When it comes to baseball, you probably think of a person who throws the ball and a person who tries to strike the baseball. In the stadium, players always wear a baseball glove and hold a bat.
However, if you start to play this sport, it may be difficult to find a suitable bat. In case you want to know “Composite vs. aluminum bats, which one is better?”, you come to the right place.
We’ll provide you with useful information about composite and aluminum bats. After reading, you can select a suitable baseball bat for your next game.
Related:
Overview Of Composite And Aluminum Baseball Bats
Generally, the manufacturers produce the baseball bat of all materials with a narrow handle and gradually widen the size toward the bat head. With the design of hollow in the middle, the bat can decrease its weight for a quicker hitting of a baseball.
The essential parts of a standard baseball bat are the same, whether they are made from composite or aluminum material.
Aluminum Bats
In making baseball bats, aluminum is an excellent material choice. However, many companies combine aluminum with some alloys to reduce weight and enhance rigidity.
As a result, aluminum bats improve the playing experience far beyond the wood in pop, swing weight, and speed. Modern alloy bats with handles and barrels are made of various types of aluminum, which differ in size, durability, and density.
What’s more?
The alloy bats with high prices often use better quality metal for a higher attack efficiency. Lower quality aluminum provides nasty vibration, weak durability, and fast wear.
Composite Bats
The baseball bats made from a composite are strong and sturdy. They are usually heavier than wooden and aluminum bats. Because of their robust quality, they offer you very powerful and fast hits.
The composite bats provide players with better attack efficiency through carbon-fiber component material than aluminum ones. This carbon-based material gives a lower density than the alloys but provides a higher production value.
And you know what?
The introduction of synthetic materials becomes a great alternative to aluminum. Similar to the alloys, composite bats are made up of many types of composite materials. Each company develops its brand by using its research for material compositions.
In the next part, we will answer this question for you “Are composite or alloy bats better?”
The Advantages Of An Aluminum (Alloy) Bat
Lower Cost And Lighter Than Composite
In the market, aluminum baseball bats are cheaper than composite ones. Although the performance of this synthetic material is higher than aluminum, if you have excellent playing skills, you can still hit the ball effectively with aluminum bats. So you can save the cost with aluminum products.
Not only that, the unique lightweight design of the aluminum model makes it easier to swing thanks to the development of advanced technology. It provides a larger sweet spot for a better base hit.
You can find aluminum bats in a single or double structure. The double structure creates a wider sweet spot and adds volume to increase durability while a bat with a single one is less durable, lighter, but easier to swing.
No “Break-in”
The advantage of aluminum bats compared to composite ones is that you can achieve high performance as soon as you open and remove the bats from the package. While composite bats need the “break-in” time about 150 times of swing before attaining the highest performance.
Loud “Ping” Sound
You can hear the loud “ping” sound once the sweet spot touches baseball while using the aluminum bat. While playing baseball, the louder ping indicates a stronger hit.
Longer Product Life
The durable aluminum bats provide you the best performance for about 2 years. Moreover, when playing with aluminum bats, there’s not much damage compared to composite ones.
The Advantages Of A Composite Bat
Create Big Pop
Composite bats can create big pop. The carbon fiber material helps push the baseball out of the barrel very fast with a stronger force than the aluminum ones. The ball speed and the collision impact makes the swing effect, which is called “trampoline”.
Reduce Sting Vibration
Composite bats can minimize the vibrations of baseball contact. It means that the synthetic material absorbs and eliminates the discomfort when getting into the batter box and feeling like a shock of electricity going through your hand.
Not only that, the composite handle can provide excellent shock protection in two-piece design. So many manufacturers make alloy bats with composite handles.
Balanced Swing Weight
The composite bats help you to balance swing weight better than aluminum ones. It is because composite bats extend their mass more evenly in the barrel, helping you to transfer your weight on the plate consistently.
Lighter Than Alloy
With a similar rate of length or weight, composite bats have lighter weight than alloy ones thanks to the carbon fiber and graphite.
The Disadvantages Of An Aluminum Bat
Easy To Dent
In case you use aluminum bats, you can suffer cosmetic damage, especially in strokes that cause slips and bends. You should review the manufacturer’s warranty to fix this error because using this bat is not allowed due to the possibility of injury for yourself and other players.
Influence Of Cold Weather
The cold weather can reduce the durability and performance of aluminum baseball bats when the aluminum becomes too hard for baseball collision. Your aluminum bat may have cracks and dents, and your hands may suffer sting vibration.
Moreover, the cold weather causes the baseball to denser and heavier, making the barrel of alloys damaging easily.
Increase Of Sting Vibration (Low-Quality Alloy Bat)
Various alloy materials have different prices depending on the manufacturer’s choice. You need to pay more for high-quality aluminum bats because the bat with poor quality alloy can easily cause bad vibration to the grip of the hitter.
The Disadvantages Of A Composite Bat
Need “Break-in”
As we mentioned above, the composite bat needs a “break-in” with many hits before getting its maximum performance. You only need to swing the bat to hit a real baseball with average force at about 150 times, then you can use your bat to play well.
Influence Of Cold Weather
Similar to alloy bats, the composite ones can be damaged in cold weather. The component of carbon fiber will have cracks in the barrel, like the way a wooden bat is broken and cracked.
Higher Price Than Alloy
Among baseball bats, composite products are the most expensive. While they may give you superior performance over aluminum alloys, you can save on these costs if your baseball skill is excellent. Of course, with an abundance of money, a well-made baseball bat increases the attack ability of a hitter.
So, what is your choice now, guys?
The Influence Of 2018 USA Bat Standard
According to the test of more than 40 baseball bats eligible for USA Bat Standard, this standard narrows down the gap of performance between composites and aluminum alloys. Evaluation results show that alloy bats produce similar data to composite ones.
The principle of this standard brings integrity to the baseball game. Now players need to use bats that operate on a wood-like level, especially the effect of the trampoline when a baseball contacts a bat.
Although composite bats can be designed with a higher trampoline effect than aluminum, they are not allowed to do that way due to the limitations of American Bat Standard. It means the performance of aluminum alloys is quite similar to composite in terms of the effect of the trampoline.
When the American Bat Standard was issued, the difference in strength between alloys and composites dropped, so you don’t need to spend more on new material. However, we hope that the composite material will have improvements that make the ball move longer and still adhere to the standard of baseball associations. As such, you can use the strong composite bats for your baseball match.
All In All, Composite Bats Vs. Aluminum Bats, Which One Is Your Choice?
At this time, you know how to choose a good baseball bat that suits you and meets the standards. It’s time to go out there to bring home one for the next baseball game.
To sum up, if you like more pop without much stinging when you swing, you should buy composite bats. In case you want high comfort and a good grip over a long time, you choose aluminum bats.
In your opinion, is a composite or alloy bat better? Let’s share your ideas with us.
If you have any questions or comments, please leave here. We will have feedback for you as soon as possible.
Similar Posts:
One-Piece Bats vs. Two-Piece Bats