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By Bat Digest | Last Updated November 17, 2022
The 2020 DeMarini CF review comes on the heels of hours of testing the BBCOR, USSSA and USA versions. Our testing gave the 2020 USSSA CF a near perfect rating (save the potential for durability issues). The USA version rated out well but, like all composite barrels in USA bats, lacked great performance. BBCOR CF testing didn’t go so well and it’s the biggest disappointment of the bunch. We’re not sure what to think of that. We liked the 2019 version. Still, our BBCOR 2020 CF hitters and exit speeds were uninspired. Our Score 9.9/10 (USSSA); 9.0/10 (USA); 8/10 (BBCOR).
Some of our hitters like everything about the 2020 DeMarini CF. They like the swing weight, the feel on contact, the bats big barrel and performance on balls you square and and even miss. We like the sizing options–as it comes in drop 10, 8 and 5s in the USSSA; a drop 10 in the USA and BBCOR.
The only thing that people complain about with the CF, especially for the USSSA version, is the bat’s durability. Most don’t argue with the fact the bat performs, in the USSSA space at least, better than all the others. But, the durability, or lack thereof, does drive at least some crazy.
If you are in the USSSA space then we have a hard time suggesting you buy any other bat but the CF. Granted, it might break. No doubt, you’ll find a user review online that hates the bat and the company stemming from a CF breaking. But, we feel confident the lack of durability is directly correlated with how hot the bat performs.
| 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| MOI | Tech | Drb | Flx | Prof | ReSl | PlaRa | ExVe | Relv | Dmnd |
|---|
| 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| MOI | Tech | Drb | Flx | Prof | ReSl | PlaRa | ExVe | Relv | Dmnd |
|---|
| 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| MOI | Tech | Drb | Flx | Prof | ReSl | PlaRa | ExVe | Relv | Dmnd |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| MOI | Tech | Drb | Flx | Prof | ReSl | PlaRa | ExVe | Relv | Dmnd |
|---|
In the Senior League arena few make the case the CF series from DeMarini has an equal. It dominates the USSSA big barrel bat space, and we see no reason that will change 2020. Of course, though, the jury is still out.
In terms of two piece composite USA bats you have a few options. Slugger’s 919 Prime, Easton’s Ghost Evolution and Rawling’s Quatro are the most common similar bats.
In BBCOR the world is your oyster. It feels like everyone makes a two piece composite that swings light and has a big barrel. The field is mixed. Rawling’s Quatro and Slugger’s Meta Prime as well a Easton’s ADV all compete for the top end performing BBCOR bat.
It’s too early to tell if DeMarini addressed the only serious complaint folks have with DeMarini’s Senior League bat. That is, of course, its durability. But, our sentiment is that DeMarini has proven willing to keep pushing the performance limit at the expense of bats that aren’t as durable. To date, based on sheer market dominance, the strategy has worked.
For 2020 they did update the end cap to one they are calling the “ReACTION END CAP”. If that solved the problem we must wait and see. But we aren’t holding our breath.
DeMarini uses a two piece composite bat structure for the 2020 CF. The two pieces are made from composite materials. The composite is the same as it was in 2019 CF Zen and is referred to as Paraflex Plus Composite Barrel.
The connection piece, where the bat’s barrel and handle are fused together, intends to remove sting from the hands and keep energy in the barrel. There is more tech in the connection piece than we’ll give time for it here. But, for what it is worth, DeMarini has long been the leader in top end connective pieces in their two piece bats. DeMarini refers to the connective piece on their 2020 CF as the 3 Fusion Connection.
New to the 2020 line is a redesigned end cap. DeMarini’s CF calls this the ReACTION End Cap and, atleast they claim, is built with stronger and lighter materials to “increase barrel performance without sacrificing swing speed.” Of course what we think is the new end cap doesn’t change the swing weight of the bat but may very well improve its durability. We will see…
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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