2018 Combat Maxum Review

By Bat Digest | Last Updated November 17, 2022

Cage work and a few games with the BBCOR 2018 Combat MAXUM, as well as a couple conversations with major vendors on the bat, put us in a spot to publish a review.

Price Check

2018 Maxum Video

2018 Maxum Video

2018 Maxum Models

On the whole, the bat serves the needs of the single piece composite BBCOR realm. Although not changed at all from the 2017 version, the Resurrection of this bat via Easton, after the collapse of Combat, is a marked sign as to the general consumer love of this big barreled bat.

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Model Recommendations

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Comparable Bats

There are very few single piece full composite bats in the baseball space. The other most popular single piece composite is a Louisville Slugger Catalyst. However, that bat does not come in a BBCOR. Most would argue the MAXUM is in a different category than the Catalyst. The Catalyst, although made of full single piece of composite, does not have nearly the same barrel size as the MAXUM.

Off the beaten path, a company called Dirty South Bats makes a comparable Combat type bat. In some circles they are very popular. Their Senior League bats are big barrel single piece composites with generally positive feedback from users.

Previous Models

Aside from the paint job, there are no differences between the 2018 and 2017 Combat MAXUM.

After the bankruptcy of Combat’s parent company, most thought we would never see a Combat bat again. However, Easton, who is owned by that same parent company but survived the proceedings, picked up the Combat Maxum and reproduced it for this year.

How that will proceed in the future is, we would guess, entirely dependent upon how well the sales of the 2018 Combat MAXUM go.

Construction

the 2019 Combat Maxum is a single piece composite bat built with a huge barrel and a moderate swing weight. Expect a huge smash if you can barrel one up. Also, over the years, they have proved some excellent durability too.

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.