BRUNSWICK BRUTE STRENGTH REVIEW
James Goulding III
Brunswick Ball Tester
Left Handed
350 RPM
PAP: 4 5/8†x 0â€
17* Tilt
18.0 – 18.5 MPH
Brunswick Brute Strength
Layout: 4 5/8†x 42*, pin over ring finger
X-hole: ¾†wide x 2.5†deep, 1†past PAP
Review:
Out of all the balls in the Brunswick lineup I have drilled, the Brute Strength was the one I was looking forward to the most. The reason for this is because of how drastically different I thought this ball would be from the original Brute. If any of you read my review of the original Brute, you know that even with a 4 ½†pin over drilling, I found it to be a much earlier rolling ball than I anticipated. This keeps the ball on the shelf longer than I thought I would, because it’s more of a specialty ball than a ball I can use on a wide variety of conditions. That being said, it was a good piece in the overall arsenal. I was hoping for more versatility with the Brute Strength and did it ever deliver in a big way!
USBC White Oil Pattern
I bowl on this pattern in two different centers, one higher friction than the other, so I got a good amount of games on the Brute Strength for comparison to the original Brute. The Brute Strength is much, much, cleaner through the front part of the lane, and does a great job of making it’s move late but still controlled. It certainly has that heavy rolling tendency I saw from the original Brute, but about 5-6 feet further down lane, which is a monumental difference. In just this past week I shot a 710 in one bowling center with the Brute Strength, followed up by a 720 in the other center, playing completely different parts of the lane. The higher friction center I was in around 15 swinging to 6-7 and shimmied in to 18 by the end of the night. It was a very clean and aggressive look, with good pin carry. The lower friction center where the oil sits in almost puddles, I was playing 10 to 4-5 and really hitting the ball good to force it to roll up a little quicker, and that worked well all night. Like I said, not only is the Brute Strength longer than the original Brute, it has more overall hook too. I was consistently seeing 3-4 boards more overall hook out of the Brute Strength, and this ball is a MUST have in your bag for any sort of blended house shot. This is a great piece of equipment.
WTBA Los Angeles Oil Pattern
I decided to try the Brute Strength on the Los Angeles oil pattern which is 36 feet in length and medium volume. I found that at the stock surface I had trouble getting consistent pin carry even though I could get to the pocket well. The shorter nature of the pattern forced me to get the ball out further quicker, and it was losing too much energy as it made its move to the pocket. So, I took the cover up to 3000 siaair with Royal Polish finish and this made a huge difference. I found that I could play a little tighter line and get tremendous pin carry, to the tune of 235, 248, 259 after the surface change, where I was 198, 215, 219 before the change. I was pleased with how easily the ball took to cover changes, which is better than the original Brute, which was more finicky. If you’re going to use the Brute Strength on shorter patterns, do not hesitate to change the surface, you will be glad you did.
WTBA Paris Oil Pattern
This 46 ft. oil pattern was the extreme on the other side, more oil at a longer distance. Again, I took the Brute Strength back to the factory surface and did well with it, but not overwhelming as the pattern started to break down with games of 228, 229, 232. So, I decided to sand the cover to 2000 siaair to knock the shine off and get the ball to read the mid lane better and have a smoother break point. Mission accomplished on both fronts. Once again this ball amazed me with its versatility. I bowled on a fresh pair at the 2000 grit, and went games of 258, 247, 269, 228, 230. This ball shined playing in around 17 getting to 10 and motoring in the pocket consistently. I could have probably bowled another ten games on that pair and had a great look. I thought the longer pattern would be doom for the Brute Strength, but once I sanded the cover it was the best pattern of the three I tested it on. The original Brute struggled with pin carry on the longer, heavier patterns, but not so with the Brute Strength. Just grab a sanding pad and have fun!
Summary
What else can I say about the Brute Strength that hasn’t been covered in the review already? It is a great benchmark ball for house shots, and the cover is versatile enough to cover shorter patterns and longer patterns alike. If you were like me, and unsure after original Brute, do not hesitate at all. The Brute Strength will not let you down one bit, it has now become the ball I judge everything else in my bag off of because of the true nature of the roll. If you don’t have one in your bag, do so soon, as it is one special piece of equipment. Thank you for your time, and I hope you enjoyed my review of the Brunswick Brute Strength.
James Goulding III
Brunswick Ball Tester
