mas cambios
Active Member
BAS Vampire Blaster (Kashmir)
From e-bay seller, approx cost £30.00
Thought I'd do a quick review on the BAS Vampire Blaster cricket bat. I bought this as an experiment, mainly to see what the standard of Kashmir willow is like at the moment. Despite initial reservations I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised!
The bat was on the heavy side (2lb 14oz) and needed a 2nd grip added to help the balance but apart from that it plays well. I gave it minimal knocking in, just the edges, and a light coat of oil and so far it's holding up well. The middle is low and on the small side but when it's found the ball really does race to boundary. The wood below the middle is hard but I'm hoping a little more oil\prep will help soften it.
My only major gripe is that the handle feels slightly cheap and liable to break but if that is the case, a re-handle wont be the end of the world.
I like the sticker design, indeed, it was one of the things that drew me towards this bat. Nice shape as well, very 'Indian' with the decent shaped bow.
So to answer my original question; which was about the quality of Kashmir willow; well, it has some way to go to even match your average piece of English willow, but if you're looking for a decent 2nd bat on the cheap it's well worth considering a top end piece of Kashmir.
Out of 10, I'll give this bat a 7, due to cost.
From e-bay seller, approx cost £30.00
Thought I'd do a quick review on the BAS Vampire Blaster cricket bat. I bought this as an experiment, mainly to see what the standard of Kashmir willow is like at the moment. Despite initial reservations I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised!
The bat was on the heavy side (2lb 14oz) and needed a 2nd grip added to help the balance but apart from that it plays well. I gave it minimal knocking in, just the edges, and a light coat of oil and so far it's holding up well. The middle is low and on the small side but when it's found the ball really does race to boundary. The wood below the middle is hard but I'm hoping a little more oil\prep will help soften it.
My only major gripe is that the handle feels slightly cheap and liable to break but if that is the case, a re-handle wont be the end of the world.
I like the sticker design, indeed, it was one of the things that drew me towards this bat. Nice shape as well, very 'Indian' with the decent shaped bow.
So to answer my original question; which was about the quality of Kashmir willow; well, it has some way to go to even match your average piece of English willow, but if you're looking for a decent 2nd bat on the cheap it's well worth considering a top end piece of Kashmir.
Out of 10, I'll give this bat a 7, due to cost.
