Netting Materials
Netting Construction
Posi-Lock Stitching
Diamond Mesh vs. Square Mesh
Knotless vs. Knotted Netting
Break Strength: Fact vs. Sales Pitch
Compare twine sizes
Abrasion Resistance

The most important component in any batting cage is the netting material used. Shop around and you'll find batting cages made from Nylon, Polyethylene (PE), HDPE or High Density Polyethylene, Polyester, Kevlar, Spectra, KVX200™,  and a few other materials. The material you choose should be determined by the application.

Netting Construction:
Next to the netting material, the construction is the most important factor determining how a batting cage will wear. If your cage is assembled with light thread, or the stitching is loose, even the best netting can separate form the rope perimeter.Our cages are assembled on state of computer controlled sewing machines.

Posi-Lock stitching is a process where these machines tightly weave a thick cord around the rope perimeters in a positive locking pattern, that provides the strongest possible bond between the netting and the rope.

How Posi-Lock Works:
Rather than simply sewing a rope border to a piece of netting, we take the extra time to weave the rope in an out through the meshes, before sewing the rope to the net. This is an important step, because if a stitch were to break, your batting cage would stay together.Other manufacturers simply lay the rope along the netting panel, and some will only stitch the rope to the net every second or third mesh. That puts extra stress on the attachment points and weakens the batting cage.

Rope Borders: We incorporate heavy rope borders on the top, the bottom, the vertical corners, and we add a reinforcement rib line down the center of the cage. Finally, we sew an extra rib line the runs down the middle of top panel from front to back. This provides an extra support point so you can keep the net held high.

Diamond Mesh vs. Square Mesh
Square mesh is better. Diamond mesh is cheaper.

Due to the way netting is produced, hanging a net on the diamond reduces the amount of waste netting, so hanging a net on the diamond is typically less expensive. Hanging a net on the diamond causes a few problems. First, the net won't hang as straight. The net pattern causes the batting cage to pull in from the sides. On top of that, batting cages with a diamond mesh will usually have poorer seams, because the rope border has to be sewn diagonally across the meshes, leaving an irregular net border to sew to.Square mesh is typically more expensive to produce, because the ends must be trimmed off. Although it can take more material to hang a batting cage on the square, the finished product is significantly better.A cage hung on the square will open straighter and all four bottom edges will be more likely to reach the ground. the edges will be neater, and the border will naturally follow the edge of the netting.

Break Strength
A net's break strength is determined by calculating how much tension may be placed on a strand before that strand breaks.

Q. Does higher break strength mean longer lasting?
A. It depends...

Example:A #12 nylon net will have a break strength of about 116 pounds. A rolled up of sheet of newspaper will have a break strength of about 240 pounds. Yet, the #12 Nylon net will last much longer.
Why: Because the newspaper will quickly disintegrate in the sun and the rain; so... nobody makes batting cages out of paper.

This example is intentionally extreme, but what does this mean? Only that you can't assume that a net with higher "initial" break strength will last longer than a product with a lower break strength.

Similarly, some batting cage materials absorb water (nylon for instance), some don't. Some materials resist the adverse effects of direct sunlight better than others, some breakdown very quickly in direct sun light. If all netting were made out the exact same material, break strength would be an important factor in determining how long a net would last, but its not. A net's initial break strength isn't always related to its functional break strength.
A batting cage will fail will it's breaking strength drops below about 60 lbs. If a batting cage starts out at 500 lbs. and drops below 60 lbs. in two years, the cage will last 2 years. If a cage starts out at 200 lbs. and drops below 60 lbs. seven years later, that cage will last seven years. In the case of batting cage durability it is important to consider: a) resistance to weather conditions b) size/weight of netting material c) resistance to abrasion d) initial break strength vs. long term break strength e) relative deterioration f) construction methods and quality.

Compare Twine Sizes
Why is it so difficult to compare twine sizes? Go to one site and you'll find an N30 netting. Go to another and you'll find a 1500 series. So how do you compare an N30 to an 1500? It's tough. Some batting cage manufacturers and resellers don't necessarily want you to be  able to directly compare so they code the net twine size. Here's the low down.  As a general rule netting comes in twine sizes. The smaller the number, the thinner the twine. A #24 is about twice as thick, and therefore about twice as strong as #12 twine. A #36 twine is about twice as thick as a #18. That's really all there is to it. The problem is, how do you know the twine size? Many companies simply advertise the twine making it easy. Other companies code their product, so you don't know unless you ask. (a few won't tell you even if you do ask) Example: One company sells a 1500 series net. You'd think this would mean a #15 twine size right? Wrong. Their 1500 series is a #12 twine. Their 2100 series is a #18, and their 4000 series is a #36. Their own numbering system is close enough to the popular twine sizes that people naturally assume a direct correlation. This is deceptive. Another company does it a little differently, and a lot more honestly. Their N36 netting should be a #36 twine right? Well, it is and their N30 is a #30 twine.

The bottom line is this, just because you see a model number that is close to a twine size, don't assume it is the twine size.

#12 Twine: Not suitable for batting cages. (excellent choice for keeping birds out of your garden)
#18 Twine: The very minimum for batting cages. With light use may last 3 years.
#21 Twine: Pretty good. Not commercial, but a decent net. With moderate use may last up to 4-5 years.
#30 Twine: Generally considered a lighter duty commercial  quality. Moderate to heavy use 4-6 years.
#36 Twine: A very good cage. Universally considered commercial quality.
#42 Twine. The best. Many pro teams use #42 twine for heavy use. Perfect for commercial batting cage applications.

Knotless vs. Knotted Netting

This is issue with significant disagreement in the industry.

The answer is:
It Depends. It all boils down to the crossover stitch.
A knotless net with a great crossover stitch will typically outlast a knotted net.
A knotted net will typically outlast a knotless net that has a weak crossover stitch.

.Footnote: DURA-TECH™, a trademark of the Jugs Company refers to nylon netting, dyed green and urethane coated.

Commercial and Professional Grade Batting Cages & Nets See Our Batting Cages at:

♦ Safeco Field - Home of the Seattle Mariners
♦ Seattle Mariners practice facility- Peoria Arizona
♦ San Diego Padres practice facility- Peoria Arizona
♦ Arizona Diamondbacks Practice Facility
♦ Gonzaga University- Home of the Bulldogs
♦ ....and literally hundreds of High Schools, Colleges, and backyards across the US and Canada.

Our craftsmen have been building commercial batting cages for over 25 years. We take pride in building our batting cages of the highest quality materials at an affordable price. Find out why big league ballplayers and teams alike are using our batting cages all over the country.

Don't settle for inferior cage! You can own a great cage for a comparable price.

Workmanship

Our craftsmen have been building commercial batting cages for over 25 years. We take pride in building our batting cages of the highest quality materials at an affordable price. Find out why professional players and clubs trust our batting cages for their long durability under stringent use conditions.

Returns and Warranty Policy

Because our cages are hand made, from the finest materials, we rarely have to deal with warranty issues. Our policy is to promptly and enthusiastically repair or replace at our option any product that is defective in materials or workmanship. You return the product to us, and we will pay for the shipping back to you. Naturally, netting products do incur normal wear and tear, and normal wear and tear is not considered a defect.

If the product isn't defective, but you change your mind, we will still accept returns on stock items. For custom orders we can't accept returns, nor can we accept order cancellations after we have cut the netting. Stock items must be returned to us within 15 days and the product must be unused. We will reimburse you for the price you paid less a nominal 15% restocking charge. Naturally we don't reimburse your shipping charges.