2016 Miken Freak Black vs 2015 Louisville LXT

[Turl]

My friend's DD just turned 11 on a 10U team and she is a phenomenal hitter. She is tall, strong, has actually had a couple home runs this season, and is batting .856. Her dad asked me for advice between the two bats (he already knows who he can buy them from) and just is not sure which one he wants to get her and wants my opinion. I am torn between the two. . . . . My 15 year old DD loves the LXT but all the reviews about the Freak make it sound REALLY comparable. So I figured I would ask you guys for your opinions. Thoughts? (Thanks in advance!)

 

[Volstate]

My DD hit an LXT and preferred the Freak black over the LXT. The freak absolutely has a ton of pop. I bought my daughter her freak black March 23rd and unfortunately on May 3rd she got jammed up on an inside pitch and the Freak cracked. The crack was about 4 inches in length which obviously makes the bat unusable. I just sent the bat back today to get a replacement and I'm hoping this was just a rare occurrence for the bat because my daughter absolutely loves it.

 

[laker]

If my DD was hitting over .800 I wouldn't encourage her to change the bat, or anything else.

 

[CoreSoftball20]

I think the LXT will feel more stiff than the FB. Also, even though the LXT is balanced, the FB will be more on spot weight wise and feel even more balanced than the LXT

 

[Turl]

If my DD was hitting over .800 I wouldn't encourage her to change the bat, or anything else.

It's out-dated and broke. So since her parents have to buy a new one, they want to get one that is better quality than her old one, might last longer, and could even add more distance to the deep greens she was hitting with the dead, now broken, bat.

 

[laker]

I guess I missed the broke part. It was late and I wa on my phone not computer. DD has them both and switches back and forth like the fickle kid she is. Hard to go wrong with either.

 

[Little Angels Softball]

We play in tourneys almost every weekend. In all these games, I've seen exactly one Freak Black. I've seen dozens of LXTs.

I asked the girl with the Freak how she liked it and she said, "It's OK. I really want it to break, though, so my dad can get me a new LXT."

None of the girls who I've asked about their LXTs have said they want to replace them with the Freak Black or any other bat, for that matter.

 

[CoreSoftball20]

We play in tourneys almost every weekend. In all these games, I've seen exactly one Freak Black. I've seen dozens of LXTs.

I asked the girl with the Freak how she liked it and she said, "It's OK. I really want it to break, though, so my dad can get me a new LXT."

None of the girls who I've asked about their LXTs have said they want to replace them with the Freak Black or any other bat, for that matter.

Thats kinda a bad statement to back the choice. Firstly, we all know, girls want what they see for the most part.
Nobody sees the FB so therefore there is no clamoring for it. Also, if you dont see the FB or have ever swung one, why would a girl that already has an LXT say they want to get rid of it for a FB.

 

[Little Angels Softball]

Thats kinda a bad statement to back the choice. Firstly, we all know, girls want what they see for the most part.
Nobody sees the FB so therefore there is no clamoring for it. Also, if you dont see the FB or have ever swung one, why would a girl that already has an LXT say they want to get rid of it for a FB.

I agree with all you say. I'm just reporting on the state of things in the travel ball world as I see them and the travel ball world finds hot bats ... quickly. If there was something out there that was great and costs less than the top end bats, we'd see them getting used. Kind of like the 2014 Xeno not getting used because of the issues with the 2013 Xeno but the 2015 Xeno is now wildly popular because it's hotter than a Firecracker.

Same thing with the CF7. Didn't see many of them even though the DeMarini CF is one of the most popular fastpitch bats in history. Already starting to see more CF8s than 7s, though, because they seem to work better.

We all know that bat loyalty is tough nut to crack, though.

 

[iMlearning]

Bat Loyalty...very true.
DD's Freak Black definitely hits farther than her Mako, yet she won't use it even though she thinks it's cool looking.