The 100% composite Mayhem M7 uses a new composite formula that is 72% stronger than the Mayhem ACT, making it noticeably stronger in both its durability and performance. The bat is designed to last through more swings than last year’s model and hit the ball as far as any 100+ mph bat currently on the market.
Another major difference is the weighting. The M7 1.20 has an end load to help get the barrel through the hitting zone quicker, thereby adding distance to your swing. It is weighted in a way that is popular with home run hitters.
It retains the 14” barrel of the original, but extends the sweet spot even further by redefining the flexibility of the barrel to include most of the hitting surface. The M7 fibers allow for the added barrel flex without breaking.
Worth’s theory is that how far the ball goes comes down to two things – the size of the sweet spot and the batted ball speed at impact. The M7 has maximized both: the 14” barrel offers a huge hitting surface and the M7 fibers have been laid down in a fashion to provide the most performance allowed by the current bat standards along the majority of that barrel.
It has a long, gradual taper and the handle is covered in a Pro Pebble composite grip for max hold and feel.
It is available in 34 inches and 26-28 and 30 ounces.
We hit the 27 oz. version.
The original Mayhem 98 ACT (orange) was great and the Mayhem 1.20 ACT (green) was even hotter. Both broke in quickly, were easy to hit and offered as much pop as any bat available at the beginning of the 2006 season. So to imagine that for 2007 Worth could dramatically improve its Mayhem would be foolhardy.
But then came the mid-season release of the limited edition Mayhem Jeff Hall 1.20, a maximum performance, end-loaded, power hitters’ bat that came in plus-half-ounce weights. Not everyone got a chance to swing that bat, but those who did raved about the bat’s distance.
The 2007 Mayhem M7 brings that performance to the masses.
It has an end-loaded feel similar - though less obvious - to the Jeff Hall, but comes in full-ounce weights. It has the same shape as the original Mayhem ACTs, but the combination of the new weighting and the new M7 composite give it more pop. Some of the farthest balls hit in testing came off this bat; one 40-year-old D player hit a ball more than 350 feet in testing – the longest ball he has hit, he says, in more than three years.
Exactly how M7 is different than ACT, we don’t know. What we are told is that the new formula is 72% stronger than last year. What we know is that the balls – even old, well used restricted flight balls – fly off this bat. That is likely due to the M7’s strength; the stronger formula makes the bat seem a bit stiffer than other composites but the sweet spot is so forgiving that balls hit anywhere along the barrel react as if they were hit off the middle of the sweet spot and absolutely no vibration is transferred to the hands.
The 14-inch barrel means finding the sweet spot is easy for players of all abilities.
The sound does take a bit of getting used to; it is more of a muffled “whump” than the loud “crack” or reedy “thrash” that is common with most composites. The first reaction to the sound is often a feeling of not really hitting that one well, but the flight of the ball lets you quickly know that you did get it just right.
The M7 seems to handle the stress of repeated bat/ball impact better than average for a composite bat. The test bat has shown no sign of wear even after close to 1,000 swings.
The graphics are nothing special; a cool blue with dark blue graphics in the 1.20 model, a gray on gray with red for the 98 mph model. The pebbled composite grip is nice though.
Our hitters thought the Mayhem M7 1.20 was a great home run bat and a good alternative for power hitters who were not able to get their hands on the Jeff Hall. Also, it is highly recommended for anyone who fell in love with the Mayhem ACT.
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