Why the Sixer Has the Fastest Pickup of Any Bat We MakeIt is not lighter. It is cut in a different place.
The Sixer weighs the same as two other bats in our range. It picks up noticeably faster than both. That is not a contradiction — it is the whole point of the design, and the reason comes down to one decision at the shaping bench.
First: it is not lighter
Worth clearing up immediately, because it is the assumption everyone starts with.
| Bat | Weight | Pickup |
|---|---|---|
| Monster | 980–1090g | Fast |
| Gold Edition | 980–1090g | Fast |
| Sixer | 980–1090g | Fastest we make |
Same weight band, different feel. Put the Sixer on a scale next to a Monster and you will find nothing to explain it.
Which means the explanation is not about mass at all. It is about where that mass sits.
Where you cut beats how much you cut
Here is the principle, and once you see it the rest follows.
Pickup is how a bat feels in motion, and it depends on how far the mass sits from your hands. Willow near the toe is a long way from your grip, so moving it through a swing takes real effort — the bat feels heavy. The same willow carried higher up sits closer to your hands and moves easily.
So when a maker cuts a scoop, two things are happening at once:
- Weight comes out — obvious, and the part everyone talks about
- The balance point moves — less obvious, and the part that actually decides pickup
And the second effect depends entirely on where the willow came from. Remove a gram from low on the blade and the balance point shifts a little. Remove the same gram from high on the blade and it shifts further, because you have taken material from the end of a longer lever.
Which is why two bats can have the same amount of willow removed and pick up completely differently. How much you cut changes the scale weight. Where you cut changes how the bat feels — and how it feels is what you bat with.
The shoulder scoop
Take that principle to its conclusion and you arrive at the Sixer.
Most scooped bats cut in the middle-to-lower region of the back, which is where the willow is and where cutting is straightforward. The Sixer carries multiple scoops, including one at the shoulder — high on the blade, near where it meets the splice.
That is the highest point on a blade that willow can practically come from, and therefore the most effective place to cut if what you want is the balance point to move toward your hands. Every gram taken from there does more work than a gram taken from anywhere else.
The result is a bat that sits in the same weight band as its siblings and comes through the line noticeably faster.
What it costs
Every design decision in a cricket bat is a trade, and we would rather name this one than let you find it.
Willow removed from the blade is willow not sitting behind the point of contact. On a shot you middle properly, a bat with more material behind the middle returns more energy to the ball. The Sixer has less.
So the trade is straightforward:
| The Sixer buys you | The Sixer costs you |
|---|---|
| Speed. The bat comes through faster for the same weight. | Mass behind the middle. Less material returning energy on a clean strike. |
| Late play. You can wait longer before committing. | Hitting through the line. Less help if that is how you generate power. |
| Less fatigue. Over a long innings, pickup compounds. | Nothing else. Same timber, same pressing, same edges as the Monster. |
Whether that is a good trade depends entirely on how you score. Which is the next section.
Where it sits in the range
All five bats are Player Grade Kashmir willow, eight hydraulic press stages, a fitted toe guard and ₹3,499. There is no grade hierarchy and no price ladder — only the shaping differs.
| Bat | Back of blade | Weight | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Killer | Full spine, no scoop | 1050–1190g | Most mass. Heaviest we make. |
| AK-47 Fighter | Scoop and 60–63mm spine | 1030–1140g | Both. Mass with a fast pickup. |
| Monster / Gold | Single scoop, no spine | 980–1090g | Widest edges at 45–50mm. |
| Sixer | Multi-scoop incl. shoulder | 980–1090g | Fastest pickup. Least mass behind the middle. |
Read that table as a line rather than a ranking. The Killer is at one end — all mass, nothing removed. The Sixer is at the other — most removed, fastest through the line. The AK-47 sits between them by carrying a spine and a scoop together.
Who should want it
Take the Sixer if
- You generate power through hand speed rather than mass. Some players hit through the line; others whip. If you are the second kind, a faster bat helps you more than a heavier one.
- You play on quick surfaces — indoor flooring, sealed concrete, tight matting. The ball skids on and arrives early, and the ability to play it late is worth more than the mass you gave up.
- You bat long enough for fatigue to matter. Pickup compounds over an innings. A bat that feels fine in the second over and heavy in the fifteenth has cost you the overs that decide the game.
- You have found other bats commit you early. Once a heavy bat is moving you cannot change your mind. The Sixer lets you.
Take something else if
- You have found tennis bats too light to hit through the line — take the Killer, with nothing removed from the back at all.
- You want mass and speed together — take the AK-47, the only one with a spine and a scoop.
- You score almost everything square — take the Monster or Gold, same edges, more conventional shaping.
- You are not sure yet — take the AK-47. It is the one that does not ask you to have decided.
All five are the same price, so there is nothing in it for us either way.
Why it is a hard cut to make
One last thing worth knowing, because it explains why more bats are not shaped this way.
The shoulder is close to the splice — the joint where the handle enters the blade, and the area carrying the most structural load on the whole bat. Cutting there requires knowing exactly how much willow has to stay.
Get it wrong in one direction and you have removed too little to move the balance point, which defeats the purpose. Get it wrong in the other and you have weakened the blade where it can least afford it.
There is no template for that. It comes from having cut thousands of them and knowing what correct looks like before the tool goes in — which is what a maximum of forty bats a day allows and three thousand does not.
And the failure nobody can see: a scoop cut in the wrong place removes weight without moving the balance point. The bat is lighter on the scale and no faster in the hands, which was the entire purpose. You only find that out by playing with it.
Questions players ask
Why does the Sixer have the fastest pickup? +
Because of where the willow is removed rather than how much. The Sixer carries multiple scoops including one at the shoulder - the highest point on the blade and the furthest from the toe. Willow taken from there moves the balance point toward your hands more per gram than willow taken from lower down, so the bat comes through faster for the same weight.
What is a shoulder scoop? +
A scoop cut high on the back of the blade, near the shoulder where the blade meets the splice, rather than in the usual position lower down. It is the most effective place to remove willow if the aim is to move the balance point, and it is also the hardest place to cut without weakening the blade.
Is the Sixer lighter than your other tennis bats? +
It sits in the same 980 to 1090g band as the Monster and Gold Edition, so on a scale it is not lighter. What differs is how it feels in the hands - the shoulder scoop pulls the balance point up, so it picks up faster than its weight suggests. Pickup and scale weight are different things.
What is the difference between pickup and weight? +
Weight is the total mass measured with the bat sitting still. Pickup is how it feels when you swing it, and it depends on where that mass sits relative to your hands. Mass near the toe is far from your grip and takes effort to move; the same mass carried higher feels lighter. Two bats of identical weight can feel completely different.
Who should buy the Sixer? +
Players who generate power through hand speed rather than mass, who play on quick surfaces where the ball skids on and arrives early, and anyone who bats long enough for fatigue to decide the last few overs. If you have found tennis bats too light to hit through the line, take the Killer instead.
What does the Sixer give up for that pickup? +
Mass behind the middle. Willow removed from the blade is willow not sitting behind the point of contact, so on a shot you middle properly a bat with more material returns more energy. That is the honest trade - the Sixer buys speed and pays for it in mass.
Is the Sixer better than the AK-47? +
Neither is better; they answer different questions. The AK-47 keeps a full 60 to 63mm spine alongside its scoop, so it carries mass behind the middle with a fast pickup. The Sixer removes more and keeps less, so it picks up faster still with less mass behind the ball. Both are ₹3,499.
Does a faster pickup mean more power? +
It can, because distance comes from both mass and bat speed at contact, and a bat you can swing faster contributes on the speed side. What it genuinely gives you on a skiddy surface is the ability to play the ball later, which is usually worth more than the mass you gave up.
What willow is the Sixer made from? +
Player Grade Kashmir willow, the same as all five of our hard tennis bats. There is no grade difference between them - the timber and the eight press stages are identical across the range. Only the shaping differs, which is why they are all ₹3,499.
What edge thickness does the Sixer have? +
45 to 50mm, the same as the Monster and Gold Edition. The Killer runs 42 to 48mm because it keeps a full spine instead. Edge thickness is measured across the width of the blade and is a separate thing from the scoops on the back.
Does the Sixer need knocking in? +
No. No oiling, no mallet work, no preparation of any kind. A tennis ball deforms on impact and never generates the surface pressure that knocking in exists to protect against. Take it out of the packaging and play.
Can I use the Sixer with a leather ball? +
No. The timber grade, the pressing and the shaping are specified for a tennis ball, and a 156g leather ball will damage it within a handful of sessions. For leather ball cricket you need Kashmir willow from ₹4,499 or English willow from ₹7,999.
More on the choices behind the range: scoop or standard, what weight to take, and the complete hard tennis buying guide.
Made in Meerut · Ready day one
Sixer — ₹3,499, like the other four
Player Grade Kashmir willow · Multi-scoop including the shoulder · 45–50mm edges · 980–1090g · 8-stage hydraulic pressing · Toe guard fitted · No oiling, no knocking in · Free shipping across India with Cash on Delivery