2016 Combat Maxum Review

By Bat Digest | Last Updated November 17, 2022

Combat, a Canadian based company, is known in the baseball space for a high-performance one-piece composite baseball bat with a lot of barrel.

Price Check

2016 Maxum Video

2016 Maxum Video

2016 Maxum Models

For 2016, they brings another iteration and upgrade of that mold to the market. They are calling the 2016 Combat Maxum. We have hit with this bat extensively and use that data to compile our 2016 Combat MAXUM review.

The 2016 Maxum upgrades directly from the 2015 Portent G3. It also adds a youth (2 1/4) barrel to the lineup—-which they haven’t produced since 2014. The 2016 Maxum line is the largest line of baseball bats Combat has ever released—which is a tell tell sign that whatever they are doing up North is working.

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Model Recommendations

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Comparable Bats

In the comparable bat world of 2016 the only thing close to this bat is the a Dirty South Swag. Both are big barreled single piece composite bats. Both also have massive followings.

You can also look at something like a 2016 Louisville Slugger Catalyst. Those bats don’t have as big a barrel but they are made of a single piece of composite.

Construction

It will NOT be hard to love Combat’s flagship baseball bat. The barrels are gigantic. The one piece design can ring your hands but the power that comes with the seamless construction is a thing of beauty. The continuation of the premium lizard skin grips are a great touch. We also love the numerous sizing options. We are hopeful the drop 5 Maxum will become as good a bat you can find. The color coding is well thought out. The 500 day warranty is the best the industry has ever seen.

Performance wise we have no reason to suspect the bat will be anything other than its predecessors—which was fantastic. The drop 5 will be a player favorite and the all big barrel versions should have the most plate coverage per swing weight any one can purchase for any price in 2016. The low swing weight will feel right at home for many players at the plate.

Do we wish it wasn’t as pricey out of the gates? Of course. But we are sure this won’t be the last time our asthma inhaler is on overdrive due to the price points of 2016 baseball bats.

Overall Ratings

The overall rating uses seven different weighted metrics to determine our overall score. Half of total rating comes from the player and our exit speed tests (Player Rating: 25%, Performance: 25%).The other categories are Relevance (20%), Demand (10%), Durability (10%), Resell Score (5%), and Tech Specs (5%).

*: When a bat is denoted by a star (*) it is a preliminary rating. Expect it to be updated as we learn more about the bat and gather more data.

(PlaRa) Player Rating: We measure player rating from user reviews. Those users include our own hitters that we test at the lab as well as reviews we find online.

(ExVe) Performance: Performance measures the exit speeds and distances we capture in our hitting lab with HitTrax using these bats.

(Relv) Relevance: We measure the number of sizes and the MOI of the bat. Bats with a wider range of options get a better score.

(Dmnd) Demand: Demand is measured by consumer sentiment and the buzz around the bat.

(Drb) Durability: A bat’s durability is measured by user reviews as well as feedback from manufacturers.

(ReSl) Resell Score: Based on the price the bats go for used. Higher prices mean greater user demand which means, generally, a better bat. A resell value closer to its original price means a higher score.

(Tech) Tech Specs: We rate the bat on its technological advancements from previous years and compared to the industry at large. This is our chance to reward companies who are trying to innovate.
MOI
MOI or Mass Moment of Inertia is a measurement of bat swing weight. This quantifies how difficult it is to swing a bat. The industry often refers to this as things like End Load or Balanced but those words have been overused to the point of meaninglessness. We measure the actual swing weights of each bat we test using the industry-standard pendulum period, balance point, and scale weight. You can read more about that here.
Price
The price is the original MSRP price of the bat.
Type
The types of bats are single-piece alloy (SPA), two-piece composite (TPC), single-piece composite (SPC), hybrid (Hyb.), and wood (Wood). Hybrid bats are made of composite handles and alloy barrles.
Date
The estimated date the bat began distribution.