Bat Digest
Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
fastpitch-bat-review
best-softball-bat
best-baseball-bat
baseball-bat-review

Disclaimer: This site uses affiliate links. Learn More.




2017 Easton MAKO Beast Review

By Bat Digest | Last Updated November 17, 2022


We have spent a lot of time over the last several weeks getting ready for this review.


Price Check


2017 Mako Beast Video

2017 Mako Beast Video

2017 Mako Beast Models


We’d guess no less than 4 hours in the cage, two tournaments among several different hitters, the Little League World Series, consulting our 2015 and 2016 Easton MAKO reviews and our 2017 Easton Lineup to put together this review.

BBCOR
USSSA –10
USSSA –10
USSSA –10
USSSA –8
USSSA –5
USSSA –12
USSSA –11
USSSA –10

General Recomendations

The Beast is a proven workhorse. Although it never quite got to CF status in USSSA, it’s 2 1/4 version was legit and the BBCOR Easton MAKO Beast was a reasonable option for the light swinging two-piece composite lover.

Model Recommendations

BB17MK

BBCOR Review

Mako Beast BBCOR Ratings (key)
2 4 4 2 4 4 5 5 4 4
MOI Tech Drb Flx Prof ReSl PlaRa ExVe Relv Dmnd

OVERALL/10
The 2018 Easton MAKO Beast is a two-piece composite bat with a huge barrel, light swing, and great feel on contact. It is the endpoint of the MAKO line of bats and the precursor to Easton's ADV 360.
Sizing: 31, 32, 33, 34-inch
Release Date: August 1, 2016
Serial: BB17MK
Bat Type: Two Piece Composite
Barrel Size: 2 5/8
See other BBCOR Bats
SL17MK10B

USSSA Drop 10 Review

Mako Beast USSSA Drop 10 Ratings (key)
2 3 4 3 4 4 4 5 5 5
MOI Tech Drb Flx Prof ReSl PlaRa ExVe Relv Dmnd

OVERALL/10
Sizing: 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32-inch
Release Date: August 1, 2016
Serial: SL17MK10B
Bat Type: Two Piece Composite
Barrel Size: 2 3/4
See other Drop 10 USSSA Bats
SL17S310B

USSSA Drop 10 Review

Mako Beast USSSA Drop 10 Ratings (key)
3 4 4 2 4 4 4 5 4 4
MOI Tech Drb Flx Prof ReSl PlaRa ExVe Relv Dmnd

OVERALL/10
Sizing: 28, 29, 30, 31, 32-inch
Release Date: August 1, 2016
Serial: SL17S310B
Bat Type: Two Piece Composite
Barrel Size: 2 3/4
See other Drop 10 USSSA Bats
SL17MK10

USSSA Drop 10 Review

Mako Beast USSSA Drop 10 Ratings (key)
3 4 4 2 4 4 4 5 4 4
MOI Tech Drb Flx Prof ReSl PlaRa ExVe Relv Dmnd

OVERALL/10
Sizing: 28, 29, 30, 31, 32-inch
Release Date: August 1, 2016
Serial: SL17MK10
Bat Type: Two Piece Composite
Barrel Size: 2 5/8
See other Drop 10 USSSA Bats
SL17MK8

USSSA Drop 8 Review

Mako Beast USSSA Drop 8 Ratings (key)
3 4 4 2 4 4 4 5 3 4
MOI Tech Drb Flx Prof ReSl PlaRa ExVe Relv Dmnd

OVERALL/10
Sizing: 29, 30, 31, 32-inch
Release Date: August 1, 2016
Serial: SL17MK8
Bat Type: Two Piece Composite
Barrel Size: 2 5/8
See other Drop 8 USSSA Bats
SL17MK5

USSSA Drop 5 Review

Mako Beast USSSA Drop 5 Ratings (key)
4 4 4 2 4 4 4 5 3 3
MOI Tech Drb Flx Prof ReSl PlaRa ExVe Relv Dmnd

OVERALL/10
Sizing: 30, 31, 32-inch
Release Date: August 1, 2016
Serial: SL17MK5
Bat Type: Two Piece Composite
Barrel Size: 2 5/8
See other Drop 5 USSSA Bats
YB17MK12

USSSA Drop 12 Review

Mako Beast USSSA Drop 12 Ratings (key)
1 3 4 3 3 4 4 4 4 4
MOI Tech Drb Flx Prof ReSl PlaRa ExVe Relv Dmnd

OVERALL/10
Sizing: 28, 29, 30, 31, 32-inch
Release Date: August 1, 2016
Serial: YB17MK12
Bat Type: Two Piece Composite
Barrel Size: 2 1/4
YB17MK11

USSSA Drop 11 Review

Mako Beast USSSA Drop 11 Ratings (key)
2 4 4 3 4 4 4 4 5 4
MOI Tech Drb Flx Prof ReSl PlaRa ExVe Relv Dmnd

OVERALL/10
Sizing: 28, 29, 30, 31, 32-inch
Release Date: August 1, 2016
Serial: YB17MK11
Bat Type: Two Piece Composite
Barrel Size: 2 1/4
See other Drop 10 USSSA Bats
YB17MK10

USSSA Drop 10 Review

Mako Beast USSSA Drop 10 Ratings (key)
3 4 4 2 4 4 4 5 4 4
MOI Tech Drb Flx Prof ReSl PlaRa ExVe Relv Dmnd

OVERALL/10
Sizing: 28, 29, 30, 31, 32-inch
Release Date: August 1, 2016
Serial: YB17MK10
Bat Type: Two Piece Composite
Barrel Size: 2 1/4
See other Drop 10 USSSA Bats

Comparable Bats

In the two piece composite space there several options. Both the 917 Prime from Slugger and the CF Zen from DeMarini are a lot like the Easton Mako Beast. All of them have big barrels, swing light and come in a number of sizes. In terms of user reviews the DeMarini is the most mixed as it had some durability issues (but absolutely raked the ball).

Previous Models

Compared to the 2016 Easton MAKO we didn’t find any remarkable changes (at least in the 2 5/8 version). Easton has claimed in a few YouTube videos the Beast barrel is the ‘hottest’ ever and such a claim would be impossible for us to measure.

Some have written to us claiming the compression tests on the Beast’s barrel have come back different than MAKOs in years past. This would imply Easton has done something differently, but implying it now out performs a 2015 and 2016 version, which were straight out crazy hot, is too far fetched for us. The MAKO in the last several years has been the bat to beat in terms of on field performance. That will be no different for 2017.

Construction

Like previous years’ models, the 2017 Easton MAKO Beast is a two piece composite bat with a focus on a massive barrel and a light swing weight. However, in the BBCOR space, the 2017 barrel is larger than last year’s version. In the Big Barrel or Youth Barrel space, the barrel size will be the same.

In both BBCOR, Big Barrel and Youth Barrel, the bat composition is still the TCT composite Easton has been using for at least a couple years now. The connective piece (CXN) is still reasonably stiff and allows for good vibration absorption without any noticeable loss in power.

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.

Download our data.