2018 Xeno experience?

Daughter loves the earlier Xenos and is currently swinging '16 and '17. Based on the info I've found the '18 appears to be virtually the same bat as the past two years with a new end cap which might lead to a more balanced swing. I have an '18 Xeno that just arrived as a warranty replacement for a busted '17 so, that's what has prompted this post. Anybody care to share their daughters experience with the '18?


BTW I keep trying to get her to switch to an Easton Ghost but she's stubborn and a little superstitious with her gear ... I'm trying to decide if I should flip the new '18 Xeno and grab a Ghost to help force the issue??? IME I've seen more than my fair share of durability issues with the Ghost so, I'm not 100% sold on it. I know someone will chime in that there aren't durability issues with the Ghost but I've personally seen way more problems with that bat than all other bats combined. Decisions, decisions...

I'm curious if there's any difference in the '18 Xeno at all as well.

I'm personally hoping the Ghost and Quatro Pro give the Wilson bats (LS and CFX) a little kick in the pants. There's the appearance of some stagnation happening there.

When you think you own a segment of something and act in that way, you get passed by

One of my daughters stepped up from a 32 2016 Xeno to a 2018 33 Xeno and she loved it. At the same time my other daughter broker her 33 2016 Xeno, so I got a deal and bought another 2018 33. We left it wrapped, so we could return it if needed. My second daughter did not like the 2018. Radar on the 2016 vs 2018 was exactly the same. I'm not sure why she didn't like it. She wanted no part of it. THEN I found a cheap deal on a 2017 Quatro and my second daughter LOVED it. Radar on the Quatro was very very slightly higher. Averaging around .5 to 1 mph higher.

625ender said:

One of my daughters stepped up from a 32 2016 Xeno to a 2018 33 Xeno and she loved it. At the same time my other daughter broker her 33 2016 Xeno, so I got a deal and bought another 2018 33. We left it wrapped, so we could return it if needed. My second daughter did not like the 2018. Radar on the 2016 vs 2018 was exactly the same. I'm not sure why she didn't like it. She wanted no part of it. THEN I found a cheap deal on a 2017 Quatro and my second daughter LOVED it. Radar on the Quatro was very very slightly higher. Averaging around .5 to 1 mph higher.

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Great info... Thank you.

CoreSoftball20 said:

When you think you own a segment of something and act in that way, you get passed by

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I understand your reasoning for the post but "it is what it is". Your situation and the way you were treated really stinks but it also doesn't indicate that Wilson/LS/Demarini are being passed by. Competition is a good thing and I love that some other brands are stepping up in the market place. Again, aside from MY perceived durability issues with the Ghost I would love for my daughter to try one out for a few weeks to see what she thinks in comparison with her tried and true Xenos. It takes her a long time to be convinced to move away from her comfort zone with her equipment. If I can convince her to flip the '18 Xeno you'll be getting an order for a Ghost but again that is her decision. Heck, it took me years and several real attempts to get her to move to a composite Xeno over swinging an Anderson Rocketech.

Daughter busted the '18 Xeno out of the wrapper last week and has taken some BP. As far as she is concerned the '16, '17 and '18 all feel the same and she smokes the ball with all of them. It's not scientific but put any of them in her hands and she'll hit 4-5 HR in a BP session. I didn't measure exit speeds but the'18 passes the eye test. Her decision was to stay true with what has worked and the Xeno has been what has worked well for her. Again, this is a kid whose physical stature would lead you to believe she's a slapper or contact hitter and not the player that leads her HS team in dingers like she does.

Although, I try not to be a skeptic of the Ghost it's hard not to be... our association hosted a fairly large 10-14U tournament this past weekend and while there, I saw 2 more Ghosts broken and another player get frustrated with vibration and go back to their Xeno. BTW I paid attention to what was in players bags as we strolled around, LS and Demarini still dominated the bags of most players. This pattern is consistent with what I saw this past fall and last summer... Ghosts are in a small percentage of players hands and I hear about more Ghost issues (ie broken/cracked) than any other bat.

How does the 2015 Xeno compare to 2016,2017 and 2018? Any significant advantage. My DD is swinging a hand me down from her sister. You may all think this a little weird, but she is squaring up the ball much better with the Xeno in comparison to her CF9.. larger sweet spot maybe?? However, I don't think the ball is exiting the Xeno at the same speed as the CF9. Wondering if the 2015 Xeno is starting lose its pop... or maybe the newest Xenos have updated technology?

chardrok said:

I'm personally hoping the Ghost and Quatro Pro give the Wilson bats (LS and CFX) a little kick in the pants. There's the appearance of some stagnation happening there.

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Based on what I'm see out on the fields, in the world of So Cal TB, Easton is giving a lot more than a little kick in the pants to Wilson. The Ghost is cutting out a very large slice of the softball bat pie. We have come a cross a couple of teams where all the players are swinging Ghosts.

Eric F said:

Based on what I'm see out on the fields, in the world of So Cal TB, Easton is giving a lot more than a little kick in the pants to Wilson. The Ghost is cutting out a very large slice of the softball bat pie. We have come a cross a couple of teams where all the players are swinging Ghosts.

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That's awesome! More high performing bats from other manufacturers can only mean good things for the customer.