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.

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.

What happened to this product? Bought it twice before and it was great and reliable with lots of of wear and tear. The third time was disappointing. The bat insert was not coated at all. It fell apart after one use. It was moldy and it adhered to the clay body. Had to throw it away. Thankfully, I still have the previously purchased (coated) bat inserts.

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.

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 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 like this system for throwing pieces since the round bats take up quite a bit of room unless you are throwing pieces that large which I really am not. The material draws out the moisture more quickly and although I have not experienced it yet, I've been told that there can be a tendency to warp a small amount but the fix is to flip them as needed to flatten them again.

I have a wheel without bat pins. I bought this bat system because the “mother bat” has a flat bottom side, making it possible to attach it to my wheel with a clay pad. This has worked exactly as I had hoped. I have seen other reviews saying the bat inserts are loose and wobbly. Mine are actually quite tight. I think this might be because the mother bat has absorbed moisture from the clay pad I use and has therefore expanded. The mother bat is much more porous and absorbent than the inserts. Overall, I am very pleased with this system. The inserts are too small to accommodate large pottery pieces, but that is to be expected. They are perfect for mugs and small bowls.