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By Bat Digest | Last Updated November 17, 2022
For the 2nd year, Anderson brings on a Techzilla bat into the USA space. After a few hours hitting with a couple different hitters here is our 2019 Anderson Techzilla Review.
The feel is good. We don’t know that it is as good as some two piece composites out there. But, Anderson’s two piece connection does a decent job of dampening sting. Our hitters liked the end load feel and real power when you found the sweet spot.
The bat was advertised as an end load. Although it is advertised as a heavier load, our swing weight measurements showed it right in line with other drop 8 USA bats (like the Beast Pro from Easton).
We’d recommend the bat for bigger hitters looking for a straight forward hybrid bat in the USA space. Those who aren’t looking for a massive barrel but, instead, a well balanced bat with a good feel in the drop 8 USA space then this fits right in your wheelhouse.
The most comparable bat in the USA drop 8 space is Louisville Slugger’s 719 Select. Both bats come with a bit of a load in the drop 8 as well as a two piece hybrid design. We think the 718 Select felt a little better on mishits than the Techzilla—but it was not by much.
Last year’s bat was considered a drop 9. This year’s is a drop 8. We did the swing weight for both bats and found them to be very similar in swing weight–although our 2019 version did come in all of 2% more. (Our actual scale weight showed the 2018 a tiny bit heavier, actually. But, swing weight is a different animal altogether). But, we chalk that up to manufacturer tolerance.
What we think might have happened, and this is just a guess, is the 2018 and 2019 bats are mostly identical but the 2018 version made more sense a drop 8 bat—there is a bigger more concentrated market there. Who wants a drop 9 anyways?
In any event, expect the same bat when comparing the 2018 or 2019 version of the bat. Both solid.
Anderson’s 2019 USA Techzilla is a two piece hybrid bat. Meaning, the handle is made of composite while the barrel is made of aluminum. The connective ability of the bat helps dampen sting on mishits and improves the general feel of hits.
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.