One Cryo Equalizer2 SuperWall - June 27, 1998
This is a SWWWEEEEEET bat! One Cryo has a real winner with the Equalizer2 SuperWall. This bat hits like DeMarini's 2X (or Ultimate Distance) double-wall bat. One Cryo, however, has done some really interesting engineering to make this bat more durable than the DeMarini bat, while maintaining the same level of performance. The walls are thicker than DeMarini's to increase durablity, and the barrel is slightly pressurized to give the bat extra trampoline effect to compensate for the thicker walls, as well as to reduce the chance of denting. Another thing you're going to love is that the end of this bat isn't going to crack, and the endplug isn't going to come out. One Cryo uses a 40-ton hydraulic press to press the end cap/end plug into the bat, and there is a groove inside the barrel that the end cap locks into. The end plug compound & weighting are poured into the end cap before it is pressed into the barrel. The end of the barrel isn't rolled over, so there's no stress to cause cracking, and the end cap covers the end of the barrel, protecting it from other damage which could cause it to crack. Inside the barrel is a perforated sleeve that is held in place by a seal in the neck and another seal (separate from the endplug) at the end of the barrel. The perforations in the sleeve reduce weight while still maintaining performance and durability. This means that more weight can be put into the endplug to make it swing more like an endloaded single-wall bat. This seems to be the most thoroughly thought-out design yet for an extreme edge-of-performance bat that is durable. And right now, One Cryo is still offering a $50 trade-in for your DeMarini Double Wall, in any kind of condition, when you buy the Equalizer2 SuperWall. One Cryo is also coming out with an Equalizer2 that has a skinnier handle and shorter taper, so be on the lookout for it.
Update October 10,1998:
I know softball season has ended or is in the process of ending for most of us, but I just got the "new" version of the Equalizer2 a couple of weeks ago, and all I can say is WOW! This is an awesome bat. The new model has a shorter taper and skinnier handle than the original EQ2, and swings more like most high-end bats than the original design. It took a while for me to get comfortable with how the original EQ2 swings since it has less weight on the end and feels more like a balanced bat than an endloaded one. But the new design felt great (almost perfect for me) from the first moment I picked it up and has been just killing the ball. The performance is right up there with the DeMarini Double Wall, and from my experience and from everything I've heard, the Equalizer2 is far more durable than the DDW. In fact, I don't have so much as a ripple in either EQ2 I own, but have crushed the Double Walls I've had, including the "Fat Boy" model. I told the guys at One Cryo that I was looking for a bat to stick with, and DeMarini just wasn't going to be it, even though I love their products, because they just don't have enough durability. I also told One Cryo that maybe they would be the company for me and maybe not, but the way things are looking, they are definitely it. I don't know about you, but if I spend $300 on a bat, I expect it to perform AND last, and the One Cryo Equalizer2 does exactly that. In fact, my friend Rodney who was a die-hard Worth fan and is now a die-hard DDW fan (He owns 3 or 4 Double Walls and nothing else) likes the Equalizer2 so much that he offered to trade me a Double Wall for my new Equalizer2 and I said "No way. Why would I trade for a bat I'm just going to dent and throw away?". If you want a bat that's right up there with the best in performance, PLUS has the DURABILITY that's been missing with other high-performance bats, get a One Cryo Equalizer2. You can visit them on the web at www.onecryo.com or call them at 1-800-300-CRYO(2796) and ask for Mike or Rocky. If you're in the Marietta, Georgia area and would like to try the EQ2, send me an e-mail and I'll try to hook up with you for some BP (just don't hit it back at me!).
One Cryo Equalizer
Get ready to start seeing a lot of these bats. This is a great bat with a lot of pop and the cost is reasonable at around $149.95. I've hit a lot of long shots with this bat and peppered the fence with line drives in the 150+ balls I've hit so far with it. This bat has a great combination of features: skinny handle, more weight on the end, and excellent performance. This bat sounds like KARAAAANNNNGGG when it hits the ball, and may take some getting used to if you don't like bats with metallic-sounding rings. According to One Cryo, as well as Jay Chasteen, this bat has good durability. I've only hit with it in good weather, so I don't have an opinion on durability yet. If you want a hot bat at a fair price, this bat may be the ticket.
Update April 12, 1998: Well, I'm kinda bummed. It was sunny and 72 today while my friend Rodney and I took BP. We were hitting at the local park that has 300' fences and using new or almost new .50 COR balls - mostly Blue and White Thunders. I decided to switch bats and hit 10 balls with the Equalizer (my main game bats are the DDW, DSW, and C-Core so I did most of my hitting with them). I hit 7 of the 10 out, a few 350' - 360', but dented the bat. This kind of surprised me because I used it a little in BP last week with no denting, and only had one small wave in it after hitting 150 balls off my tee over the last couple of weeks. I hit a few more balls with it later and put another dent in it. This bat has so much potential that I hate to see this happen, and I hope One Cryo can get a little more durability without sacrificing performance because I really like how this bat swings & hits. These aren't "I turned my bat into a triangle" dents, but they are dents. However, they shouldn't really affect the performance of the bat. Every bat manufacturer is plagued with this problem, though. My SuperCell is basically destroyed as well as my Big Boy DDW, and my DeMarini single wall is dented but holding up OK. Now the Equalizer is dented, but very usable, and my Nike has a slight wave in it. The only bat I currently have that isn't dented is my C-Core. Hopefully the denting won't become a major issue, but I'll keep you updated as I use it.
Update May 8, 1998: Good news! I've been using the Equalizer in cool & dry and cool & wet weather, in addition to warm weather, and haven't had any more denting. Also, the two small dents haven't gotten any worse. The Equalizer is really launching the ball & has become one of my favorite bats. One Cryo also has a double-wall bat called the Equalizer 2 & I hope I get to try it in the near future.
Update June 25, 1998: I think the denting that occurred was due to a couple of high-compression (hard) balls that were mixed in with the regular BP balls. The Equalizer is still holding up great and hasn't dented any more when using "normal" softballs.
Want more info? Go to www.onecryo.com or call 1-800-300-CRYO (2796).