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I've tried just about every type of bat there is, hands down, my favorite are plaster bats. Why:    1) You don't need to wire off your pot, it will pop off by itself.    2) They never warp.    3) Less expensive if you make them yourself. Tips:    1) I use silicone cake pans for my forms. They come in a variety of sizes. I use 5.5", 8" and 12".    2) Make sure the cake pans are on a level table when you pour out your plaster    3) #1 Pottery absorbs the most water so your pots pop off quicker.    4) Hydrostone doesn't absorb water as fast so you pots will pop off not as quickly. I prefer to use Hydrostone.    5) I drill holes for robber grommets on the bottom of my bats for the bat pins to fit in. Wear a Mask and Never Bump Plaster down a Drain. Mixing:    1) Water used in mixing plaster should be as clean as possible. If water is drinkable, it's probably is suitable for mixing plaster slurries.    2) Variations in water temperature will affect setting time and can cause difficulty in controling the mixing time. Try keeping it around 60°F   3) Sift or strew plaster into water slowly and evenly. Do not drop large amounts of plaster directly into water. Allow to soak for 2 to 4 minutes, then mix as required, generally 2 to 5 minutes, to obtain a creamy plaster slurry.    4) Soaking allows each plaster particle to be completely saturated with water so that it is easier to disperse. Plaster with good soaking properties will sink slowly into the water and become almost completely wetted after 3 or 4 minutes. Shortcuts in soaking will influence effectiveness of the mixing period and subsequently, quality of the plaster casts.   5) Along with a water-plaster ratio, the final strength of the plaster cast is also determined by mixing.