Combat Baseball Bat Reviews
2010 COMBAT BASEBALL BATS
COMbat (the company) started in 1998 when they began manufacturing softball bats for other brand name companies. COMbat bats were born in the last few years when they decided to put out the same bats they make for other companies in their own name, including baseball bats.
The big news for 2010 is that COMbat finally is offering their most popular bats, the B1 and B2, in Adult and Senior League models. It’s hard to believe it took them so long to do this but at least the light bulb finally went on. Also in 2010, they’ll finally get to push the B2 which had a delayed introduction last year because it initially did not meet regulations.
Another change for 2010 is COMbat’s introduction of a 100% alloy bat. They’ve been exclusively focused on composite bats since their inception and this is a big move for the company.
COMbat needs to make a name for themselves in high school and college baseball to become a true player in the industry, and offering all their bats in Adult and Senior League models is a giant leap forward. We’ll see if the emphasis on big barrel bats can get them some traction in 2010.
Here’s the COMbat line-up for 2010:
COMbat Composite Bats
- COMbat B2: As stated, the 2009 B2 had a slow start because of approval issues. This is the same design as the “redesigned” version that was finally approved for the 2009 model year. It a one-piece, single wall bat with a stiff handle and a low swing weight. The difference between the B2 and B1 is that the B2 has COMbat’s “Variable Stiffness Technology is said to allow for lower barrel wall stiffness on both sides of the normal sweetspot, resulting in an enlarged sweet hitting area.” It also has their “Blended Fiber Technology, where Arimid fibers ( found in bullet proof vests ) is combine with carbon and glass fibers in varying proportions and precise angles to get more trampoline effect and absorb vibrations resulting in more energy transfer to the ball and greater distance.” Did you get all of that? My favorite is the bullet proof vest comment. My opinion is this doesn’t amount to much and that it’s not much different than the B1. The B2 Adult -3 model retails for $369 putting it just below the other top tier composite bats. There are better options in this category and price range.
- COMbat B1: This bat has had the same design for several years; the only news is the introduction of the big barrel models. It’s a one-piece, single wall bat with a stiff handle and low swing weight. The B1’s claim to fame began in the 2007 Little League World Series when the U.S. team won the championship game on a walk off home run off a B1 bat. Not that it wasn’t exciting and a plus for COMbat but is this really that big a deal? First if you’re playing in the LLWS championship game you’re probably a pretty good player. Second the fences in Williamsport are only 205 feet from home plate! In the world of 12U travel baseball this is a F7, F8, F9 or double. This is just a bunch of hype based on one dramatic home run and nothing else. I’m sure the folks at COMbat did their best to stoke this magical story. The truly intelligent move by COMbat was pricing the B1 as a second tier composite bat ($299 for the Adult -3 model). Why they didn’t do this last year when the B2 was introduced is anyone’s guess. The big barrel option and new price might get some Middle and High School players to use it and give them much needed exposure above the age of twelve. It’s one of my two recommendations for second tier composite bats.
COMbat Alloy Bats:
- COMbat Exit: COMbat goes metal with the introduction of their first 100% alloy bat, the Exit. It’s a one-piece, single wall bat with a stiff handle and balanced design. The bat has “PowerMetal” alloy which is supposed to have been “Developed for Nuclear, Defense and Military Applications’. Once again a bunch of hype but at least they’re being creative. Other than that, the bat claims to have a “unique look” and increased durability. The Adult -3 model retails for $199 where it competes with the Louisville Omaha and Easton V12 alloy bats. My recommendation is to go with those options rather than the Exit.
Take a look at My Baseball Bat Recommendations by Category for my recommendations in each bat category and price range.
My 8 year old son played with a 29/17 B1 this fall and we loved it. We had the 2009 demarini vodoo for all stars this summer and we pretty much hated it, sold it on ebay and bought the combat. With the b2 out we may try that in the spring if i can sell the b1 on ebay for something. my bigger question is were starting travel ball in march where 8 and 9u’s are using 2 /3/4 bats, usually 28 or 29 -9 or -10’s. I’d love some advice on this? I really wonder if these kids can power up these senior league bats and what the best choices are if money isn’t the issue, performance is all that matters. thanks, great site
November 17th, 2008 at 5:03 pmI have a 15 yr. old and a 12 yr. old. I have been buying the eastons, demarinis and louisville slugger big barrels for years. My youngest hit with the combat b-1 2 1/4 barrel last year as well as the rest of the team. The b-1 has more pop then any bat i have seen in the last 8 years of playing tournament baseball. Dont know about the virus or b-2 but nothing beats the b-1.
January 14th, 2009 at 8:47 pmMy son has started using the B1 (he is 8)this season and has been hitting great. He loves the bat. He got his first out of the park in our second game and has hit several in practice. We also have the senior league virus which he did fine with but I think it was too end loaded which slowed his swing. Both his B1 and virus are the same lenght and weight (29″ 19oz)I really think the B1 has excellent pop. I am not familiar with the omaha so I can’t compare the two.
March 12th, 2009 at 1:26 pmI don’t think you can compare the B-1 with the stealth imx because the the imx is a 2 piece end loaded bat for bigger stronger kids, and the b-1 is one piece and more balanced. my 10 yr old has both bats B-1 31/19 and imx 30/19 he preferes the b-1, and for his size the b-1 has much more pop. the 12 yr olds on my team like the b-1 31/21 over the imx but I think the difference between them is not that much but the b-1 is liked more.I also think that its easier to generate more bat speed with a balanced bat, and bat speed is the name of the game.
May 6th, 2009 at 9:33 amReply to Mike: The review states a preference for the Stealth/Synergy IMX over Combat for the 2009 models. They’re made of the same composite material but in two different designs.
You’re correct in stating the Stealth IMX (now the Stealth Speed bats for 2010) is a two-piece more end loaded bat than the B1. The thing to remember is that the Easton IMX bat also comes in a one piece more balanced model (Synergy IMX). This is a similar design to the Combat B1. In 2010 the Easton Stealth and Synergy Speed bats all have a swing weight (MOI) of 80. The 2009 Stealh IMX had a swing weigh of 90. Hence, you have much more flexibility with the Easton bats and can buy one tailored to your swing.
May 6th, 2009 at 10:26 amA comment on the Combat B2 DA Bomd…I liked the performance of the bat…it has plenty of pop but doesn’t hold up..I purchased a new 30/20 on Febuary 2nd of 2009 and it was cracked by June the 5th of 2009…I sent it back to Combat and they were out of stock of the 30/20 so I got the 31/21 from the 1 year warranty exchange…now this is where it went wrong…I didn’t read that the warranty and it is a 1 time 1 year replacement…the 2nd bat only lasted till the end of July 2009 and the company will do nothing to replace it…the irony is that the 1st bat was used 10 fold compared to the 2nd so beware if you end up with a pair of bats like I got you’ll be replacing them every few months..not ever buying their products again..I sent an e-mail to the President of the company and have received no reply..I will try to put the word out of the poor endurance of this bat and the overall non-existing customer service
August 25th, 2009 at 1:01 pmadmin-
please inform us on what a swing weight(MOI) of 80 means. You refer to it a lot… 80 what? certainly not m/sec2 (the unit of measure for an object’s MOI) How is this helpful?
Or is it complete marketing mumbo-jumbo, in which case, you would be propagating the same “clutter and hype” that your website claims to sift through.
Eagerly waiting for your response…
August 25th, 2009 at 3:14 pmFor 8-10U travel ball, they will get better pop out of combats youth barrel bat than the senior league. The composites are different and you have to be stronger to get the trampoline effect out of the senior league bat. Most younger kids have better success with ball distance with the YB than the SL. The only trade off is a narrower barrel thus if he is not on top of the ball all the time you would need to consider such.
December 10th, 2009 at 10:45 amThis guy giving the reviews is a IDIOT, Miken was started by Jeb Griffith nobody name Mike and Ken, what a loser, you would not know a good bat if it fell out of you a-s!
December 31st, 2009 at 12:31 amYou are incorrect. Jeb Griffith invested in the company and eventually ran it. It was originally a tool & die company founded by the inventors of a carbon fiber material for golf club shafts, etc. Their names were Mike and Ken. Here is the official history with no edits:
“Miken” comes from the first names of two inventors from Heartland, Wis., who had a tool and die company, Hoscheit explained. “Mike and Ken were trying to build golf club shafts and bow risers for archery out of carbon, fiber glass, and other composites,” Hoscheit recalled. “Jeb ran into one of them, started visiting about what they were doing, was intrigued with the potential for using composites for softball bats, and invested in the company.”
January 1st, 2010 at 3:17 pm