Swing batta batta, swing!

November 24, 2005 4:47 PM

My father is looking for a slo-pitch bat, preferably the Mizuno Crush or the Miken Freak. What's the cheapest Vancouver-area retail source OR the cheapest online source?

He lives in British Columbia and is visiting me this weekend. Ideally, we'd find a store near downtown Vancouver OR an online store that doesn't charge exhorbitant shipping fees. Can any Mefite ballplayers point us in the direction of a reputable store that won't charge the earth, or a reputable online store that isn't going to hold the bat ransom for shipping & handling charges? (If it's a US online store, he'd prefer not to use UPS, since they have high brokerage fees.)

I know it's a bit lame to use my question for shopping. However, I have no idea where to get a softball bat in the Vancouver downtown area. This kind of bat is fairly specialized and high end, so I'm not going to find it at Wal-Mart or Sport Check. (I have looked at a few local sports shops.) I am also unfamiliar with the various online sports equipment retailers -- they could all be fly-by-night. As a result, I don't know where to send my dad. It's a $200-$300 purchase that will affect his very serious ballgame, so I don't want to disappoint him.

posted by acoutu to sports, hobbies, & recreation (4 comments total)

After thinking this over, I don't necessarily need the cheapest retailers. Even just some reputable retailers would suffice. Thanks.
posted by acoutu at 12:03 AM on November 25, 2005

Well since no one else has helped try froogle.google.com. You can sort by price, if you wish. The lowest two, by price, didn't seem to be what you want. They also have reviews of the retailers. Sorry I have no ideas about sports stores in downtown Vancouver.
posted by 6550 at 4:44 PM on November 25, 2005

I would go to eBay for the bat. I bought a DeMarini F2 for half the retail price on eBay. The shipping and handling was about the same as tax would be if I bought it at a brick and mortar retail store. All in all, it was a great deal.
posted by LouMac at 5:16 PM on November 25, 2005

Thank you both so much. My dad is happy to buy from a retailer if they're real. I'll check out both sources.
posted by acoutu at 6:02 PM on November 25, 2005