Ball Review STORM:
Punch Out Hook 50 • Length 17 • Breakpoint Shape 17 //////////////////////////////////// //////////
Manufacturer’s Intent: Value-priced, like the Wipe Out, the Punch Out is designed to deliver a lot of hook for the money, especially on the backend. Core: The Turbine symmetrical core produces an RG of 2.55 and has a low differential of .038. We got 4 inches of flare on the Punch Out with our chosen layouts. Coverstock: The ball is covered up by the white and charcoal pearl version of the R2S reactive, with a blackberry scent. It’s sand- ed with 1500 grit and then polished. The Ra measures 2.33 and the effective surface grit is 5000.
Overview: The Punch Out is the pearlized ver- sion of the Hot Line. It provides a clean push through the fronts with a strong flip in the backend, and truly provides a big bang for the price. The ball opened up the lane nicely in the track area on Stone Street, where I was able to play 10-board at the arrows to about 6-board at the breakpoint about 46 feet down the lane, according to CATS. We were able to move in deep and create an area on the 39-ft. lighter volume house pattern. We also were able to line up in the track area to start on the USBC team pattern, but I felt a better choice would be to save this ball for the breakdown once the lanes opened up. On the USBC singles/doubles pattern, it was a good choice for the singles set of games. On the USBC and Stone Street patterns, I played about four boards right with my feet from where I was with the Wipe Out. The Punch Out is cleaner through the heads than either the Lights Out (May 2013) or the Wipe Out. I saw more kick on the backend than the hybrid Lights Out, with strong drive through the pins once it makes its turn, even from a deep inside angle. This ball is a good choice for bowlers with slower ball speeds. The Punch Out is one of those pearlized balls that complements its solid brother quite efficiently.
THE SKINNY ON THE LATEST AND GREATEST
TRACK:
Tour X Hook 46 • Length 17 • Breakpoint Shape 16 //////////////////////////////////// //////////
Manufacturer’s Intent: Track developed the Tour X to match up on tougher lane conditions typically found in tournaments and on the PBA Tour. Core: The Tour X is driven by Track’s sym- metrical DNA core with a high differential of .055 and high RG of 2.58. In using our chosen layouts the DNA core produced 3 to 4 inches of flare. This is the same core that was used in the 400A SE (November 2013) and 300C (August 2010). Coverstock: The smoky black diamond-col- ored Luxury DR-4 Pearl coverstock is sanded with 500, 800, 1000 and 2000 Abralon pads, and polished with the Powerhouse Factory Finish. The Ra is 1.54 and the effective surface grit is 5200. Overview: The Tour X will fit nicely into your arsenal when you need a ball to be clean through the front part of the lane with a good, strong flip motion on the backend. On our lighter house pattern, as well as on Stone Street, the Tour X was cleaner for me and about four boards right with my feet from the HX05 (March 2014), and about six right from the MX10 (March 2014). On the USBC team pattern, it was too shiny for the length until the lanes broke down a little. We could get to the pocket, but the breakpoint was a little late (according to CATS, 46 feet and 6- or 7-board) for good carry. On the singles and doubles pattern, we could play more directly in the track on the fresh, but it created a little over/under reaction. Adjusting the surface a bit to knock the shine off would eliminate that on this pattern, and smooth out the backend if you wanted to use the Tour X as your first ball out of the bag. This ball is for tougher patterns that have been broken down as it allows you to get through the junk and up to the pocket. With the energy saved by the Tour X, the hitting power is noticeable as it keeps the pins low and creates good pin action and carry. This ball is strong off the spot, but for a pearl, it is predictable and would work well for higher rev players as well as slower ball speeds because of its smoothness through the fronts.
JET:
Fighter Hook 46 • Length 17.5 • Breakpoint Shape 17
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Manufacturer’s Intent: Jet told us that the Fighter is an upper mid-performance ball that is clean through the heads with effortless revs and great continuation off the breakpoint. The G4-s pearl cover and low mass bias are best suited for medium to medium/heavy oil conditions. Core: The asymmetrical core has a low RG of 2.50, a medium differential of .049 and a very low mass bias of .002. With the core having such a low mass bias, there is no mass bias marking under USBC legislation. Most symmet- rical core layouts will work on the Fighter. The ones we used produced 3 to 4 inches of flare. Coverstock: The G4-s Pearl Reactive emerald/ turquoise/royal is polished with a 1000-grit pol- ish out of the box. The Fighter has a Ra value of 2.73 with an effective surface grit of 4800. Overview: The ball glides through the front part of the lane like a fighter plane through the clouds and makes a strong turn toward its target off the break- point. This is a very good all-around ball, as we were able to get lined up on all four patterns. Even on the longer patterns, we could play straighter with good angle down the lane. On the USBC Open team pattern, it was probably a little too long and shiny to score as high as you would want if you had other choic- es, but would be a good choice once the lanes start to open up. On the dou- bles/singles pattern, the Fighter was strong in the backend and forced us far- ther left than some might like, but would be a good No. 2 ball out of your bag. On the two recreational patterns, Stone Street and the 39-ft. lighter volume, we could open up the lane nicely with great drive through the pins. The Fighter allows playing the same area as the Propulsion (reviewed nexr), but gives you the length needed to get through the heads to complement its Jet brother. This is a good choice for bowlers with slower ball speed and lower revs rates who need a ball to get down the lane with a strong breakpoint motion to create good pin action. We saw a lot of recovery on the backend on all four patterns as the lanes broke down and started to open up. The back-end reaction and pin carry were very good.
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