2016 Axe Avenge Review

We spent three hours in the cage with the 2016 Axe Avenge baseball bat, another hour reading online reviews from trusted sources, and one on the phone with some of the Axe Bat engineers. We've also spent countless hours in the cage and in-game with previous versions of the 2016 Axe Avenge bats.

The 2016 Axe Avenge bat is the top-shelf version built from a long line of bats from Axe Bats (owned by Baden Sports) and their noteworthy asymmetric handle. They patented the now-famous Axe handle several years ago and have never looked back---producing bats in the softball, fastpitch, baseball, and wood bat space. Just last year, and as a breakthrough in the American baseball psyche, the Axe handle was added to a Victus Bat and swung by, among others, Dustin Pedroia on a pretty consistent basis in the 2015 season. That verification of the technology put Axe bats on the map to stay---as if it wasn't already.

Three unique features grace the 2016 Axe Avenge baseball bat: Asymmetric Handle: We've discussed, at length, the benefits an asymmetric handle brings to your game. As a primer for some and a review for others, the asymmetric handle creates an ergonomic method for proper swing mechanics. Namely, the ability to drive the knob of the bat to the baseball more easily. Such movement is proven to increase swing speed and forces the barrel of the bat into the swing plane sooner---allowing for better hit balls and more opportunity for contact. Asymmetric Handle (continued): An asymmetric handle also forces contact on a single side of the barrel. This allows engineers to drive technology to the hitting side of the barrel. For example, the 2016 Axe Avenge uses a directional insert (ACR Insert) within the bat to support the barrel's contact side for more consistent performance and durability. Upgraded from the 2015 Axe Avenge, the casing on the knob comes in a wire-framed design, dampening the sting on mishits. Axe Bats refers to this as the Endogrid knob. We tested this out side by side with the 2015 Axe Avenge, and we definitely felt a difference.