We have hit with the BBCOR, Drop 5, Drop 8 and Drop 10 2019 DeMarini CF Zen. The bat is a two-piece composite bat with a big barrel and a light swing. We don't see any differences between this bat and the 2018 (or its newer 2020/2021 version). That is not a bad thing. The bat dominated the USSSA space, is average in USA and a good to great bat in BBCOR. The USSSA bat likes to break, but in the meantime, it is a great hit.
Models Overview
The bat feels a lot more like the famed CF8 with a bigger (2 3/4) barrel then that of the 2017 or 2018 CF Zen. We discuss our experience in this 2019 DeMarini CF Zen Review.
Construction & Technology
The 2019 CF Zen is a two piece composite bat built with a big barrel and balanced swing weight. It sits on the easier side of the isle in terms of swing strength and the higher side of the isle for barrel size. The connective piece, called the 3-Fusion, is used on their other high performance bats. Some argue it is the perfect combination of stiffness and give for that butter smash all day long.
Performance Comparison
Our experience with the two bats pushes us towards the 2019 version--especially in the drop 8 and drop 10. The 2018 version was, in large measure, a repaint on the 2017 CF Retooled CF Zen.
The 2019 Zen in the drop 5, drop 8 and drop 10 are all new bats from the ground up and you won't find that dampening ring inside the barrel to make it legal.
Comparable Bats
If you are in the two piece composite light swinging big barreled bat space then the CF Zen has some company. In 2019 the crop consists of Eastons new ADV, Rawlings Quatro Pro and Slugger's 919 Prime as well as their Meta Prime. Axe bats also makes a two piece composite in the Axe Avenge.
Each of those bats, with the exception of the Meta Prime, price out about the same. In terms of performance and feel it just depends on the league we are talking. We think any company is hard pressed to meet the performance standard DeMarini has set in the USSSA space. But, in the USA and BBCOR world we often feel like your guess is as good as ours.
