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By Bat Digest | Last Updated June 15, 2022
We spoke to a number of hitters, and read several user reviews, on the 2017 Easton Stealth Flex fastpitch bat.
Overall, the ratings are generally positive. Hitters like the immediate pop out of the wrapper and the good feel. There have a been a few durability complaints but only with bigger (older hitters) Sub 15U hitters like the balance too. And their parents can’t complain about the price. It is, truly, a smooth swinging two piece composite bat for a more reasonable price.
A less expensive two piece composite in the fastpitch space can be found in the Axe Avenge Lit as well as the DeMarini Vendetta. These are both big barrels and swing light. The Easton Flex comes in more size and drop options.
The Easton Stealth Flex uses the same material in most high end baseball bats Easton makes. They refer to it as TCT (Thermo Composite Technology). As well, they use the same CXN connective piece found on most of their high end bats. This helps remove sting on mishits.
In other words, the Easton Flex is made a lot like the high end bats in the baseball space that price out several hundred dollars more expensive.
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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