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Louisville Slugger Omaha 518 Bat Review

Louisville Slugger Omaha 518 Bat Review

Price: BBCOR $200, Senior League $180, USA Certified (-10) $100

Louisville Slugger’s Omaha 518 is a solid one-piece alloy at an affordable price. It features a medium sized barrel and balanced swing weight.

The Look

Like most Louisville Slugger bats, the 518 does an exceptional job of combining a variety of colors together.

 

The majority of the barrel is silver. The exception is the last couple of inches, which is a glossy black.

The graphics look great and combine sky blue with red.

The handle is black and has ‘Louisville’ and ‘Omaha 518’ inscribed on it.

The fresh endcap and custom Lizard Skin grip are both nice touches.

 

Knob/Handle/Grip

All stock grips on Louisville Slugger bats are Lizard Skins. The Lizard Skin on the 518 is a custom design that has a red/gray and black/gray camouflage print that pairs perfectly with the rest of the bat. If you’ve never had the privilege of swinging with one, the grip has the perfect firmness while the small dimples and unique material provide great traction. There’s a reason Lizard Skins are popular at every level of baseball.

The knob is very comfortable and fits into your bottom hand perfectly. It’s on the thinner side and isn’t very wide.

Feel/Swing Weight

The 518 has a balanced weight distribution that feels a little heavier in your hands. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially for physically strong hitters who can control a slightly heavier bat. The barrel is medium sized and tapers gradually into the handle, giving you some room to work with if you get jammed. Overall, it actually feels similar to a wood bat, which should be exciting for guys who would rather swing wood 24/7.

Performance

The 518 was fun to swing in testing. As a one-piece alloy, the bat was very stiff throughout the entire swing and on contact made a pingey thud. Louisville Slugger did an incredible job of dampening vibration with their new handle design. This design eliminated a lot of the dreaded sting that normally comes with swinging one-pieces. You still feel it if you miss the barrel, but it’s definitely toned down when compared to other competitors. The bat doesn’t have the extreme lightness or extended barrel that most metals have these days, but it still felt good in my hands. My guess is that if you’re one of the few who would rather swing wood than metal, you’ll like the 518.

Conclusion

Louisville Slugger did a good job with the Omaha 518. It was fun to swing a more traditional metal bat that had some thought put into it. I think you’ll see it a lot in the college ranks where hitters want a bat that’s a little more hefty.

Shop the Omaha 518 here.

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