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By Bat Digest | Last Updated November 17, 2022
We spent several hours using the 2018 Anderson Techzilla S-Series bat before writing this review. That includes using the bat during live pitching with multiple hitters, hitting with the bat in cage and measuring many of its metrics like exit speed and swing weight.
On the whole, the Techzilla S-Series should be considered a top end performance USA Bat in the Hybrid Drop 9 space.
There are so few great options in the 2018 USA Bat space it is very easy to put the S-Series Techzilla on the short list of anyone. If you are a hitter that wants the power found in a true drop 9, want a great feel on hits and mishits, would like to try something off the beaten path then put the S-Series on your short list. If you also want an aluminum barrel have a mid $200 budget then might we suggest you just found your 2018 bat?
Anderson is a proven bat company committed to delivering legitimate options to the space. And, who doesn’t want to try out the new Techzilla? The barrel profile is nothing to write home about. It measures under the average of the space. But, we think, barrel profile is way overrated anyways. As of this writing the bat is only available in a 30-inch. But, they expect that to change very shortly. Don’t be scared off by the drop 9 categorization. This bat swings lighter than a few drop 10’s in the 2018 USA space.
The most obvious similar bat to the S-Series USA Techzilla is Easton’s 2018 Beast X Hybrid. That Easton bat is considered by most the hottest bat on the USA Bat market. However, that bat also drives a high price AND is should be considered at least a drop 9 if not a drop 8. See our full 2018 Easton Beast X Hybrid USA Bat Review.
2018 Anderson Techzilla USA Bat Comparisons
Mizuno also makes a two piece hybrid bat called the Covert that is a drop 9. In terms of price and construction both the Covert and the S-Series are very similar. We like how both of them swing, prefer the feel on the S-Series more than the Covert but the Covert does have a bigger barrel profile. See our full 2018 Covert USA Bat Review.
Different then other baseball Techzilla’s of year’s past, the 2018 S-Series USA Bat is a two piece hybrid bat. Meaning, the handle is made of composite and the barrel is aluminum.
Our experience to date with USA Bats tends to lend preference towards two piece hybrid bats. We have seen younger players appreciate the smoother feel of a two piece bat and comment on the hot out of the wrapper performance of an alloy barrel. An aluminum barrel doesn’t require any break in and the lack of experience about USA Bat performance gives these barrels no questioning if they are ready to go (like it happens on composite).
The drop 9 is simply an honest assessment of the barrels swing weight and actual weight. Other bats in the space, and we talk about this ad naseum elsewhere, rarely weigh what they say. In fact, based on actual weight, most drop 10 bats in the USA 2018 space should be drop 9s. The Techzilla weighs and swings no different then them but, instead, is simply stated as a correct drop 9.
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.
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