About this guide
A parent's guide to baseball equipment, built so you always know whether you are reading what a maker says, what Pat thinks, or what buyers report.
Why it exists
Not all wood bats are equal, and not all makers are equal. A shopper cannot see that from a product page, and price alone does not show it. This guide says it in plain words, and keeps the maker's claims, one person's opinion and other buyers' reports apart, so you can weigh each one yourself.
Three layers on every product
- Facts, from the maker. What the maker's own product page states, with the date we read it and a link to that page.
- Pat's Grade. Patrick's opinion of a product line after swinging it, with the reason written out. A line not handled yet says Not yet graded, never a low grade. How we grade
- Evidence. The public reviews we found, with their counts and links, and break reports from players on this site. Nothing negative is stated as a fact: you see who said it and can follow the link.
Who grades
Pat's Grade is the opinion of Patrick, a former pro player, who grades product lines, not companies, because most makers sell a pro line and a budget line under one name.
Where the facts come from
Each maker's own product pages, read one page at a time. Every product shows the date its page was read and links back to it.
Photos appear only with the maker's written permission. Until then, a product shows its maker's name where the photo goes. Image permissions
Money
We sell nothing today, and no maker or store pays us. Every link to buy goes to the maker's own page. How we get paid
Get in touch
Questions and corrections are welcome. Contact