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Ball Review


Brunswick: Meanstreak Beatdown Hook 53 • Length 13.5 • Breakpoint Shape 15


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Manufacturer’s Intent: “Our goal was to create a solid, stronger version of the popular Meanstreak Brawler [March 2013],” says Brunswick’s Billy Orlikowski. “We did this by developing our latest performance enhancing additive — Addaptive f(P+S) — solid coverstock. This cover and core combination will provide plenty of traction in the oil, a strong response on the backend, with excellent con- tinuation through the pins on medi- um to heavy oil lane conditions.” Core Design: The Meanstreak symmet- ric core has a medium RG value of 2.53, with a .048 differential. Testing showed 5 inches of track flare with the 3.5- and 4.5- inch pin distance drillings. This design will help with length and backend for most release styles. Coverstock: The Addaptive f(P+S) solid reactive is colored with medium and dark blues. The surface is factory sanded with Sia Air pads at 500 and 4000 grits. The response time off friction is moderate, and the oil traction is slightly above average. The Ra level comes in at 5, with an effective sur- face grit of 4250. Test Results: The Meanstreak Beatdown will put the “beat-down” on oil patterns


that may be a bit too oily for the orig- inal Meanstreak (December 2012) or Meanstreak Brawler. The wid- er-footprint solid cover and sanded factory finish create added midlane and traction. Overall, the breakpoint motion is more rounded downlane and better than the previous two Meanstreaks through oil carrydown. The core shape creates some front and early mid-lane lope, but the ball picks up revs easily and quickly past that. Hitting and carry power are vintage Brunswick, as is the extended usability range. This “usabil-


ity range” dissipates more quickly, though, if one’s ball speed is slow or the volume of the pattern is light. When to Use: The Meanstreak Beatdown is destined for use in medium to medi- um-heavy oil. Fresh house and Sport patterns also will fall victim to a serious “beat-down,” especially from outside and medium-range inside lines. Higher rev rates will find many applications well left of center with either box finish or polished surfaces. Our favorite layouts on 41-ft. and shorter patterns had the pin positioned below the fingers at about 4.5 inches from the PAP. This creates a high- er VAL angle, which helps slow down the response off friction areas. Our pin-high drill- ings created a more angular, yet predictable, motion downlane.


TIPS AND TRICKS TO MAKE YOU A BETTER BOWLER


Dv8: Endless Nightmare Hook 56 • Length 14.5 • Breakpoint Shape 16.5


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“For the Endless Nightmare, we targeted the most total hook potential of any DV8 ball to date on medium to oily lane conditions,” says Brunswick Design Engineer Aaron Koch. “We wrapped the new Class 9 hybrid reactive cover around the Nightmare core to allow the Endless Nightmare to grip the midlane and turn over on the backend for the most aggressive motion DV8 has made.” Core Design: The core measures in at a low 2.50 RG. The differential is strong at .052, and the PSA aggressive at .013. We saw upwards of 6 inches of oil-loving track flare with the 4- and 5-inch pin dis- tance drilling patterns. Coverstock: The Class 9 hybrid cover- stock creates the heart-stopping hook for the Endless Nightmare. Factory surface is sanded with 500 and 1500 Sia Air pads. This provides a Ra reading of 8.2, with an effective surface grit of 3800 from our laser scanner. Response time off friction is quick and strong, and oil traction is


above average. Coloring is a blend of purple, silver and yellows. Test Results: Compared to the original lime/purple Nightmare from November 2012, the Endless Nightmare gave us easier length and a more defined, strong move off the breakpoint on most of the test pat- terns. This held true for all but our high-speed (19-mph or faster) tes- ter, as he experienced similar reac- tions with the two balls. The rest of us preferred the new Endless, as it had a more angular move downlane, thereby creating better hitting and carry power. This was evident near the track area, around 10- to 13-board, and even more so as we ventured inside during the oil transition period. When to Use: The majority of DV8 releases are not for the faint of heart. They roll strong and true, and have an edge about them. The Endless Nightmare defies carrydown, and powers its way through even the heaviest of oil volumes. Use this ball when looking for an aggressive, angular breakpoint shape on medium to heavier oil volumes. Down-and-in players should favor less-dynamic products; the Endless Nightmare is all about power downlane.


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