The 2017 Easton XL3 brought power hitters an end-loaded one-piece alloy option with serious pop. This aluminum bat delivered old-school feel with new-school performance for players who wanted immediate feedback.
Models Overview
The XL3 featured Easton's HMX Hyperlite Matrix Alloy with an end-loaded design for power. Available primarily in BBCOR, it catered to stronger hitters who preferred alloy feel over composite technology.
Construction & Technology
With the obvious exception of the color-up, the 2017 Easton XL3 is a reprint of the 2016 version. The bat is a single-piece aluminum with an end load. For a bat of this structure, it does boast a good-sized barrel. This is its unique feature in the space.
For the record, the 2016 version was roughly the same as the 2015 version. The 2015 version, however, came with an upgraded barrel size compared to the 2014 bat. In terms of performance, you should not expect anything different between the 2015, 2016 and 2017 Easton XL3s.
Performance Comparison
The XL3 has been a part of Easton's lineup for longer than we have been writing on this blog. That bat served as the 3rd iteration in the end-loaded Power Brigade. The XL1 was a two-piece composite and is now enveloped by the Easton MAKO XL---which was not produced in an XL for 2017. The XL2 has morphed into the Easton HYBRID XL---which was also not produced in an XL for 2017. In the BBCOR space, the XL3 is now the Easton Z-Core XL (which you can read our review of here).
But in the non-BBCOR space, the single-piece aluminum, end-loaded XL3 has yet to transform into anything but the same old single-piece aluminum, end-loaded XL3.
Comparable Bats
We think the DeMarini Insane (our review) from either 2016 or 2015 are very good comparisons to the 2015, 2016 and 2017 Easton XL3. This year's "insane", now called the Voodoo One (our review), has a middle-of-the-road swing weight, so it no longer the end-loaded feel.
Another endloaded single-piece bat is the 2017 Axe Element (our review)---although that bat has several things going on that make it a less comparable alternative to the Easton XL3.
