The 2016 Easton Z-Core (Amazon Price Check) is a single-piece and balanced swinging aluminum alloy bat. The Z-Core, not to be confused with the Z-Core Torq or Z-Core XL, incorporates an internal composite reinforcement along the barrel's length. This gives the bat a considerably large barrel for a single piece alloy. Easton's marketing literature often refers to this as 'Mako-sizing' the bat, which is about, obviously, the Easton MAKO's considerable barrel size.
Models Overview
The bat comes with a middle of the road swing weight not nearly as hand loaded as the traditional Easton MAKO but nowhere close to as heavy swinging as the Z-Core's fatter brother: The 2016 Easton Z-Core XL.
In the drop 3 (BBCOR), Easton is currently offering a limited edition of the bat for the same price point. But you need to go right to their site to get that small quantity offer.
Performance Comparison
The 2016 Easton Z-Core is the 2nd printing of the 2015 Easton S3z. The 2016 version incorporates a new color design and nothing, as far as we've been told or been able to gather, further. The 2015 S3z was an upgrade in barrel size and swing load towards the hands compared to the 2014 Easton S2.
In the grand scheme of 2016 things, the Easton Z-Core is akin to the Easton Z-Core XL but with a lighter swing weight. It is also the same bat as the 2016 Z-Core TORQ but without the rotating handle.
Comparable Bats
There are lots of single-piece aluminum performance bats with balanced swing weights on the market today. Many of them are worth a look—the Louisville Slugger 516 Omaha, 2015 Marucci CAT 6, and the RIP-IT Air.
In the performance, Easton line up, the 2016 Easton Z-Core TORQ or 2015 Easton S3z may be worth a look if your okay with a rotating bottom hand or last year's model---which is identical in terms of performance. Although a smaller barrel, an Easton 2014 S3 from days gone by, can be found on eBay with a search like this, if you are really on a budget, but we always hesitate to buy aluminum barreled bats on the secondary market.
Expert Recommendations
The 2016 Easton Z-Core is a hot out of the wrapper BBCOR bat with a middle of the road swing weight. As such, we'd recommend the bat for Collegiate or High School players who like the idea of a performance name bat with a balanced swing and a reasonable price tag. Most who prefer single piece aluminum bats do so for the power associated with them. They also tend to prefer end-loaded bats (like the Z-Core XL or Demarini Insane). This paints the 2016 Z-Core as a less compelling option for most high school and collegiate hitters looking for one piece of power.
