Woodstock Cricket Bat – Airstream Players Limited Edition| Great value for Money under 60,000 Yen.

With a great start to domestic cricket season, Let’s take a look at some of the best bats available in the market. Let’s start with Woodstock Cricket bats. MERITOK ONLINE company based in Tokyo Japan is bringing some of the best UK bespoke brands to the Japan shores.

This is not a paid or promotion review. In January 2021, Meritok did not have any off the shelf bats for review. So after a lot of internet search and discussing with few friends in the UK about Woodstock cricket bats, I decided to purchase a Woodstock Players limited edition cricket bat for this review. So a lot of effort has gone to bring you an honest opinion.

Usually, player limited edition bat costs more than 90,000yen (excluding shipping cost) if bought from UK, Australia, New Zealand websites. SS and SG bats purchased in India cost anywhere between 37,000~50,000INR (~60k~90k yen) with shipping cost close to 12k yen. LaverWood signature willow costs well over 130,000yen including the shipping cost.

Woodstock Cricket Bat Order Experience

After going through many reviews and bat profiles I decided to go with the Airstream Players Limited Edition which also had the highest reviews in UK competitive market. Some of my friends were looking to buy their first custom bat for a long time. So after understanding their needs we finalised the order as below

1. Airstream Players Limited Edition LE:
   • Customization: Weight (2.11), airstream profile, Oval handle, slight curve, large Sweet spot (focus on low to the extended middle), Long blade (1inch) + Oiling + Knocking + Toe guard + scuff sheet
2. Airstream Players Limited Edition LE:
   • Standard blade, weight 2.9, airstream profile, Oval handle, slight curve, large Sweet spot (focus on low to the extended middle) + Oiling + Knocking + Toe guard + scuff sheet
3. Airstream Players Limited Edition LE:
   • Same spec as bat number 2
4. We also purchased 3 premium bat covers which cost 3500yen/piece.

First Impression and Pickup

Packing was nearly done to protect the bat face, edges due to the fact that players edition bats are not as heavily rolled as grade 2 or 1 bats which ping well straight off the shelf. Bat and Bat Cover arrived in separate packaging. When we opened the package, In the first view, Bat is not filled with Stickers and glitters. Bat is clean white with a beautiful profile. Minimum stickers meant willow quality is more visible to the eyes. The straight grains view is more appealing.

Straight away, all BATs feel very light compared to the actual weight. The balance and pick up feel very good. When in hand, it Inspires confidence. The oval handle provides a perfect grip.

As a special request, oiling, pre-knocking, toe guard, the scuff tape was included to understand the best ping quality of the bat. This is a special service by Meritok to players in Japan. It is directly managed by Woodstock before shipping bats to Japan. Even with the 80% knocked bat, ping is very good and does not return vibrations back in the handle.

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Bat Cover

To date, it is one of the best bat covers we have seen. It is made up of heavy-duty PVC material. All four sides are heavily padded for bat protection. Zipper quality is good and the Shoulder straps are padded too. The Woodstock letters and logo are embroidered. Overall really impressed with the cover and worth purchase. Bat rests in its prime case for a week till the matchday

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Woodstock Cricket Bat Willow Quality

It is a very beautiful bat. One may argue that it is not the best looking cricket bat but the main priority on these Cricket bats is PERFORMANCE, BALANCE and it certainly delivers in that aspect. There is an opportunity for the maker to have more fine sanding and polishing to make it look more refined.

Pre-knocking by Woodstock

Bat straightway pinged well and way better than standard off the shelf bats. The softness can be felt. The back of the bat edges are sharp and would need pressing manually to create a curve to avoid any dent mark on edges. Some of the other makers press the edges that create a small radius to ensure edges last for a long time.

After few session in the nets

After a few net sessions and over 200 balls throwdowns we could get the best out of it. A good punch with the straight bat can yield you max along the ground.

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Overall Summary

After 2months of possession and few games with it, would we recommend Woodstock Cricket Bats?

The answer would be “YES DEFINITELY”. For the Players grade limited edition willow less than 60k yen, I think it’s great value to have bats that speak to your personality and needs. With a great balance and feel in the hand, you may not feel tired after playing a long inning.

Over the years, we have seen that beautiful grains or the number of grains do not always guarantee great performance. However, aesthetically they are appealing and demand a premium price tag. Overall it’s an impressive bat to have it in the kit bag. Considering the demand, Meritok Online is offering free shipping on many products. So it’s worth considering a purchase if you are in the market looking for high-performance bats.

Other Willow Options

USE Promo code “CRICJP2.5” to get a 2.5% discount.

Get discount 2.5% discount not only on Woodstock Cricket bats but all the product on Meritok website.

Click here to buy Woodstock Cricket Bat Players Edition Airstream LE

If you need CRICJP help to decide your first custom cricket , Whatsapp me on 090-5498-1556 & we will help you out.

Woodstockcricket uk website

references: issues.com