Quick Take
DeMarini's CF Zen and Louisville Slugger's 917 Prime are top-tier two-piece composite bats, each offering balanced swing weights and massive barrel profiles. While both shine in the BBCOR category, the CF Zen edges out in Big Barrel performance, and the 917 Prime stands out with its premium Lizard Skin grip for unparalleled comfort.
DeMarini’s CF Zen and Slugger’s Prime are similar bats. We have hit with both bat lines extensively, spoken to manufacturers about the lineup at length, and discussed the bats with parents and players alike. In the BBCOR space, we prefer the 917 because it simply feels better to us. However, both BBCOR bats are stellar. Despite any durability concerns, we give the CF Zen series the edge in the Big Barrel space. CF Zen Big Barrel bats are flat-out rakers. Youth barreled bats are so similar that we struggle to find a preference—more details to follow in our DeMarini CF Zen vs Slugger 917 Prime head-to-head match-up.
Zen vs. Prime
Read our full-length review of the 917 Prime for more details on the bat. We cover thoughts on the BBCOR, Big Barrel, and Youth versions, as well as how that bat compares to the 2016 916 Prime.
You can also find in-depth information on our CF Zen review page. We discuss in detail the design features of the 2017 version and how they relate to the 2016 CF8.
We have yet to find an article on this site comparing DeMarini’s CF Zen to the 917 Slugger. Of course, you can always look at Amazon reviews and see if anyone there compares the two. On our first look, we did not find any.
Similarities
Two Piece Composite
Both the CF Zen and the 917 Prime are two-piece composite bats built with a light-to-balanced swing in mind. The idea behind the two-piece composite is that it offers a very large barrel for as little swing weight as possible. The two-piece design also removes vibration from poor contact and offers a smooth swing on contact.
Balanced Swing Weight
The CF Zen and 917 Prime should be considered balanced baseball bats. Balance is an esoteric term in the bat world meaning it is meant to swing light. Some companies adopt the terms speed, balanced, and end-loaded. If we use that terminology, then both the Zen and 917 are balanced.
Owned by Wilson
In addition to being very similar bats functionally, DeMarini and Slugger are part of the same parent company, Wilson. The brands are separate enough not to feel any marketing overlap, but their internal distribution and R&D come from the same warehouse, making these bats even more similar.
Sizing
The Zen and 917 have very similar sizing. They both come in BBCOR and a 2 3/4 drop 10, as well as 2 5/8 versions in drop 5s, drop 8s, and drop 12s.
Differences
Big Barrel Performance
At least in terms of player feedback and online reviews, the big barrel versions of the DeMarini CF Zen, especially the 2 3/4, get remarkable performance reviews. We think the 917 Prime has excellent performance, but there is something about that big barrel CF Zen that gets our blood moving.
