Absolutely great looking bat. Black and grey with just a bit of neon green in the graphics and on the handle, this version of the VooDoo absolutely leaves behind some of the kid graphics seen on some older models. I hope this design trend sticks with new DeMarini\u2019s, as I can\u2019t tell you how many people came up to us asking what the bat was and gave a big thumbs up to it\u2019s looks.<\/p>\n

2-piece alloy\/composite hybrid.<\/p>\n

Weight<\/h2>\n

Size tested was a 30\/25. Actual weight\u2026 25.1 oz.! (We\u2019ll talk about this later.)<\/p>\n

Swing Weight<\/h2>\n

This is where DeMarini says this bat diverges a bit from previous VooDoo models, as it boasts a \u2018balanced\u2019 designation. We felt that while this bat felt like it had a bit of EL (not as balanced as say, the Combat Maxum), it did not feel as EL as previous VooDoo models. It swung very smoothly through the hitting zone, with just enough barrel weight to give it a more traditional swing feel than some ultra balanced bats. Can be reasonably sure that one of the reasons for the more balanced swing weight is the fact that this bat came in almost exactly at it\u2019s stamped weight, which is something that hasn\u2019t always been the case with the VooDoo.<\/p>\n

Huge props to DeMarini for getting this bat\u2019s actual weight right on the money, and in our opinion, giving hitters a much easier swinging bat.<\/p>\n

Barrel\/Profile<\/h2>\n

plenty of barrel length for any hitter to barrel one up and find the sweet spot, but certainly not as exaggerated long as a bat like the Maxum or XL1. Many of our hitters liked transitioning to this bat from some of the ultra long barrel models, as it felt a bit more like the wood bats they had been working with in the cage. The profile is the traditional 2-piece VooDoo profile that\u2019s been in service for years, and really doesn\u2019t seem to need to be changed. As with previous model VooDoo\u2019s the connection point is far enough down the handle that it doesn\u2019t interfere with contacts, unless you get seriously jammed.<\/p>\n

Simply put, if you liked the barrel and profile of previous VooDoo models, you\u2019ll like this one.<\/p>\n

Grip<\/h2>\n

excellent feeling thin grip, feels about the thickness of the 1.1 Lizard Skins grip. There is also a great flare added under the grip above the knob, which gives the bat more of that wood bat feel. This is an extremely comfortable bat to swing, but we do see a bit of wear around where the top hand thumb usually sits, so we can see needing to replace it in the near future. Probably replacing it with a Lizard Skins 1.1, will keep the feel very similar.<\/p>\n

Performance<\/h2>\n

Cage work and two tournaments, this bat is performing extremely well for several of our hitters. It\u2019s classic VooDoo performance with that classic VooDoo \u2018ping\u2019 on well struck balls, but with a bit more balance and lighter actual weight and swing weight to get the bat around quicker. No decrease in distance was noted with those hitters moving from a composite barrel to the VooDoo\u2019s alloy barrel, and numerous hitters had a lot of fun experiencing that piercing \u2018ping\u2019 sound that had been missing from their composite barrel bats.<\/p>\n

From seeing numerous hitters move to this bat from their high end composite barrel bats, I can honestly say that it performs as well (if not better) than the bats they had been swinging. I guess it will really come down to a matter of feel, comfort, and preference, but we found that some of our more experienced -5 hitters started to go for this bat over their ultra balanced models. A bit more of a \u2018grown up bat\u2019 feel to it, you might say.<\/p>\n

Durability<\/h2>\n

Scratches, scuffs, and ball marks, this bat is already looking like a gamer. The VooDoo has long been known as a very durable model, and I don\u2019t see any reason that this version will be any different. With it\u2019s color scheme and some use, this bat starts to get a bit of a \u2018nasty\u2019 look about it and boys just love taking bats like that up to the plate with them.<\/p>\n

Like stated before, the grip might need replacing in the near future, but a ten dollar 1.1 mm Lizard Skins will quickly take care of that.<\/p>\n

Overall<\/h2>\n

From the look of this bat, to the accurate weighting, to the swing weight, to the performance, we think DeMarini has a very big win with the 2017 VooDoo balanced model. It\u2019s already become the gameday choice of several of our hitters, and has gotten some attention from others who might be looking to do some work with it in the off-season. If you or your hitter think you might be outgrowing some of the ultra balanced -5\u2019s out there that swing very different than the wood bats they might be working with, this bat is an excellent way to go. Not as overweight and EL as previous DeMarini VooDoo models, it takes what most hitters liked about the VooDoo and makes it better.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Not many bat models have been around as long as the DeMarini VooDoo, and for years it has filled it\u2019s own niche in the bat market. Two piece hybrid with an endload, it was known as a bat for stronger power hitters who loved either the feel or the sound […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":3370,"parent":1365,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baseballbats.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3367"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baseballbats.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baseballbats.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baseballbats.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baseballbats.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3367"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.baseballbats.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3367\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3371,"href":"https:\/\/www.baseballbats.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3367\/revisions\/3371"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baseballbats.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1365"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baseballbats.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3370"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baseballbats.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}