Published by Kate Shreffler, Product Designer
It's no surprise that Axe Bat is known for its handle, but that doesn’t tell the full story of the ongoing research and development that is done to keep the Axe handle the best in the game. With our in-house 3D printing capabilities and access to countless players across pro, college, high school and clubs, we are regularly testing out subtle tweaks and collecting feedback to make sure we are making the most refined handle shape for power, speed, control and comfort.
While iterating on our Axe Standard Handle (the core handle of our brand used by the likes of George Springer and numerous other pros), we selected from 15 variations over the span of a year to pick the form that best maintained and improved upon our Axe benefits. The result was incredible with players finding our new Second Generation Axe Standard Handle to be an even better experience at the plate. However, in this process, we noticed a split between players that had amazing reactions to the Axe Handle and players who felt distracted by the intense locked in feeling and angle. As we moved forward with our process, we didn’t dilute our goals for the core handle, but we also didn’t forget about the players we were missing. We are determined to produce the best handle for every player and in this case with such divided desires we felt a new handle was the answer. How could we cater to these players directly and find a way to share the Axe benefits with a wider audience?
Our answer: The New Axe Flared Handle
The Axe Flared Handle gives the familiar feeling of a round knob but maintains the Axe Bat details that we find most crucial to a powerful, tuned in swing:
- Angle: While the angle on this Flared Handle is less dramatic than previous Axe handles, it still has the benefit of contouring to the natural angle of the bottom hand and providing more connection between the player’s hands and the bat. The result is less effort being used to hold the bat and more energy applied to swing speed.
- Asymmetry: More of the material on this handle is concentrated towards the front (pinky side of the knob). That creates a good filled in feeling while minimizing the material that restricts your follow through. Like all Axe handles, the backside is less flared and more free, producing greater whip.
- Ovality: The shape of the handle is oval and wider on the front edge but the ovality is much more subtle than the Axe Standard handle. This gives an unparalleled awareness of swing plane and comfort but without the intense ovality which may be uncomfortable to players used to swinging round. We know we’ve succeeded when players say this feels natural and like a perfect fit.
These distinctions are very noticeable against even a flared round knob which does not alleviate any pressure from the palm, or allow the player to have awareness of where they are in their swing. That said, the new handle also pulls benefits that players appreciate about round knobs and are distinct from Axe Handles of the past:
- Flexible grip: The player can position their hands up higher or lower and rotate the bottom hand more. The grip is more accommodating to a variety of grip and swing styles. Players will find they can choke up, hold traditionally, hold with pinky on the knob, or drop a pinky and the handle will feel right at home.
- Pressure distribution: The front flared area allows the pressure of the swing to spread out between more fingers. The Standard Axe knob focuses this pressure under the pinky finger which for some players feels great as they feel leveraged against the knob lip, but, for other players, this feeling can be uncomfortable. For these players that do not desire the lipped knob feeling, the Flared knob is the perfect fit.
The player reaction to the Axe Flared Handle in testing has been extremely positive. Our longtime Axe fans have no reason to switch, but for anyone who has been skeptical of the Axe Handle in the past, getting their hands on this has been an eye-opening experience. We are confident that even these subtle Axe additions have a massive benefit over round knobs and we are eager to share them with anyone who hasn’t found their handle with us yet. This might just be the answer and we’re grateful for the honest critique and collaboration that’s made it possible for us to create it.
At Axe Bat, we know there likely isn’t a single handle that will be the preference of 100% of players across the board, but we are confident that with our asymmetric advantages, we can find the right handle that works for everyone given the choice – with our Standard and Flared options, we believe we have done just that.
Still have a question regarding what bat may be best suited for you? Feel free to reach out via chat or email to an Axe Bat customer service representative!