"Really good bat, light pick up, great middle and well built," said one tester about the Gray-Nicolls Shockwave. You can't really ask for much more than that.
RRP: £225, Edges: 30mm, Weight: 2lb 9oz
"Really good bat, light pick up, great middle and well built," said one student tester. You can't really ask for much more than that.
Gray-Nicolls is what it is. I know it, you know it, they know it. Nothing much changes: even when they add a bit of colour, as in the aptly-named case of the Shockwave, it is still unmistakeably a Gray Nicolls bat. You're shocked by the performance, perhaps, or by the light pickup and the generous middle, but not by the iconic red strip down the splice.
You know what you are getting with a Gray-Nicolls bat. [Paul Carroll]
So, there is nothing really that any reviewer could write to argue against the merits of such a respected, revered label, and there is nothing much contrary that those who tested the Shockwave would want to say in any case.
"The lime stickers make it look like some children's sweets," said Huw Turbervill, magazine editor of The Cricketer. His eye was naturally drawn to the more traditional, toned-down Powerspot, with its retro feel. But it didn't take him long to be converted.
"I have to say, it slightly outperformed the Powerspot,” he admitted. "The other one was a very good bat, but appearances can be deceptive – and modern things can be better."
Initial impression: 7.8
Build quality: 8
Pick-up/feel: 7.4
Performance: 7.8
OVERALL SCORE: 7.8
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