Anderson Bat Q & A

[AlwaysImprove]

I am not sure how the rules read in the past. Currently:

Rule 1 - Definitions
ALTERED BAT: When the physical structure of a legal softball bat has been changed.

Rule 3 - The Equipment
Altered Bat The official bat shall not be an Altered Bat. The weight, distribution of weight, and length of bat as well as all other characteristics of the bat must be permanently fixed at the time of manufacture and may not be altered in any way, thereafter, except as otherwise specifically provided for Rule 3, Section 1, or as specifically approved by ASA. ...


Only way you can make a bat's material more durable is to alter the characteristics of the the bat. So it is not allowed.

[Tumblebug]

The real problem is that the balls become significantly harder in the cold. At 30 degrees a ball that has a listed compression of 375# will have an actual compression of 750# or more. So it follows that unless the cryogenic process can soften a frozen ball, it really does no good to do the treatment to help the bat hold up better in the cold.

Tumble, I'm glad you brought up the point of the ball being significantly harder in the cold. Would there be any benefit to warming your bat in let's say 45-50 F (7-10 C for us)weather? You would still encounter the frozen ball issue! Would you cause any damage to the bat?

Tks, Kate
P.S. People, before you go there, let's try to keep it clean with the any "frozen balls" comments....

Warming the bat has little or no effect on denting. Warming the softballs would work though. Here is the answer from softball.com http://www.softballplayer.com/Worth/WorthNews.htm

[Tumblebug]

Tumblebug,

Thanks for the reply. Previously, I had an industrial cryo shop treat a Louisville Slugger Dynasty. I believe the procedure involved a slow descent to some ungodly cold temp, a resting phase, and a slow return to regular temps. This was done a few years ago and I heard that there were a few disreputable shops without much experience or proper equipment performing the treatment on bats, so I went to an established industrial supplier close to home. They took the bat more as a curiosity than as a new stream of revenue.

My assumption was that relieving the stress in the metal could only be a good thing and might improve the durability of the bat under tough conditions, like, for example, cold weather and overly hard baseballs. The procedure wasn't particularly expensive at the time so even a small improvement would have been a win.

My question has to do more with the non-metal parts of the bat, particularly adhesives and plastic parts. The cryo'd bat showed no ill effects, but I was concerned that adhesives used in the assembly, if any, might fail. I was prepared, for example, to regrip the bat and I was praying the end cap would still be attached.

I'm replacing this bat with a new NanoTek and I don't want to turn it into an expensive paperweight. Obviously, this procedure is beyond the scope or ordinary use for a bat and I'm not asking for an official authorization, just an engineer's best guess. I can hear the conversation with customer service..."no I didn't hit any balls with temperatures below 60 degrees, but I did have the bat down to minus 300..."

It would be a problem if any two assembled materials have a different coefficient of thermal expansion. that is to say that the different parts would expand and contract at the different rates. I would not expect a plastic cap to remain unchanged. I would question the viability of the epoxies that are added weight, secure the cap and secure the knob in out bats.

[clayface74]

date??????? I'm dyin over here!!!

[arunner2]

The NanoTek
any feedback on that new fastpitch NanoTek bat ?
how did the girls like it ? "team ANDERSON or SEED girl's or test girl's,
back in NOV ?

[AGameGal]

It is my understanding that they liked the bat tremendously. It is due to be released within the nest week or so and from what I gather may already be in backorder status!

[9805]

Will there be a -12 or just a -10? If only a -10 then what will be the smallest size?

[AGameGal]

Will there be a -12 or just a -10? If only a -10 then what will be the smallest size?

They are "true" -10 bats. No endweighting, completely balanced. My understanding is that the user tends to go up an ounce from their usual bat size. They are available in 30" through 34".

[Tumblebug]

Will there be a -12 or just a -10? If only a -10 then what will be the smallest size?

They are "true" -10 bats. No endweighting, completely balanced. My understanding is that the user tends to go up an ounce from their usual bat size. They are available in 30" through 34".

You've got it right. They are true -10 overall weight and they are very balanced. If you are using a RockeTech you might want move up an inch in length. This bat will especially appeal to the player that is moving up from a -11 or a -12.

[Tumblebug]

I also have news about the product test. The Anderson NanoTek durability test is finished.

The local colleges were used for this test. Another test that included a test group comprised of individuals was planned but the college test was done so comprehensively and the design changes worked out so well that the product has been released and no new testing is planned for the current model. In my earlier post I asked for volunteers and I got many replies. I failed to mention that the test bats are 33” lengths and only 33” bats. Many who replied were simply too small to be useful in the test. That was my mistake and I apologize if I caused any inconvenience.

We had planned a product seed group rather than a public test but the response has been so big that we don’t initially have the product to do a product seeding program. So I thank all of those who responded but for the sake of expediency relating to weather issues we have chosen to handle the field testing through our local college teams.

However, as a result of those tests, we have decided to include a second NanoTek model that is weighted differently. Its design will especially appeal to the current RockeTech user. As this product nears release we will need to test it using very experienced RockeTech users. A comparison test is most desirable. Test product is always 33” in length. If you want to be part of this test, you must be a previous RT user and be capable of swinging and comparing a 33” bat. You also must contact me directly at Steven@andersonbat.com rather than a PM here.