Ball: Brunswick SiegeLayout:Pin 5†from PAP below fingers
60-degree locator line angle
(Dual-angle: 60 by 5†by 70)
No XH
Initial Surface Preparation:Box finish
Purpose:To give me a more angular look on oilier medium conditions. I’ve been using a Maxxx Zone on volume, and it does the job well as long as I play more direct. If I need to open up the midlane or back end, though, I usually have to turn to something like the Wild Ride and choke down on the shot, as the Maxxx doesn’t like crossing boards.
Why this ball?The Siege is intended to be extremely strong, and to compete with the high-end offerings from other manufacturers. It was also designed to be more lateral at the break than other recent Brunswick high-end balls, such as the Twisted Fury Solid.
Observations:The first time I threw the Siege was at a center with HPL in front and older wood in back. For whatever reason, the lanes weren’t playing quite as forgiving as usual. There wasn’t as much of a launchpad in front, or the usual amount of recovery room to the outside. However, the Siege did a decent job of navigating this condition. I did have to get my feet further left than with the other equipment in the bag, but it still saved enough energy to make a strong move at the break and kick the corners.
I used the Siege again at this center when the condition was playing more favorable, and I was particularly impressed at the way this ball stayed on line in the front part of the lane, and just how angular the reaction was down lane. In box finish, though, I was seeing a bit of over-under at the break during transition, so I took the ball up to 2000 smooth and tried it again the following week. This let me play a straighter trajectory, which improved my carry due to my not giving up as much of the pocket, but I still seemed to have the same recovery when I did lose a shot right of target down lane.
Conclusions:The first time I threw the Siege, I was reminded of the reaction that I had with the Strike Zone, but without the flutter. The Siege gives me a much cleaner look in the front part of the lane, and gives me more forgiveness at the break. This ball is also significantly less sensitive to minor variations in my release than the Strike Zone was.
The other thing that I’ve noticed with the Siege is that it maintains its presence through the pin deck, even on shots that recover from wide of target. With the Strike Zone, and to a lesser degree the Twisted Fury Solid, I had to be careful to not let the ball didn’t cover too many boards in the back part of the lane, as my carry would suffer. I haven’t yet had this problem with the Siege.
For me, the Siege has proven to be a worthy complement to the Maxxx Zone for higher volumes. On tighter patterns, where I have to play more direct but still need to get the ball into a roll sooner, the Maxxx Zone is still my ball of choice. However, on fresher house or “Holiday Tree†conditions, the Siege will allow me to create more area with its ability to read the dry and recover.
NOTE: The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer and not of Brunswick Corporation.
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Ray Salas
Brunswick Amateur Staff
http://www.brunswickbowling.com