When choosing their bats, many hesitate about the finish. Which colors to choose? One color, two colors? Varnish or no varnish? In fact, there are only two possible options for a bat: varnish (colored or clear) or without varnish (unfinished). The rest is just a matter of aesthetics. Whether one chooses a bat all black, all brown or half brown half black remains a personal choice. Where there is a big difference is when one hesitates between a varnished bat and a non-varnished bat.

As we know, wood is a living matter, so that loses and takes moisture depending on the temperature. When left in a humid environment, our bat will see its weight increase. The opposite is also true, because a bat left in a too dry environment will lose weight.

Many players swear by the weight of their bat, so it's important to keep the exact weight you want as long as possible. Opting for a varnished bat prevents loss and gain of moisture almost 100% of the time.

I say almost 100%, because the weight of the wood will always vary somewhat over time.

Unfinished bats were very popular until 2010, about. This aesthetic finish was then very trendy. The popular belief was that the ball would bite a little more in a bat without varnish and that it would provide a faster rotation of the ball so that it would hang longer in the air. Because of this, players believed they were more likely to hit home runs.

Now that most companies are compressing their bats (the technique is called "boning"), the ball can no longer bite as much in the wood, so this theory hardly holds.

In closing, if I have a piece of advice to give you, it would be better to choose a varnished bat in order to maintain a more stable weight and keep the same feeling with your bat for as long as possible.

Let’s talk again soon.

The author Olivier Lépine is the Production Manager at B45 since the company's debut in 2004. If you have any question, please post a comment below and we will be glad to answer you.

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