Almost everyone who rolls bats will let you know that bat rolling cannot be detected; to an extent this is true.  All bats can be rolled and be undetectable; sentence comes with some exceptions.  On about 90% of bats, rolling is absolutely undetectable, even if an expert bat roller was given the bat for inspection.  The other 10% of bats have issues with being undetectable. 

When a bat roller says that bat rolling is undetectable they are not lying but they are not telling the whole truth either.  As I said earlier all bats can be rolled with no detection.  When this occurs the bats will not come even close to being entirely broken in.  What that means is the pressure placed on the bat will be not enough to break up the glue.  I believe some bat rollers are fearful of breaking bats or are inexperienced and do not understand how to properly break in a bat.  This would be why they roll with less pressure.  Some composite bats and all aluminum bats will posses long flat spots along the entire length of the barrel after bat rolling.  With composite bats, this is commonly caused by substandard composite material but can also be caused by too much pressure.  So the question remains what if I have one of these bats that bat rolling will leave roller marks?  Key: A knowledgeable bat roller will develop a plan that will work around this challenge.  One of these tactics is parallel rolling.  You can’t successfully roll an aluminum bat with a perpendicular bat rolling machine.  Let me say that again, “can’t successfully roll an aluminum bat with a perpendicular bat rolling machine”.  This is where a parallel rolling machine is a requirement.  It will effectively roll the bat without making flat spots. 

 I can say a similar thing about some composite bats.  As I stated in the second paragraph, some composite bats are made of mediocre material and perpendicular rolling can cause flat areas.  Some of these composite bats include: 2010 Mikens and Worths, Easton Extended 2008, TPS bats, most youth fastpitch bats, and most youth baseball bats.  This is not a complete list but it gives you an idea of some of the potential problems with perpendicular rolling.  I mentioned that Mikens and Worths have this occur, this is not to say that they have low-grade composite but it definitely take place with these bats.  Again, this can be avoided with a parallel roller and an expert bat roller.  So if these kinds of bats are rolled to there full capability in a perpendicular bat roller there will be flat areas.  Again, there will be flat spots with perpendicular bat rolling. 

 Now the first question, can bat rolling be detected?  No, as long as you use a parallel bat rolling machine and an experienced bat roller.  I have personally shipped 4 bats back to Easton and Miken that had been rolled and received my replacements.  You will find bat rollers on Ebay trying to get your business without any real experience.  You will see things like “we can roll bats ‘Hot’ or ‘Super Hot’”, what in the heck is this?  You will find claims of 20-60 ft; rolling has only been tested to increase distance by 40 feet.  You will see bat rollers who fault the bat companies for graphics coming off.  Ebay is a cesspool of inexperienced bat rollers.  What to look for: look at Ebay feedback, make for certain you get it done by a legitimate bat rolling company, and find a bat roller who does both perpendicular and parallel.  This will improve your chances of not receiving a detectable bat after bat rolling.

Related Products:

Easton Sports Equipment Tote BagThe Easton® Tote holds up to two bats and features a metal hanging fence clip and an interior valuables pocket. Made of 600D polyester/embossed PVC, the bag measures 36-in x 7-in x 9-in.

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1. Bat Rolling – What Is Causing All The Discussion