What's the best way to know if a cricket bat is the right one for you?

Hi Harry, point number 1, do you look at it and like what you see? if you have a visual connection with the bat it helps. Secondly you need a bat that is the right weight. The heavier the bat is the further the ball flys off it (as long as you can swing it at speed). The lighter the bat the more control you have as well as being able to swing it quickly. The weight ratio is a preference for you and can depend on a number of things including the type of wicket you are playing on. As a rule of thumb, the faster and bouncier the bowling the lighter the bat to allow for easier cross bat play. The lower and slower the wicket and bowling, the heavier the bat as you tend to play straighter down the ground. Of course, these are only generalisations.
Having said that your own physique and strength play a key role as well.
Absolutely pick the bat up and shadow bat with it to get a feel for what we call the pickup. The pickup is the feel you get when lifting the bat from the bat tap to the highest part of the back lift. If it feels good, it is a good sign this bat might be for you. If it feels heavy or light in the pickup, that is a sign this bat might not be for you.
Lastly look at the face of the bat and review the wood. There are a number of ways to make a call, density of grain, or some people like knots as they are quite hard.
Hope this helps.

Hey Larry, this is quite a personal question, as everyone is different and everyone's shots etc are different. These days it appears that there is a drive to have rather heavy bats ie 2.8lbs upwards. In years gone by, before technology was introduced as lot of big hitting players used weights for 2.3lbs or 2.4lbs, ie Viv Richards. Personal preference is something around 2.5 - 2.7lbs, allows for good bat speed and providing plenty of power. Have a feel of the back lift and quality of the willow used.
FYI..... if the bat scores runs for you its probably the right bat for you... ha ha hah a

Hi Larry

Depends on a multitude of factors: height, strength, standard of cricket you play, the shots you prefer to play etc..

I run B3 Cricket in the UK and Im a level 3 coach. You may find this link useful:
https://b3cricket.com/bat-size-guide/

Let me know if I can assist any further.
Regards
Michael