Question about CF5... and what's the best 30/20 out there?

[Westwind]

There is a "right" bat for every girl IMO. My hats off to all of you who spent the time to find that fit for your DD instead of buying the "hottest" bat of the year or the one that is the most expensive.

If that bat that fits is the Xeno, Onex or CF5 that is the one to buy!

BTW despite my Demarini bashing in favor of the cheaper Mikens, the CF5 line is probably one of the most versatile bats that seems to work well for a lot of different girls. Pretty hard to beat.

Going to add a little about the -11CF5 here: I am really liking what I am seeing with 10u's who have good mechanics using this particular bat. -11 might not be too bad with an extra inch of length- might even promote nice lag and whip. Our lead off hitter who looks like the stereotypical speedy lead off bunter/contact hitter has been driving balls over the outfielders heads all fall with this bat. Hard hits, would burn of even if they didn't make the mistake of bringing every one in when they see her. It is positively delightful to see.

 

[CoreSoftball20]

Also, if you are spending 300 for a bat, you are getting taken to the cleaners. I need to meet some of the Dads that just buy anything for any price because its the "hottest" bat out.

 

[nanotech14]

Just remember, I have seen many girls with a high exit speed, but a terrible swing. I'm not saying your dd has a bad swing. But also you can say what you want and so can a HC, they sometimes will tell you what you want to hear, they are getting paid. You don't have to post a video, that is not up to me, but it is only your word on how great her swing is, and again the word of the HC that is making money off you. You wanted to know what bat is better, IMO Xeno isnt worth buying, they have issues with breaking and to me that makes them a lower line bat. Again I'm glad your dd has a good swing and works hard. Good luck and welcome to the forum.

 

[nanotech14]

Also, my dd has had almost every brand of bat out there. So far the best one, IMO are the RT Anderson as far as durability and keeping their pop.

 

[Westwind]

RT is a great bat if it works for you. Especially if you hit a lot of balls in practice.

Machine balls, batting practice, game balls, smoke 'em all and don't look back. Use the same bat for all of it. Then in a year or two give the same bat to your other dd and repeat.

 

[MsDinosaur]

I'm not sure what her bat and exit speed have to do with anything other than providing me the data I need to determine which bat is optimal for her (I'm not looking to brag, or have her swing dissected in the technical forum). But since you asked - the speeds were consistently mid 50's topping out at 58mph with the 31/21 CF5. Not sure where that ranks for a 4'8" 80lb 10 year old but I'm going to assume that it's pretty good.

She's ruled out the CF5, and due to her height, I've ruled out the Mike and the Worth 454, so we're down to Xeno, OneX and the FS1 (we're not going to wait for the 30/20 Rocketflex). When we track down a 30/20 of each of these, she'll get to make her choice.

And yes, it's certainly possible that we decide to go with last years model of any of these (except the Onex, obviously) - it's just that much harder to find these for her to swing...

Again, thanks all for both the assistance here, and for all you do for this awesome sport that my daughters and I have completely fallen in love with.

My DD is in 7th grade and is about 5'4" and 140lbs. Her bat exit speed was recently clocked at 55 mph off the tee at a college camp. I was trying to find out whether that was good/bad/indifferent, LOL, and someone was nice enough to direct me to a site with some exit speed results. Her 55 mph was above average for a 7th grader; I was pleased. IMO your DD's 58 mph is awesome for a 10 year old!

You never know what will feel best to her, but after having heard about the reliability issues of the Louisville design, I'd lean toward the Easton. DD had a 30/20 Easton back in the day and it was a great bat.

If you're looking for a cold weather backup for the composite, DD had a Rip-It Force in 30/20 and an Anderson Techzilla in 31/21 (is also made in a 30/20). If you can find either of those, both were great in the cold.

 

[midmosoftballdad]

Thanks MsDinosaur, DDs swing is definitely pretty good - but she compares herself against one of her teammates who at 10 years old is 5'4 and has batspeed that is simply out of this world... she was consistently at 68mph in the fall and that's with dicey mechanics.

Am definitely looking for a cold weather backup - so thanks for the input!

 

[burlap1980]

My DD loves her Miken MV-1