The Mega Maniac 585 is Miken’s highest-performing approved bat, a 100+ mph bat which offers the most distance of any Miken allowed by the Bat Performance Factor 1.20 limit.
The 585 is a 100% composite bat featuring Miken’s “E-Flex” and “Titan Elemental” technologies. The E-Flex, which has been part of Miken bat design since 2001, involves a special way of laying the composite fibers at optimal angles for the most allowable trampoline effect (hoop flex). This design also expands the sweet spot by improving the flex of the barrel in areas where flex might not otherwise occur.
Titan Elemental Technology refers to the new inner-most layer of composite which has been redesigned to allow the bat to return energy to the ball even quicker than with previous bats. It also allows the bat to maintain its shape better.
Titan Elemental Technology allows the whole barrel to flex; in previous models, Miken had to “tweak” the barrel to extend flex toward the areas where it normally would not be found. While that meant that most of the barrel was live, it also meant inconsistent performance and weakened areas more susceptible to breakage along the length of the barrel. The new inner layer changes all that.
The 585 has a 13.5” barrel for maximum hitting surface. It is balanced and is one of only two Maniacs available in 26 ounces. It has a color-coordinated MG-1 Sport Grain synthetic grip. It is burgundy with gold, silver and black graphics.
It is available in 26-30 ounces.
We hit the 27 oz. version.
Miken has taken its longest distance bat – the BPF 1.20 standard 2005 Freak Plus – and this year made it easier to hit.
The BPF 1.20 standard 2006 Mega Maniac is made similarly to the other 2006 Maniacs, with the exception that it offers 100+ mph batted ball exit speed (making it ineligible for use in ASA play). It has a long 13-1/2” barrel and balanced weighting so it swings a bit light – the 27 we hit felt quite a bit like a 26; that is something to consider as the Mega Maniac is one of few Miken models that is available in 26 ounces.
The feel also is similar to past models – there is no sting regardless of what part of the barrel you make contact with. Balls hit dead solid resonate in such a way that you know it instantly – despite there being practically no feeling to them at all.
But this bat is really about performance, and Miken has a winner here in two ways.
First, the Mega Maniac offers as much distance as any other 2006 bat. The guys testing this bat were able to hit .44/375 balls off of, and in some cases over, the 350-foot fence at the baseball field we tested at. It’s not that every ball went that far; rather, balls that were hit well went farther than they did while hitting with the 2006 Camo 484 or even a 2004 Freak that was available for comparison.
Second, the Mega Maniac has an expanded hitting zone. Previous Mikens already had an oversized sweet spot, but the 2006 version seems to have expanded even that. It is difficult to hit the ball poorly; you don’t knock the ball over the fence with any swing on any pitch like was possible with the Ultra, but really any contact made on almost any pitch can be turned into a base hit with this stick.
The Mega Maniac does require a bit of breaking in, but we got it up to hot in fewer than 100 swings.
Miken lovers were most pleased with this bat, as were the few women we had that tried it. And while the Mega Maniac the favorite bat of some testers and not the favorite of others, no one in any of the hitting sessions had any negative feedback on it.
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