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Available both stock/untouched and Heat Rolled with Progressive Pressure - choose your preference during checkout!
Plenty of hitters are curious about Axe but don’t want to give up the feel of a round knob. This is the RIPL for them! The Axe RIPL Hybrid BBCOR with the Flared Handle, model L130P-FLR, puts Axe’s newest hybrid barrel on a handle that feels familiar the moment you pick it up. The knob reads like a traditional round knob, then flares gently into the grip with a little oval shape built in. It’s also the RIPL with the wider size run. You can get it in 31, 32, 33, or 34 inches, which covers everyone from a sophomore just moving to BBCOR to a big college hitter. The build is a 3-piece hybrid with a slightly endloaded swing, and the look is slate gray with black pinstripes, neon yellow and aqua RIPL lettering, a black grip, and a neon yellow knob cap. If you want the full Axe experience, with the angled, asymmetrical knob, the Axe RIPL Hybrid with the Axe Handle is the same bat in 32 and 33 inches.
Start with the barrel, because that’s where the RIPL earns its keep. It’s Armor Alloy, machined with CNC Precision Variable Wall Technology. In plain terms, Axe cuts the barrel wall thicker in some spots and thinner in others. That tuning spreads good contact over more of the barrel without breaking BBCOR rules. Below the barrel, a composite handle meets it at a Shock Suspension connection. That joint is there to soak up the sting from balls off the end or in on the hands, and it does it without adding weight you’d feel in your swing. The Hyperwhip end cap is matched to the barrel and connection to help keep the bat moving fast through the zone. Now the handle. Axe’s Flared Handle is oval, but far more subtly than the Axe Handle, with a little more material on the pinky side and a gentler angle. Axe built it for hitters who choke up, drop a pinky off the knob, or just like a traditional feel. You still get some of the Axe benefits, like less palm pressure and a better sense of where the barrel is. The Hypertack grip keeps it all locked in. It’s BBCOR .50 certified for NFHS high school and NCAA college baseball, and legal in NAIA and NJCAA. The barrel is 2-5/8 inches with a -3 drop. Available in 31"/28oz, 32"/29oz, 33"/30oz, and 34"/31oz, with Axe’s one year limited warranty.
When a hitter tells us he wants to try Axe but isn’t sure about the handle, the Flared RIPL is usually where we start him. LongballBats.com has been the Bat Performance Experts since 2016. Our friendly staff offers players, parents and coaches more than 100 years of combined baseball and softball experience, and we’ve had our hands on tens of thousands of bats, including a lot of Axes in both handle styles. We’ve seen which hitters settle into the flared knob right away and which ones end up loving the full Axe Handle. We carry both RIPL versions side by side, along with the Avenge Pro 3 in both handles and the Strato 2 Flared one-piece alloy, plus sold-out Axe bats in our Rare Finds section. Tell us his height, weight, current bat, and how he grips it, and we’ll help you pick the right handle and the right length. Give us a call or send us an email.
- Brand: Axe
- Sport: Baseball
- Model: RIPL Hybrid BBCOR, Flared Handle version, L130P-FLR
- Certification: BBCOR .50 certified for NFHS high school and NCAA college play; also legal in NAIA and NJCAA
- Barrel Diameter: 2-5/8 inch, the largest allowed per stamp
- Drop: -3, the only drop size currently allowed in BBCOR
- Three-piece hybrid build: alloy barrel, composite handle, and a connection piece working together
- Armor Alloy barrel: the alloy Axe chose for the RIPL’s hitting surface
- CNC Precision Variable Wall Technology: wall thickness tuned across the barrel to spread good contact over a bigger area within BBCOR limits
- Shock Suspension Technology: the barrel-to-handle joint that cuts sting on off-center hits without adding swing weight
- Composite handle: smoother feel and less vibration than an all-alloy bat
- Patented Flared Handle: a round-knob feel that flares into a subtle oval, built for traditional grips, choking up, or a pinky off the knob
- Hyperwhip end cap: tuned to the barrel and connection to help keep bat speed up
- Hypertack grip: a tacky wrap that holds up through sweat and long games
- Swing Weight: slightly endloaded, a touch of extra barrel presence without slowing the swing
- Colorway: slate gray with black pinstripes, neon yellow and aqua lettering, black grip, and neon yellow knob
- Available sizes: 31"/28oz, 32"/29oz, 33"/30oz, 34"/31oz
- Warranty: one year limited warranty from Axe Bat
- Year Released; 2026
- Adding our Heat Roll with Progressive Pressure to your order may cause decertification, check with the governing body of your league for clarification
Manufacturing tolerances, performance considerations, and grip weight may cause variations from the listed weight/Mass Index.
QUESTION: Should I order this bat stock/untouched or Heat Rolled with Progressive Pressure?
ANSWER: If you order your new bat Heat Rolled with Progressive Pressure, it will be delivered to you completely and evenly broken in. This process adds 20-40ft of distance to your solid hits and adds 2-3 business days of lead time to your order. If you plan to use the bat in an official game or event, please verify the legality of our process with your league or sanctioning body before use. We (LongballBats.com) do not encourage the use of a Heat Rolled bat in any game or event where it is against the rules. Click here for details about our process!
QUESTION: Should I get the Flared Handle or the Axe Handle?
ANSWER: It depends on how you hold a bat now. The Axe Handle has a strong angle and a pronounced oval shape, and it puts pressure under your pinky against a lip. Some hitters love that locked-in feel; others find it distracting. The Flared Handle is Axe’s softer take. It feels like a round knob at the bottom, then flares into a gentler oval with more material on the pinky side. Axe built it for hitters who choke up, hold the bat traditionally, or drop a pinky off the knob. It still relieves some palm pressure and helps you feel where the barrel is. If you’re new to Axe, or you’ve tried the Axe Handle and didn’t like it, start with the Flared. If you want the most aggressive version of the Axe idea, go with the Axe Handle. One practical note: the Flared RIPL comes in 31 through 34 inches, while the Axe Handle RIPL only comes in 32 and 33.
QUESTION: What size Flared RIPL should I buy?
ANSWER: Start with what he swings now if it fits, then adjust. The 31"/28oz suits a younger varsity player or a smaller hitter moving up to BBCOR who needs to keep his bat speed. The 32"/29oz and 33"/30oz are where most high school hitters land. The 34"/31oz is for a tall, strong hitter who already handles a 33 easily. Because the RIPL is slightly endloaded, it swings a bit heavier than a balanced bat at the same length. So if he’s between sizes, take the shorter one. A bat that’s a little short still gets to the ball on time. A bat that’s a little long makes a hitter late, and late is worse. Send us his height, weight, age, and current bat and we’ll confirm the size before you order.
QUESTION: What do Armor Alloy, CNC Variable Wall, and Shock Suspension actually do?
ANSWER: They’re three parts of one idea: more good contact, less sting. Armor Alloy is the metal the RIPL barrel is made from. CNC Precision Variable Wall Technology is how Axe shapes it. Instead of one uniform wall thickness, the machine cuts the wall to different thicknesses along the barrel. A BBCOR barrel can only be so hot, so the gain comes from making more of it perform well, and that’s what the variable wall does. Shock Suspension Technology lives at the joint where the alloy barrel meets the composite handle. When you catch one off the end or on the hands, that joint absorbs a lot of the vibration before it reaches your grip. It does that without adding weight you’d feel in the swing. Put together, you get alloy pop on good swings and a much friendlier feel on the bad ones.
QUESTION: Who should swing a slightly endloaded BBCOR bat?
ANSWER: Hitters who want a bit more behind the ball without giving up much bat speed. Slightly endloaded means a little more of the weight sits toward the end of the barrel than on a balanced bat. That adds momentum at contact, which helps the ball carry. It’s a good fit for middle-of-the-order hitters, stronger high school players, and players moving up from USSSA who are used to a little barrel presence. Axe calls out that last group specifically. It’s less of a fit for a hitter who’s already late on good fastballs, or a contact hitter who lives on quick hands. For him, a balanced bat is the better call. The Flared Handle helps here, too. Since it lets you choke up comfortably, a hitter can shorten up on the RIPL against a hard thrower and still keep the extra barrel presence.
