Bat Comparison Entering 2015

[okie]

Well, DD was extremely disappointed that she didnt get a new bat for christmas and although it was on her list, i didnt think she wanted one as badly as she apparently does. Shes now asking to take money out of her savings to add to her christmas money so she can buy the bat herself. My DD is 10 years old, lives and breaths softball and doesnt ask for much so we dont mind spending some money on her equipment. She spends alot of time researching softball equipment (too much time if you ask me) and on her list she had 4 bats:

Demarini CF7

Easton MAKO

Miken Freak Black

Louisville Slugger LXT

She currently has a 2014 Xeno (20/30) and CF6 (29/18) for comparison.

We are all homers in one way or another and what im looking for is not just an opinion like "(insert bat here) is the best bat ever"......etc. What i am interested in is experienced opinions in relating one bat to another. For example:

While it has good pop, she doesnt swing the Xeno much because she says the CF6 is lighter, "feels better in her hands", has more pop and she can get around on faster pitching better (although i think she gets around too quickly at times).

She has a CF6, how does it compare to the CF7, any difference? With as light as they swing, would going 30/20 instead of 29/18 benefit her? I dont want to pay $299 for nothing more than a new paint job.

Shes been talking about a MAKO for over a year now and im curious how it compares to the CF6/CF7 or the Xeno. The last two times we've driven to the city, they havent had a demo even close to her size for her to hit. How does the pop compare and most importantly, is it more durable than the Demarinis (only issue i've found so far with them).

I was confused about the LXT on her list as she has barely swung the Xeno at all. Any experience on how it stacks up to the others?

At first when i saw the Miken Freak Black on her list i just thought she had heard to many stories of my old freak (now banned) during my slowpitch days. Doing some research, it sounds like the 2016 model may be worth looking into. Anyone tried it?

I have read tons of reviews, researched a ton here and yes, i can find alot of discussions about some of the above mentioned bats. Whats hard to find though are opinions or comparisons from one bat to another based on first hand experience. What i also havent seen is any sort of mechanical bench testing. You know, with my golf clubs i can search it and find where multiple clubs were mechanically tested (same swing speed, same swing and produced specific comparisons of the results), anyone have a site like that they utilize?

Thank you in advance for any input you all provide, i value your opinions.

 

[quincy]

LTX and CF are very similar.

You are really just buying a new paint job moving from a CF6 to a CF7, which for a 10YO might be important but there is a big difference in her current bats. A 30/20 CF7 will swing lighter than her 30/20 Xeno.

I do not know anything about the freak.

I would look at a 30/20 CF or LTX. Might be just me but I would look for previous models of either of these bats, I would not spend the money for the current year.

 

[pctrips]

My DD went from a 19oz Miken Rev X to a 31/21 LXT (2014) and loves it. She tried a Xeno and an LXT and settled on the LXT. It has great pop and is way better than what she was swinging. It does have a distinct sound similar to glass breaking and is very loud indoors for whatever that is worth.

 

[JAD]

Well, DD was extremely disappointed that she didnt get a new bat for christmas and although it was on her list, i didnt think she wanted one as badly as she apparently does. Shes now asking to take money out of her savings to add to her christmas money so she can buy the bat herself. My DD is 10 years old, lives and breaths softball and doesnt ask for much so we dont mind spending some money on her equipment. She spends alot of time researching softball equipment (too much time if you ask me) and on her list she had 4 bats:

Please reach out to CoreSoftball20 before you pay too much somewhere else!!!

 

[ANNASDAD]

^^^^^^^^^^Listen to JAD !

 

[TeedOffDad]

Second JAD!!!

 

[CoreSoftball20]

Just wanted to say thank you for the props from fellow DFP members and I really do appreciate the kind words.

As for the bats. The CF, LXT and Freak Black are going to be your very balanced bats out of the 4 you listed. I would even say the CF and FB are the most balanced out of those 4.

 

[bigbomber]

Lots of love for the Mako here.DD has tried her hitting coaches LXT a number of times and in games tried out her teammates Demarini CF7.She says all 3 feel equally balanced,but also noticed the she felt the least amount of sting from her Mako.The Mako has excellent pop as does the CF7 and the LXT.

My dd has swung many brands,but has always liked her Eastons the most.Last year she got her first Mako and hit Extremely well with it.

Her teammates also hit well with it the few times she allowed them to use it.

For these reasons we purchased a 2015 Mako 33/23 for the coming season.

 

[okie]

Thank you all for the input.

So it sounds like shes not going to notice much difference in feel or pop from any of the 4 nor is there much difference in price.

 

[softballdad97]

Okie, my DD has had an older Xeno in the past and loved it until it cracked and didn't notice for a while and it went dead. We replaced it with a Mizuno Whiteout and that had no pop whatsoever. I replaced that with a Easton Synergy Speed SRV4B for cold whether games because it is a one-piece bat that is extremely durable with exceptional pop and very long 13" barrel on a 33/23. I then bought her a Mako for warm weather and change of pace for her Synergy. The Mako has a slightly longer barrel at 13.5".
We never really considered the Demarini CF's after her having the CF4 and had a real issue with sting and I finally figured out why, the CF's have a longer taper and shorter barrel which is great if you can consistently keep the hands inside and barrel up the pitch. It is just my opinion after more experience in and around the game and video analysis of DD. Unbeknownst to me my DD has had a casting swing which we are still trying to correct after a couple years. The longer barrel and shorter taper gives her a greater chance to barrel it up even on the inside pitch. The Easton's are not bottle bats but they're awfully close. That's the way I see it and with the advantage of the longer barrel and a better hand path in her swing she has had tremendous success with both of those bats both in high school and travel.