Bat System for Potter’s Wheel, 12” Round Outer Bat with Set of Six 7” Square Inner Bats, Bat Adapter with Removable Inserts for Throwing Pottery, for Potters and Clay Artists (6)

I started pottery classes and was frustrated with my bowls and mugs getting out of shape when I cut them off the bat still wet. I bought this system a year ago and I am very happy with it. I can leave my project on it wrapped in plastic and come back a week later at my next class. Then I can take it off at leather hard and cut the foot. I have had the main part warp slightly but I found that if I lay it on a flat surface and put something heavy on top it dries flat. I think it helps that I use them once a week and they have time to dry in between use. They are still in great shape and I will definitely buy them again when I need to.

Better than multiple pricey full-size bats, the Bleeker Bat System allows me to throw anything with less than a 7" diameter base (which is most of my work). If I have been too generous with the water, I will lift the work on its bat and allow it to dry out a bit, while working on something else (this also allows the bats to dry out, as well. The system makes for much greater efficiency in my studio. I can also cover up work with a bit of plastic if I am not going to get to it for a day or so, and delaying such work on 7" bats frees up so much more space than if I was using standard 12" bats. I also purchased a second set of inner bats (from a different vendor) to keep the work flowing. After a recent move, I have yet to find my stash of bats in storage. Now I don't need to work too hard to locate them. This system is excellent!

I finally got around to using this bat system, and the quality is absolute garbage. After a throwing session, I left my work on the bats overnight and returned to find that the bats had completely disintegrated underneath. I had wired the pieces off before leaving them overnight, and still when I lifted the piece off big chunks of the bat came off with my pottery. This is absolutely ridiculous. The whole point in having bought this bat system is to save money, not to have to purchase a whole new set now because this one couldn't even handle 1x use. I will add a photo later, since I left the bats at the studio I work at. But do not buy, I repeat, do not buy. Save yourself the trouble and just purchase one from a reputable company from the get-go. From what I hear, the dirty girls ones are good and possibly also studio pro.

I've been using this bat system with the Xiem Tools 12-inch BatMate blue shammy-like material underneath the bat system. That does effectively prevent the bat insert holder from shimmying on the wheel. I've never used it without that, so I can't vouch for whether that would be a problem. However, there are two issues with the bat inserts. The first is that sometimes they stand up above the level of the bat holder so when I am trying to center a larger piece of clay by bringing it down & out my hand gets bumped up by the difference in height between the bat holder and the insert. This is not ideal, but usually still workable. However, I should mention that I rarely throw over 3-4 pounds of clay. The second problem is that some of the inserts aren't as snug in the holder as one might wish and so they move in the holder. Generally this is only a problem for the first piece I throw. Then clay & slip get in that space and help stabilize it. So, again this is not ideal, but if I remembered to put a bit of slip in there first it would probably be fine.

This was the least expensive american-made bat system I could find, and its performance has been quite good. The inserts stay in place when I'm throwing and the base has stayed flat even when wet. I've combined it with a BatMate underneath but I'm not even sure that's necessary. The square bat inserts fit nicely in the limited amount of space on my shelf at the studio as well.

I bought this a few weeks ago and here are the pros and cons about the product. Cons: the actual bat holder is starting to warp. the worst part is that it is bowing in a way that its basically rocking on the wheel making it really tough to do anything (center, throw, lift, etc). I recommend that the manufacture make it so that both sides can accept an insert so that if one side bows you can flip it around and hopefully flatten in out again while you keep using it on the wheel. The bat itself is very thick and can easily put another insert slot on the other side perhaps even a circular insert v. a square one. Con: inserts aren't as snug as id like them to be, this causes the inserts to shift slightly which at a fast speed can throw off your center. Temporary fixes are filling the gaps with clay which only really fixes the problem temporarily. Pros: Inserts allow you to save space on the drying shelf by not having to put a whole bat on there. Inserts are fairly cheap. Recommend you use a screwdriver to pry out the bat when you're ready to take it off the wheel. all in all i spent the money to buy the system and a additional 6 inserts but now that the actual bat holder is warping they are pretty much useless. If your using low speed and maybe can sandwich the bat between two heavy flat objects to dry to prevent warping, its great other wise the additional maintenance is really a downside to the product.

I've been using this system for about a year now, and I feel like I can leave an honest review now. So first off, any system like this is going to be a huge time saver, this one is no exception. But we all know why we bought or are buying this product. So how does it hold up? I see a lot of reviews here about warping, and I think that these are probably new potters who don't quite understand how Masonite bats work. They absorb water, it's how they work so well! When things are ready to trim they just pop off the bat because the bat has been wicking moisture out of the bottom. Sometimes this causes the bat insert to "dome", or bend in the direction of the thing drying on it. It is important to flip your bat inserts each time to keep the dome from becoming exaggerated on one side. A domed bat will not prevent you from centering, it will not cause issues with throwing, if you think so, you haven't been throwing for very long. Now my main bat (the thing that holds the inserts) did dome on me since it's not flippable, but I just put some shelf liner under it and haven't ever had a problem since. I always get my wheelhead wet before putting the bat on, and I always dip my bat inserts in water before putting them on the bat. Can't beat the price, I have purchased 24 extra inserts and I use them every day. I really like this system and it's so much cheaper than the dirty girls and other similar systems. Search for Liam Besaw on YouTube to see me throwing on these bats and you'll never question buying this system.

It does jiggle, as mentioned in other reviews, but that isn't the real issue. Jiggling is practically inevitable with any insert-style bat systems and is easily overcome. The real issue is the material itself. It isn't moisture resistant. After one use, the base bat warped. And I wiped it clean and dried it with a heat gun and sat a heavy plaster cast on top of it, all on a perfectly level table, to prevent warping in storage. Didn't work. I should also mention that I painted it with water resistant polyurethane and let it totally dry before I ever used it on the wheel. It still warped after one use. It didn't warp before use on the wheel. It warped after the wheel. It's basically MDF that's been dunked in something, but that something it's cohesive enough to prevent moisture absorption even with additional precautions taken. Now, on to the inserts. They did not warp. Instead, they swelled around the edges, as hardboard does when it absorbs water. Overall, nice design with centered inserts, but the materials aren't manufactured for this application. I strongly recommend looking for a better system elsewhere or making your bats from treated hardboard (which is what I ended up doing).