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By Bat Digest | Last Updated June 15, 2022
DeMarini’s CFX (the new CF Zen) in fastpitch is a light swinging two-piece composite with a big barrel. The bat’s connection piece is less stiff compared to other fast-pitch bats like the LXT or Xeno. The differentiation between fastpitch bats is very little, and this bat, in the right hands, can perform as well as any hitter on the planet.
Their CF (which stands for Carbon Fiber) line is one of the most talked about lines in both baseball and softball.
The most comparable bat in the 2018 line to the CFX set of bats is the LXT set of bats. LXT is Slugger’s answer to the ligth swinging two piece composite fastpitch bat. Expect a good feel with both bats and for those who use either bat to love it. Also, the Ghost is a legit option from Easton. Although it swings heavy compared to these two it is worth checking out if you are in this 2018 two piece composite market.
We know virtually nothing about the differences between the CF9 and the CFX. The only indication there may be significant changes is an image we captured of the transition point. The D-Fusion handle, a mainstay on the CF series, looks to have gone through, if nothing else, a serious aesthetic upgrade. We will see if it means anything else functionally soon enough. But, the picture perked our interests.
As one of the most successful fastpitch bat lines on the market we suspect the CFX, like the CF9, will come in a variety of sizes and drops for every hitter imaginable. We will update this when we get an exact count and the bats are ready to go live.
DeMarini’s CFX is a two piece composite bat built with the top shelf of DeMarin material. It uses the 3 Fusion Handle system as well as a top line composite in the barrel. It is built with a light swing weight and a massive barrel. Also, check each model out specifically as it comes in a number of sizes and drops. Each version is a bit different than the other especially when it comes to the Slapper. The barrel is Paraflex composite which is DeMarini’s marketing term for their top end composite barrel that you can also find on their baseball line.
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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