Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about Bats

What Is Cupping?

Cupping is refers to the amount of wood removed from the barrel end of the bat.  The effect is to move the center of weight of the bat towards the hitter.  FULL, HALF and NONE refer to 1", 1/2" and 0" respectively.

What Is A Flared Knob?

A comfortable handle design in which the handle flares strongly to almost the same diameter of the knob.

What Is A Fungo?

A lighter, longer bat designed to reduce fatigue during prolonged play. Originally designed and used by coaches, a Fungo is primarily used to teach fielding exercises to the infield and outfield players. On an MLB field a 36 inch fungo is used for the infield practice and a 37 inch or longer fungo is used to teach outfield catching and game strategy.  We once made a 48" fungo for Charlie Metro an old coaching great!

What Is Shaved Heel?

The flare to the knob starts from the narrowest part of the handle and flows outward and down to the knob at the bottom of the bat.  This is the area in the bat where players will shave the area or heel of the bat to increase their comfort to the palm of the bottom hand.

What Is Solid / Two-Tone?

Colour schemes used to paint the bat.
Solid colour scheme paints the bat in a single chosen colour
Two-Tone allows for different colours to be used for the handle and barrel. A band of natural finish provides a transition between the two colours.

What Is Weight?

The weight of a bat (in ounces) is typically expressed relative to the bat length (in inches). For example, a weight of "-3" for a 34" long bat results in a 31 ounce finished weight.

Why do maple Sam Bats last longer than other ash or maple bats?

From the earliest days we endeavored to make the best Bat possible.  During that time we have developed four different cutting processes to achieve our outstanding world records.  All of them involve holding the wood lightly, under eighty pounds of pressure and cutting sharply and accurately allowing the blank to find its own natural centre.

When you see pro players roll a bat along the ground they are checking for wobble in the bat.  You will seldom if ever see this in your Sam Bat.  Some of our competitors use high production copy lathes designed to make furniture parts.  Their bats are made to sit in rooms not to face the forces of the game.