The Verdict: 4.8/5 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
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There’s still a 2018 COMBAT MAXUM BBCOR Baseball Bat?
That’s a very common question asked by baseball players these days when they hear about the 2018 Combat Maxum AB8MX103.
It was big news when it first came out that Combat was closing up shop, and some thought the 2017 Maxum was the last hurrah for this excellent bat manufacturer.
As it turns out, there’s still a new one for 2018, and presumably this is the final version.
Just want to see the 2018 Maxum BBCOR bat now?
==>> Learn all about this Combat here
Features of the 2018 Combat Maxum
Here’s a list of the features you can expect of the 2018 Maxum:
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This is a composite BBCOR baseball bat. Composite bats are lighter than aluminum, and this helps with the enlargement of the sweet spot.
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This Combat bat comes with a -3 length to weight drop. The available sizes range from 30 inches (27 ounces) to 33 inches (30 ounces).
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It also comes with the standard 2 5/8-inch barrel, which is required for many leagues for older players.
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This bat features the crucial BBCOR certification, so you can be sure that it’s approved for high school and collegiate play.
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It uses a seamless 1-piece construction design, instead of a 2-piece design.
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The company also came out with their vaunted precision molding technology. This means they can overcome the difficult of churning out a perfectly tuned bat with a 1-piece design.
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Because of this PMT, you won’t find “dead spots” on this bat. Dead spots are areas on the barrel which seems to offer muted results.
When the baseball hits these areas, the ball doesn’t seem to bounce back as hard as they should.
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The swing weight is perfectly balanced. This offers greater control, and it’s designed for contact hitters.
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It comes with hitting surface that is about 20 to 40 percent bigger compared to other baseball bats.
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You get the most plate coverage with its large sweet spot.
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It offers terrific out of the box performance. You really don’t have to break this in, and any break-in you do perform for this bat is very minimal.
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The handle is pre-wrapped with a bright red synthetic bat grip that’s ample enough for both your hands.
Dead Spots – Swing Weight
Plate Coverage and Handle
Informational Video on this 2018 Maxum AB8MX103
Pros of the 2018 Combat Maxum AB8MX103
So why would you want to use this last Maxum bat from Combat?
Here are a few compelling reasons:
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This composite bat has a huge sweet spot. Most of these legal bats for young high school and college baseball players all have the same 2 5/8-inch barrel size.
What’s different here is that this bat’s composite design offers a much larger sweet spot than many of the other bats you might try.
With this large sweet spot, you’re effective covering a large part of the plate, so you’re more likely to get a solid hit than a mishit.
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For many players, a large sweet spot is of crucial importance. That’s especially true of younger players who still haven’t fully mastered the mechanics of hitting yet.
A large sweet spot makes a bat more “forgiving”, so that you can display better hitting results even when you’re still lacking in baseball hitting experience.
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The larger sweet spot reduces the chances of vibration. The “sweet spot” is the area on the barrel that doesn’t cause vibrations when it’s hit by the baseball.
Vibrations are the bane of baseball hitters, and it can be very frustrating if you keep feeling the sting every time you hit.
You may even subconsciously avoid making contact with the ball just so you can avoid the pain. At least with the large sweet spot, such occurrences should be minimized.
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The synthetic grip also reduces the vibrations. At least you won’t get the full blast of the vibrations when then travel down the length of the bat after a mishit.
The grip absorbs some of the vibrations, so you don’t get as much sting as you would have otherwise.
In addition, the grip is also very comfortable to handle, and that will help you when you take a swing. It may not be Lizard Skin, but it’s similar enough.
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The balanced swing weight offers greater control. When you’re a contact hitter, you want greater control on the bat so that you can drive the baseball to a more advantageous spot for you.
You can “hit ’em where they ain’t”, as one old-timey baseball player was supposed to have said. Since the swing weight is so perfectly balanced, you don’t feel like you’re wielding a heavy hammer so you have better control.
This is actually a surprising benefit to get, because it’s a one-piece design. The advantage of a 2-piece design is that the manufacturer can easily make small weight alterations to one piece of the bat to get the balance right.
This was made possible with the precision molding technology (PMT), which enabled Combat to mold the bat perfectly each time.
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There aren’t any dead spots either. Again, this is due to the PMT. Some inferior bats have dead spots. These are the areas seem to offer a “muffled” result when it’s the point of contact between the baseball and the bat.
Somehow, the energy dissipates and the ball doesn’t travel out of the bat as it should.
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This also allows for out of the barrel use. It’s basically ready to use right out of the get go. It doesn’t really need any sort of break-in at all.
It does improve a bit was you use it at first, but this break-in period doesn’t take a long time.
About 50 hits with the ball in practice and you’re all set to play for real.
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This is also BBCOR stamped and certified. So if your league requires BBCOR bats, you can be very sure that this bat is legal to use under the rules.
Baseball does have lot of rules regarding which types of equipment are permissible, so at least you don’t have to worry about whether or not your bat is okay to use.
Sweet Spot and Vibration
What About the Swing Weight and One-Piece Design?
The 2018 Combat Maxum BBCOR Baseball Bat Barrel and Certification
Cons of the 2018 Combat Maxum
Of course, there’s no such thing as a perfect bat for everyone, so there’s bound to be an issue with this bat as well.
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Because this is a one-piece design, the vibration can really travel unimpeded throughout the bat.
So in the unlikely chance that you do get to mishit the ball outside the sweet spot area, the resulting vibration can go straight down the length of the bat and sting your hands.
While the bat grip does absorb some of the vibration, you will still feel a bit of the sting nonetheless.
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This is also a balanced bat, and that may not be the best option for huge power hitters who are more used to end-loaded bats.
This doesn’t have the weight at the end that can really help you hit the ball out of the yard.
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Finally, one potential problem is not with the 2018 Combat Maxum BBCOR but with Combat closing shop.
While it’s extremely likely that the seller can promptly honor the 30-day money back guarantee and the 1-year warranty, you may still feel a bit uneasy if you ever need to get this bat replaced.
Final Words on The 2018 Combat Maxum BBCOR
It offers a huge sweet spot that can really help you optimize your results.
This sweet spot gives you a larger plate coverage area than what you’d get from other bats.
Basically, when you take a blind swing with this bat you’re more likely to get a hit.
Let’s Briefly Look at Sting and Swing Weight
As for the possibility of getting your hands stung, you can just use it as a motivational tool—just make sure you hit the ball with the sweet spot.
Of course, it does help that the swing weight is balanced. It makes the bat much easier to control.
It is true that Combat was actually a Canadian company, and it’s not really a country that most people associate with baseball.
But the truth is that Canada actually has a very long history with baseball and it’s still one of the most popular sports in the nation.
Plenty of current MLB players now are from Canada, and that includes perennial MVP candidate Joey Votto.
Enjoy This 2018 COMBAT MAXUM BBCOR Baseball Bat While You Can
Combat is also a perennial favorite among baseball players, and it’s a shame that Combat has ended its run.
It could have been one of the hottest BBCOR bats this season.
But at least they end it on a high note.
This 2018 COMBAT MAXUM BBCOR Baseball Bat is excellent for high school and college players and its huge sweet spot is such a boon.
It’s such a shame that there won’t be any more of these fantastic bats, but at least you can still enjoy this one.
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