Nike is a relatively new member of the baseball bat community and is trying to make a name for themselves in the industry. Many still have a problem associating Nike with anything other than athletic shoes and may never accept them in the baseball bat industry. They do have a small following and several big name college teams have to swing Nike bats due to contracts their universities signed with Nike. It has been reported that many players on these teams are not fond of the agreement. In fact, the Georgia Bulldog players blame their 2008 CWS loss on their Nike bats. They even demanded an out in the contract so they could switch to Easton.
The 2010 Nike bats are very similar to their 2009 models. The big news is that they’ve dropped their alloy model, the Torque, and are focusing exclusively on composite and hybrid models. Nike bats are very similar in design to Demarini bats which begs the question why consider a Nike bat when Demarini bats cost the same, receive better reviews and are much more popular? Therefore, if you love the design of Nike bats I’d recommend you take a hard look at the Demarini line-up.
Nike Composite Bats
2010 Aero Fuse CX2: Nothing new here but the color, it’s the same model as last year. It’s a balanced multi-wall, two piece bat with a flex handle and Nike’s “multi-layer cross react carbon”, “speedlink system”, “powerbelt technology” and “aero cap”.The Adult -3 model retails for $399. This bat has an extremely similar design to the Demarini CF4. The CF4 has a slightly longer barrel and hands down would be my recommendation over the CX2 if you love this design. If you must have the CX2 I’d recommend you find last year’s model on the discount rack for a lot less money.
Nike Hybrid Bats
2010 Aero Fuse: The change for 2010 is a new alloy barrel (Zr91) from the 2009 model, otherwise the bat construction is the same. It’s a balanced two-piece hybrid bat with a flex handle and the same “speedlink system” and “aero cap” as the CX2. The swingweight is slightly lower than the CX2 although they don’t specify the numbers. As with the CX2, the design for this bat is similar to its Demarini counterpart, the Voodoo. Again, my recommendation is to go with the Demarini if you like the design. The Voodoo is a proven, extremely popular, bat that retails for the same price ($299 for the Adult -3 model).
I would disagree about the comparison to the CF3. I know a lot of people that had problems with the red CF3. I am a big Demarini fan but until the new CF3 Blacks prove they will hold up I am not going to be convinced. We have used the CF3 a lot and own a Nike CX2 and they are very close in performance. Now the tell all comes in longevity.
just bought the nike cx2 and WOW! it is amazing, we have used the easton, and miken heat, but the pop off of this bat seems way better, now time will tell
I just got my third replacement CX2. I dented one…… cracked the other, and poped the top off the third. I am moving over to the CF3…. hope it lasts longer
Have had two of these Nike bats have the cap come off, and it seems that the barrel is slipping away from the handle over time. Not worth the money.
i bought a 33/30 2010 aero cx2. it feels powerful when you hit the sweet spot, the ball flies off the bat, some guys on my high school team have hit with it and so far they regret buying the cf4, h2, exo, triton, and the stealth. im really glad i got this over another exo.
i got the new nike aero fuse cx2 30/19 and i love it it is the best bat i have had i dont like the cf3 that was my old bat but i love the new nike aero fuse cx2
Have had 2 (33 30) Aero Fuse CX2 within a year, both had caps crack/pop off.
Would NOT recommend this bat to anyone.
Had a Aero Fuse CX2 32/24. End cap popped off after only using it for a few games–less than a month. Nike said they didn’t have a replacement in stock so they refunded my money after over a month. Bat felt great and I hit good with it but my parents will NEVER buy me a Nike bat again. They said the customer service sucked. I am going back to DeMarini where they do what they say they will do when a bat breaks.