2013 Demarini Vendetta C6 vs. the 2-13 Miken Rev-Ex Light

[mogsoftball]

don't bother with the vendetta for $130 when you cna get a CF5 for $180. If you have to have vendetta for some reason get a used one for around $60, but I would still just spend the money and get the Cf5.

 

[Eric F]

don't bother with the vendetta for $130 when you cna get a CF5 for $180. If you have to have vendetta for some reason get a used one for around $60, but I would still just spend the money and get the Cf5.

Where can I buy a 30/19 CF5 for $180 (or a Vendetta for $60)? The only 30/19 CF5 I have found is on ebay, which is a gamble.

 

[Greenmonsters]

Nothing wrong with -11 or even drop -12. Lots of Pac 12 coaches recommend them for younger girls. I think the folks who say "nothing lighter than drop -10" are actually just repeating something they heard said about proper bats for older girls and young women. It absolutely does not apply to 8, 9 and 10 year olds.

You don't have to learn a good swing to have fast bat speed and experience success using a -11 or -12 drop at age 8-10. IME, the shortcomings of that typical arm-powered swing are exposed as they age up and pitching speeds increase. At some point between age 11 or 14 they hit a wall and then have to re-learn to swing to be competitive. My preference is to teach a mechanically sound swing as young as possible/from the start. If they are taught to incorporate the lower body and sequence properly, a -10 drop is not a problem for all but the smallest 10 year olds. BB forces the issue because the players have to transition to a low drop bat and have to learn to swing more effectively and efficiently than the SB players who aren't forced by the game rules to make the same transition.

 

[Little Angels Softball]

I do get that arm swings can be rewarded with lighter bats. They also can be rewarded with heavier bats. You can also teach good mechanics with a drop -11 bat just as easily as you can with a drop -10. The one ounce really doesn't make that much of a difference, except for being a bit easier to swing for the youngest girls.

I'm all for heavier bats as soon as the girl is ready. Simple physics indicate they will perform better, all other things being equal. My own 11 year old uses a SRV4B that is 2oz heavier than its indicated weight (essentially a drop -8). However, her mechanics were built early on (still building with a long way to go) with drop -12 and drop -11 bats. She only recently graduated to the "caveman club" as we call it, and she has been knocking the crap out of the ball with it at all-tourney team levels since last summer. She had just had a big growth spurt and it was time for a bigger bat, and she was able to swing it with the same mechanics she'd been swinging her CF5 drop -11 with up to that point.

It's actually kind of funny that her pro hitting instructor, a former D1 power hitter, even says that her bat is heavy. She call it a "beast" and likes swinging it in the cages.

 

[Eric F]

After thinking through the options, I ended up pulling the trigger on a 2013 Vendetta (30/18) for my 9yo DD. On the postal scale at my office, the Vendetta comes in at 18.8 oz.

I would have loved to have found a good deal on a -11 CF5, but the only one I found went for $200 (including shipping) on eBay. That's a more than I'm willing to spend at this point.

 

[Little Angels Softball]

Thanks for the update. Good luck to her ... may she smoke many a line drive and drop a few bombs with her new carbon-fiber friend!

 

[Eric F]

Thanks for the update. Good luck to her ... may she smoke many a line drive and drop a few bombs with her new carbon-fiber friend!

Thanks!

Right out of the box, the Vendetta feels differently balanced than her 29/17.5 Easton Synge (18.2 oz actual weight) - it feels really light. I see now what people are talking about with Demarinis swinging light.