I did extensive research on bat rollers, the physics of bat rollers, and actual companies, and their reputations. When I did my research I also focused on the physics of the bat rolling machines, which one was the easiest to use and built to last. I know other bat rollers in my area that roll in parking lots, so I got to see some of these machines first hand. The oddest bat rolling machine I saw was a perpendicular one where you needed to use wrenches to compress the rollers (believe it or not there were no handles), what a headache. With a perpendicular roller it is hard to keep the bat balanced and it is hard enough to roll without worrying about wrenches to turn the rollers. Bat rollers use parallel machines because of the 2 rollers on the top, parallel rollers on are 10 times steadier and easier to use.

The perpendicular rollers have only 2 points to anchor the bat, 1 bottom roller, and 1 top roller, while parallel rollers have 3 points to "anchor" the bat (2 top rollers and 1 bottom roller). best plate rolling machine manufacturers For this fact, it is very hard to control a bat while rolling with a perpendicular bat roller. I also saw a parallel one that uses wrenches also to turn the rollers. This is a bat roller that takes 4 times as long to roll bats because the turns are quadrupled as a result of the 4 bolts on top that need turned in order to lower the roller. This machine also has a 7 inch roller instead of the 6 inch roller the mainstream bat rollers have. When I talked to a bat rolling machine manufacturer they said they had tried different size rollers and the 6 inch worked best on the sweetspot.

I also did my own study of the physics of the flex of bats during compression in a parallel roller. The 7 inch rollers caused the flex point to be inside the taper and endcap area, which can damage the bat. When manufacturers claim the whole barrel is the sweetspot they are bending the truth. What that means is there is less composite material located towards the taper and end cap. The taper area is actually an overlapping of composite creating a joint in which the resin needs to stay intact. If the resin breaks up in this area the bat is susceptible to breaks. The end cap area has a significantly less amount of carbon fiber because an area needs to be lathed out for the end cap. If a roller larger than 6 inches is used it puts undo stress on the end cap area and taper section reducing the life of the bat.

Durability was a big deal with me because I had 2 bat rolling machines break. I had the bearings wear out after about 200 bats rolled and I had the actual roller separate from the turning mechanism on the other after 300 bats. I was stuck with 2 broken bat rolling machines. So then I got a roller with the softer plastic (or what I call nylon) and 1000 bats later the roller had a significant wave in it and the roller was starting to drag. I contacted the company and within a week I had new rollers and bearings (they have now upgraded their rollers and bearings, this will be a problem of the past.