BATS BY RATING: BROWSE AND BUY

SIKA STAG

With edges of 36mm, this was far from the bulkiest bat on display at The Cricketer's testing day, so with scores of above 8 across the board this was one of the best blades.

Initial impression: 8.5
Build quality: 8.5
Pick-up/feel: 9.0
Performance: 8.5

RRP: £399

Weight: 2lb 8oz

Edges: 36mm

GRAY-NICOLLS HYPERNOVA 1.3 300

What the 1.3 300 possibly loses in specialist craftsmanship – note the very square toe – it makes up for in basic assets. You can't really argue with a bat that costs less than £200 yet clocks in an average rating of 8.5.

Initial impression: 8.6
Build quality: 8.8
Pick-up/feel: 8.0
Performance: 8.6

RRP: £175

Weight: 2lb 10oz

Edges: 40mm

CHASE VOLANTE R7

The somewhat plain design doesn’t mark the Volante R7 out as an especially edgy product but it earned plaudits for its pick-up, especially given a weight of 2lb 10oz.

Initial impression: 7.8
Build quality: 8.6
Pick-up/feel: 8.8
Performance: 8.2

RRP: £280

Weight: 2lb 10oz

Edges: 38mm

GUNN & MOORE HYPA 909

Like most GM bats, the Hypa feels properly curated and that is reflected in a price north of £275.

Initial impression: 8.0
Build quality: 8.3
Pick-up/feel: 8.7
Performance: 8.3

RRP: £350

Weight: 2lb 10oz

Edges: 38mm

GUNN & MOORE BRAVA 606

What is clear from our testing process, is that the Brava DXM 606 represents great value for money.

Initial impression: 7.8
Build quality: 8.8
Pick-up/feel: 7.8
Performance: 9.0

RRP: £165

Weight: 2lb 12oz

Edges: 39mm

SOLD OUT

NEON ROYAL PRO PLAYER

At £524.99, it's an expensive piece of willow, but the collective praise is evidence of a high-class bat and a brand that is continuing to make a splash.

Initial impression: 8.4
Build quality: 8.4
Pick-up/feel: 8.1
Performance: 8.0

RRP: £524.99

Weight: 2lb 9.9oz

Edges: 40mm

MRF GENIUS GRAND EDITION 3.0

Not the lightest pickup in the world and a low middle, but if those things are your cup of tea and if you play your cricket on a low deck, then you could do worse than join Virat Kohli.

Initial impression: 8.0
Build quality: 8.0
Pick-up/feel: 8.2
Performance: 8.0

RRP: £265

Weight: 2lb 9oz

Edges: 41mm

PROPHECY VISION

With 38mm edges and a weight of 2lb 9oz, this has something for everyone: neither too heavy nor too light, with a fairly central middle and a decent distribution of weight throughout.

Initial impression: 6.5
Build quality: 7.8
Pick-up/feel: 9.0
Performance: 9.0

RRP: £320

Weight: 2lb 9oz

Edges: 38mm

DSC PEARLA X2

No one could question the quality or generosity of the middle, while its weight – 2oz 9lb – allowed a broad spectrum of strokes.

Initial impression: 7.0
Build quality: 8.2
Pick-up/feel: 8.2
Performance: 7.4

RRP: £240

Weight: 2lb 9oz

Edges: 38mm

KIPPAX RAPIER - PLAYERS' EDITION 2023

At £405, it doesn’t come cheap. But for anyone looking for a light bat – this weighed just 2lb 8oz – this might be the one for you.

Initial impression: 6.8
Build quality: 7.8
Pick-up/feel: 7.8
Performance: 7.8

RRP: £405

Weight: 2lb 8oz

Edges: 36mm

SF MAXIMUM CLASSIC

It doesn't come cheap, with a recommended retail price of £390, but – in the grand scheme of bat prices these days – you wouldn't be wasting your money on a dud.

Initial impression: 7.8
Build quality: 7.2
Pick-up/feel: 7.8
Performance: 7.0

RRP: £240

Weight: 2lb 8oz

Edges: 38mm

KOOKABURRA BUBBLE

Kookaburra have gone full retro with the Bubble, taking us back to the late 1990s and early noughties with a design that split the crowd.

Initial impression: 6.8
Build quality: 7.2
Pick-up/feel: 8.0
Performance: 8.0

RRP: £225

Weight: 2lb 8oz

Edges: 36mm

KOOKABURRA VAPOR LITE

The Vapor has another futuristic set of stickers, if not have the most startling of designs, but Kookaburra have clearly saved their funds for the willow itself.

Initial impression: 7.8
Build quality: 7.3
Pick-up/feel: 7.8
Performance: 7.3

RRP: £175

Weight: 2lb 7oz

Edges: 37mm

OPTIMAX SG

At 2lb 9oz, it wasn't overly heavy and, with edges approaching four centimetres, there was plenty of wood behind each stroke. The quality out of the middle was undeniable.

Initial impression: 6.8
Build quality: 7.8
Pick-up/feel: 8.3
Performance: 6.3

RRP: £250

Weight: 2lb 9oz

Edges: 38mm

GRAY-NICOLLS COBRA 5 STAR   

More than anything, this felt like a classy piece of wood – not only in its generosity if you got a booming drive out of the screws, but also simply from its decoration and its handle.

Initial impression: 7.4
Build quality: 7.2
Pick-up/feel: 6.8
Performance: 7.2

RRP: £325

Weight: 2lb 9oz

Edges: 37mm

SILVA STAG

Stag have retained the low middle of the 2022 model, which should suit many of the club players whose staple diet is docile green wickets.

Initial impression: 6.6
Build quality: 6.8
Pick-up/feel: 7.6
Performance: 7.8

RRP: £399

Weight: 2lb 8oz

Edges: 36mm

KOOKABURRA AURA 3.1

The Kookaburra Aura 3.1 really is an eye-catching bat, with a fetching blue and red colour scheme riffing off beautifully against the brand's trademark Australian bird.

Initial impression: 7.4
Build quality: 7.4
Pick-up/feel: 7.2
Performance: 6.4

RRP: £300

Weight: 2lb 8oz

Edges: 38mm

DSC XLITE 4.0

One of the cheaper bats on display at The Cricketer's testing day, it outperformed its initial impression, with most of the scepticism focused on the diameter of the handle.

Initial impression: 6.0
Build quality: 7.3
Pick-up/feel: 7.7
Performance: 7.0

RRP: £200

Weight: 2lb 8oz

Edges: 39mm

NEW BALANCE HERITAGE

At 2lb 8oz this was a pretty light blade, and the edges of 37mm didn't provide enough oomph for some to find a wider purchase area.

Initial impression: 7.5
Build quality: 6.3
Pick-up/feel: 7.5
Performance: 6.8

RRP: £195

Weight: 2lb 8oz

Edges: 37mm

PROPHECY OMEN

The Omen only comes in at 2lb 12oz, but its bottom-heavy nature – designed to suit players with a front-foot dominance – means that it's a bat built for a very specific type of batter.

Initial impression: 6.3
Build quality: 8.3
Pick-up/feel: 5.8
Performance: 7.8

RRP: £320

Weight: 2lb 12oz

Edges: 38mm

NEWBERY BLITZ G4

You wouldn't walk out to bat with this all day in midsummer temperatures, but you might call for it with a couple of overs remaining and boundaries needed.

Initial impression: 6.4
Build quality: 7.8
Pick-up/feel: 5.4
Performance: 6.6

RRP: £250

Weight: 2lb 13oz

Edges: 43mm

GUNN & MOORE KYROS SIGNATURE

Although the Kyros Signature weighs in at 2lb 11oz, the edges are just 34mm thick, and the toe not as big as you'd expect from a modern blade.

Initial impression: 6.6
Build quality: 5.8
Pick-up/feel: 6.2
Performance: 5.2

RRP: £190

Weight: 2lb 11oz

Edges: 34mm

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