades as well…Core, pro and LE. You can also expect to see a line of cricket gear specifically designed for the South African and Caribbean market place.

The new ” budget friendly ” line of hammer cricket gear will be called “Koning” which ties to the owners heritage. The word Koning meaning ” King ” in Afrikaans which is a language only spoken in South Africa and has ties to the Dutch language. The range of Koning cricket gear will be exclusively made in india to keep the price down and affordable.

Exciting news as well is new stock coming of all the Hammer Platinum cricket bats. In 2013 Hammer produced just 50 of these premium quality cricket bats which featured the finest and most rare english willow. The majority of the time having more than 10 grains and often used by professional players. We have confirmed that this coming year they have secured 75 pieces of this premium willow.

The fun and exclusivity doesn’t stop there however. They did in fact secure 100 pieces of this premium willow and are releasing an even more exclusive black edition with the other 25 pieces. The black edition will be one stock NEW shape and profile. Featuring a low sweetspot, supreme quality willow and Limited edition Laser engraving and even the premium quality Black edition bat covers will be numbered which will match the numbering on the bats… How incredible is that? The bats ( and covers will be numbered 00-24 and are due for release on the 1st of November. Having a look at the black edition stickers, people can expect to see a level of detail not yet seen before in the cricket market.

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Hammer black edition cricket bats

Hammer seems to be taking the market by storm at the moment. Reports are that the brand is now in retail stores on 3 continents ( USA / Canada, the UK and Australia ) and soon to be a 4th and possibly 5th with South Africa and NZ jumping on board soon as well.  See a list of their authorized retailers here.On top of that we recently saw that Hammer cricket equipment made its first international Tv appearance by being displayed By Mr Navin Stewart in the #clt20 in India recently. Navin plays for Trinidad & Tobago and the team did very well making it through to the Semi Finals of the competition. It was quite awesome seeing the brand hold up to the likes of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel.

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Navin watches on as Dale Steyn delivers

There is definitely a lot of excitement coming out of the Hammer camp for the 2014 season and we certainly look forward to seeing what the brains trust and design team come up with for the new year.

Best of luck to them. The products certainly are fantastic. icon smile Hammer Cricket Equipment 2014

 

Mongoose Cricket Bats 2014

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Mongoose Cricket Bats 2014

Screen Shot 2013 10 14 at 6.03.46 AM Mongoose Cricket Bats 2014

Mongoose cricket 2014

 

So just had a quick look through the Mongoose Cricket Bats 2014 cricket catalogue and looks like we have a new offering from Mongoose for the 2014 season. Its a cricket bat called the Rebel.

The rebel is a combination of all 3 Mongoose cricket bats. They claim is has a very full profile with no concaving. ” a full back ” is how they describe it in their catalogue. The Rebel has massive edges, a big bow, flat face and a huge middle. the combination of those characteristics makes this their most powerful bat yet. Does that mean all other Mongoose bats are obsolete? Im not sure. Im sure only time will tell.

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Mongoose rebel cricket bats specs

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Mongoose rebel cricket bat profile

 

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Mongoose 2013 bat specs and sizes

Other cricket bats available from Mongoose Cricket Bats 2014 are the same really nice bats that have been with us now for a few years.

Mongoose Cricket Bats 2014 CoR3

With a unique spliced blade, large profile and light pickup the Mongoose CoR3 cricket bat has already seen action helping many clear some of the biggest boundaries on the international circuit. The CoR3′s unique splice creates a devastatingly large sweetspot.

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Mongoose CoR3 cricket bat

Mongoose MMi3 cricket bat

The Mongoose MMi3 cricket bat is the bat that made Mongoose famous. Weve seen countless copies of the Mongoose MMi3 coming out of bat workshops all over the world, BUT no one does it quite like Mongoose. The Mongoose MMi3 cricket bat incorporates a shorter blade and longer handle, producing 20% more power than a conventional cricket bat. The MMi3′s short blade and long handle creates a deadly combination or power and speed.

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Mongoose MMi3 cricket bat

 

Mongoose ToRQ cricket bat

Inspired by Marcus Trescothick, the ToRQ’s unique mongoose technology reduces the length of the splice to increase the hitting area and give you the biggest, most sizzling sweetspot in cricket.

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Mongoose ToRQ cricket bat

For morning information on 2014 Mongoose cricket gear please head to the Cricket store online facebook page.

 

 

Slazenger 2014 cricket gear technical specs.

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Slazenger 2014 cricket gear technical specs.

Taking a look through the 2014 Slazenger catalogue i was surprised to see basically nothing new. It looks a lot like they have just done an update to all their 2013 gear. And thats ok. Its almost impossible to innovate and create every year. Its a very costly and time consuming process. The “updates ” to the 2014 Slazenger cricket gear are nice. The new stickers on the bats look great. It looks to me like the have dropped the V360 range this year and introduced the Slazenger V5 3 star cricket bats instead. In all honesty it looks to me like the same bats, just different stickers. Which if people don’t know is also very common across all brands. Its very common to keep producing the same bat, just trying out different sticker designs till you find something that works. There are after all only a certain amount of ways you can skin a cat….And the same goes for cricket bats.

So this blog entry is about the technical specs, weight availability etc in the new 2014 Slazenger cricket bat range.

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Slazenger tech specs

 

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Slazenger cricket bat size guide

So i guess from the look at this Slazenger aren’t producing Long Handle or Long Blade cricket bats anymore…Can anyone confirm with me if thats correct or not.

Grading system

Slazenger have brought out their own new grading system it looks like. They have dropped the Ultimate, test, pro etc rating in favor of a more easy to understand G1+, G1 and G2 grading etc…I like that.

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Slazenger cricket bat grading system

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cricket Bat Weight Guide

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Cricket bat weight guide

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a quick gallery look at all the new bats from slazenger for 2014.

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One of the things im a little disappointed about is that from the catalogue it looks like Slazenger have dropped the Laser engraving from their V12 cricket bats. Im aware this is costly but it was a touch of class for the brand and am sad to see it go.

For more information on how you can purchase these new 2014 slazenger cricket items please contact support@cricketstoreonline.com or head to facebook.com/cricketstoreonline and check us out there.

Thanks.

Gunn & Moore cricket bats availability for 2014 and with what F-tech specs?

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Gunn & Moore cricket bats availability for 2014 and with what F-tech specs?

Each year when GM do their launch i always keenly watch to see what one of the market leaders will be bringing to market. In the last year or two i have been watching very closely as they are bringing more and more products out giving customers much more choice and selection. For a while as a retailer i was mad at them as this just created massive amounts of work for me to try and keep updated with all their new inventory. but now im turning over a new leaf and rather embracing it and using it to my advantage. I know there are very few retailers like me who will do the due diligence and properly inform their customers of whats really out there as far as choice and price is concerned. So along with the other blog i have written so far about Gm gear ( new GM tech specs ) and this one im hoping to fully educate the public in exactly what their choices are for the 2014 season. So in this blog i will simply be showing off all the new blades from GM and whats F-tech specs they will be available in for 2014.

The first new bat if the GM six6 cricket bat. Made in england from prime english willow one word came to mind when i picked up this bat. that word was WOW…it was an original LE and gave me the same sort of feeling when i picked up the Graeme Smith Epic players edition a few seasons back…just an incredible blade with an awesome pickup and balance..Now obviously the lowly 303 or 404 model probably wont do that for me as well but in concept the GM six6 cricket bat is excellant.

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GM six6 F4.5 cricket bat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It looks like the GM Six6 will only be available in their new F4.5 camber face profile.

Moving on from the GM Six6 we move onto the newly designed GM icon cricket bat. Now this is where it gets slightly confusing as the Icon bat is available in the F2, F4.5 and the F7 face.

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GM icon cricket bat 2014

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The 2014 GM icon F-tech specs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The above picture clearly breaks down exactly what the difference is between the 3 different F-tech GM specs. Please note, the greater the camber e.g. F7 then the smaller the edge..edge size is directly affected by the camber on the face. F2 bats will have the biggest edges.

Now we move on to one of my personal 2013 favorites. The GM octane F2 cricket bat. This bat has a lower sweetspot, less wood up at the handle / shoulders and more in the meat of the bat. just where you want. The Octane will only be available in the F2 spec giving it a bigger edge profile and flatter F2 face.

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GM Octane F2 cricket bats 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moving on now to the long awaited GM Purist cricket bat for 2014. And what can i say? Well i have to be honest and say i was very underwhelmed. Picking up a lot of different models from original LE down to 404 and 505 the thing that impressed me and stood out the most was the new GM ripple grips…and thats not a good thing. i gotta say..i didn’t like the bats at all and i don’t know what it was…it may have been the F2 flat face with now bow or camber what soever. we all know ive never been a fan of the flat face, and this one really doesn’t do it for me..

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GM Purist cricket bat 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The GM Zona F2 in my opinion was a fail for 2013. It was  avery difficult bat to sell and in my humble opinion is evident in the that GM got Shane Watson to drop the icon stickers off his bat and start using GM Zona stickers. Thats certainly something i would do if i wanted to boost sales. It seemed to work well as Zona sales and requests picked up on my end towards the end of the year.

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GM Zona F2 cricket bat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The GM argon was a great seller for My store in 2013 and look to continue the trend in 2014. A truly exceptional bat and as you can see from below will be available in the F2 and F7 varieties. A great traditional bat as well as doing very well in the T20 arena.

Screen Shot 2013 10 09 at 5.09.01 PM Gunn & Moore cricket bats availability for 2014 and with what F tech specs?

GM argon cricket bat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Screen Shot 2013 10 09 at 5.09.10 PM Gunn & Moore cricket bats availability for 2014 and with what F tech specs?

GM argon cricket bat

 

 

 

 

 

 

2014 Gunn And Moore cricket bats design specs for 2014

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2014 Gunn And Moore cricket bats design specs for 2014

General information about GM cricket bats.

GM DXM process.

Screen Shot 2013 10 08 at 4.50.04 PM 2014 Gunn And Moore cricket bats design specs for 2014

GM DXM process

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Typical weight comparison chart for all new 2014 Gunn & Moore cricket bats.

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GM weight guide

 GM cricket bat Sweetspot position vs edge size vs concavity of spine vs Bow.

This is one of my favorite GM graphics as it provides a very good idea as to what the exact specs are of the bat you will be getting and is very informative.

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GM cricket bat profile index

Probably the biggest news to hit stores this winter is the news that Gunn & Moore have added a 3rd face profile to their cricket bat range..now not only do they have the F2 ( flatter face ) and the F7 ( rounder more traditional face ) but now they also have the F4.5 which is somewhere in-between the two.

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GM F-tech

The GM bat spectrum is also a favorite of mine as it shows the exact sweetspot position of all bats side by side at a glance.

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GM bat spectrum

If you have more questions please head over to the Cricket store online facebook page and ask them there..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gray Nicolls 2014 cricket bats

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Gray Nicolls 2014 cricket bats

Screen Shot 2013 10 07 at 4.00.42 PM 300x259 Gray Nicolls 2014 cricket bats

Gray Nicolls cricket bats 2014

So just wanted to take a quick look at what Gray Nicolls is offering for all of us to salivate over for the 2014 season.

A lot of the older brands like Slazenger , Gunn & Moore and Gray Nicolls are pushing the limits of cricket bat innovation. Slazenger have come out with term like Dual-Spine, TAS inserts and hex handles. GM have gone down a different route of using high tech composites like D3o in there padded for impact resistance and now GN are coming to the party with their own innovations…Coming out with genius ways of reducing the weight of a cricket bat without sacrificing wood in the important bits like the sweetspot..

You can see this quite plainly in 2 of their new bats. The Nemesis and the Vortex.

Not only are Gray Nicolls bring out new innovations but they are also rethinking some of the older bats that helped make them who they are today. Great bats from yesteryear like the Powerspot and the dynadrive.

The dynadrive uses a brilliant system of routering out two grooves before the bat is shaped. Ive messed around with this concept a little and is an easy way to reduce the bats weight by 1 or 2 oz overall.

Along with those new innovations GN have some new bat designs and some striking new stickers to attack the cricket market head on. Here are a look at some of the new stickers and bats…

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Gray Nicolls Maverick cricket bat

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Gray Nicolls Powerbow Generation X cricket bat

The powerbow generation X looks to be cooks shape and profile which is a lower sweetspot bat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Gray Nicolls oblivion E41 cricket bat

This new oblivion e41 is probably an evolution from last years bat as the name would suggest. I expect massive concaving on this bat to have a lower sweetspot with 41mm edges as the name suggests…

 

 

 

 

 

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Gray Nicolls X181 cricket bat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for taking a look at some of the new bats from Gray Nicolls and Cricket Store Online. bats will be in store soon.

 

for great sales on older products please cheak out www.cricket-sale.com

 

Affinity cricket Ayrtek edition cricket bat

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Affinity cricket Ayrtek edition cricket bat

image 07728.1378495400.1280.1280 Affinity cricket Ayrtek edition cricket bat

affinity cricket ayrtek edition cricket bat

Speaking with the creators of this Affinity Ayrtek edition cricket bat i asked one question. The question was if you could describe this bat to me in 2 minutes what would you say. The answer went something like this.

@Ayrtekcricket company has a number of professional cricketers using their highly specialised state of the art Ayrtel cricket helmets and they needed to partner with a specialist who makes high quality professional grade cricket bats that can stand up to the demands of county, list A, 1st class and international grade cricket. The majority of their users are top end batsman and tend to need a bat with above average performance and also have strong enough shoulders and edges to fend off the quicker bowlers at the beginning of an innings. Taking these two performance factors in mind Affinity cricket together with Ayrtek cricket came up with the Affinity cricket Ayrtek edition cricket bat.

Having already supplied cricket bats for Ayrtek professionals, Affinity cricket gained valuable feedback from the players and observations of county/international pitches to create a cricket bat to suit that environment. Other professionals also gave input into what was required of a cricket bat at this level and when facing 90mph + opening bowlers on a variety of pitches. Thicker shoulders and a mid high swell were the first notes made, a little concaving was a compromise to allow the edge to remain thick and parallel with the spine from top to bottom. This helped balance a bat capable of both defense and attack and complete the Affinity range and provide Ayrtek with a cricket bat that meets their requirements for the elite level player.

You can purchase this exact cricket bat right now at www.cricketstoreonline.com under the high end cricket bats section..