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March 3, 2021 | by Bat Digest Review Team | @BatDigest
Not much has changed on the 2019 DeMarini Voodoo Balanced. It’s still a two-piece hybrid bat with a reasonably balanced swing, good barrel profile, and relativity stiffer feel than the two-piece composite world. The bat is very popular and difficult to find but everyone who has ever had the bat loves it. There is another version of this bat that has a heavier swing and a very stiff feel called the DeMarini Voodoo Loaded.
Some vendors have it one way and some the other. This is not to be confused with the Voodoo Insane or the Voodoo One. The Voodoo Balanced, the subject of this review, comes in a BBCOR as well as a USSSA and USA drop 10 and drop 5. We’ve hit with each of these DeMarini Voodoo’s for 201… Jump to the full review.
Some vendors have it one way and some the other. This is not to be confused with the Voodoo Insane or the Voodoo One. The Voodoo Balanced, the subject of this review, comes in a BBCOR as well as a USSSA and USA drop 10 and drop 5. We’ve hit with each of these DeMarini Voodoo’s for 2019 (as we have with the Voodoo line since 2014) and leave below what we have learned.
In so many ways the Voodoo Balanced is exactly what we want in a bat. A great feel and dynamite performance. It is no surprise the many elite hitters at the college level use the Voodoo lineup.
Across the board, the DeMarini Voodoo (Balanced) is one of our favorite bats. We think it epitomizes the two piece hybrid space. It’s hot out of the wrapper, big barreled and maintains a great feel through contact. The swing weight is right where we want it. It swings about 5% heavier than the CF Zen in similar sizes. In BBCOR it swings about 5% lighter than the Voodoo Insane.
Price Check
The USA drop 5 and 10 come highly recommended by us. We love the feel and hot out of the wrapper performance. In fact, as a cold weather bat, it stands as our top choice. Throw in the fact these run less expensive than the two piece composites in the industry USA space and we are in love. The bat’s feel great and that drop 5, if you can swing it, is a must try.
Price Check
In short, if you want a hybrid bat and a real middle of the road swing weight then we wholeheartedly recommend the 2019 DeMarini Voodoo balanced in BBCOR, USA and USSSA. If you are looking for something a bit different than your two piece composite bat we think you’ll quickly fall in love with the out the wrapper shots you’ll get with the Voodoo Balanced.
Price Check
DeMarini claims to have made some upgrades to the handle in the 2019 version of the Voodoo. Our experience has been that we love both years of the bat line. We couldn’t tell much difference, in our hitting, from the 2018 or 2019 handle. Both feel great on hits and mishits.
The biggest difference is the addition of a drop 5 in the USA Space. A heavier swinging hybrid in the new standard will serve a lot of kids real well–especially those bigger 13 and 14 year old Babe Ruth players that can swing either BBCOR or USA.
We hit the 2018 Voodoo Balanced a lot. We also compared it to some of the greats. In the end, we found the 2018 Voodoo can hold its own compared to any BBCOR bat in the space. They've met the BBCOR limit and the bat, in the right hands, can sing. The 2018 Voodoo also has a loaded version that looks just about like the balanced version other than the word Insane on the barrel.
We hit with the 2017 DeMarini Voodoo Balanced in both BBCOR and big barrel sizing and gathered feedback from several different hitters. We also spent considerable time reviewing previous versions of the Voodoo and NVS Vexxum, which are, we argue, predecessors to the DeMarini Voodoo Balanced. Added to our extensive knowledge of performance baseball bats and the several hundred reviews we've written on this site collectively, this 2017 Voodoo DeMarini Voodoo Balanced review comes on the heels of thousands of hours of research and testing.
For several years DeMarini has created a beast of a bat in the Voodoo line, and many expect DeMarini to do it again this year. Hence the excitement for a wildly popular model that, year in and year out, has lived up to high expectations (if not outpaced them).
In terms of a two piece hybrid bat with a composite handle and an aluminum barrel look how about Slugger’s 718 Select? These bats feel real similar in the USSSA and USA space and comes in a similar size and price.
In the BBCOR realm, we think the most comparable bat is Easton’s new Project 3 13.6 Hybrid. This is a mid to light swinging two piece hybrid. Big barrel and a proven connection piece. But, the 13.6 only comes in a BBCOR.
See the 719 Select Review
The 2019 Louisville Slugger 719 Select is a hybrid bat that serves the two piece space well.
Price Check
See the Beast X Hybrid Review
Easton continues their two piece hybrid design for the 2018 class in a newly named Easton Beast X Hybrid.
Price Check
Two differences exist between the Voodoo and the Voodoo Insane. The first is the more obvious: swing weight. The Voodoo Insane swings about 5% heavier than the Voodoo Balanced in a similar size. The second is the stiffness in the connection. While the 2019 Voodoo has a similar feel as the 2018 Voodoo, the 2019 Voodoo Insane increased the stiffness in the handle. This produces more power at impact but at the express consent of a less smooth smash on mishits.
The major difference, and maybe so obvious it is not worth saying, the Voodoo Insane is a BBCOR only bat. If you want a heavier swinging USA or USSSA Voodoo then look for the drop 5 in either of those “Balanced” categories.
The 2019 DeMarini Voodoo (Balanced) is a two piece hybrid bat. Hybrid refers to the fact that it has a composite handle and an aluminum barrel. The handle and connection piece is the same they use on their high end CF Zen and CF Insane lines. It is a decently stiff connection with good durability and a feel that most hitters just love. The barrel is a high grade aluminum that is considered a standard top shelf by most in the industry. More than a few elite college teams and players prefer DeMarini’s aluminum barrel over any other.
The Voodoo Balanced swings 5% heavier than the CF Zen. That is equivilant to, roughly, a 0.5-inch longer length. In other words, a 33-inch Zen will swing like a 33.5-inch Voodoo.
In the USSSA and USA space going from the drop 10 to the drop 5 is akin to moving down more than 3 full inches. So, a 32/22 Voodoo “feels” like a 29/24 Voodoo. But, note, they don’t make a 29-inch Voodoo drop 5. In other words, going to a drop 5 from a drop 10 in the Voodoo has no practical equivalency in swing weight.
Check our bat size chart for specific information on your body type.
The 2019 DeMarini Voodoo will come in a USSSA, USA and BBCOR version. Here are the sizes—remember only some are available at some retailers so look elsewhere if you can’t find your size.
BBCOR: 30 – 34-inch (Drop 3)
USSSA: 28 – 32-inch (Drop 10)
USSSA: 30 – 33-inch (Drop 5)
USA: 28 – 32-inch (Drop 10)
USA: 30 – 32-inch (Drop 5)
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If you look at the Demarini chart (Mass Index comparison chart) for their BBCOR bats on their website , the Voodoo Balanced has a lighter swing weight than the Zen in a 30″ and the same swing weight as the Zen in a 31″. At 33″, they start to swing heavier than the Zen.
https://www.demarini.com/en-us/bats/baseball-bats/2019-voodoo-balanced-3-baseball-bat
Louisville Slugger is also now listing the Mass Index of their bats for each length. Not sure if you can compare numbers of two different brands, but you can compare within the line-up of a brand.
https://www.slugger.com/en-us/baseball/aluminum-composite/bbcor/solo-619-3-2-5-8-bbcor-baseball-bat
Of course, individual bats will vary.
Good stuff. Thanks. It is crazy how much variation there is among bats and brands and individual bats. We are surprised that online vendors don’t put up more of a fight considering the alternative is to show up in stores and buy it because at least there you can pick the bat up and feel it. Buying a bat online you could get whatever in terms of what it actually ‘feels’ like due to all these discrepancies. We aggregated some of the data you refer to here.
https://batdigest.com/buying-guide/bbcor-swing-weights/
I just wanted to show that in the 30″ and 31″ Demarini Voodoo balanced, the Mass Index is lower, comparatively speaking, than in the 32″ and up. I talked to Demarini and this is by design for younger, smaller players. The 30″ Voodoo balanced swings lighter than the 30″ Zen and the 31″ swings the same as the 31″ Zen. The Voodoo Balanced starts to swing heavier than a Zen at 32 inches. I originally said at 33″. The 30″ Voodoo Balanced is a good option for 13U. The 625 Mass Index number is the same as what Louisville S. lists for the Solo… not sure about calculation accuracies though.
I agree that it’s best to be able to feel and swing a bat to compare, but some bats aren’t available, especially since all the sporting goods stores are gone and in some ares, all we’re left with is Dick’s.
True that. And thanks for the insight. We also live not close to any major store where we can feel each bat. We wish it was more uniform across brands. Seem non-useful for brands to change the proportion they increase/decrease swing weights per inch differently per model. Makes buying online harder than it already is. And with the lack of mom and pop shops, as you note, its too bad. Anyways, thanks for reading and contributing!