They never let you down.
For some of The Cricketer's testers, the bat of the day, fresh from Woodstock's subtle rebrand.
Beautiful bats with terrific sweet spots and excellent pick-ups. Hard to beat.
You usually know what you’re getting with Gray-Nicolls, and the look and build of their Classic Players was characteristically classy and pretty accessible financially.
While a little bottom-heavy, most of our testers found the weight paid off with a sumptuous middle.
A smart buy and by far the least decorative of the Kippax collection.
A solid bat, albeit at a lofty price point, with a generous middle, healthy grains and a balanced pick-up.
Nearly the heftiest bat going under the scanner on our testing day, and it handled with far more dexterity than you might expect from a bat this size.
For most of our testers the ball flew out of an ample middle which somehow avoided bottom-heaviness.
From Kent, the spiritual home of batmaking, the Sika – another name for the Japanese spotted deer, if you were wondering – is intended for the all-round strokemaker, albeit with another unusual, cut-off flat toe.
“It felt really fluent,” said one of our testers.
Another excellent Woodstock product that is still going strong after several years as the brand's star turn.
Freshened up by a slight rebrand that has seen the main logo shifted to the bottom.
This is an absolute monster.
If you are a predominantly front-foot batter, then this bat has been designed with your kind in mind.
A handsome bat with a huge, low, sweet spot and powerful edges to boot.
Set aside your preconceptions about DSC bats, because this one flew.
Though it scored low on appearance, it came in high on performance thanks to its light pick-up and monstrous middle.
One judge said he walked into the net looking like Rory Burns but came back feeling like Garry Sobers.
Plenty of artwork, especially down the back where New Balance is tattooed along the spine, on this refreshingly light number.
Some players will find it too feather-like, while others will have been crying out for something this comfortable with a sweet spot quite so generous.
This boutique offering from the Maidstone manufacturers is designed for the junior batter who wishes to add a bit more oomph to their strokeplay, whether on the deck or over the top.
A low middle and bottom-heavy weight distribution could help patient batters cash in.
It's not every day that your bat features the silhouette of a black rat on its splice.
But that's Black Rat Cricket for you.
An ambitious, unusual brand but a very decent piece of wood that would certainly stand you out from the crowd…
DSC's cheaper offering does not match up to the higher-end Flip 2.0 in terms of build quality and performance, but the middle still delivered well enough if you could find it.
It should be a solid purchase for a certain type of cricketer.