We have tested and reviewed all the 2012 BBCOR bats we could get our hands on and we have our picks for best bbcor bats for 2012. Our BBCOR reviews are based on a total score rating bats on: Performance, Durability, Balance, Looks, and Value. The top BBCOR bat is the one with the highest overall score.
#1 RIP-IT Prototype II (24.5 of 25)
Prototype II by RIP-IT
Performance – 5
Durability – 5
Balance – 5
Looks – 4.5
Value – 5
The RIP-IT Prototype II picks up in the exact same place the original
Prototype left off, which is the top of our list. The Prototype
consistently outhit its competitors, and a large majority of our
hitters chose this as their favorite bat. One of the strongest
positives about the Prototype II is that the sweet spot is huge,
giving hitters the largest margin of error for any of the bats we hit.
Not a true measure of performance, but the hitters also loved the
simple, streamlined look of the Prototype II. However, it scores a 4.5
of 5 because the white will most likely get pretty dirty.
Like the original Prototype that launched as a 2011 model, the
Prototype II is the bat the other manufacturers will be chasing in 2012.
#2 DeMarini Voodoo (22 of 25)
The review of the 2012 Voodoo bat by DeMarini
Performance – 4
Durability – 5
Balance – 4.5
Looks – 4.5
Value – 4
The Demarini Voodoo finds itself at the #2 spot on our list, and was
the hardest bat for us to write a review on. The Demarini Voodoo isn’t
really exceptional in any particular category, but still received high
marks across the board. It found its way into the top three of almost
every hitter who tried it, but failed to get a #1 ranking from any
hitter.
Based on this, we concluded that the Demarini Voodoo was a bat that
was consistently good across all categories, but wasn’t the best BBCOR bat
in any category. Whether it was performance, balance, or looks,
players always had one or two bats they liked better. In most cases it
was the RIP-IT Prototype II or Easton Power Brigade series, but the
Marucci Cat 5 (our #4 bat) also outranked the Demarini Voodoo for a
number of players in performance.
Note: We chose the Demarini Voodoo over the Demarini CF5 because we
could not find any noticeable difference in performance, and the
Voodoo was $100 cheaper. If choosing between the two, save yourself
the cash and go Voodoo.
Tie #3 Easton Power Brigade Series (21.5 of 25)
- The top rated BBCOR bats Eason is offering for 2012
Performance – 4.5
Durability – 5
Balance – 5
Looks – 4
Value – 3.0
UPDATE: After receiving several emails about issues with the Easton endcap sticker, we looked into it and we were pretty shocked at what we saw (see photo of bat right out of the box below). It appears the new Easton endcap is really just the old design with a rubber sticker placed in the center. While the Power Brigade series was touted as a total redesign, it seems that at least the endcap is the same as their previous BBCOR. However, for $400 I expect the sticker to at least last until the wrapper comes off. Because of this flaw, we are adjusting the Looks value from the original 5 to a 4. We are also dropping the value from a 3.5 to a 3 because when you pay that much for a bat the endcap should have been designed to fit the updated logo and look. The changes in score put it tied with the Marucci Black at number 3.
We tested all three price points of the new Easton Power Brigade
series of bats, and chose to focus on the S1 and XL1 series of bats
because they are Easton’s top bats of the bunch. The power brigade
series is a dramatic improvement from Easton’s BBCOR bats from last
year, which was much needed considering their previous models were
average. Performance is excellent, and players consistently commented
on the “smoothness” of the feel when hitting. It would have scored a 5
on performance, except that the sweet spot was not as large or
forgiving as the RIP-IT Prototype II, so we had to score it lower.
Players thought the Easton Power Brigade series of bats were the
sharpest looking bats of 2012.
Where Easton loses point is in the Value category. At a whopping
$399.99, the SI and XL1 models are $120 more expensive than our #1
ranked bat, the RIP-IT Prototype II. And if you are considering the
$299.99 (S2 and XL2) and $199.99 (S3 and XL3) models to save money,
note that we didn’t list either model in our top 5.
Tie #3 Marucci Black (21.5 of 25)
The 2012 best BBCOR offered by Marucci.
Performance – 4.5
Durability – 3
Balance – 5
Looks – 4
Value – 5
Marucci introduced the Marucci Cat 5 last year, and with the Black Series has gained ground in the BBCOR market. The Marucci Black Series has proven to be a top performer in both performance and sweet spot, standing toe-to-toe with our #1 and #2 ranked bats in terms of exit speed and distance. Players also give the Marucci Black Series high marks for its balance, saying it feels very “light.”
Durability is the major factor in dropping the Marucci Black Series below the Easton Power Brigade series and Demarini Voodoo for the #2 and #3 spots respectively. We have had conversations with numerous colleges and high school teams that told us that last year the Marucci Cat 5 bat lost its performance (i.e. “wore out”) during the season. In some cases, the bats needed to be swapped out numerous times. With reliable sources telling us the barrel of the Black Series is the same as that used in last year’s Cat 5 (the Black Series uses a composite handle where the Cat 5 was a 1 piece aluminum), it is likely that the same issues would exist in the Black Series model.
#4 Rawlings 5150 (20 of 25)
The 5150 BBCOR by Rawlings
Performance – 3.5
Durability – 4
Balance – 4.5
Looks – 3
Value – 5
Despite winning the World Series title this year with USC, the
Rawlings 5150 lost one spot in the rankings in 2012. While it scored
higher than the 17 it received last year, many of the manufacturers
made significant improvements to their 2012 bats that have led to a
much better class of BBCOR bats in 2012. Unfortunately, the Rawlings
5150 hasn’t had any changes since 2011 and is falling behind in the
battle over performance.
We were hoping to see Rawlings bring something new to the table for
2012, but unfortunately it is getting late in the season and we aren’t
expecting anything at this point. Hopefully we are wrong.
