OFG Products The Swing Bat II: Baseball & Softball Training Aid - Improve Timing, Control & Swing Mechanics | Perfect for Batting Practice, Hitting Drills & Confidence Building | Great for Coaches & Players

Purchased this for my son's 13th birthday. Taking it out of the package the machine work made the product look amazing. Didn't get a chance to use the bat until a couple days after his birthday. Working inside, middle, and away, this product didn't even last 50 swings before the plastic bushing (stop) stamped "Made in China" cracked and separated from plastic housing. Upon further inspection, the ball actually slides up and down the housing. Not sure if that assisted in the product failure or not. I will be contacting customer support at TheSwingBat.com for assistance and will revise this post if an appropriate resolution is reached.Update 1- provided pretty much the information in the original post to thr manufacturer right before going to bed. Checked my email the next day and a company rep responded at 10:30 at night. He was clear that the customer was going to be taken care of. He was very personable and going the extra mile to make it right. As of now, replacement product is incoming. Increasing review by 2 stars just because of the amazing customer service (legitimately it was that impressive). Will update again after working with the replacement product.My son loves swinging this and I think it's a decent training tool, but the (nylon?) slide to which the baseball is mounted does not retain the baseball well enough. It won't slide off the end or anything like that, but the integrity of the baseball is likely to be compromised by repeatedly pressing the ball back onto the slide. This would likely be fixed by adding a zip tie below the ball, but an o-ring fitted to a groove or a slip ring would be a preferred fix from the manufacturer.Still, I like the concept of this training aid. It'll be interesting to see if it translates into improved hitting this spring.Love this training aid and the idea of it. I have something similar for my golf swing and it's helped tremendously on training my swing to a precise contact/power point. This bat does the same thing for the baseball swing and has instant feedback and audible feed back to the player. Only downside is the tube that the ball sits on that slides up and down is not a durable plastic as others have said as well. The bat was simply being swung (not hitting a ball anything) and it snapped at the top. It's still "usable" and the ball can still slide up and down but should never have broken on the first use. I contacted the seller and they only will refund, no replacements or replacement parts.I am a softball coach and i recently bought 2 products to help my girls out. This snap bat and position loop(ill do that review when i get it). Wow. I have been playing softball for 25+ years now and i really wish we had this growing up. It really helps the players see what the coach has been barking at them about. And shows the players how to improve without being told. Loving this training bat!!The tool itself is excellent. My 8 y/o is using the 28oz well. It really helps to feel when to whip the bat and let your hands leave your body. We have really liked hitting wiffle balls with this as well. Now, the first unit we received broke after about 30 mins of use. The black plastic piece broke. However, after contacting the manufacturer directly I not only received a response the same day, but also had a replacement delivered to my door two days later. The replacement is currently holding up well after a few weeks of use, so my hope is that the original had a defect.The device works to point out what you're doing wrong in your swing, however the part that hits the end of the bat broke the first day. It's cheap plastic. For $100, you shouldn't have a cheap plastic component in an impact spot where it will easily break.Soy 12yr old son was on the fence about this find. Even my husband. Well score for me. My son hasn't stopped using it since he opened the box. On love with it. We purchased the 26 Oz. What a great idea. Just the first day he has used it so much will write a follow up review. He is truly enjoying it. Let's see how it transitions to the plate in live play!!! Can't wait to see.Excellent product and a good training tool for all ages. Sweet spot training has changed singles into triples and confidence at the plate.