Ball NPS Score: 100.00
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The Brunswick Hero utilizes Brunswicks Durability Optimization Technology (DOT). This technology by Brunswick was developed to reduce the chance of cracking by enhancing the balls durability. This ball also has Brunswick maufucaturer's 4 year warranty! The Activator Plus 2.0 Pearl coverstock and Contra core pair up to give this ball an all-purpose ball reaction that is great for all types of players.

Recommended Lane Condition: Medium
Manufacturer's Warranty: 4-Year Limited
Color: Crimson/Indigo/Charcoal
All colors do vary somewhat from the picture shown
Coverstock: Activator 2.0 Plus Pearl Reactive
Core: Contra (Featuring DOT)
Finish: 500, 1000, Crown Factory Compound
RG: 2.474 (for 15# ball)
Differential: 0.047 (for 15# ball)

Drilled my Hero 45x3.5x45 (old school leverage) as I both wanted to have a ball that gave me some length but didn't fly off the dry boards and to take advantage of the core.  The Hero uses the Contra core (same as the Fearless), which gives the bowler all but unlimited drilling options as the pin is located on the bottom of the ball.  The Fearless is a good ball for shorter patterns but a bit flat on anything 40'+ so I was hoping that a pearl cover (from the Vintage Vapor Zone) would give me that extra kick, so I figured the Hero with this super strong layout should do the trick for mediums.

Out of the box I was a bit confused by the Hero.  When I was on top of the friction, it started up right away and when I got too deep, it didn't want to see the corner.  Most pearls that I am used to throwing push much further down the lane with a more violent shape (especially on fresh oil), but that wasn't the shape I saw out of the Hero.  I found my happy spot standing in, but feeding the ball to the friction quicker and could not believe how many messengers I was carrying despite not having a steep entry angle.  Flippier balls like the Vintage Vapor Zone scare me when I get them to the dry early as they can over respond to those dry boards or continue to hook into the pins leaving me solid 9 and ring 10 pins.  The Hero did none of that - it never wanted to over-react.  It cleared the fronts, worked hard in the midlane and then set (stopped hooking) in front of the pins.  I often have trouble getting my pearls to stop hooking, so this more round shape is greatly appreciated in my bag, especially when the patterns play flatter.

The cover is fairly strong for a mid range pearl and the core is quite rolly, so the Hero is a ball that can serve as a benchmark piece in your bag.  Compared to other balls in my bag it is a little weaker than my Method, but more responsive than my Fearless.  The Hero is a step up from my Jagged Edge Hybrid and much less responsive than my Vintage Vapor Zone.

So far the best looks I have had with this ball have been are on 40' Stonehenge where I pretty much had the world and the minors pattern from last years USBC Open.  My worst look was on our 44' house pattern but that was mainly attributable to the rolly layout and I plan to drill another Hero 5" pin up.

I recommend the Hero for a number of reasons:
Hero comes with a industry leading 4 year warranty.
Dynamicore.  Better quality filler material that helps make the Hero hit like a 2piece ball
The Contra core design allows for unlimited layouts on an entire hemisphere of the bowling ball.
Strong cover for a midrange ball and rolly core makes for a great benchmark piece when bowling on medium volumes

Pin Length: 3.5   

Starting Top Weight:2.7 oz

Ball Weight: 15 lbs 3 oz

DRILL PATTERN

Ball: 65 x 5.25 x 35

xhole: no xhole

BOWLER STYLE

Rev Rate: 375 rpms

Ball Speed:17 mph off hand

PAP/Track: 4 3/4 over 3/4 up

SURFACE PREP

Grit: 500 Siaair with Compound

Type: (Matte, Polish, Sanded): Compound

LANE CONDITIONS

Lengths of patterns: 41 foot house

Volumes: Moderate

Type: house

BALL REACTION

Length: Moderate

Back End: Skid/ArC

Overall Hook: Moderate

Midlane Read: Predictable

Breakpoint Shape: Angular

COMMENTS

Likes: Predictable, versatile, and Angular

Dislikes: None

The Hero is the latest symmetrical cored Brunswick Ball to use the DOT technology.  It is an earlier version of the Fearless with the same core.  The stronger coverstock gets this ball started earlier and allows me to use it on the fresher conditions where more oil is present.  It gets good enough length to slow down when coming out of the oil but does not over react to the friction.  It also seems to retain energy quite well.  This one fits in between the Fearless and Vintage Vapor Zone for me as far as total hook.  It is a bit earlier a the breakpoint than both of the above balls.  I found it likes to be thrown from inside of the oil right into the friction.  It is very good on wet/dry conditions as well.  This will the first ball out of the bag for bowlers looking for an angular but predictable reaction across a variety of medium conditions.  This one is a great value for most bowlers.

Brunswick Hero
Axis Tilt: 7°
Axis Rotation: 40°
PAP: 4 13/16 x ⅛ ^
Speed and rev rate matched
Layout: 35° x 5 x 35°

The Brunswick Hero had been on my radar for a while. Watching it in action on the lanes from my customers and during ball demos, I had to drill one. For me, the Hero is my #1 ball out of my bag in league and will be in my tournament bag as well. The Hero has been a favorite of the touring pros and I can see why, the ball is cleaner through the fronts while controlling the mids and recovering on the backend. I have been able to square up or circle the lane with the Hero and not see it struggle to hand position changes. The Hero will be home on medium fresh patterns or broken down heavier patterns where there is a little defined friction. Having DOT & Dynamicore in the Hero is another winner! 4year Warranty plus the added durability and hit… I don’t usually get messengers, but I do with the Hero!

The Brunswick Hero is a very versatile ball.  Gets down the lane with ease with an smooth / even arc downlane.  The Hero really shines when the track opens up and many of the asym balls overreact on the wet / dry cliff conditions.  A must have in anyone's bag. 

The Hero uses the same Activator Plus 2.0 Pearl cover that was used on the Vintage Vapor Zone. The change from that release is that the Hero uses a symmetrical core design. While I saw similar length between the Hero and the Vintage Vapor Zone, I saw more angularity, back end motion, and total hook out of the Vintage. The benefit of the Hero’s smoother motion was versatility, as I could use it across short, medium and heavy oil patterns with the box finish. I had the best overall reaction from the Hero on a medium oil pattern. I liked being able to play closer to the track. This ball is so smooth and allows me to play multiple angles by adjusting the surface of the ball.

Hello everyone and welcome to my review of the Brunswick Hero. First off, I am in love with this piece. The motion is easy length with a medium response to friction. I drilled this 70 by 5 by 40, placing the DOT right above my middle finger. I did knock the shine off with 3000 grit, to enhance the mid lane read. There are many times this piece makes its way out of the bag after the lanes start to break down. It isn’t weak by any means, just a great shell down piece after my big asym starts to read a little too quick. The cover does get pretty easy length, so the heavier volumes and fresh conditions are not best suited for it. However, when the lanes get chopped up and right-handed players are forced left, the Hero is my hero.