​Hammer Diesel Finish:Pin above fingers, no hole, out of the boxPin 4”, no hole, scuffed with 2000 Abralon  Date: June 8, 2017 Diesel was one of my favorites back in the days, and this new one does not let me down either. It rolls great on the midlane, makes a very smooth transition from skid to hook, and has a fantastic continuation thru the pin deck.This is a great ball on fresh conditions, because Diesel blends the wet-dry’s like they are not there, and just continues to hook. Overall Diesel hooks quite a bit, and my little bit higher ball speed just loves it because I don’t have to worry that it would go too long.   ​ RG: 2.51Diff: 0.046  

​Storm Marvel Pearl Finish:Pin about inch below ring finger, hole 2 inches down from the axis, out of the boxPin above fingers, no hole, out of the box.  Date: May 31, 2017 Well, it is a Marvel Pearl. Do I need to say more?I was very disappointed couple of years ago when this product was discontinued, because it is one of the best balls ever produced. I´m so happy to get it back.It is clean thru the heads, reads the midlane well, and has that big booming back end. Even being 6 years old product, it still out hooks lots of similar the balls in the market.   ​ RG: 2.48Diff: 0.050  

​Storm Code Red Finish:Pin above fingers, no hole, out of the box.Pin 4 inches, hole on the axis, out of the box. Date: May 31, 2017 Code Red is quite similar than Code Black. For me, Red starts little bit earlier, and hooks like board or two more than Black.Pin up version is really good. It goes easily thru the front, starts well before end of the pattern, and has lots of back end.4 inch pin might be little bit too strong lay out for me in this balls, because it looks like the weight block is doing lots of work and pretty early also. It turns the Code Red into a very long strong arch. But it does show how versatile this weight block is. By changing the lay out, you get very different looks.   ​ RG: 2.50Diff: 0.058  

​Columbia 300 Impulse Solid Finish:Pin over ring finger, no hole, out of the boxPin 4”, hole on the axis, out of the box Date: March 10, 2017 Impulse Solid hooks quite a lot, but it does so with very predictable manner.With 500/2000 Abralon finish I would expect it to hook reasonably early ,but Impulse Solid clears the heads easily. It then gives lots of midlane hook and good continuation thru the pin deck. Compared to original Impulse, Solid version starts earlier, but it is lot more predictable on the midlane and hooks a lot more in the back.Best part of the Impulse Solid is the pin action. This ball really hits hard. Usually for balls with lots of surface, I don’t get that much hit on the pins, since the balls are burning so much in the front. With Impulse Solid I carried a lot of those “off” light hits that would usually leave flat 10 or 7 pin.Impulse Solid is great combination of predictability on the lane and good hit on the pin deck.   RG: 2.49Diff: 0.050  

​Storm Sure Lock Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole, out of the boxPin 4”, no hole, out of the box Date: February 22, 2017 Sure Lock is just pure raw power. It rolls extremely well on the midlane, and hooks a lot on the back. For a ball with this much surface I’m surprised how angular the Sure Lock is in the back and how good it hits pins. There were no weak 10’s around.For me, Sure Lock hooks more than original Lock, and especially in the back part of the lane. I also felt that Sure Lock is more versatile than original Lock. Lock is really a great ball when I can go straight with it. With Sure Lock I can also go straight and get great carry, but I can also circle the lane with it by slowing down.I also get two very different looks from different layouts. Pin up is long and strong, but stronger pin hooks quite a lot earlier, and I can really open up the lane with it.   RG: 2.48Diff: 0.054  

​Roto Grip Daredevil Trick Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole, out of the boxPin 4”, small hole, out of the box Date: February 22, 2017 Daredevil Trick is lot more hook than original Daredevil, and it is lot smoother on the breakpoint also.Trick clears the heads easily, gives a very predictable breakpoint, and good smooth continuous hook thru the back part of the lane. Trick is a very good choice for first ball out of the back on all medium to high volume patterns.Pin up version is very good going straight, and hits pins extremely well. With stronger pin location I’m able to open up the lane quite a bit without fearing that balls would quit.I really love my original Daredevil, and Trick gives me really different look for those trickier patterns where I need more control without giving anything away from the great pin action.   RG: 2.48Diff: 0.041  

​Hammer Gauntlet Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole, out of the boxPin 4 1/4”, small hole on the axis, out of the box. Date: January 20, 2017 Gauntlet is very strong piece of equipment. It cuts thru the oil in the end of the pattern, and just keeps hooking and hooking.  The continuation on this ball is amazing, taking into consideration how much it hooks and how early it reads the pattern.Pin up is as close to skid/flip ball you can say from a ball with lots of surface. Stronger pin gives me lot earlier read and smoother transition from skid to hook.Overall one of the strongest balls I ever thrown.   RG: 2.50Diff: 0.050  

​Columbia300 Tyrant Pearl Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole, out of the boxPin 3 7/8”, small hole on the axis, out of the box. Date: January 20, 2017 On those patterns that has lots of oil in the front and midlane, the Tyrant Pearl is really angular on the back. It goes long and makes a very quick left move. On other patterns that are shorter, it is more like an arch move with good continuation. On those patterns I can feel how strong the cover stock is. For a shiny ball, this really cuts thru the end of the oil pattern very well, giving me lots of hook and control.   ​ RG: 2.48Diff: 0.056  

​Track Kinetic Emerald Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole, out of the boxPin 3 7/8”, small hole on the axis, out of the box. Date: January 20, 2017 I was pretty surprised how strong this ballis on the back. Kinetic gets thru the heads easily, rolls well on the midlane, and has a strong continuing hook at the back part of the lane. Compared to Cyborg Pearl Kinetic is little bit longer, and also little bit snappier on the back.Pin up version went long and had a nice kick on the back. Stronger version really hooked a lot more. It starts earlier, but just keeps going left.    RG: 2.49Diff: 0.038  

​Track Mako Finish:40 x 3 7/8 x 40, hole on the axis, out of the boxPin over fingers, no hole, scuffed with 1000 Abaralon Date: January 6, 2017 Mako is a very versatile ball. Two layouts mentioned above gives me two totally different reactions.Stronger pin starts lot earlier, gives really smooth transition and overall just hooks a lot. I was little bit surprised that it does not quit, since the layout is strong and surface is strong. It still hooks the entire lane.Pin up version was really long and strong. I took the surface down a bit to get it read earlier, but it is still really strong in the back.   RG: 2.48Diff: 0.053  

​Columbia 300 Side Swipe Solid Finish:Pin over middle finger, no hole out of the boxPin over ring finger, medium hole on the axis, out of the box Date: January 6, 2017 Sideswipe solid is a perfect ball for those fresh conditions where the back part of the lane hooks a lot, or the shorter patterns where you need extra control. Sideswipe Solid starts to read the pattern reasonably early, but continues with a smooth long arc. It is very easy to control, but still the ball delivers that good hit to the pins.Pin over middle finger is really smooth, it does not really flare that much. Stronger version gives me lot more flare, and also hooks good 5 boards more.   RG: 2.50Diff: 0.041  

​Storm Timeless Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole out of the boxPin 4” hole on the axis, out of the box Date: January 6, 2017 Even though Timeless is quite high RG on numbers, it rolls very well. It goes relatively long, but then just makes a strong move to the left. The way it hooks is little bit different from some other strong balls. As I said it is very strong on the back, but it does not feel like it is hard to control skid flip ball. It is a strong move, but very predictable. Timeless kind of just moves from A to B.With that being said, the pin action was marvelous. Timeless really hits hard. I had messengers flying all over the place.Timeless is versatile too. Pin up was quite much longer than 4” version. With my speed dominant roll, I like the stronger version better. That version read the midlane better and gave me more overall hook.Timeless is good rolling ball that hooks a lot in the back and hits good. And it is pretty also.  ​ RG: 2.57Diff: 0.050  

​Storm Torrent Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole out of the boxPin 4” hole on the axis, out of the box Date: January 6, 2017 For me Torrent is really different Storm ball.  When I saw the numbers on the box, the reaction what I was expecting was quite different what I got on the lanes.It is relative high RG on numbers, but it starts reasonably early on the lanes. But what is different is that once it starts, it keeps making a long smooth arch to the pins. Usually when I get ball that starts early, it tend s to hook a lot  and then give up. Not Torrent. There were no signs of quitting on this ball. It just kept making that smooth hook down the lane. It kind of felt that I got the early hook from Urethane that lots of bowlers are looking now days, but then it kept that hooking phase the entire lane.And what was even more impressing, after all that hook, Torrent still hit the pins really hard.I really liked this ball. I can throw it hard, don’t have to be afraid it going too long, get lots of controlled hook and  good pin carry also.   RG: 2.56Diff: 0.044  

​Ebonite Game Breaker 2 Phenom Pearl Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole, out of the box45 x 4 x 45, hole on the axis, out of the box Date: December 16, 2016 Two layouts mentioned above gave two completely different looks. I really liked the pin up version. Compared to GB2 MVP, Phenom Pearl started little earlier, but also gives me more overall hook. It was quite a strong back end move, more than I expected from this weight block. I was able to chase the oil line to the left once the pattern started to burn, and I could do that longer that I expected. I don’t usually  have that option with lower RG symmetrical weight block, but Phenom Pearl just kept making the move. 3” pin was started lot earlier and was more of a control on the back part of the lane. It really looked good when playing extreme outside part of the lane. With my revrate I really could not move in with it, but then again it was not intended to do so.   RG: 2.48Diff: 0.048  

​Hammer Phobia Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole, out of the box45 x 4 x 45, hole on the axis, out of the box Date: December 16, 2016 Phobia rolls great a thru the midlane, and then starts to make a strong and very continuous  back end move. It kind of felt strange because it hooks quite a lot on the back part of the lane, but it is not skid/flip motion. Break point is very predictable and round, but there is a big continuing hook after that. Phobia is a great all around ball. On longer patterns I just have to square up a little bit, but it still makes that same back end move. On shorter pattern I just had to open up the angles, and I was able to do that quite a lot, because Phobia did not quit. It just kept hooking back. Layouts gave reasonable different looks also. Pin up was long and strong. Stronger pin was just earlier, but still strong.   RG: 2.49Diff: 0.054  

​Storm Code Black Finish:Pin over Ring finger, no hole, out of the boxPin under ring finger, small hole out of the box. Date: November 14,  2016 On the lane Code Black was very strong. I compared it against Snap Lock (I had almost the same layout in both), and for me Code Black read the pattern earlier, but hooked more on the back than Snap Lock. I really thought that Snap Lock s strong but I guess I was wrong. Code Black was also lot more continuous thru the back part of the lane. I tried to slow down and circle the lane a little bit, and ball just did not quit. Weight block also felt very versatile. I had two layouts and they were quite a much apart. Pin up was long and strong, but pin down with a hole gave me lot more earlier read, and more control on the back. Pin down is perfect on fresh, and pin up can be used quite a while as the lanes start to broke down.  ​ RG: 2.63Diff: 0.039  

​Track Cyborg Pearl Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole, out of the boxPin 4”, small hole, scuffed with 3000 Abralon Date: November 11,  2016 This ball is soooooooooooooooooooo good!!! Cyborg Pearl clears the heads like they are not there, rolls very impressive on the midlane, and just keeps hooking left on the back. It is one of those rare balls that has a very good controllable break point, but hooks a ton in the back. I was really surprised how much Cyborg Pearl hooked down the lane when I slowed down and gave it some room. There were no sign that it would quit.I also got two quite a different reactions form two balls. Pin up was long and strong. Stronger pin with surface gave me lot earlier read, but it still continued very well.Cyborg Pearl is one of the best balls I have tested in a long time.  ​ RG: 2.48Diff: 0.043  

​Hammer Purple Urethane Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole out of the boxPin 4”, hole on axis, out of the box Date: November 10,  2016 Well, this is a real urethane. It moves like a urethane, but it hits better that some of the urethanes in the past. I found out that for me the Purple hooks a little bit more than Black Urethane, and it is little bit more continuous thru the back than Black one. Stronger pin version is couple of boards more hook compared to pin up version. This ball is like traditional urethane ball with some extra hit thru the pins. ​ RG: 2.665Diff: 0.015  

​Columbia 300 Tyrant Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole out of the boxPin 4”, hole on axis, out of the box Date: November 10,  2016 Tyrant is a hook monster. I mean this ball hooks a lot!!! I thought that Maverick from Ebonite was strong until I drilled the Tyrant. On medium patterns there were just not enough oil for this one. Even on Route 66 (45 feet) I felt that there could easily be more oil, and it would not be a problem for a Tyrant. As soon as this ball see a little bit thinner amount of oil it starts to go left. Once again I liked the pin up version more. It hooked more on the back. Stronger pin wanted to start too early on most patterns. This is not a ball that I would use a lot, but when lanes are flooded, I really can´t think better choice than Tyrant. ​ RG: 2.48Diff: 0.056  

​Ebonite Maverick Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole out of the boxPin 4”, hole on axis, out of the box Date: November 10,  2016 I really liked the Warrior series, but Maverick feels even better. For me, it reads mid lane better than Warrior Supreme, but is also more continuous thru the back. Even though the Maverick reads the mid lane well, it is quite an angular thru the break point. I was able to really see that when I tested it on longer patterns. On those Maverick is reasonable strong skid/flip reaction. Pin up is my favorite, I`m able to use that in multiple patterns. Pin down with hole requires reasonably large volume of oil, but looked very good on 45 feet Route 66 pattern. ​RG: 2.48Diff: 0.056  

​Track Tundra Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole out of the boxPin 4”, hole on axis, out of the box Date: November 10,  2016  Tundra just totally ignores the first part of the lane, even if they are toasted. By far the best part of the Tundra is its ability to go long. It does hook a some on the back, but when the lanes are dry, there is no need for a big hook. You need control and continuation thru the pins, and Tundra delivers those both. A great addition to the Track line. Tundra was quite versatile also, since two layouts gave reasonably different looks. Pin up was very long, but stronger pin gave lot more reaction down the lane. ​ RG: 2.57Diff: 0.029  

​Storm Street Fight Finish:Pin over ring finger, no hole, out of the box. Date: October 16,  2016 Street Fight clears the heads easily, and makes a very smooth transition from skid to hook. It is quite surprising how much control there is for a such an high RG ball. I think I sad of the original Fight that forget the numbers. Go out and see how it rolls. With this ball I get the goods from the both worlds. I get the control of the lower RG ball, but the hitting power of the higher RG weight block. And ball is really versatile too. When I slowed down and tried to increase the axis rotation, ball hooked a lot more. I could open up the lane quite a lot, but I still liked more to go straight with it. Compared to original Fight, Street fight is little longer, and bit more angular than original version. ​ RG: 2.62Diff: 0.043  

​Roto Grip Dare Devil Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole, out of the boxPin under ring finger, hole on the axis, out of the box Date: October 16,  2016 Daredevil is a great overall ball.It goes thru the heads easily, really rolls good on the mid part of the lane, and hooks a lot in the back. For a low RG ball, I was really surprised how strong the back end move was.I also got two quite different reactions with two layouts. Pin up was considerably longer and stronger than pin down, but I did liked to pin down more. It still hooked a ton in the back, but gave lot more control on the break point. Daredevil would be easiest to compare to Hy-Wire, and Daredevil is lot stronger move of the spot than Hy-Wire. What was different with this ball, is that I did not have to touch the surface yet. Usually shiny balls are too shiny/touchy for my ball speed, but this one picked up great with factory finish. ​ RG: 2.48Diff: 0.041  

​Storm Phaze II Finish:Pin under ring finger, no hole, out of the box Date: October 16,  2016 Something I have been waiting for. A symmetrical low RG ball with surface that continues thru the pins. Phaze II is good thru the front. Transition from skid to hook starts little bit earlier than most of the balls, but it really continues great thru the pins. I’m not saying that this hooks too early, but quite often when you get balls starting as early as this, they don’t really make it too the pin deck alive. Phaze II does. If I would compare this to Optimus solid, Phaze II too is little earlier, but lot more overall hook. ​ RG: 2.48Diff: 0.051  

​Roto Grip No Rules Pearl Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole, slightly scuffed with 2000 Abralon Date: September 23,  2016 A big change of direction at the breakpoint. No Rules Pearl clears the heads without any problems, goes reasonably long, and then just hooks dead left. Pearl version is very snappy, and the best part is that for me it hooks also thru carry down.Often the snappy balls are somewhat unpredictable on carry down, but with No Rules Pearl it feels that ball is on its best when the oil moves little bit down the lane. I can keep moving left and follow the transition, and I know that ball will still keep hooking, and I also get great carry.Like with most of the shiny balls, this one was also little bit too shiny out of the box. I scuffed it with 2000 Abralon a little bit. It did not affect too much about the length, but gave me even more hook on the back. ​  

​Roto Grip Hustle S-A-Y Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole, slightly scuffed with 2000 Abralon Date: September 23,  2016 Very pleasant surprise. I really haven´t have lots of success with HP1 balls from Roto Grip is past since my higher ball speed usually have taken them way too long. But Hustle is something different. It reads the midlane very well and hooks quite a bit on the back. What I liked most was the continuation thru the pin deck. Even as this is not the strongest of the balls, the continuation is right there with the best ones.This ball is excellent choice for medium to lower volume patterns. I can´t say enough how good this handless the mid part of the lane. It so predictable, but still more hooks more than enough on the back. ​ ​RG: 2.53Diff: 0.030

​Roto Grip Wreck-It Finish:Pin above ring finger, no hole, out of the box. Date: September 23,  2016 A great combination of control and power. This ball handles the mid part of the lane great, and goes thru the pins really well. For a reasonably high RG ball, it was still pretty smooth reaction and very predictable Wreck-It is not the biggest hooking ball on the planet, but it gives me enough hook for most of the lane patterns I tested it.Most impressive part though was how good it cut thru the pins. It is not very common that I get good control on the mid part of the lane combined with great hitting power. ​ ​RG: 2.55Diff: 0.042

​Roto Grip No Rules Finish:Pin under ring finger, no hole, out of the box Date: September 23,  2016 No Rules just hooks. And it hooks a lot. It is competing easily for strongest ball ever made title. Only down side is that it needs oil in the front.No Rules is reasonably clean thru the front taking into consideration how strong it is. But it hooked even when I tried to flood the lanes. I was also able to move left when the pattern started to fade away. Usually you have to put the strongest balls away quite soon when the lane transition starts, but No Rules was good when I have to move left.  ​​RG: 2.51Diff: 0.053

​Storm Snap Lock Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole, slightly scuffed with 2000 Abralon Date: September 23,  2016 Snap Lock is a very versatile ball. It is easy thru the front, rolls heavy on the midlane and hooks a ton on the back. It is not the quickest move on the back, but more like a big continuous hooks, and lots of it.But as I mentioned it is very versatile. It is easy to go straight with it, my a-game, but just take little bit of the speed and give little bit more axis rotation and you can seriously open up the lane. It is not too often that I can do both on the same ball.Snap Lock was little bit too shiny out of the box. It went long, and hesitated a little bit on the back. I scuffed it slightly with 2000 Abralon, and Wau. Now it read the lane earlier, but hooked good 4-5 more boards. Snap Lock is one of the strongest shiny balls I have tested. ​ ​RG: 2.48Diff: 0.054

​Storm Rocket Ship Finish:Pin under ring finger, small hole on the axis, out of the box. Date: September 23,  2016 My favorite Rocket so far. With the new surface preparation, Rocket Ship hooks a lot in the back part of the lane. It is still clean thru the front, but reads midlane earlier than previous Rockets. What is the difference is the strong and very continuous back end move.It was first hard to believe how much more and differently the same weight block can react on the back part of the lane with different surface. Rocket Ship just kept hooking left all the way thru the lane. Rocket and Sky Rocket were very good control balls for my rev rate, but Rocket Ship is just pure power. ​ ​RG: 2.54Diff: 0.046

​Hammer Scandal Pearl Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole, out of the boxPin 4”, no hole, scuffed with 3000 Abralon Date: September 23,  2016 I tried this ball with multiple patterns and I have to say that I´m pretty much in jail with this one.  It feels that Scandal Pearl has a VERY strong cover stock. Because it is so strong, I´m not able to go straight with it. Ball just wants to read too early. But then again, I´m not able to circle the lane with this one either because it looks like the ball is burning too much in the front, and kind of runs out of fuel at the end of the lane. I would imagine that this ball is lot better on synthetic lanes with less friction than our SPL surface. We have a lot’s of built in friction, and it feels like Scandal Pearl is just too strong for our center. ​ ​RG: 2.48Diff: 0.054

​Columbia 300 Impulse Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole, slightly scuffed with 2000 AbralonPin 4 ½ below, no hole, 3000 Abralon on spinner Date: September 23,  2016 Impulse is very straight thru the front. I just ignores the beginning of the lane. It also went quite long before making a nice little move on the back. Back end was more like an arching move, and very easy to control. Out of the box Impulse went way too long for me, so I scuffed the both balls with Abralon, and it made the reaction lot smoother and more predictable. Now I got it to read the pattern earlier, and also got lot more overall hook. I would say this is a benchmark ball, that can always be first one out of the bag. ​ ​RG: 2.49Diff: 0.050

​Hammer Rebel Solid Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole, out of the boxPin 4”, small hole, out of the box Date: September 23,  2016 Rebel Solid is quite angular on the back part of the lane, and it comes somewhat a little bit surprise. Rebel Solid is quite a low RG ball with surface, and usually those are reasonably smooth for me. Not this one. Rebel Solid has a good length, very good roll on the mid part of the lane and like I mentioned angular back end. This is a good companion for original Rebel for those little bit oilier lanes. ​ ​RG: 2.48Diff: 0.044

​Ebonite Mission Unknown Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole, out of the  oxPin 4 ½ below fingers, hole on axis, slightly scuffed with 3000 Abralon Date: August 26,  2016 First I just have to say that Black balls always rolls great, and Mission Unknown does not change that fact.For me, Unknown reads the dry as soon as it sees it, but this feature makes it very easy to control. It is very reliable on the midlane, but has quite a lot hook down the lane. For a shiny ball, it actually hooks quite a lot, but the hook pattern is a very long and strong arch. Pin down with a hole got lot better when I hit it with just a little bit with 300 Abralon. After that it was great on fresh. I tried it with multiple patterns, and I really never had to worry about it to miss the break point. Once the pattern started to break down, going to pin up version I was able to chase the oil line quite deep and still be able to carry.This ball is good on very large range of patterns and bowling styles. ​ ​RG: 2.49Diff: 0.050

​Track Paradox Trilogy Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole, out of the  oxPin 4 ½ below fingers, hole on axis, out of the box Date: August 26,  2016 Trilogy is clean, long and strong. Trilogy really clears the heads easily, goes reasonably long, and makes a big move down the lane. And there were no quit anywhere to be seen on this one. It just kept going left. By far the best Paradox for me and for our environment. Trilogy, especially pin up version, was also great compliment to Cyborg. When Cyborg started to burn up too much in the front, going to Trilogy was easy. Trilogy gave more length and back end when moving to the deeper part of the lane. Very good choice if bowler is looking something that really hooks a lot in the back. ​ ​RG: 2.48Diff: 0.057

​Columbia 300 Side Swipe Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole out of the boxPin 4”, scuffed with 2000 Abralon, no hole Date: June 17,  2016 Side Swipe is VERY clean thru the front. It feels like it is ignoring the first part of the lane totally, even when the lanes had been used for 3 hours. But being so clean thru the front, Side Swipe is surprisingly smooth thru the entire lane. It is a really strong arch thru the hook pattern. This is really something different, since lots of times when the ball is very clean in the front part of the lane, it tends to jump on the dry, making it hard to control. Side Swipe gives me a very controllable read at the midlane, and enough hook on the back to get the pin carry. Like I said, it is something different, and gives me a look that I haven´t seen in a while in my bag. ​ ​RG: 2.50Diff: 0.041

​Columbia 300 Swerve GT Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole out of the boxPin 1 ½ below ring finger, medium sized hole, out of the box Date: June 17,  2016 Swerve GT falls in and between of the two previous releases. It clears the heads better than original Swerve, but hooks lot more on the back that Swerve FX (or the original also). This ball is really in to my liking. Once again I don´t have to worry about my ball speed, I can throw it hard and it will pick up on the midlane even if there is more than average amount of oil. But what I liked the most was the added amount of back end that GT gave me.  This will be great ball for me on those longer patterns or the patterns that has lots of oil in the front. I really liked the lower pin version, it read the middle part of the lane great, and gave me lots of hook and continuation thru the back, and the pins. This ball has those same characteristics that the previous two versions. It hits different, and it hits hard!! ​ ​RG: 2.47Diff: 0.052

​Track Cyborg Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole, scuffed with 1000 AbralonPin 4”, no hole, out of the box Date: June 17,  2016 I really got two different balls with two different layouts.Pin up version is very long and very strong on the back. Even though it was strong on the back, it was still very predictable and reliable. You know that it will make the move. For a ball with some surface, Cyborg was surprisingly snappy at the back. This one got even better when I hit it with 1000 Abralon. It read earlier pattern earlier, but till hook a lot in the back.Stronger pin gave me a lot earlier breakpoint and more arching back end. Transition was smooth and very easy to control. The strong version is great on fresh for those patterns that has more volume, and once the lane start to break down, I can move to pin up version and just chase the oil line to the left. There is lot of back end, so even with so much surface on the ball, I could go very deep with this one and still get the snappy back end. Rarely have I got two so different version of the same ball with two layouts. ​RG: 2.48Diff: 0.043

​Ebonite Game Breaker 2 Phenom Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole out of the boxPin 4”, out of the box, medium sized hole Date: June 17,  2016 Strongest ball from this series yet. This will be a great benchmark ball for those higher volume patterns. It is very predictable, but still has a lot’s of built in hook on it. Even though it reads the pattern earlier than previous Game Breakers, it does not scarify any of the back end continuation.  Game Breakers has always been known as a great control balls that hooks a bunch, and Phenom is right there. ​ ​RG: 2.48Diff: 0.048

​Ebonite Warrior Supreme Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole, out of the boxPin 4”, no hole, out of the box Date: June 17,  2016 For me Warrior Supreme falls in and between of the two previous releases. It goes longer than Elite but hooks lot more on the back than original Warrior. Warrior Elite was one of my favorite releases form last season. It really hooked a lot. Supreme is very good companion for Elite. It goes longer, but it is quite angular and very continuous on the back part of the lane. Once the Elite starts hook too early, going to Supreme is easy choice. You still get that great roll on the ball, but you can move left because there is so much back end on this ball. All of these three balls (Dark Legend Solid, Cyborg, Warrior Supreme) are really strong overall. When there is oil present, they all really perform great, but are still really different from each other. ​​RG: 2.47Diff: 0.057

​Hammer Black Widow Dark Legend Solid Finish:Pin over Middle Finger, no hole out of the boxPin 4”, no hole, out of the Box Date: June 17,  2016 BW Legend Dark Legend Solid is a great addition to this line. It reads the midlane earlier that original Dark legend, and hooks more in total. It was really predictable and consistent on mid part of the lane, which made it easy to use on variable lane patterns. I was able to use lots of speed and still getting it to read. I really liked the hook pattern the ball gave me. It is a strong ball with good strong arching back end. And Dark Legend Solid was also very continuous thru the back. Two layouts gave me also very different looks on the lane. Pin over middle finger was great going straight. It started to lose ball speed but kept its line and struck very well. With stronger pin placements I was able ​​RG: 2.50Diff: 0.058

​Hammer Rebel Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole out of the boxPin 4”, no hole, out of the box. Date: June 17,  2016 Rebel hooked a lot more down the lane compared to Viral Hybrid. I really don´t know what to compare this one, since it felt quite different.It was very clean thru the front and hooks a lot on the back. But still the break point is very readable and controllable. Often when you have a strong back end, the break point can be violent and hard to manage. The transition from hook to skid is really different on this one. It is smooth, but you could feel the power and hook coming from it. I REALLY like this ball. There is a reasonably big difference in two lay outs also. Stronger pin hooks good 4 to 5 boards more that pin up version. I prefer the strong lay out, I don’t have to be so careful with my speed. ​​RG: 2.48Diff: 0.044

​Track Heat X-treme Finish:Pin above fingers, no hole, out of the boxPin 4 inches, no hole, out of the box Date: June 17,  2016 This was one to my liking. Very controllable, round midlane move followed by strong arch to the pocket. I was able to use lots of speed, and still get it to read early enough.And like did the original Heat, this one hits pins really well too. Compared to Heat, X-Treme starts somewhat earlier, and hooks lot more in total. But it has that same hooking pattern than the original.Pin up version was quite a much longer and stronger on the back compared to 4 inch pin. I liked the stronger, 4 inch pin version, better because it read the midlane with more consistency without giving away anything on the back.This will be my benchmark ball for higher volume patterns, because it is once again great combination of control and hitting power. ​​RG: 2.50Diff: 0.038

​Hammer Viral Hybrid Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole out of the boxPin 4”, no hole, scuffed slightly with 2000 Abralon Date: June 17,  2016 For me, Viral Hybrid falls between two previous releases from this series. It hooks more that original Viral, but is not as snappy that Viral solid was for me. Pin up was very long, but stronger pin placement, especially after I hit it slight with a 2000 Abralon, gave me a very nice round move on the break point and had a good continuation thru the back.  I like this one better compared to Viral Solid, because it is more predictable at the break point, but still hooks down the lane. This will be great addition to my arsenal for those medium to light patterns. ​​RG: 2.51Diff: 0.042

​Columbia 300 Delirium Shock Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole, out of the boxPin 1 ½ below ring finger, hole 5 over and 2 down, out of the box Date: April 5, 2016 Delirium Shock is stronger and earlier than original Delirium, but not as strong as the Severe Delirium. Shock is very usable in many different patterns. It clears the front part of the lane easily, has very reliable midlane read and good continuation thru the back. I really liked the low pin version, since I could throw that hard, but ball would still pick up nicely and hook thru the whole pattern. I was able to open up the lane quite a bit with this one. ​RG: 2.46Diff: 0.043

​Columbia 300 Swerve FX Finish:Pin under ring finger, hole on axis, out of the box Date: April 5, 2016 Swerve FX is cleaner thru the front that Swerve. It is also longer, but more angular on the back than original version. Swerve FX fits better for me since I kind of felt the Swerve was too strong for most of the occasions.  And I think that you can also feel the hitting power of this weight block better on this one, since it does not use as much energy on the lane. And this ball really hits. Pins were really flying all over the place. I´m really exited to get to use this in competition since it is perfect match for my game. I can keep my angles pretty straight, but get added hitting power to the pins. Off the record I only listed one of the balls in this review, since there were something wrong with my pin up version, After about 40 to 45 feet ball got pretty loud (very strong rumble) and stopped hooking. It pretty much went straight last 6 to 8 feet. But I could see from the other version that what was advertised on this ball pretty much hold up. Great ball ​RG: 2.47Diff: 0.052

​Hammer Arson High Flare Solid Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole, out of the boxPin under ring finger, small hole on the axis, out of the box Date: April 5, 2016 Arson High Flare Solid hooks quite a much more that original Arson High Flare. It starts earlier and is not as angular that the original. But for a ball with some surface it hooks pretty much on the back part of the lane. It was a great combination of reliable midlane read strong back end continuation. Balls were also pretty much apart with two different layouts. Pin down started lot earlier, but it still continued. You could really feel how it grabbed the lane and went left. Pin up was longer and more angular on the back. This ball is a great compliment to original version, when you want that same kind of motion shape, but need that extra bite on a little bit more oiled lane. ​RG: 2.48Diff: 0.054

​Hammer Scandal Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole, out of the boxPin 4 1/1 inches, below fingers, no hole, out of the box Date: April 5, 2016 This one is easy. This ball HOOKS!!! I don´t think I can recall a ball that would read the pattern so early (don’t get me wrong, this ball clears the heads) and still continues to hook the entire lane. Most often when you have a strong ball that starts early, it kind of sacrifices the back end hook, and might be little flat on the pins. Not Scandal. It was still going dead left thru the pindeck despite hooking quite a long distance before that. In this ball I got the best of the two worlds. I get a strong midlane read, and big never ending back end hook. Vow!! ​RG: 2.48Diff: 0.054

​Game Breaker 2 MVP Finish:Pin over fingers, no hole, out of the boxPin under ring finger, small hole on the axis, out of the box Date: April 5, 2016 This one is easy. This ball HOOKS!!! MVP kind of surprised me how strong it was on the back. Length was about the same as GB2 Gold, but back end was lot stronger. I could easily move 4 to 5 boards left from the Gold. I have used GB2 Gold a lot when playing outside because it has been so easy to control and it has carried the pins very well. I have struggled a little bit with it when trying to move inside because it is so smooth. MVP solves that problem, giving that added kick on the back. Now I can move left, get that controllable midlane part, and great  continuation thru the back. A very good addition to this ball line!! ​RG: 2.48Diff: 0.048

​Roto Grip Hy-Wire Finish:Pin 4 ¼,no hole, Out of the box Date: March 23, 2016 Hy-Wire gave me a very consistent read from the midlane, but back end was something else what I expected. I was reasonably surprised how strong move Hy-Wire made. Since this ball has somewhat lower Rg, I was kind of expecting more of and arching down the lane move. But Hy-Wire made quite strong and very continuous  move from the break point. It also went thru the pins great, giving me a very good carry. And this strong back end potential made this ball really versatile. Using different hand positions and ball speed, I was able to go very straight or open up the lane quite a bit. Hy-Wire is a very good benchmark ball for me, and can be used in multiple patterns and different angles. A great ball! ​​RG: 2.50Diff: 0.043

​Storm Alpha Crux Finish:Pin over the fingers, no hole, out of the box  Date: February 3, 2016 Alpha Crux is a another very strong ball. It gets thru the heads surprisingly well, reads the midlane earlier than original Crux, and it also hooks more in total.  This is a great ball for me, since I need some help from the ball on tighter patterns, and Alpha Crux really delivers that. I was also able to chase the oil line to the left and Alpha just kept hooking back. It did not want to quit when hitting the dry early like some of the strong balls have tendency to do. ​​RG: 2.50Diff: 0.052

Storm Fight

Finish:

Pin 4 ½ from the axis, small hole, out of the box

Date: February 3, 2016

Interesting concept. You just have to forget the core numbers and go bowl. It is a very high RG ball, but the reaction on the lane was something very different. Balls reads the midlane great, makes a somewhat strong but very controllable move on the back, and hits the pins very hard. This is the ball that kind of gives you the benefits from the two world. It reads the lane like a lower RG ball, and hits the pins like a higher RG ball. A great all around ball, but it will be very good on those little bit more demanding patterns, where you need little bit added control on the lanes without sacrificing the pin carry at all.

​

​RG: 2.62Diff: 0.043

Storm Pitch Blue

Finish:

Pin over the fingers, no hole, out of the box

Date: February 3, 2016

Pitch Blue was cleaner thru the front than Pitch Black and also did not hook as much on the back. For my lower revrate I don´t see patterns so often that I would be able to use urethane, but those bowlers with more hand this will be a great compliment to original Pitch Black. Like I said, it is longer, and also gives you even more control down the lane than Pitch Black

​

​RG: 2.57Diff: 0.022

Storm Phaze

Finish:

Pin over the ring finger, no hole, scuffed with a used 2000 Abralon

Date: February 3, 2016

Phaze reminded me a lot of the famous Marvel Pearl. It rolls great on the mid part of the lane, but for me it felt stronger on the back than Marvel Pearl. Phaze was little bit too shiny out of the box, and after few shots I hit it with a used 2000 Abralon to get it read earlier. It did, and it also hook more down the lane. What I was mostly impressed about the Phaze how good it hooked thru carry down. That is not always given with a ball that is so low RG. Ball was also very versatile. With changing speed and hand positions it was easy to go straight or try to circle a little bit.

​

​RG: 2.48Diff: 0.051

Track Heat

Finish:

Pin above fingers, no hole, out of the box

Pin below ring finger, no hole, out of the box

Date: November 21, 2015

I really loved the original Heat back in the days, and this new version reminds that a lot. The roll and hook pattern are very similar. Very clean thru the front, good read on the mid part of the lane and LOTS of hitting power on the pins. It has been a while since I have seen pins flying around as hard as they were with the Heat.

Pin up was really long and strong, as pin down started considerably earlier and also gave quite a few more total boards on lane. Heat was also easy to adjust with speed and hand changes. Throwing it little slower got it cover lot more boards, but going hard and straight felt really good. Usually when I get to hard and straight mode, I`m starting to lose carry, but there no pins lost on this one. Like I said, it really hit hard.

​

​RG: 2.50Diff: 0.038

Roto Grip Critical

Finish:

Pin above fingers, no hole, out of the box

Date: November 21, 2015

Another strong piece of an equipment. Critical was surprisingly good thru the heads, all thought it looks really dull. But also for such a dull ball, it made really strong move from the breakpoint. Compared to Menace, for me Critical was longer and a hair weaker on the back, but don’t get me wrong. There is nothing weak in this ball. It hooks a lot. It also continued very well thru the pins. This piece was also very versatile. I was able to go up the boards using speed, but once I slowed down, it was good going left to right also. I was really impressed how good the Critical continued thru the pin deck once I slowed down. There were no signs of quitting.

​

​RG: 2.49Diff: 0.058

Roto Grip Eternal Cell

Finish:

Pin above ring finger, no hole, scuffed lightly with 200 Abralon

Date: November 21, 2015

The Cell weight block has been my all -time favorite, and there were no disappointment here either. Out of the box Eternal was little bit too long  for me, and I hit pretty quickly it with 2000 Abralon, and things started to look pretty good. Compared to Hyper Cell Skid Eternal started earlier and made a very strong but controllable move on the back. I really liked the Skid because it was so strong on the back, but Eternal brings the control to the same equation. They pretty much hook the same, just in different ways. This ball is great on fresh, because added control on the break point.

​

​RG: 2.52Diff: 0.056

Storm IQ Tour 30

Finish:

Pin above ring finger, no hole, out of the box

Date: November 21, 2015

Since my higher speed and low rev rate this weight block haven’t really been my favorites. But IQ Tour 30 kind of changed that. For me the 30 was somewhat stronger on the back compared to IQ Tour Pearl. With this ball I was able to go left to right which I really haven’t been able to do with previous editions. I was also able to chase the oil line to the left once the lane started to dry out, and the ball still had enough kick to get the job done. This makes the ball really versatile, since it can be used on the fresh, but I was also able to use it thru the transition. And I was able to do all this with out of the box surface.

​

​RG: 2.49Diff: 0.029

Storm Lock

Finish:

Pin above ring finger, no hole, out of the box

Date: November 21, 2015

Lock is a very strong ball, but gets thru the heads nicely. Compared to Crux, Lock started to me little bit earlier and had more total hook.  This is one of those hook monsters that requires oil, but cuts thru the heaviest oil without any problem. It really fit my game since I don’t have to slow down. I can throw it without fearing missing the breakpoint.

​

​RG: 2.48Diff: 0.054

Ebonite Adrenaline Overload

Finish:

Pin above fingers, no hole, out of the box

Pin below ring finger, hole on axis, out of the box

Date: November 11, 2015

Overload was very impressive on the back part of the lane. It kind of a different move on the back, very strong but predictable and reliable. Ball also did not seems to lose too much speed, it just went left. This is somewhat hard to describe since it felt so different than lots of other balls I have thrown recently.  I can throw it hard, and still get lots of movement in last 10 to 15 feet.

Pin up version was reasonably long and angular, and pin down with a hole was lot more angular than I expected. Pin down would be ideal for medium to longer patterns on fresh, and pin up could be easily used quite long even when lanes got dryer. There was enough back end to get the job done when the pattern started to break down and I had to move deep inside.

Compare to Adrenaline Shot, Overload was somewhat longer and lot more angular.

​RG: 2.50Diff: 0.056

Columbia 300 Raw Urge

Finish:

Pin above fingers, no hole, out of the box

Pin below ring finger, small hole 4 ½ from the center of the grip, out of the box

Date: November 6, 2015

Urge has been my favorite form the summer releases, and Raw Urge is a great compliment for that ball. Raw Urge starts earlier than Urge, but has lots of down the lane hook, even with box surface. This ball will be great on fresher conditions when you have to star more towards the center of the lane and need some extra kick on the back. It is still reasonable quick move from the break point, which is rarely seen with ball as much as surface as this one.

Once again pin up was longer and quite much stronger on the back. Pin down with hole was smoother and more predictable. I was pleasantly surprised to see that much difference between the two. It means there are lots of options with this weight block.

​

​RG: 2.50Diff: 0.056

Hammer Black Urethane

Finish:

Pin above fingers, no hole, out of the box

Pin 2 ½ from axis, small hole on axis, out of the box

Date: October 29 2015

his is a true urethane. It reads early, but continues thru the midlane and back better than most of the urethanes I have thrown. I also got little bit more hook compared to other ones I have thrown.

But biggest difference for me was pin carry. Black Hammer hit surprisingly good. Because of my lover rev rate, I usually leave lots of flat tens with urethanes. But Black Hammer had that little extra to kick out some of those soft tens.

I also got two different reactions from two balls. Pin with 2 ½ from my axis read the lane considerably earlier than pin up version.

This will be great addition to my arsenal for those shorter patterns.

​

​RG: 2.65Diff: 0.015

Hammer Black Widow Limited

Finish:

Pin above fingers, no hole, out of the box

Pin 2 ½ from PAP, small hole 4 ½ inches from the center of the grip, slightly scuffed with 2000 Abralon

Date: October 29 2015

Another great Widow. For me Limited reads the midlane hair earlier than Red Legend, but has more hook down the lane. It was easier to use with multiple angels because the transition was little smoother.

I also got really two different balls with two layouts. Pin 2 ½ was great on fresh. It got thru the heads, and read the lane earlier and had lots of down the lane hook, but in controllable manner. Once the lane started to dry out and I had to move left, pin up version came to play. It was much longer and really angular on the back. This ball is a great combination of power and control.

​

2

​RG: 2.65Diff: 0.015

Track Legion Solid

Finish:

Pin over fingers, no hole, out of the box

Pin below ring finger, hole on the axis, out of the box

Date: October 29 2015

Another great Widow. For me Limited reads the midlane hair earlier than Red Legend, but has more hook down the lane. It was easier to use with multiple angels because the transition was little smoother.

Legion Solid is lot earlier and smoother that original Legion, but it also hooks lot more than Original version.

Solid gets thru the heads easily, has a reliable mid lane read and enough hook on the back to get the job done. On shorter patterns Legion Solid was too strong and too early to be used effectively, but on medium and longer patterns it looked good. It was not too angular, more on the strong arching motion with pretty much built in hook on it.  This makes it very reliable choice across many different medium and long patterns.

There were also quite a big difference between the two balls. Pin down with a hole gave me lot earlier reaction and more overall hook. Pin up was longer and more continuing on the back. I liked the pin up version better.

​

​RG: 2.50Diff: 0.046

Hammer Bad Intentions Hybrid

Finish:

Pin +/- 1in above ring finger, no hole, hit it with 2000 Abralon

Pin below ring finger, hole on 4 ½ from the center of the grip, out of the box

Date: October 13 2015

Bad Intentions Hybrid is a very good strong ball. Being a low RG symmetric ball, it has very reliable midlane read, and good continuation thru the back. This is once again one of those balls that I don´t have to worry throwing it too fast. Hybrid will pick up on the midlane, and continue to hook on the back no matter how hard I threw it.

I did little surface adjustment for the pin up version. I hit it with 2000 Abralon, and results were really  good. I got a whole lot more hook, but it did not affect the back end continuation. I liked Bad Intentions Hybrid better with little bit more surface on it.

Hybrid version has the strongest move on the back for me in this series. It was quite much more angular compared to original Bad Intentions. What I also liked was that I got two different reads from different lay outs. Pin down was smooth on the break point, great first ball out of the bag on fresh condition. Pin up version was quite angular off the spot, and I was able to use it quite long as I moved left when the lanes started to dry out. Difference between the two were somewhat bigger than I would have expected from a symmetrical weight block.

​RG: 2.48Diff: 0.048

Columbia 300 Swerve

Finish:

Pin +/- 1in above ring finger, no hole, hit it with 2000 Abralon

Pin below ring finger, hole on 4 ½ from the center of the grip, out of the box

Date: October 13 2015

Swerve gets thru the heads easily, reads the midlane smoothly, and makes a reasonably strong move on the back. For a ball that has surface the back end move was really good, kind of on the flipping side.

But the most impressive was how ball went thru the pin deck. Swerve continued to hook all the way, and really hit hard on the pins. Usually for me when I throw a ball with surface, I get reasonably amount of hook, but start losing carry since ball is burning too much on the front. This is especially true when I have to start chasing the oil line to the left as the lanes start to dry up. In this times I have the get rid off the balls with surface. Not with Swerve. It hits hard!!! I was amazed how good carry I got even from the deep inside. This ball is definitely something different.

​

​RG: 2.47Diff: 0.052

Roto Grip Haywire

Finish:

Pin over ring finger, No hole, Out of the box

Date: July 28, 2015

Haywire is one of those balls that you could always take it first out of the bag for all medium to long patterns

Haywire makes a very smooth transition from skid to hook, and has fantastic continuation thru the back. This is a great combination of control and hook. For me Haywire was more hook than Asylum or Disturbed, but I can´t say enough of the control on the midlane. I tested it on multiple pattern, from medium 39 feet to long 45 feet, and it always gave you consistent look. You know what you ball is going to do. But I guess the most surprising thing was that with midlane move described earlier, you still get lost of hook on the back. In most cases when you have a ball that is easy to control, it kind of sacrifices the back end continuation. Not in this case.

Like I said in Menace, these two releases are great one two punch. You can start with the Haywire on those little bit more demanding fresh conditions, and once the shot starts to move inside, you can go Menace for that extra bite on the back.

​

​RG: 2.50Diff: 0.043

Roto Grip Menace

Finish:

Pin over ring finger, No hole, Out of the box

Date: July 28, 2015

Menace is a very strong piece of an equipment.

Menace gets thru the front without any problems (if there is some oil left) and for a dull ball makes surprisingly strong move of the breakpoint. Compared to Sinister, Menace started little bit earlier and  was overall stronger on the back. This is one of those balls that I don`t have to worry throwing it too hard. Menace will pick up on the midlane and has a great continuation thru the back. I would still prefer to use Menace on longer patterns or those that has higher volume of oil.

Menace is also a great compliment to the other Roto release, Haywire.  Menace is lot more angular on the back, and you can go for this ball when you have to more towards the center of the lane and  still need that extra kick.

​

​RG: 2.52Diff: 0.054

Track Paradox

Finish:

Pin above finger, no hole, out of the box

Pin below ring finger, small hole on the axis, out of the box

Date: June 15, 2015

If you look at the ball, you may get an idea that this one will not get thru the heads because of the surface. Wrong. Paradox went easily thru the heads, had a very consistent midlane read, and really strong back end. The amount of hook on the back end really surprised me, since I´m not used to see that much hook on last part of the lane from a ball that is that dull. And Paradox did not quit either. It was one of those balls that just kept hooking back, no matter how much angle you gave it. Pin up was stronger on the back, pin down with a hole hooked little bit earlier, but still continued great.

​

​RG: 2.48Diff: 0.057

Columbia 300 Urge

Finish:

Pin above finger, no hole, out of the box

Pin below ring finger, no hole, scuffed with 2000 Abralon

Date: June 15, 2015

Urge is a great skid/flip ball. It goes long and makes a nice strong flip on the back. The box surface was little bit too shiny for me, and I hit the pin down version slightly with a 2000 Abralon, and ball improved a lot. It did not sacrifice the front part of the lane, but now I got it read earlier, and it made a huge difference in continuation. Before Abralon it kind of wiggled little bit, and was not consistent in hooking part. After scuffing the ball it just continued dead left.

I´m also a really big fan of the now logos. Now they are bright and also even with the other surface of the ball. There were now sound of the track hitting the logos, and that is a big bonus.

​

​RG: 2.50Diff: 0.056

Ebonite Warrior

Finish:

Pin above finger, no hole, scuffed with 2000 Abralon

Pin 50 x 4 x 20, no hole, scuffed with 2000 Abralon

Date: June 15, 2015

A very strong piece of an equipment.

Warrior read the mid part earlier than Urge, and also hooked more on the back. Balls roll great, flare a lot, but that does not cause any problems in the front. This was one of those balls that actually started to hook more after few shots. First it went fairly straight, but after like 10 shots it began hook more and more. I was still tempted to hit them slightly with 2000 Abralon, and the change was big. Ball was still quite shiny, but now you could not throw it past the break point, and it hooked a ton on the back.

​

​RG: 2.47Diff: 0.057

Storm Sky Rocket

Finish:

Pin below ring finger, no hole, out of the box

Date: June 9, 2015

A very strong piece of an equipment.

Sky rocket is little bit longer that original Rocket, but it is quite more angular on back. Balls goes reasonably long, but them makes that strong reliable hook on the back. It is a great combination of control and power. Even being as strong on the back, controlling the midlane was easy.

Sky Rocket is a really good compliment for the original Rocket. When you area chasing the oil line and moving left after every shot, there comes a point that you would like to have something similar, but maybe little bit stronger on the back. This is what you get when go from Rocket to Sky Rocket. With Sky Rocket you can really move deep inside, because of the strong back end move the ball gives you without sacrificing the control part.

​

​RG: 2.54Diff: 0.046

Ebonite Adrenaline Shot

Finish:

Pin above fingers, no hole, out of the box

Pin below ring finger, small hole on the axis, out of the box

Date: June 15, 2015

A very strong piece of an equipment.

This one I really liked. Adrenaline Shot was really easy to control on the mid part of the lane, but had a really nice good continuation on the back. It actually hooked lot more than I anticipated. What I liked the most was the amount of back end. Gamebreaker 2 was fantastic on the midlane, but Adrenaline Shot hooks a ton more on the back, and it don`t quit.

Two different lay outs worked out well also. Pin down with a hole was lot earlier and smoother. Pin up almost snapped on the back, which I don´t see too often with balls that have surface on it.

Dark conservative colors area also to my liking…

​

​RG: 2.50Diff: 0.056

Hammer Black Widow Red Legend Solid

Finish:

Pin above fingers, no hole, out of the box

Pin below ring finger, small hole on the axis, out of the box

Date: June 15, 2015

This ball HOOKS!!! I tested it with several patterns, and the last 45 feet Route 66 was finally a match. The front part of the lane has not been sacrificed, it gets down the lane relatively easy, but the midlane hook and continuation on the back, VOW!!  On shorter patterns I struggled a little bit, because I was not able to open up my angles enough, the ball just kept hooking back and going high.

But when I laid down the 45 feet pattern which usually gives problems I was able to get comfortable. I was still able to throw relatively hard, but ball picked up nicely on the mid part, and continued thru the pins. This is usually the pattern that I don`t get much of a reaction, using Solid was like I was bowling on 4 feet shorter pattern. I really did not have the be afraid ball missing the break point.

Two different lay outs also gave me quite a different looks. Pin above was 2-3 feet longer but stronger on the back than pin down.

I also liked the idea of a single, kind of retro color. Makes it really easy to read.

​RG: 2.50Diff: 0.058

Columbia 300 Severe Delirium

Finish:

Pin above middle finger, no hole, out of the box

Pin below ring finger, small hole on the axis, out of the box

Date: June 15, 2015

I must have been in delirium mode when testing this one, since I don`t really see this ball. Severe was quite unpredictable on the break point, I really did not know when it started to hook. But what I hated to most was that I could not get this ball to continue thru the pins. After it started to hook, it kind of stood up and quit.

Two lay outs were different form each other. I was kind of surprised that the pin above middle finger had a very little flare. I have reasonably low track, like 4 inches or less, so I would have expected little bit more flare. This one was ok on really short outside patterns, since it really did not hook that much. Very easy to control. Pin under ring finger flared ok, but I just could not get consistent read or continuation.

And to make things worse, but balls cracked from the bridges. First one after 20 minutes of use, and other one after couple of hours.

I guess I don`t have to say anything about the color :)

​

​RG: 2.46Diff: 0.043

Ebonite Game Breaker 2 Gold

Finish:

Pin up, no hole, out of the box

Pin below ring finger, small hole, scuffed with 2000 Abralon

Date: June 15, 2015

Tested GB2 Gold for few days. This is a ball that is a must for every tournament bowlers arsenal .

Great piece for fresh conditions. GB2 Gold reads the mid part of the lane very good and has a good controllable continuation thru the back part. This is not the strongest piece in the market, but when you need control on medium volume pattern, or those that you have to play more outside, perfect choice. This ball never overreacted for me, and I always knew what will happen once the ball got out of my hand. In some conditions that is bread and butter.

Out of the box the difference between the two was minor, couple of boards max. Pin up was little bit sharper on the back. Once I hit the pin down with 2000 Abralon, the difference grew quite a bit. Now the ball started earlier, and you just could not throw it past the break point. But the ball still went thru the pins good.

​

​RG: 2.48Diff: 0.048

Track Legion

Finish:

Pin above fingers, no hole, scuffed with 2000 Abaralon

Pin below ring finger, small hole on the axis, scuffed with 2000 Abaralon

Date: June 15, 2015

Legion has the same weight block as 811A, but for me Legion was a lot stronger piece of equipment.  The most impressive part was that being a strong ball it just wanted to hook. It did not quit, regardless how much room I gave it. And Legion got even better when I scuffed both with 2000 Abralon. Now it started earlier, but the biggest difference was how it went thru the pins. Usually you think that when you add some surface to the ball you might lose some hits on the pins. Not with Legion. Now that I got them starting earlier, they also went thru the pins lot stronger (continued to hook left all the way) and carried exceptionally well. I could have been striking all night.

​

​RG: 2.50Diff: 0.046

Hammer Viral Solid

Finish:

Pin above fingers, no hole, out of the box

Pin below ring finger, small hole on the axis, scuffed slightly with 3000 abralon

Date: June 9, 2015

For me Viral solid was good 3 to 4 boards stronger than original Viral. And what was most impressive Viral Solid was really strong move from the breakpoint. It made actually quite a skid/flip move. It kind of felt funny to compare it to Viral, since my Viral was really smooth and predictable, and Viral solid was really big change of direction off the spot. Pin up version was still good going reasonable straight, but pin down with a hole I had to give some angle thru the front. Pin down version was too violent for me out of the box, and I scuffed it with 3000 Abralon. After that it started to hook considerably earlier, which gave me more control, but it still hooked a lot on the back.

​

​RG: 2.51Diff: 0.042

Storm Optimus Solid

Finish:

Pin below ring finger, no hole, out of the box

Date: June 9, 2015

Optimus solid looks really dull out of the box, but it is really only an illusion. Ball clears the heads easily, reads the midlane great, and continues thru the back part and pin deck really good. It also felt that Solid version rolled better overall than the original Optimus, but that could be a color issue.

For a symmetric weight block and dull surface, the break point was surprisingly sharp. Ball did not also quit on the back, but just kept hooking left. Usually dull balls like this tends to kind of use all they energy on the on the front part of the lane, and hit flat on the pin. This was not the case with Optimus Solid. I was able to carry some of those light hits that I would usually leave a weak ten or a 7 pin. This is a great compliment for the original Optimus, when you need more overall hook.

​

​RG: 2.59Diff: 0.045

Track Tour X Solid

Finish:

Pin above fingers, no hole, out of the box

Pin below ring finger, small hole on the axis, out of the box

Date: May 19, 2015

TourX Solid was quite a bit stronger for me that last year`s TourX.  I was not able to use TourX too much last year since mostly it was too clean thru the front. But TourX Solid was different story. It was still clean on the front part of the lane, but it had considerably more hook on the back. Now the high flare potential also work great giving little bit more control. Pin up version was excellent when the lanes started to dry and you have to move your feet left. TourX Solid still went long and made strong move late on the back part of the lane.

(Pin down with hole was lot smoother on the back, and I was wondering how much effect had the fact that my track hit pretty much every logo on the ball, and made a quite a big noise going down the lane).

​

​RG: 2.58Diff: 0.055

Hammer Spike Black/Gold

Finish:

Pin above fingers, no hole, out of the box

Pin below ring finger, small hole on the axis, out of the box.

Date: May 19, 2015

For me, the best Spike so far. Spike Black/Gold was really clean thru the front, good control on the midlane, and absolutely fantastic continuation thru the pins. Spike was not too flippy of the spot, but the way it went thru the pins is not something I´m used to see from these kind of balls. And two different lay-outs gave me lots of options also. Pin up was excellent to go straight down the lane, and pin down I could open up the angles easily. What I found interesting was that usually with these shiny I feel attempted to change the surface right away. They are usually quite over/under on the mid part of the lane. That was not the case with Spike Black/Gold. There was more than enough control combined with strong finish on the back.

​

​RG: 2.56Diff: 0.054

Hammer Arson High Flare

Finish:

Pin above fingers, no hole, out of the box

Pin below ring finger, small hole on the axis, scuffed slightly with 3000 Abralon

Date: May 19, 2015

Very strong piece of equipment. I tested Arson High Flare on two medium volume patterns, one with 39 feet and other 44 feet. Pin up version was OK on 39 feet. I was surprised how strong the change of direction was on High Flare, since it is such a low RG ball. It cleared the heads easily, had controllable midlane and went LEFT when it saw dry.

Pin down was too much for the shorter pattern, partly because I´m not really good opening up my angles too much. But on longer pattern Pin Down version was a good choice, especially after I scuffed the surface with 3000 Abralon. After that High Flare started nicely on the mid part of that lane and had a lots of hook and continuation on the back.

​

​RG: 2.48Diff: 0.054

Storm Crux Pearl

Finish:

Pin above finger, no hole, Out of the box

Date: February 17, 2015

The coverstock in this ball is STRONG. Even as the Crux Pearl is really shiny, you can feel that the ball wants to grab thru the oil. I can´t recall seeing this strong shiny ball, that really wants to hook on oil. I compared my Crux Pearl to my favorite Byte. Crux Pearl was little bit earlier than Byte, and was reasonably stronger thru entire lane. All the time I had feeling that I don´t have enough oil on these testing lanes. I tested it with two different patterns. 36 feet pattern was way too short that I could use Crux Pearl. 41 feet pattern was closer, but volume was only like 21 ml, and I would have liked to have more. As the lanes started to dry out and I was chasing the oil line to the left, you could not see any quiting on Crux Pearl. Every time I moved left, it almost felt like Crux Pearl hooked more, since it had fresh oil under it and it did not lose so much ball speed. I´m really looking forward to use his ball on heavier pattern where you need more hook down the lane.

​

​RG: 2.50Diff: 0.052

Storm Rocket

Finish:

Pin under ring finger, small hole on the axis, scuffed slightly with a 2000 Abralon

Date: February 17, 2015

Rocket is a great all around ball between Marvel Pearl and Hy-Road series. Rocket get thru the heads easily without losing ball speed almost at all. It then reads the midlane with lots of control, but it has quite strong back end reaction. Like I said, my Rocket went longer than my Marvel Pearl, but started considerably earlier than Hy-Road. This is a perfect match to fill that reaction gap that has been missing between those lines. I was really pleasantly surprised how much it hooked down the lane and how good was the continuation. Out of the box Rocket was little bit too shiny for me, but after few shots I hit it slightly with 2000 Abralon. It made ball read earlier, and gave lot more controllable break point, and lot more hook down the lane.

​

​RG: 2.54Diff: 0.046

Columbia 300 Delirium

Finish:

Both out of the box

Date: February 4, 2015

Delirium is a great first ball out of the bag on any tournament play. It rolls great (and a lot) on the midlane, but has more back end than you would expect from those core numbers. It was also very versatile. I was able to go very straight with it, but also to hook it if I needed. When you combine very good core to a very good cover, you get a very good ball.  Not to mention that this ball is pretty.

​RG: 2.46Diff: 0.043

Hammer Black Widow Red Legend

Finish:

Pin over fingers, box surface

Pin under ring finger, scuffed with 3000 Abralon.

Date: January 29, 2015

I tested the Red in three different patterns and tested it against Original Legend. And the test results were pretty much the same in all three different patterns. Red is little bit cleaner thru the front, little bit longer on the midlane and little bit weaker on the back. I could only find like board or two difference between the two.

Black Widow Red Legend is a great ball. It is very Black Widowish move that everybody likes. It rolls very nice and makes a good move on the back. My only concern is, that for me it was too close to original Legend? I could use either one with almost same results. It might be hard to differentiate them form each other.

​RG: 2.50Diff: 0.058

Hammer Bad Intentions

Finish:

Both out of the box

Date: January 29, 2015

Now we are talking. I have drilled three different versions on Bad Intentions, and they kind of all did the same. They had a surprisingly fast breakpoint but they also stood up quickly and went straight last few feet. I really got a hook/set reaction from all three and I really did not care much of them. But Bad Intentions was from a completely different world. Breakpoint was more smooth and strong, but down the lane continuation, VOW. This ball never quit hooking. This ball is right there with any strong ball. But it was also versatile. I got two quite different ball reactions with two different drillings. Pin up was ideal for going straight, but still hooked on the back. Pin down hooked, and just hooked. And even though it is strong on the back, front part of the lane was no problem at all. I actually had quite a hard time keeping this ball on the right side of the headpin. And of course, I can´t remember when was the last time that black ball did not look good on the lane J.

​RG: 2.48Diff: 0.048

Ebonite Code of Honor

Finish:

Pin above finger, no hole, out of the box

Pin under Ring Finger, small hole on axis, out of the box

Date: January 13, 2015

Every once in a while comes a moment when you test a ball that you can´t believe your eyes. When I threw the first shot with Code of honor, that moment happened. The ball hooked a ton on the back, and I mean on the back!!! I threw it from the same spot that I had just threw Mad Antics. Code of Honor pretty much got the same breakpoint… and went Brooklyn. This is one of those products that expands the hook potential charts. And it did not feel that the front part of the lanes caused any problem either. I was especially surprised since the coverstock did not look like it would really snap at the back. I also had to throw the ball really slow in order to make it quit. This is one of those balls that even I can open up the lane on some tighter patterns.

​RG: 2.48Diff: 0.049

Columbia 300 Eruption Pro Hybrid

Finish:

Pin above fingers, no hole, out of the box.

Date: January 13, 2015

Really easy thru the front and good strong back end. What I loved about the most of this compared to the earlier releases in this series was the midlane. Original as well as the Black version were really snappy at the break point, and they also had a tendency to quit on my ball roll. Hybrid was just little bit smoother on the breakpoint without any sacrifice on the back.

I also noticed that ball was really shiny, but it was still not jumpy form the breakpoint. When I scuffed the other one just a little bit with 3000 Abralon I could not believe how much it affected the ball. Honestly, the surface did not change that much, but I had to move at least five to the left. It felt like this coverstock is really strong beneath the highly shiny surface.

​RG: 2.50Diff: 0.054

Roto Grip Unhinged

Finish:

Pin above fingers, no hole, out of box.

Pin under ring finger, no hole, 3000 Abralon.

Date: January 13, 2015

Unhinged is long and strong. It is considerably longer than Hyper Cell Skid.  I have a lot of the same look with it what I have had with Hy-Road. Unhinged is very clean thru the front, but even though it is higher RG ball, it still reads the middlane pretty well. And the back end move is strong of the spot. This ball will be at its best when the lanes start to break down and you have to start moving left. In this one also I did hit the surface little bit with Abralon. it was somewhat over/under out of the box, but some 3000 made a huge difference. I also like the idea that the ball is single color. It makes it so much easier to look it go down the lane.

​RG: 2.58Diff: 0.049

Columbia 300 Mad Antics

Finish:

Pin above middle finger, no hole,  2000 Abralon.

Pin under ring finger, small hole on axis,  1000 Abralon.

Date: January 13, 2015

Mad antics started earlier and hooked totally more than my Insane Antics. Fronts were no problem and I was able to use quite a lot speed without worrying that the ball would miss the midlane. Mad Antics hooked pretty much the same as the original Antics, but the change of direction of the break point was not as quick as the original. This made the Mad Antics whole lot more controllable on the midlane. Mad Antics also had good continuation on the back, which makes it a very good ball medium to high volume patterns.

The color is different issue. Since Mad Antics has those big areas of one color and really contrasting area of different color next to it, it makes it really hard for me to see what the ball is actually doing. I don´t mind colorful balls as long as the colors are reasonably evenly distributed around the ball. But I can also understand the point behind this. When someone is throwing the Mad Antics, entire bowling center will know what he/she is using, even from 20 pairs away.

​RG: 2.50Diff: 0.054

Roto Grip Hyper Cell Skid

Finish:

Pin above fingers, no hole, 3000 Abralon.

Pin under ring finger, no hole, 2000 Abralon.

Date: January 13, 2015

Cell weight block has been my favorite for years, because it is easy to rev, but still hooks a lot in the back. And Hyper Cell Skid is no exception. Skid is really clean thru the front, but the change of direction is very fast and strong. Skid was mostly too clean thru the front for me out of the box, but once I hit it couple of times with 2000 Abralon, this piece got much more predictable. What was interesting, that even after the surface changed to almost dull, the ball still hooked on the back. The surface change only made the ball read earlier, but it did not sacrifice too much back end. I drilled two Skids, pin up and pin down. Pin down version is great to go straight with speed, and with pin up I can open up the lane quite a bit because it just keeps hooking back. A great piece from Roto Grip once again.

​RG: 2.52Diff: 0.048