What Is Laver & Wood Best Custom Bats?

Laver & Wood is a New Zealand cricket bat maker, established in 1999 in Hawkes Bay, that hand-crafts custom bats tailored to a player's style and level. The site is the company's own online store: it sells adult bats, youth bats, tennis-ball cricket bats, and bat "vaults," and it offers a Get Sized Up form plus workshop sizing appointments for players who want help choosing a bat.

Who runs it and where it operates

The workshop is at 703 Meeanee Quay, Westshore, Napier 4110, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. James Laver is the bat maker behind the brand, and the site describes his reputation as built on high-performance handmade bats. Opening hours are Monday–Friday, 9:00–16:00, with bat sizings by appointment. Contact is by email at [email protected] or by phone at +64 6 211 3092.

What the site offers

The main product categories listed on the homepage are:

• Adult Bats — the core range for senior players.
• Bat Vault — a collection of bats presented as a distinct, curated line.
• James Signature Bat Vault — a signature-tier line within the vault offering.
• Youth Bats — bats sized for younger players.
• Tennis Ball Cricket Bat — a bat intended for tennis-ball cricket rather than hard-ball play.
• Specials — a section for current offers.

The positioning is explicitly custom: the site says bats are made for "the big hitter, the traditional batsman, the all-rounder, and anybody just wanting to move up the order," and that James custom-makes bats in the New Zealand workshop "to suit your game at all levels."

How sizing and ordering work

The site directs players to a Get Sized Up form to find out what is best for them, and sizing can also be done at the workshop by appointment. Purchases go through the site's checkout, and the site states that bats can be bought online and shipped worldwide.

Customer reviews quoted on the page describe the experience from a buyer's perspective. One reviewer (Ganesh Kameswaran) says he owns several big-brand bats and found Laver & Wood's difference to be the choice of profiles, wood, and level of customization, with reasonable pricing for the quality and hassle-free shipping to the US. Another (Mark Tuchin) highlights service and willow quality, and a third (Carter Kerr), a seven-year customer, praises the willow and custom work across the Special Reserve through Signature grades while noting that communication was good but wait times could be frustrating. These are customer accounts shown on the company's own site, so treat them as testimonials rather than independent testing.

Is it for you?

Laver & Wood fits you if you want a bat built around your batting style and level rather than a stock retail model, and if you are comfortable ordering from a small New Zealand workshop — potentially with a lead time, as the review above suggests. If you need a bat immediately off the shelf, or you want to compare many brands side by side in a store, a larger retailer may suit you better. For everyone else, the practical first step is the Get Sized Up form, or booking a sizing appointment if you can visit Napier.