From a design standpoint Marucci Sports owns our hearts.
Models Overview
Every new Marucci bat we see seems to leaves us weak in the knees. And, if our count is right, this is five in a row: (1) the CAT 6 is poetic; (2) the OPS is now hanging over the fire place mantle; (3) the Marucci Hex Composite may be the best looking Senior League bat of the year; (4) the Elite Limited looks like it came out of a Sears Fall Special catalog.
Now, (5) the limited release Marucci Hex Alloy may be the most mesmerizing of them all. The pictures don't quite do it justice, just wait until you hold one. Looking directly at the knob, it looks like they used a Skittle as the template and design. Its shiny gloss lime green finish is brilliant and well proportioned. Around JBR HQ we refer to this bat as the Skittle bat.
Comparable Bats
The other noteworthy thing on the 2015 Marucci Hex Alloy is the ping sound. We don't think we've heard a louder bat. The clear ring from each hit adds another element of satisfaction to each connection with the ball. Every time it's hit I think of the church bells at Notre Dame---as if the loud ring is in commemoration of jaw dropping jack.
The alloy bats we weighed and measured were heavier than their composite counterparts in both swing weight and total weight. The 31 ounce composite weighed in at 30.35 ounces. The alloy weighed in at 32.25 ounces. This is not uncommon among any bat manufacturers' standards. But do note that dropping an inch in transition from composite to alloy versions would be appropriate for comparison purposes.
Expert Recommendations
On a more practical note, the bat is the answer for those who wish they had a CAT 6 in the drop 10 big barrel or drop 12 youth barrel. Can I get a Hallelujah!? Like the CAT 6, the Marucci Alloy is a full alloy one piece bat. It has, like the CAT 6, the sting free alloy design.
One other engineering feat of which Marucci should be proud is the gigantic barrel. This barrel is large even by composite barrel standards. Compared to the Marucci Hex Composite, which has one of the largest barrels in the business, we found the Alloy's barrel size nearly identical in diameter from the cap through the "M" on Marucci. It does taper faster than the composite version and by the time it gets to the line the barrel is about 15% skinnier.