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General Wood Bats

Wood bats can be used as training bats and are a great option for players to continually improve their swing. If you don’t make solid contact with the ball squarely on the barrel it might vibrate or even break. Using a wood bat helps teach you where you need to hit the ball on the bat for solid contact.

The main cuts for a wood bat usually consist of the 271, M110, or 243 models.

- The 271 turn has a slightly larger knob to accommodate the 1-1/4" flared handle. The top hand of the handle is 15/16" in thickness then slowly goes into a long taper that keeps getting larger in diameter all the way to end of the barrel reaching 2-1/2" at the sweet spot. The 271 is typically used by players looking to increase bat speed and for those who hit for average.
- The M110 turn has a standard sized knob but can look small because of the thicker handle. The thick handle brings more weight in towards your body while the full 1-inch diameter adds strength to the weakest part of and wood bat, the neck. This is a great wood bat for players transitioning to wood.
- The 243 turn has a standard knob with a generally thin handle and a slight flare in the bottom hand. It has a thin handle and large barrel. The neck rises sharply onto the large and long barrel creating a good hitting surface to work with. The 243 is generally considered a power hitters bat as most of the weight is out on the end, making it end loaded.

Now, what kind of wood bat do you want? Wood bats are made up of Ash, Maple, Bamboo, or Composite Wood. Ash and Maple are the most popular because of the price and performance. Maple is stronger than Ash while Bamboo serves as the strongest and tends to last a little longer.

Ash is little bit softer wood, which allows more flex during the swing and greater whip through the hitting zone for better bat control. Maple is harder and denser and many power hitters like because of the hardness and limited flex. The limited flex allows players to exert as much force as possible onto the ball. Bamboo tends to have a lighter feel and they are a great option for a lighter and stronger bat. Many players like bamboo because of the durability of the bat.

There are a few Composite Wood available, they are bats made from a mixture of wood and composite materials. They are very durable but you want to check your local leagues to assure they are legal for play.

Ash Wood Baseball Bats

Ash is the first ever type of wood used in a baseball bat. The first known ash bat was crafted by John Andrew "Bud" Hillerich in Louisville, Kentucky in 1884 and then swung by Pete Browning a three time batting champion who played primarily for the Louisville Eclipse from 1882 to 1894. Other players noticed the type of bat that Browning was using and they too wanted to use an ash bat.

Most ash baseball bats come from white ash trees growing in the U.S. Trees are no younger than 50 years old before they are cut down. They are then dried out from anywhere between 6 to 9 months before they are shaped into bats. We have seen some changes over time in ash bats. They didn't taper quite as much as they do today and the barrels were smaller, while handles were thicker in the earlier days.

White ash is known most for its light weight and smooth feel which most players often prefer. The lightness allows them to swing faster and harder resulting in further hits while the smooth wood offers soft comfort. The top 10% or the best part of the wood is saved to make bats for the pro-players ash is very reputable wood that has been used in making bats for a very long time.

While they do tend not to be quite as strong as maple or bamboo they have proven to provide a very quality and durable baseball bat. Ash bats are baseball's first ever wood bats and will continue to be prominent in the future of the game. They are still in use today by many ball players in many different levels of play. Ash bats have a different sound than maple or bamboo bats, ash has the traditional "crack of the bat" sound. Ash bats are very cost efficient, durable and game changing, check out JustBats.com for the largest selection of ash bats available.

Maple Wood Baseball Bats

Maple bats quickly became a phenom largely in part to the 2001 showing of Barry Bonds who had 73 homeruns in a single season while swinging a maple bat. In early production, maple bats seemed impossible to make due to the amount of moisture in the wood. The wood was merely too heavy to make into an effective baseball bat.

Time passed and technology grew. In the 1990's new ways of drying the wood to create bats with lower moisture content for effective use was in place and maple soon took off. Maple bats tend to cost more than ash wood bats but they also tend to last longer as they tend to be more durable. They are much stronger wood and give you more durability than white as bats.

Maple is preferred by many players and it can be seen used in amateur and pro-leagues everyday. Check out JustBats.com for the largest selection of maple wood bats.

Bamboo Wood Baseball Bats

Bamboo bats hit the baseball scene in early 2000's. Bamboo bats are made by placing strips of bamboo wood together and forming billets. Once the billets are made the are shaped and formed into bamboo bats. Bamboo shoots are hollow so they cannot be made with just one piece of wood.

Bamboo is a very strong and durable wood it is a fast growing wood and is very cost effective. It only takes 5 years to grow to its usable maturity whereas, ash and maple they take much, much longer. Bamboo is thought of as the greener choice and a better alternative for the environment.

Bamboo bats are quickly becoming more and more popular as the need for stronger, lighter wood bats are becoming a trend specifically in youth leagues. Check out the bamboo bats at JustBats.com for the largest selection of bamboo bats around.