Xeno 2018 or 2019?

[MadBandit22]

I’n

The sound. Okey dokey there, Chief.

Your a piece of work WW. Must be nice to think you have your thumb on the pulse of everything softball. You should start a Softball think tank. 1st order of business make stupid comments on every post you can find.

 

[waterpro]

Thanks guys for your help and links.

So now the question becomes, do I get this or the 18' Ghost. From what I've read, it looks like they're both great bats. The Ghost seems like it may have just a slight edge on pop (not sure how measurable though) but the trade off is that it has a small sweetspot. The Xeno, from what I've read, has a larger sweet spot (again, not sure how much), still has great pop and seems to be more durable.

They both seem to be had for about $200. I'd love to try the 2020 Ghost, but at $350, it's almost double the cost of the 18' Ghost and the 19' Xeno. Not sure the price to value is worth it?

 

[ANNASDAD]

Thanks guys for your help and links.

So now the question becomes, do I get this or the 18' Ghost. From what I've read, it looks like they're both great bats. The Ghost seems like it may have just a slight edge on pop (not sure how measurable though) but the trade off is that it has a small sweetspot. The Xeno, from what I've read, has a larger sweet spot (again, not sure how much), still has great pop and seems to be more durable.

They both seem to be had for about $200. I'd love to try the 2020 Ghost, but at $350, it's almost double the cost of the 18' Ghost and the 19' Xeno. Not sure the price to value is worth it?

What age girl and do you guys play USSSA tournaments?? I like the Xeno but I say forget it and look at an LXT or that 2018 Ghost, if you don’t play any USSSA.

Grab either one of those two you can get the best deal on and don’t look back.

When Anna says it’s time for a new stick, those two will be the only two I’ll consider, it’ll come down to the one I can get the best deal on, as both are excellent bats!

 

[badmonkey]

Thanks guys for your help and links.

So now the question becomes, do I get this or the 18' Ghost. From what I've read, it looks like they're both great bats. The Ghost seems like it may have just a slight edge on pop (not sure how measurable though) but the trade off is that it has a small sweetspot. The Xeno, from what I've read, has a larger sweet spot (again, not sure how much), still has great pop and seems to be more durable.

They both seem to be had for about $200. I'd love to try the 2020 Ghost, but at $350, it's almost double the cost of the 18' Ghost and the 19' Xeno. Not sure the price to value is worth it?

If you want a big sweet spot consider the LXT. As a personal preference, I would not get a bat that isn't dual stamped.

 

[Nube]

DD has both 18 & 19 Xeno. No difference except paint that I can tell. They have been durable bats. The grip feels cheap and gets replaced as soon as possible. They also weigh 1+ ounce more than the drop weight.

 

[Cornbread]

Ghost is hotter out of wrapper than Xeno

 

[uncdrew]

Thanks guys for your help and links.

So now the question becomes, do I get this or the 18' Ghost. From what I've read, it looks like they're both great bats. The Ghost seems like it may have just a slight edge on pop (not sure how measurable though) but the trade off is that it has a small sweetspot. The Xeno, from what I've read, has a larger sweet spot (again, not sure how much), still has great pop and seems to be more durable.

They both seem to be had for about $200. I'd love to try the 2020 Ghost, but at $350, it's almost double the cost of the 18' Ghost and the 19' Xeno. Not sure the price to value is worth it?

Can you find a sporting good store where she can try both? Best to go with her feel on this, as both are great bats.

 

[waterpro]

My girl is 5'3" (almost 5'4"), weighs around 120 lbs and is 13 1/2 years old. So far we've only played ASA. We only recently started getting into travel ball so I'm not sure what tournaments we're going to be entering in the future.

My daughter tried a friends 2017 32/23 (-9) LXT and seemed to hit the ball just as far as her 2014 Xeno 31/21 (-10) via front toss and tee work. Probably even farther but that's just me eye-balling things as nothing was ever measured. The one negative is that it looked like it slowed down her swing speed though. She seemed to do really good against the slower pitchers but seemed like she was late against faster pitchers and kept striking out. I'm not sure if this was attributed to too big of a jump in bat size? ie going up 1 inch in length and 2 oz in weight? I also thought I read somewhere that the 2017 LXT's were heavier than other years as well? Maybe a newer lighter 32/22 (-10) LXT would fit her better? I would say she can put some good pace on the ball when she hits it, but I definitely wouldn't consider her a power hitter as she's never put one over the fence. Not sure if that is the definition of a power hitter or not ?

Does anyone know how the 2019 LXT versions were? Better/worse than previous years? They're basically in the same price range as 2019 Xeno's and 2018 Ghosts right now.

The unfortunate thing is that I live in a smaller city. The closest place to try out bats would probably be like 3 hour drive. Maybe I just need to bite the bullet and make the drive.....

 

[KPower]

FWIW - my dd is not a power hitter. She is a slapper who can hit away. She has never put one over the fence but has hit the fence on several occasions and consistently hits doubles and triples. She is about 5'6" and 105lbs. She used to swing an LXT and loved it but has recently found her groove with the Xeno. I think both are great bats.

Like the poster above, I probably would not go for the '18 Ghost unless you know you will definitely not play any USSSA. If you do you will either need another bat or she will have to borrow a bat. Xeno and LXT are good in every sanction. (My DD plays for an org that requires the girls to use Louisville or Demarini bats - otherwise we might have tried the '20 Ghost...and it's still tempting to try for HS ball!)

 

[Bigflipdaddy]

My youngest DD swung a 2016 32/22 Xeno for 2 yrs, that thing was a workhorse, but's it beat to SH*T! That was one of her favorite bats, and she still keeps it in her bag. She then made the jump to a 2018 LXT 33/23 that's just was good as her Xeno, but both DD1 an DD2 have jumped on the Ghost train and both now swing the 2018 in 32/22 (yes they each have their own even though they play on the same travel team). I've been trying to get them to jump back to the LS bats, but they're totally in love with their Ghosts....FWIW, to me the '16 Xeno is the best of all that bats my girls carry...