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By Bat Digest
Updated November 17, 2022
The 2016 RIP-IT Element One bat comes in a Senior League and a BBCOR version. The BBCOR drop 3 recreates a wood bat experience as well as any non-wood bat on the market for 2015. We'd recommend it for stronger hitters who can handle, and often prefer, direct feedback in the hands-on poorly hit balls. The flared grip on the BBCOR versions, as well as the textured grip, do help in some regard with hand sting. The barrel size is, as expected, smaller than many high performance composite bats in the space.
Pound for dollar, the Senior League versions of the RIP-IT Element One bat are hard to beat this year. Those bats, with a 400-day warranty, and new in the wrapper are listing at $99 which, if you've been paying attention to this space, is a phenomenal deal. Having the gumption to actually lower the price on your senior league bats is worth a few stars in our books.
RIP-IT bats have a serious, committed following. Look no further than their Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook pages. However, rather surprising to some, many have never heard of them. RIP-IT dominates in certain parts of the country and in others, we've learned, many only know them for their softball helmets. Despite the public's lack of awareness, for several years now, RIP-IT has pushed the forefront of baseball bat production design. Earlier this year they released the first bat to be pressurized with a gas. Just a few weeks ago they announced the production of the world's first Smart Bat. Last year the RIP-IT Air bats were well received and well-reviewed among players at all levels of baseball. They've also made a name for themselves in terms of making a bat that feels like a bat. They are not particularly interested in making a bat with a barrel larger than last year's version or a swing weight as light as an empty wrapping paper tube. They are committed, and so far the market has proved it needs something like this, to a bat that feels like a traditional bat---with good weight distribution and show-stopping power when hit correctly. Said differently, RIP-IT bats don't generally do a great job of covering up for poor hitting, but instead, they accentuate a good hitter's ability to make legit contact and transfer a remarkable amount of power to the baseball.
There are hoards of single-piece aluminum baseball bats on the market. For example, the vast majority of Walmart-based bats have that same design. In the performance space (with 400+ day warranties), however, there are not very many. The most similarly designed bat in the 2016 season would be, arguably, Louisville Slugger's 516 Omaha. Another single piece worth considering is DeMarini's Insane. From a pure single-piece aluminum standpoint, in the Senior League space, you'll find a lighter swing weight with the One. The 515, on the other hand, will give you a bit more barrel. We'd only find a few instances where the 515 would be the better choice when compared to the Senior League One. In BBCOR, a single-piece alloy with an end-loaded swing weight is a bit rare. The 515 Omaha BBCOR attempts a balanced swing, so isn't a good comparison. DeMarini's Insane BBCOR also lacks the swing weight. You can find a single-piece aluminum end load in the 2016 Easton Z-Core XL. Both bats resemble an aluminum log.