ENGLISH WILLOW GRADING

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When it comes to purchasing your new bat, you'll probably want to know what grade of timber has been used.

Most customers will of course look for the higher grades available in the price range they are looking at. However is this a crucial factor in terms of selection?

Our English Willow bats are sourced from one of the largest English Willow suppliers worldwide - . 

*Grade One  

Grade One is the best looking blade, though it will not necessarily play the best. There may be some red wood evident on the edge of the blade. The grain on the face will be straight and there will be a minimum of 6 grains visible. There may be the odd small knot or speck in the edge or back but the playing area should be clean.

*Grade Two 

A Grade Twp blade is also very good quality there is normally a larger amount of red wood that can be seen on the edge of a blade, this has no effect on the playing ability of the bat it is purely cosmetic. There will be at least 6 straight grains on the face of the blade with maybe some blemishes, pin knots or “speck” visible.

*Grade Three

This is a middle grade that is produced in much higher numbers than the top grades and it offers very good value for money. A Grade Three blade has up to half colour across the blade which again has no direct relation to the playing ability of the wood, it just has less visual attraction. There will be a minimum of 5 grains on the face of the blade which may not always be perfectly straight. Again some small knots or butterfly stain may be present with sometimes more prominent “speck”.

*Grade Four 

A Grade Four blade is normally over half colour or contains butterfly stain. It will still play as well as the other grades. Any number of grains are possible with often only 4 grains, the willow containing ‘butterfly’ stain is very strong, there could also be more “speck” and other faults.