Combat Avaritia - a good first composite bat for a 10U ?

[NoVA Softball]

Thinking about stepping up to a composite bat for my 10yo DD who has played a few seasons of rec, and is now in her first year of all-star/"C" level TB.

My two main questions:

1. Anyone have any experience with this particular bat (Combat Avaritia) or to a lesser extent, this brand? After much Googling, I found only the same two reviews over and and over. The bat looks reasonably nice, and can be had at [edit: a popular online site focusing on bats] in a 2-pack for [a good price]. I am thinking I can get someone from her all-star team to go in on a pair with us.

2. Any thoughts on bat size? I know, it's impossible to say in an online forum, but I feel like I have to ask. DD is a slight 53" almost 11 year old. She's on the small side, and currently swinging a 28" -11 Worth alloy bat with really good bat speed. She definitely needs to come up to at least 29" -- I had been thinking to skip up to a 30", but now I am not so sure.

As I said, the Avaritia looks nice online, and the price is great -- almost too great, which is giving me cold feet.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Eric F]

I haven't heard of that brand, but that doesn't say much.

Do you have access to a bat of similar length and weight she can borrow? She might be able to handle a 30", or it might be too much. If the 30" is too much, it might damage her confidence at the plate.

I just bought my 8yo DD (55", 73lb) a 29/17.5 Easton Synge (new on eBay, $90). She's been swinging her teammate's identical bat this past week at practices and 5 tournament games (8U All-Star), and loves it. By the way her feet been growing, she's about to have another vertical burst. I hope this bat lasts through Fall Ball.

 

[Little Angels Softball]

Combat makes a good bat. Their products would make a fine choice for a youngster's first composite bat.

The hard thing to tell without watching her swing is what size your DD needs. At her size, I can't imagine anything heavier than a drop -10 would be good for her, and I'd probably still be looking at drop -11 bats if it were me. My 10-year-old DD is 63" tall and weighs 120 lbs so comparing the two is difficult, at best. She still swings a drop -11 (DeMarini CF5 32").

Have her swing a light 30" bat and see how she does. Sometimes an extra inch isn't too hard on a kid but an extra ounce is.

 

[WaSpeed02]

My DD uses an 31/21 Avaritia. She's still 10, but is very tall and muscular for her age. It's a solid bat and she likes it, although in my opinion it does not have the same pop as she got with the Xeno.

 

[NoVA Softball]

Thanks, all. I wound up buying the Avaritia and have been very happy so far. Since I bought mid-season, there were no takers to go in on the 2-pack so I bought a 29" and a 30" so she can grow into them.

So far so good!

 

[#10]

My DD uses an 31/21 Avaritia. She's still 10, but is very tall and muscular for her age. It's a solid bat and she likes it, although in my opinion it does not have the same pop as she got with the Xeno.

When she outgrows the Avaritia, will you go back to a Xeno? My DD has outgrown her Xeno and we're debating other brands. Any sting on mishit balls?

 

[WaSpeed02]

When she outgrows the Avaritia, will you go back to a Xeno? My DD has outgrown her Xeno and we're debating other brands. Any sting on mishit balls?

That was the plan for next year, but I'm hearing that the new Xeno isn't as hot as the 2012/2013 models. I'm not sure I want the end-loaded bat anyway. As far as sting goes, she didn't have any issues with the Avaritia. I'm looking at the Combat Morphed Reloaded that I can get for a decent price from a friend who is a Combat distributor, but I'm having a difficult time finding any performance reviews on it. Not sure what I'm going to do right now.

 

[#10]

WaSpeed02, I sent a PM to you prior to reading the post above. Call me redundant! Based on your comment above, could one assume, then, that the Avaritia swings lighter and/or more balanced than the Xeno?

Can your friend get a hold of any demo bats? I'm considering getting either a Morphed OS or Morphed Gear TT off of eBay to use as a cage/tee bat, as there is a seller there who is selling them ridiculously cheap. I figure it might be a good way to assess the Combat brand at minimal cost.

 

[WaSpeed02]

WaSpeed02, I sent a PM to you prior to reading the post above. Call me redundant! Based on your comment above, could one assume, then, that the Avaritia swings lighter and/or more balanced than the Xeno?

Can your friend get a hold of any demo bats? I'm considering getting either a Morphed OS or Morphed Gear TT off of eBay to use as a cage/tee bat, as there is a seller there who is selling them ridiculously cheap. I figure it might be a good way to assess the Combat brand at minimal cost.

The Avaritia is not end-loaded, but at the same time, I don't think it felt balanced either. Maybe a slightly end-loaded feel to it. I can ask my buddy about any demo bats, but it seems he's more into the slow pitch bats. He's a former pro baseball player and I don't think he really knows much about (or cares about) the fast pitch side of Combat.

 

[#10]

Just scored a brand new Avaritia for $56 shipped. I'll report on performance once it arrives and is properly broken in.