Composite vs. Aluminum Baseball Bats
What Advantages do Composite Bats have over Aluminum Bats? And are they worth the extra cost?
Composite bats do offer distinct advantages to aluminum bats but they will certainly have a shorter life as they can, and probably will, break. They’re also much more susceptible to the cold. All bats warn you to not use them when the temperature is below 50 degrees. For aluminum bats it’s just a safety valve for the manufacturer. For composite bats it’s the real deal.
Here’s the short version of the advantages composite bats offer. For a detailed, in-depth analysis click here Composite-vs-Aluminum.
- The Swing Weight is More Easily Controlled: The closer the bat’s balance point is to the handle; the easier it is to swing. Composite bats make it easier to shift mass around from barrel end to handle to control the location of the balance point and thus the swing weight.
- Bending Stiffness May Be Tuned: Higher bending stiffness means that the frequencies of the bending vibrations for the lowest bending mode fall into the range where the hands are most sensitive to vibration. Composite materials, however, give the manufacturer the option of lowering the bending stiffness of the bat, without changing any of the stiffness properties in the barrel which affect performance. This means that one might be able to design a bat which would “feel” better or sting less by adjusting the bending stiffness.
- Trampoline Effect May Be Tuned: Composite materials have a distinct advantage over aluminum in that they are anisotropic, which means that the elastic properties of a composite material are not the same in all directions. The stiffness in the longitudinal (along the length of the bat) and circumferential (around the barrel of the bat) directions can be modified pretty much independently of each other. This means that you can make the barrel of a composite bat soft while still maintaining the stiffness in the handle.
- Bending vibrations Are More Highly Damped: The damping rate dictates how quickly the amplitude of a vibrating object decays. The damping values for all-composite bats or bats with composite handles are at least twice as high as aluminum bats, and some composite bats have as nearly 10 times more damping than aluminum bats. This is partly why composite bats are advertised as having a “more forgiving sweet spot.”
- No “Ping” Sound: Oddly enough kids have become so accustomed to hearing the ping their initial thought is this bat sounds like wood. Hence they think it has no pop. Don’t be fooled. Plus the sound will remind the “old-timers” of their youth baseball days.
For everything you need to know about baseball bats visit Baseball Bat Reviews.
About the Author:
I’ve spent a lot of time over the years searching for quality information for Baseball Bat Reviews.
I’ve spent a lot of time coaching with my two sons playing ball over the last 12 years and have seen used and researched many baseball bats. I’ve always tried to stay on top of the latest innovations to avoid the hype, tricks and quite honestly the unnecessary costs.
My goal is to give you quality information that wasn’t available to me over the years. I hope you find it useful.
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WORTH YBM75Y MAYHEM COMPOSITE YOUTH BASEBALL BAT 29/17 $71.00 |
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WORTH YBM75Y MAYHEM COMPOSITE YOUTH BASEBALL BAT 30/18 $0.01 |
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New Rawlings Rush Composite Youth Baseball Bat YBRSHCL $149.95 |
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Akadema Xtension Cat Youth Composite Baseball Bat 32/20 $159.99 |
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WORTH MAYHEM COMPOSITE YOUTH BASEBALL BAT YBM75Y 29/17 $89.99 |
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Miken MV-3 Youth -10 Composite Baseball Bat 31/21oz $249.00 |
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2011 Miken MV-3 Youth Composite -10 Baseball Bat 30/20 $249.00 |
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2011 Miken MV-3 Youth Composite -10 Baseball Bat 29/19 $249.00 |
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Major League Baseball – Angels Table & Chairs Set $94.88 You will receive a total of one table and two chairs. Dimension of the Table: 28W x 28D x 21H Dimension of the Seat: 12H Finish: Red and White Material: Wood 3pcs Angels Kid’s Table and Chair Set MLB Collection Officially Licensed Major League Baseball furniture Each piece in our collection displays the official logos and colors of your favorite team. Hand-craft… |
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Guidecraft MLB Baseball Sports Team Table & Chairs Set … |
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Mattingly V-Grip Youth Ash Baseball Bat 28 $39.99 The Mattingly V-Grip⢠Ash Youth baseball bat has a 2 1/4″ barrel diameter with a 15/16″ handle diameter. All of Mattingly’s wood bats are made from the finest billets. Billets are hand selected by a Certified National Lumber Inspector providing the best quality hard wood billets on the market…. |
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2007 Demarini Hooligan DXHOO-7 Youth (-12) Baseball Bat 32/20oz. $39.99 The Demarini “Hooligan” delivers true 1/2 & 1/2 performance at an unbeatable price. The 12oz. drop helps bring the bat around fast, while fiber reinforced comosite handle takes the sting out of hitting. New 7050 aerospace alloy launches the ball out of orbit…. |
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Easton 2009 LCN9 Stealth IMX Youth Baseball Bat (-11) – Size 29/18 $224.99 The 2009 Stealth IMX, aka “Clutch,” strengthens composite structures, optimizing designs, processes and materials for maximum performance. This patented technology allows for the most advanced bat design lay-ups on the market. Features IMX Composite Massive Hitting Area Max Energy Transfer BESR Certified Ultimate Vibration Reduction Ultra Thin 29/32″ Tapered Handle with Pro-Tack Grip… |
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