Carbon Fiber Bats or Aluminum Bats (Slow-pitch Softball)
What’s the difference between Carbon Fiber (Composite) bats and Aluminum bats?
Slowpitch softball bat review answers this question and justifies why composite bats seem to be the favorite bats for most softball players. Composite bats back in the early 1990’s were not as good as single wall bats because the trampoline effect of hollow bats created ball speed with the collision of the bat. Some were durable but performed more like wood bats, while others would only last a couple of games. Miken stayed with the composite bat or Carbon Fiber bats and helped develop decent bats that not only competed well with the best single wall bats, but actually performed better, much like the double wall bats.
The best single wall bats have the thinnest walls possible. Thinner is better as long as the alloy used stands up to the collision effect. Aluminum bats have used better mixes of alloys to achieve a stronger thinner bat wall. Traditionally, single wall bats produce a batted ball speed between 90-96 mph. Double wall bats basically apply a second wall inside the bat to create a stronger, more durable bat that increases the trampoline effect and achieved a 96-100 mph batted ball speed. Ball speed also increases with double wall bats, which is why some of these bats are banned by ASA. The introduction of Titanium helped achieve a more durable harder bat back in the early 1990’s. The batted ball speed of over 100 mph (some above 110 mph) quickly caught the attention of softball associations and after a few months, they were banned. The problem obviously was infield safety. There are some alloy titanium mixed bats legal today, but the percentage of titanium is only enough to make the bat stronger and still keep the batted ball numbers within legal limits.
Composite bats closed the gap with Miken in the late 1990’s with a more durable carbon fiber bat that created batted-ball speeds between 96-100mph. Control and weight of the bat with the carbon fiber material is what really started to get the attention of softball players and rejuvenated the composite bat take over. Carbon fiber material is lighter than aluminum which allowed the manufacturers to shift the weigh around the end of the barrel of the bat to the handle, creating better control. Remember that bat speed is the single most important part of driving a ball farther, more important than weight. Control is getting the sweet spot of the bat and the ball to line up. Carbon fiber also helped to limit the vibration effect aluminum bats still have.
Composite bat manufactures than took it a step further and created high performance composite slowpitch softball bats that upped the batted ball speed to over 105 mph. This is why you will see bats like the Miken Ultra and Ultra 2 and some Easton Synergy bats being banned from ASA play. Most of these bats are only allowed in competitive softball leagues. On behalf of all ASA players, thank you ASA for protecting us 3rd baseman and pitchers. My own personal opinion is to get softball leagues closer to baseball. The performance of bats has made average players look like studs. I am a Colorado guy and yes I loved the games the Rockies first played in the early years. The problem was that once you took the altitude away, the Rockies looked like a below average hitting team.
What ever league you play in, find out what is allowed in your league. If you chose to play in an ASA league, you still have good choices for some single wall bats. They may not last as long as the carbon fiber bats, but hey, they are usually $100 cheaper. To recap, Carbon fiber bats are now more durable, stronger, hit the ball faster off the bat, helped reduce the vibration effect and helped to increase your bat speed and control your swing. All key elements to becoming a better offensive player. If you have more questions about selecting the right size bat, I have other articles on my website that address the 4 elements of the softball bat and how to select them. Slowpitch softball bat review will help you understand how the barrel or taper will effect your swing. Click on the link and learn more about how to improve your offense.
aragraph.
Slowpitch softball bat review answers this question and justifies why composite bats seem to be the favorite bats for most softball players. Composite bats back in the early 1990’s were not as good as single wall bats because the trampoline effect of hollow bats created ball speed with the collision of the bat. Some were durable but performed more like wood bats, while others would only last a couple of games. Miken stayed with the composite bat or Carbon Fiber bats and helped develop decent bats that not only competed well with the best single wall bats, but actually performed better, much like the double wall bats.
The best single wall bats have the thinnest walls possible. Thinner is better as long as the alloy used stands up to the collision effect. Aluminum bats have used better mixes of alloys to achieve a stronger thinner bat wall. Traditionally, single wall bats produce a batted ball speed between 90-96 mph. Double wall bats basically apply a second wall inside the bat to create a stronger, more durable bat that increases the trampoline effect and achieved a 96-100 mph batted ball speed. Ball speed also increases with double wall bats, which is why some of these bats are banned by ASA. The introduction of Titanium helped achieve a more durable harder bat back in the early 1990’s. The batted ball speed of over 100 mph (some above 110 mph) quickly caught the attention of softball associations and after a few months, they were banned. The problem obviously was infield safety. There are some alloy titanium mixed bats legal today, but the percentage of titanium is only enough to make the bat stronger and still keep the batted ball numbers within legal limits.
Composite bats closed the gap with Miken in the late 1990’s with a more durable carbon fiber bat that created batted-ball speeds between 96-100mph. Control and weight of the bat with the carbon fiber material is what really started to get the attention of softball players and rejuvenated the composite bat take over. Carbon fiber material is lighter than aluminum which allowed the manufacturers to shift the weigh around the end of the barrel of the bat to the handle, creating better control. Remember that bat speed is the single most important part of driving a ball farther, more important than weight. Control is getting the sweet spot of the bat and the ball to line up. Carbon fiber also helped to limit the vibration effect aluminum bats still have.
Composite bat manufactures than took it a step further and created high performance composite slowpitch softball bats that upped the batted ball speed to over 105 mph. This is why you will see bats like the Miken Ultra and Ultra 2 and some Easton Synergy bats being banned from ASA play. Most of these bats are only allowed in competitive softball leagues. On behalf of all ASA players, thank you ASA for protecting us 3rd baseman and pitchers. My own personal opinion is to get softball leagues closer to baseball. The performance of bats has made average players look like studs. I am a Colorado guy and yes I loved the games the Rockies first played in the early years. The problem was that once you took the altitude away, the Rockies looked like a below average hitting team.
What ever league you play in, find out what is allowed in your league. If you chose to play in an ASA league, you still have good choices for some single wall bats. They may not last as long as the carbon fiber bats, but hey, they are usually $100 cheaper. To recap, Carbon fiber bats are now more durable, stronger, hit the ball faster off the bat, helped reduce the vibration effect and helped to increase your bat speed and control your swing. All key elements to becoming a better offensive player. If you have more questions about selecting the right size bat, I have other articles on my website that address the 4 elements of the softball bat and how to select them. Slowpitch softball bat review will help you understand how the barrel or taper will effect your swing. Click on the link and learn more about how to improve your offense.
aragraph.
