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August 24, 2020 | by Brian Duryea | @BatDigest
We used HitTrax to compare the 2021 Victus Nox vs 2021 Louisville Slugger Meta
The swing weights are very similar, so those looking for a Meta might like the Nox and those who think they’ll like the Nox might really like the META. In the end, the only real differentiation is the alloy and composite barrel. If you want a bat that doesn’t require a work then the NOX is for you. As well, if you’d rather save a few bucks for that glove or hitting lesson (or mortgage payment) then the NOX is a fine choice. Otherwise, those who like composite barrels and are interested in a bat that will be considered by most as the ‘best’ then the Meta is your money pick.
Testing including a total of 60 hits, 30 for each bat, alternating bats every 5 to 10 swings. Via Hittrax, we averaged the exit velocity of the top 3, 5 and 10 hits. We found the Meta outperformed by an average of 0.6 and 0.3mph on the top 3 and 5 but the Nox was 0.1mph better on the top 10 average.
This proves, as, with most BBCOR bat comparisons we perform, the Victus Nox and the Slugger Meta have very similar barrel performances. The margin differences for the top 10 hits are no better than noise.
We took a 17-year-old, 5-foot 9-inch, baseball player at 160lbs to test the 2021 Victus Nox and 2021 Slugger Meta. Both bats were 33-inches.
NOTE: We’ve measured thousands of bats over the years. We’ve found, in large measure, bat results are very hitter dependent. Most comparisons we do are very, very close. The 1 or 2 mile per hour difference is hard to attribute only to the barrels performance. We think the hitter determines upwards of 70% of the exit speeds. The other 30% is the bat.
We chose these two bats because their swing weights are similar. The Victus Nox is advertized, and many marketing pitches of the bats from vendors and the like parrot the idea, as an end-loaded bat. However, for our specific 33-inch bat, we found the Victus to swing tiny bit lighter than the 2021 Meta—which most agree is no heavier than a balanced bat. The average swing weight for a 33-inch BBCOR bat is around 9250. Both the Nox and the Meta are under that threshold.
One noticeable difference between the two bats, our hitter noted, is the stiffness in the handle. They felt like the NOX had a more loose connection than the META. This is difficult to measure objectively, so our ratings are based on the player’s direct feedback.
The Nox and Meta are also good examples of bats that prove the balance point is not a good indicator of the swing weight. We found the Vicuts Nox Balance point at 21 and 1/3-inches from the knob while the Met was nearly a half-inch closer to the knob. However, when considering the scale weight of the bat and its pendulum period (the other variable required to measure BBCOR Swing Weight), the NOX is lighter than the 2021 Slugger Meta.
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