What is the difference between Bat Rolling and Bat Shaving?

Here at LongballBats.com, we offer our Heat Roll with Progressive Pressure, but do not offer any bat shaving. In this post, we'll clarify the many differences between the two - and you'll begin to see why we much prefer Bat Rolling instead of Bat Shaving.

The chart above highlights some of the main differences between bat rolling and bat shaving, and we'll go a little more in depth on those differences point-by-point here:

Characteristic 1: Significantly increases performance of the bat

Both Bat Rolling and Bat Shaving, when performed correctly, will significantly increase the performance of your bat. Our Heat Roll with Progressive Pressure generally results in 20-40ft of extra distance on your solid hits. Bat Shaving, a much more intrusive process, generally results in 50-70ft of extra distance on your solid hits. The extra distance that Shaving offers over Rolling comes at a steep price, though - read on for details!

Characteristic 2: Requires endcap removal to perform

Bat Shaving involves removing the endcap of your bat and inserting the bat info a piece of machinery called a lathe, which uses a tool called a boring bar to thin the walls of your bat. The wall material shavings are removed from your bat and the end cap is glued back on. We've seen some really nice work and we've seen some REALLY bad work when it comes to shaved bats. Shaving is a delicate process that, when done incorrectly, can have disastrous results. By comparison, our Heat Roll with Progressive Pressure is non-intrusive. It does not require endcap removal, no material is removed or added and the entire process is undetectable to the eye and/or touch.

Characteristic 3: Will absolutely void your manufacturer warranty

The keyword in this phrase is "absolutely", because all bat manufacturers will void your warranty if you tell them that your bat has been Rolled or Shaved. They'll do the same if you tell them that you used the bat to hit pitching machine balls or that other people/teammates took swings with the bat in addition to the bat's owner. The main difference here is that the manufacturer will physically be able to tell that the bat has been shaved as soon as they take a look at the inside of the bat (since the walls have been thinned.) If the bat has been rolled, as long as the work was done correctly and professionally, the manufacturer won't be able to determine that the bat had been Rolled. Our Heat Roll with Progressive Pressure, for instance, is totally undetectable.

Characteristic 4: Causes significant decrease in durability

After a bat is shaved, those thinner walls do offer significantly increased performance - but only for a short time. Bat Shaving significantly decreases a bat's durability, and failures happen very quickly after this service is performed. By comparison, our Heat Roll with Progressive Pressure actually offers an INCREASE in durability. Since Bat Rolling breaks in the entire barrel completely and evenly, the entire barrel flexes in unison at the same rate on contact, eliminating hot spots and dead spots and preventing one of the most common causes of failure in composite bats.

Characteristic 5: Causes change in the weight of the bat

Since Bat Shaving involves removing material from the walls of the bat, the weight of the bat is reduced. Some "bat doctors" (individuals or companies who offer this service) make up for the loss of weight by adding more glue to the endcap or adding more material to the endload of the bat - other companies don't make up for it at all. By comparison, since no material is ever added or removed, Bat Rolling causes no change in weight, balance or endload whatsoever - the bat will always swing just as the manufacturer designed it to.

Characteristic 6: Causes a bat to be considered "altered"

Rather than outlawing Bat Rolling or Bat Shaving specifically by name, most leagues/tournaments ban "altered bats" from being used during officially sanctioned games. By definition, altering is to "change or cause to change in character or composition, typically in a comparatively small but significant way." Since a machine is used to thin the walls, Bat Shaving is absolutely considered altering. Bat Rolling, on the other hand, doesn't involve any material being added or removed. There are no structural changes to the bat, we're simply breaking the barrel in completely and evenly. As a result, we do not consider our Heat Roll with Progressive Pressure to be "altering" the bat. Of course, we'd never encourage or condone the use of a Rolled OR Shaved Bat in any game where the sanction deems either to be illegal.

Final Thoughts:

Although Bat Shaving does offer slightly more performance than Bat Rolling, that slight increase comes at a significant cost:

1. Bat Shaving will absolutely void any/all manufacturer warranties.
2. Bat Shaving causes a significant decrease in a bat's durability and longevity.
3. Bat Shaving changes both the scale weight and often the swing weight of a bat.
4. Bat Shaving causes your bat to be considered altered.

Here at LongballBats.com, we don't consider the pros of Bat Shaving to be significant enough to outweigh the cons and as a result, we do not offer any Bat Shaving Services. Our Heat Roll with Progressive Pressure, by breaking in the entire barrel of your baseball or softball bat completely and evenly, offers a significant increase in performance without any of the four downsides listed above. If you're considering having a bat rolled or shaved, we encourage you to try our Heat Roll with Progressive Pressure first: we perform our process the HARD way, 100% by hand, for best results - and we're confident that you'll be impressed with the results! Click here to learn more about our Heat Roll with Progressive Pressure.