Mallet design
There are a number of items that need to be considered when choosing or specifying a custom mallet.
Head and handle length and weight are perhaps the most obvious. I can make most reasonable head lengths, although typically they have been between 10 and 12 inches, and because of the hollow construction that I use I can then add back whatever total weight is required, making size and weight independent. The most popular head length appears to be about 11 inches, although I recommend players considering an even longer head if they feel they can manage it. A longer head gives a longer sight line for aiming and a higher moment of inertia due to the peripheral weighting. The end faces of the head will be approximately 55mm square (Just over 2 inches).
Weight can be again anything within a reasonable range. Most people seem to consider a head of about 1000g to be about right, but I can make them to suit special requirements over quite a wide range. So far no one has asked for anything outside the range 900 – 1200g. The general guidance here is that a heavier mallet should be more accurate, although it will be harder to make good stop shots. My handles weigh about 240g so a 1000g head makes a total weight of 1240g or just over 2 lb 7 oz. Working backwards, a 3 lb mallet (1360g) would require a head weight of 1120g.
Handle length can, of course, be independently chosen from the head dimensions. Most requirements seem to be met by handles between 34 and 36 inches, but longer and shorter can both be supplied. All my mallet handles consist of a carbon fibre shaft, with a demountable taper connector to the head. This allows small adjustments to be made to alignment, or even rotation through 90 degrees for those that find a side to side orientation more comfortable. The handle taper connector has flats machined on it to allow precise rotation using a spanner.
My standard handle grips are made from a rigid EVA foam material. Handle cross section shape is normally a rectangular shape with chamfered corners, but I can also supply rounded corners of typically 9mm radius. This produces a more comfortable, but slightly less precise feel in my opinion. I can also make more unconventional shapes such as the triangular format I use on my own mallet which I find ideal for a player using the Solomon grip . See Specials.
Lower grips are normally required for AC play, and I use a similar foam material to the main handle, although with a circular cross section. I normally supply a fully gripped section on the lower half of the shaft as shown below. But I can also use a more “chunky” grip, with a 34mm diameter, either singly or as a pair.