The 2014 Easton XL1 BBCOR: More Power Without Breaking the Rules

The Verdict: 4.8/5   ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
8 Reviews

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Have you ever noticed that when Barry Bonds developed bigger muscles, he began to hit more home runs? Sure you have. After all, if you care enough to want to buy a good bat then you must love the game.

Anyway, when Bonds began packing those bigger muscles, his power really improved. And essentially, that’s also what you get with the new 2014 Easton XL1 BBCOR.

You get a lot more power, but you also comply with the rules. There’s no doubt and controversy about that.

Features of the Easton XL1 BBCOR

• It carries the BBCOR certification, with a -3 drop weight and a barrel diameter of 2⅝ inches.
• It’s available in sizes of 31/28, 32/29, 33/30, and 34/31. That gives you some options so that you can choose the best fit for yourself.
• The 2014 Easton XL1 features an extra-long barrel that’s an inch and a half longer than the SL1. This expands the hitting zone and provides one massive sweet spot.
• IMX™ Composite is used as barrel material.
• The two-piece construction ensures that the energy goes to the end of the bat, freeing up your grip from vibration.
• The SIC™ black carbon handle offers a better and more comfortable feel, even as it makes it much more forgiving.
• It is approved for leagues such as College, High School, American Legion, Little League Senior, Babe Ruth 16+, Pony, Dixie Majors, Dizzy Dean, USSSA, and AABC 14.

Pros and Cons

If you can sum up in just two words what the 2014 Easton XL1 BBCOR is all about, then you should use these words: more power.

Essentially, this is its main point and sole purpose. What you want to do is to turn your singles into doubles. You want to increase your home run numbers.

You want to be the home run king, and with the 2014 Easton XL1 in your hands you are actually wielding Excalibur.

1. It starts with that elongated design. That makes the hitting zone and the sweet spot so big.

   Now you don’t need pinpoint accuracy in getting the baseball to hit that tine spot on your bat exactly.

   You can just make it a general area, and you’re good to go.

2. Then there’s the weight. You may be worrying that the longer design means an increase in weight, but your worries are unfounded.

   The weight is just right as the IMX™ Composite Monster Barrel Design along with the Connexion technology keeps it well-balanced.

3. The speed of the swing is actually very impressive. It may not be as fast as the Mako, but it’s fast enough, and even faster than some of its smaller competition.

   That just shows that the designers really knew what they were doing.

4. The two-piece design plus the performance diamond grip also offers great handling. And when you make contact, that two-piece design prevents much of the vibration from punishing your hands.

   This is a problem with most bats, and it’s really counterproductive.

   You don’t want to feel thankful that you didn’t make contact, just so your hands don’t hurt. With the 2014 Easton XL1, you don’t have to hurt your hands for every hit.

5. It even looks good. The black and yellow color combination stands out, and it really looks like you can use it to hit a baseball much farther.

   This gives you a lot of confidence, and for young players (and even for older ones) confidence is the key to success.

   If you don’t believe it, you will fail. But the Easton XL1 BBCOR will make you believe just by its looks alone.

   Its performance simply confirms that your bailiff is justified.

6. The priced is actually reasonable. You don’t have to wince at the price tag at all.

As for the cons, there’s just one tiny problem. According to Easton itself, its new Mako offers the same mass, but with a much faster swing.

Of course, this can be a matter of preference, because quite a few customers think that the swing is fast enough for them.

Customer Reviews

While the more recent Easton Mako is getting most of the attention these days (after all, it is literally the newest toy in the playground), some people still notice the 2014 Easton XL1.

And they don’t really notice what’s wrong, because it does seem like there’s nothing really wrong with it. They do notice what’s right, and that’s especially true of the power it provides.

Here’s one typical Amazon review:

“My thirteen year old son’s Elite Baseball League coach said this bat is like a weapon! He’s hitting bombs with it and loves the weight and feel of it. He originally wanted the new Mako but this is even better for him.”

Other reviews also mention that the 2014 Easton XL1 BBCOR is worth every penny, along with observations that its power is really “amazing”.

As you can see, inevitably someone will mention the Mako, but the new Easton XL1 BBCOR is a star in its own right. While the reviews for the Easton XL1 BBCOR are fewer, each and every one of them still gives it a perfect 5-star rating.

Conclusion on The 2014 Easton XL1 BBCOR

In the end, the feel of each bat in your hand is purely subjective. It really depends on you.

But what’s not subjective at all are all the pieces of evidence put forth by a lot of players, dads cheering on their sons, and coaches praising their players. When the players make contact, the ball really does go a long, long way.

AS Teddy Roosevelt once said, diplomacy is speaking softly while carrying a big stick. And the 2014 Easton XL1 BBCOR is the biggest stick of them all in the game right now, and you don’t have to say anything at all.

You can let your huge 2014 Easton XL1 do the talking for you.