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By Bat Digest
Updated November 17, 2022
Big hitters like single piece bats as they transfer all the power to the ball. Small hitters like light swinging bats as it allows them to generate as much bat speed as possible and increase their chances of find the ball. Our hitters like single piece aluminum bats in the BBCOR space for their soul crushing power. While the light swing doesn't help any when it comes to hand sting it does allow a hitter to size up an inch for more plate coverage with the same swing weight they might get out of a balanced or heavier winging shorter bat.
Single piece aluminum bats with performance level barrels and extended composite end caps attract both the big hitter who wants another inch in his BBCOR bat and the smaller more base hitting type that's looking for more exit speed. Although its still quite early in its lifespan, and we like to see more general hitting reviews aside from our own experience come back, we think the Vandal will compete well with bats like the Rawlings Velo, Slugger Solo and Easton Fuze. Each of those are extended composite end cap bats that attempt to make a light swing and a big barrel. That said, it becomes more and more difficult to differentiate between the performance of BBCOR bats in the aluminum space as several companies can get real close to the limit. We think Victus will be successful with the Vandal as their presence in the MLB space is remarkable (#2 last time we checked). But, in terms of it blowing us and the market away with its new found performance we aren't holding our breath.
The 2020 Victus Vandal is, at its core, a single piece aluminum bat. It is a metal handle and barrel made out of the same material. Inside that barrel the walls have different levels of thickness. In theory at least, this extends the length of the sweet spot as making the areas outside of the middle just as springy as the middle of the barrel. To help lower the swing weight, the Victus Vandal extends the length of the end cap, which is made of composite (aka plastic). This strategy, used by other bats on the market too, remove metal end cap weight and replace it with light composite. As such, you get a light swinging single piece aluminum bat with an extended composite end cap.