Explosive Bat: crushing MLB records. Ft: Smarter Every Day

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The previous explosive bat was cool, but it wasn't setting any records. I set out to design a bat that could beat Babe Ruth's home run record of 575 feet. The engineering was intense but the results are spectacular. Aside from attempts on the record, you can also look forward to some awesome high speed footage of the bat in action and a special guest.

This video could not have been made without the help of Destin from Smarter Every Day. Not only did he provide the high speed camera, he also shared all his footage from testing the bat. He made a more in depth video on what happens when this this bat goes boom. Check it out!

[smartereveryday]

Thank you for letting me visit and letting me TIG weld a bit. Some thoughts moving forward...
I think the performance of the explosive bat design might be HELPED by the mad batter, but HURT by the supersonic cannon. The Mad Batter relies on squish and rebound, so my theory is that a higher pitching velocity would help normal bats.... but I think higher pitching velocities might actually perform worse with the explosive bat design. I'm thinking this because of the way we saw the bat initially slow down at impact.

[flipperjr.]

"Hey dude, wanna go play some baseball?"
"Oh yeah sure, let me just reload"

[dennisgreiwe]

"This is the first time this has failed, (need to make it stronger).... in order to put more steel in here I have to completely redesign this, I hate doing things the right way..." This dude is truly the embodiment of the constant conflict in my head when I'm trying to complete any task. [Do it right or do it quick].

[cubfan]

About turning the bat into a golf club: There is a commercially available golf club that uses the exact same principle you use here with the bat. You load in a certain number of blank shells and the ball will fly different distances depending on how many are loaded. It's primarily used by those with disabilities in moving their arms and allows them to still play golf. It's remarkably consistent in terms of accuracy and distance from what I've seen.

[blenderguru]

Duuuude. The amount of work this took is inspiring. Massive respect for continuing till you got the desired outcome.

[StuffMadeHere]

Would you like to see an even stronger version of this bat hit by a supersonic pitch from @smartereveryday's baseball cannon while spinning on the mad batter? I sure would...

[ryanc]

"Just open the breach" is a line I never in my wildest dreams would've imagined I'd hear in reference to a baseball bat lol

[Ididathing]

How many rifle rounds did the guy that hit the original MLB record have in his arms?

[possible]

How to crush the record: Make two of your bats and put them on Dustin's contraption that spins around.

[starknifez]

"Turn this into a golf club" Mark Rober is sweating buckets rn

[jackrdye]

I love how you show the whole journey and not just the finished product. Showing the hard work that goes into making something truly awesome and the necessity of perseverance

[science.and.beyond]

The next version of the bat is just gonna be a stick of dynamite

[tylerdruskoff]

Massive respect to the guy who swung a bat so hard the guy who’s trying to copy him needs .50cal blanks and welded and machined metal

[lights]

This is the kind of thing you’d expect a baseball-themed comic book supervillain to create

[IchWillNichtMehr]

This guy in court: I barley touched him with the bat!



The judge: His head flew 700 foot...

[tadecaylor]

i like how he explains physics like we all know what it means but also says "four...thats one more than three"

[mp]

Makes you realize how insane it is that a human being hit 575 with a piece of wood

[nelsonta]

Dustin: I couldn't find the ball
Reporter: A man has been murdered by what looks like a ball traveling at 200mph. His head was literally taken off. Exploded.

[hawkteflon]

"Don't try this at home."

As I look over at all of my tools which include a hammer and two screwdrivers.

"Well, ok. I guess I won't try then."

[calebcook]

I love how simply and comically you manage to put the problems you encounter:

“How do I keep this bar from exploding in my face?

This is important because I will be holding the bat.”