Urgent cricket bat help

[formula1man]

There is a bat that I think is really good value but I'm not sure whether it is actually grade 1 and is it english grown english willow etc. I want to know if im getting ripped off. It looks really good.

ADI /// SACHIN'S LEAGUE Gr1 ENGLISH WILLOW CRICKET BAT (eBay item 200569805100 end time 26-Feb-11 16:53:51 AEDST) : Sport

also does Grade 1 actually play better than Grade 2 or 3 or is it just appearance?

Also what are the customs like in Australia with importing willow?

 

[darthlewis1]

Well the bat looks like a Grade 1 bat but $19.00 seems a bit suspicious. And it may not be the official adidas bat as the grip is just half red-half black and on the real bat I think the grip has three white stripes at the top of the grip, so it may just be a normal bat with adidas stickers on it. I personally think it's a bit dodgy.

 

[formula1man]

Well the bat looks like a Grade 1 bat but $19.00 seems a bit suspicious. And it may not be the official adidas bat as the grip is just half red-half black and on the real bat I think the grip has three white stripes at the top of the grip, so it may just be a normal bat with adidas stickers on it. I personally think it's a bit dodgy.

its $19 to avoid taxes etc the postage is $189 which is the rest of the price of the bat.

 

[riz7khan12]

still too cheap tbh, if you look at market prices for grade 1 willows they're much higher.

 

[angryangy]

I'm not sure it looks like grade 1 English. There are little blemishes down the blade that seem too obvious. The colour looks about right, but it could be bleached Kashmir.

If you want to be safe, just don't buy a bat you can't test for yourself. Even if you can verify the manufacturer or the weight and grade of willow (and you know, whether the handle is glued in properly), it won't tell you how the bat feels in your hands and if it picks up just right. A really well made bat will feel lighter than it is.

That's surely also the best way to get a bargain. Though you don't want to have things like knots in your middle, willow grade is mostly about appearance. Butterfly stains, for example, are actually a sign of strength in the wood. You can find lower grade bats that were simply made from a really good (but slightly ugly) tree. You won't know about them until you try them.