Easton S500 Youth Baseball Bat YB16S500 2 1/4 Diameter

My 7.5 year old was using a 25" bat. One of the other parents suggested a 28" bat for my son and several of the other kids were using the Easton S500. The price on Amazon was better than at Dick's sporting goods. I went for the 29" rather than the 28" because the price was even lower! It makes you wonder how the adaptive pricing algorithms work.I know, I know... you're supposed to get a bat that is properly sized. So I also purchased bat grip choke up rings by Grippi. The double pack gives me 2 rubber (silicone?) rings that are each about 0.75 inch thick. I used a bit of soap and water to put these over the bat's grip end so that the grips sat snuggly against the grip butt. They soak up vibration (added benefit) and my boy has his hands in the right spot. I ended up taking off one ring so that he is now effectively using 28.25". The Grippi costs a bit more than the difference in price that I saved between the 29" and 28" bats. But I figure that I get at least another year of use since I can remove the Grippi later. And another year is worth about $50!Back to the bat. Immediately, my son started hitting better. I mean the very next practice! He could barely connect at all before (coach pitch) and now he regularly hits singles, doubles, and triples. The improvement probably has more to do with getting the right size. But that doesn't take away from the fact that it's a very good bat for a young player.The bat is light (-13) and feels about the same weight as his old 25" bat so he has no trouble holding and swinging it.I told him not to hit rocks, bang the bat on the ground, or drag it when carrying his gear. But still, after a hit, the bat gets the normal toss into the dirt. After about 5 weeks, the bat has held up great. Some paint has scraped off but there are zero dents or indentations into the metal.

I bought this bat because my son wanted to play with his school friends on a Rec league (2 1/4" barrel limit) (11 yr old). After the first game it was useless as it had two dents. I know this isn't an expensive bat but, it should've lasted longer than one game. I had to go to the storage and dig out his 3 year old DeMarini 27" VooDoo.

My son I law purchased a bat for my grandkids (6 and 7) a bat at Academy for twice the price but was sized for a 10 yr old.I would suggest that you look on line to determine your youths bat size. Not all 26” bats are the same.The bat I purchased was the correct size and had a major impact on their swing and control.Bat is well made and a great value too.

Good value bat. Swings very level. Nice weight for a fast bat speed. Decent pop on the ball.

Grandson uses it at every game. He has several bats, but this is his favorite!

Great youth bat, light, colorful, solid hitting for the buck. Son likes the color , helps see bat during hitting!

Perfect light weight bat. Helped my kid improve his bat speed. His teammates like to use it too. Definitely a perfect bat for the family who wants their child to have a great product but doesn't want to spend a ridiculous amount of money.

I bought this for my 9 year old son..30 inch 17oz..perfect for him. great bat