Xiem Tools 12 inch BatMate for Pottery and Ceramics

I've been throwing with this for 5 weekly sessions and love that I don't have to anchor my bats down with clay anymore! It works well with plastic and MDF bats, both solid and with hollow/textured bottoms, and with my new bat insert system. I've let it dry out between sessions, left it under the plastic with my pottery, seems to be fine both ways and no deterioration yet. The only weird thing is that when I leave it touching anything else absorbent (clay, chamois, MDF/wood) the blue dye leaks out of the batmate and into the adjacent material. The dye seems to burn out of the clay when fired, but the batmate now looks faded and bleach-spattered, which is FINE, but maybe either pick a waterproof dye or don't dye it? The tan base color is adequate :)

Love how this bat mate steadies the bat and takes the Eiffel out of throwing. Such a game changer.

It does a great job but the blue color leaches out and you can get blue dye in the water when you rinse it. I still recommend it but I think it would be more functional if they didn’t add coloring to it, as it runs. You’re supposed to store it damp and I made the mistake of wringing it out into my clay/slip water before using it again. You don’t want to do that. I don’t know what the ramifications would be if I’d used that slip, if any, so I tossed it. Too bad it doesn’t come in a natural un-dyed color. Small thing to know and it doesn’t come off on your work otherwise. But it’s something I hope may help someone else.

Worked while I used it but do not use it anymore

If you're throwing on the wheel and using a bat then this is an essential product, especially for the price! This will make the bat sturdy, no wobble, and no need for a little bit of slip on the bottom to hold the bat. I also use this for trimming items, such as bowls, it holds without need for a glob of clay.

I use this BatMate in conjunction with my Dirty Girls Bat system. I noticed that there was just a little wiggle room when the bat system was on my wheel's bat pins. Although it was slight, it was making centering and throwing more difficult in general. Now I place a damp BatMate under the system and it stays in place securely. A total game changer. If you struggle with loose bats, this product will definitely solve your problem. I've been using it for months now and I just rinse it with clean water after use, then store it in a plastic bag. It never smells funky and doesn't seem to be wearing out yet at all. It is a little stained from by darker clays but that's no big deal for me.

Works great to hold bats in place and stabilize warped or wobbly bats. Fantastic value for money and has saved me a lot of time and warped pieces. One note—it was blue when I got it, but the dye will bleed onto other things. I stored it in a bag with my sponges and have a lot of blue-stained sponges now. Not a big deal for me personally.

I use this blue 12-inch Xiem BatMate on a Brent wheel and the 14-inch Xiem BatMate on the Soldner wheel. The material most closely resembles that of a swimmer's chamois towel. This product has saved me quite a bit of frustration and time. When my bat holes get a bit enlarge they wobble on the wheel head. NOw I don't have to put wet clay slop beneath then to hold them in to the wheel head. This Xiem BatMate saves my clean up time. AND it works; my bats don't jitter.