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By Bat Digest | Last Updated November 17, 2022
After some good time in the cage with the Adidas Aero Burner Composite, as well as conversations with vendors and emails with the manufacturers about the bat, we have gathered enough information to present this review.
We found, on the whole, this bat is an upgrade to last year’s EQT RBZ X3, a sweet-swinging two-piece composite, and a fitting complement to the single-piece Aero Burner Adidas also makes. The big barrel and light swinging two-piece composite space is chuck full of legit options. Adidas produces the bat in limited sizes, but if this is the type of bat you should be looking for and they make it in your size, we recommend the AeroBurner Comp go on your shortlist.
As a new iteration on the 2016 EQT RBZ X3, the Aero Burner Comp is made for players looking for an ultra-light swing and a composite barrel that needs some working-in. The two-piece design gives a real smooth feel even when it isn’t that great at contact. As such, we would recommend the bat for players who:
Players who should keep looking include those who:
The two piece composite bat with a large barrel and balanced swing is a very crowded space. That is nearly an understatement. It would seem every serious bat company looking for elite dollars from elite players makes a two piece composite with a balanced swing. Easton and their MAKO and DeMarini and their CF series have led the space for years. Sluggers’ 917 Prime is in the mix and so is Rawlings’ new 2017 Quatro. Axe’s version is called the Avenge. Marucci, the last hold out, came out with a two-piece composite in the big barrel space. Even Mizuno’s MaxCor, it could be argued, is a two-piece bat with a composite type barrel.
In other words, there are a lot of comparable bats to the Adidas Aero Burner. Clearly, the big barrel, light swing, and buttery smash of a two-piece composite is where companies think there are big dollars to be captured.
Much like the 2016 Adidas RBZ EQT X3, the 2017 Aero Burner Composite is a two piece composite bat with a large barrel and a light swing. Expect a similar feel to other “balanced” two piece composite bats on the market.
Don’t confuse this Aero Burner Comp with the Aero Burner. The Aero Burner is a single piece aluminum bat with a slight end load.
Compared to the 2016 RBZ version, the Aero Burner Composite comes with a lighter swing weight. Adidas accomplished this by upgrading the end cap on the previous version. As well, as we mention above, they added a 2 3/4 drop 10 to the sizing option.
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.