Been out of the bat buying game for a while. What are the Best bats out and cost?

[BIG_K]

  A good little off season topic, Last one i bought was a easton stelth and it cost around $300ish

[Sweet]

Louisville Slugger LXT Plus is the hottest bat (straight from wrapper) I've seen. New for 2016. Right now they're almost impossible to buy locally without having to wait. $350 when ordering online.

DD swings 2014 LXT and 2015 Xeno they're both hot. I'd say they're the most popular among travel players. Both around $225 - 250.

[NEASPORTSFAN]

We have tried several different brands through the years. The most consistent bats we have used are the Easton bats and the xeno.

[LowerAR]

My DD always was sold on Easton because of the large sweet spot, then she got a hold of a xeno and will not let go. I hit field with the old Easton and it still has pop, but she loves the xeno.

[97softballmom]

The girls really like the Xeno because it doesn't sting their hands.  They are bad about breaking but as long as you keep the receipt Slugger is great about the warranty.  We replaced 3 in one year but they keep improving the technology to lessen the problems.  We UPS it back and have a new one overnighted within a day or two of them receiving it back.  Return center is just outside of Memphis.  The newer Xeno has a rough surface on the barrel.  Xeno is all my daughter will hit with.  Before Xeno she swung a Rockettech

[NWAsoftballjunkie]

The "Best Bat" is a super subjective opinion.  As far as performance they are capped on maximum performance by multiple sanctioning bodies and cannot outperform those standards under any situation.  The key is finding the bat that your DD can make perform at the max capability of the bat.  So many things go into this from length, weight, weight distribution, single barrel, multi-barrel, 2 piece, 3 piece, etc.  The biggest factor is determining the correct length, weight and weight distribution for your player.  Those 3 factors and variables will have the greatest impact on performance.  Once you determine them you can start dialing in brands and models, for example Xeno vs LXT.  We have been testing bats with our teams for years and really try to remove the subjective "Feel" out and look at the hard numbers, such as swing speed, exit speeds, etc.  However at the end of the day, regardless of numbers and science it comes down to the player.  What do they like, what feels good or even more important, what makes them feel confident in the batters box.  The mental game of a hitter will ALWAYS trump math!

For you science and math guys, the highest performing bats that we've tested with our players since the new regulations, has been DeMarini CF series.  The Xeno's/LXT's perform the best right off the shelf but the performance doesn't increase once the bat is broken in.  The Easton's and DeMarini's performance SIGNIFICATLY improves and is at full performance somewhere around the 500 swing mark.  One quick note is DO NOT hit pitching machine dimple balls with a high performance bat.  They will damage the composite break in on a bat like the DeMarini and are the number one cause for the "Xeno Raddle" which will get your bat removed from play at an national ASA event.

For you "feel" guys, the posts above are correct, that the most popular bat among elite HS / Travel players is the Xeno or LXT with the DeMarini right behind.  There is a balance between science and feel which is where you want to be.  Get the sizing right and then let the player feel good about themselves and you've got a winning combination.

[BIG_K]

My DD's team used DeMarini for last 6 or 7 seasons and just switched to Easton this year. Broke team record for Homeruns last year and switched to Easton this year.