Length: 40 FT

Volume:

Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc): THS



Likes: If you are looking for a ball that delivers big time hook, this is the ball for you. The Nightmare manages to cover a lot of boards but get through the front of the lane reasonably well. One of the best things about the Nightmare is the pin carry. I've seen many bowling balls through the years that even though there is a large amount of hook, the hitting power is gone by the time the ball reaches the pins. This ball has plenty of power left when driving through the pins.

Dislikes: The good thing about this ball can also be its downfall. If there is not good volume in the heads and decent length on the oil pattern, the Nightmare will find its way into the bag quickly.

OVERALL: DV8 once again addressed another need for bowlers with the Nightmare. They have a great ball to tackle heavy oil and still destroy the pins. Bowlers can truly give the competition a "NIGHTMARE" with this fantastic release from DV8

Dustin Bearden
DV8 Regional Staff
The views expressed in this review reflect only the views of Dustin Bearden and not those of the Brunswick Corporation.

Bowler stats:
Right Hand
Avg 300 rev rate
Ball speed: 17 mph at breakpoint from CATS program at Kegel Training Center
PAP: 4 5/16 RT, 7/16 up
Axis Rotation: 10-20 degrees
Axis Tilt: 10-30 degrees

DV8 Nightmare 70x6x35 Pin centered above fingers
MB kicked out right of thumb hole
Balance hole 3 inches right of ring finger
OOB Surface
LANE CONDITONS

#1: Lanes oiled but not stripped after previous night Cosmic Bowl (43 ft., able to see lane condition from pin deck):
Because of lanes not being stripped, I played the pattern nearly straight up, target 8 board @ 17 ft. with my breakpoint 6 board @ 42 ft.
Ball rolled very well thru the front part of the lanes and despite the extra volumn of oil did not lose any energy down lane. Once the ball found some friction down lane it maintained energy to make any angular move towards the pocket with excellent carry results.

#2: Typical House Shot for 5-man League (40 ft.):
Played Nightmare on fresh oil using my target 14 board @ 17 ft. with my breakpoint around 8 board @ 42 ft. Ball was very clean thru the heads and made an angular movement towards the pocket with excellent carry. As the night progressed with lane transitioning in the second game with carry down and the heads beginning to burn up, as I adjusted with the changing conditions the ball continued to get thru the heads very clean and still retained energy at the backend of the lanes to allow continued good scoring. With the third game, the heads were nearly burned up with carry down being a problem in this house. I made an adjustment in the third game, target 9 board @ 17 ft. with breakpoint 5 board @ 42 ft., which allowed the ball to keep getting thru the heads cleanly but have energy for the ball to make its angular move to the pocket. The Nightmare reacted well all night to changing conditions especially in the front part of the lane.

I received several comments from some league bowlers, especially from a couple of former PBA members, who were very impressed with way ball rolled thru the front part of the lane all night and the reaction once the ball read friction down lane. This is the second DV8 ball I have used recently and this ball fits my game very well and it allows me to play the deeper part of the lane. Excellent thru the front parts of the lanes, handles transition very well with tremendous results at the pins. Ball has continuous motion thru pins for excellent power and carry.
Compared to my Blue/Silver Taboo with similar layout this ball is about 4 boards stronger, gets thru the heads cleaner with a better backend reaction.

This is another great ball from DV8.

Mike DeVore
Senior PBA Regional Member

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer and not of Brunswick Corporation.

LANE CONDITION

Length:41 ft

Volume:19.3 ml / board

Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc): Kegel Main Street


COMMENTS

Likes:  Fast and clean through the front end, good reaction to friction.  Carries light hits very well (good energy retention)

Dislikes: no oil.  this is a heavy hooking ball.


PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS

Best way to see what we thought is to watch our video review.
We were lucky enough to be sent the new NIGHTMARE from DV8 Bowling. We put it through its paces on KEGEL Main Street oil pattern and have brought the results to you!

Best viewed in 720HD.

Nightmare
By: Bryan Bannach DV8 Regional Staff Member

DV8 describes the nightmare as a ball that “skids easily through the front and mid-lane with an extremely quick response to friction on the backend creating a highly continuous motion that cuts through the pins. The Nightmare with its new Class 8 Reactive coverstock is the most hooking DV8 ball to date and should be used on medium oily to oily lane conditions.”

I was not sure how I wanted to drill the Nightmare.  After some discussion with my pro shop guy we decided to go with a 4” pin and a fairly large drill angle.  The Nightmare comes with an Out of Box surface of 500/1000/4000 Abralon.  I have never had much success with this surface so I decided to knock the surface down to 500/2000 before I even threw it.
 
I initially used the Nightmare on a house shot in league.  The first time I threw it down the lane I could not believe my eyes when it came out of the ball return.  It must have flared 8+ inches! It looked like almost the whole ball had flare rings around it.  But the reaction I got out of it was not exactly what I expected.  As described the Nightmare made it clean through the heads, but it never seemed to make the corner as strong as I expected.  It seemed to burn itself out.  I suspected that the surface I put on it, was just too much, and the ball was burning itself up way too early.
Before my tournament last weekend, I decided to change the surface slightly.  I changed it to 500/1000/2000.  I know it isn’t a huge change but I was hoping that the slightly higher “under” grit would help retain some energy.  The reaction did change slightly but not enough to make me fall in love with this ball.

So we went back to the drawing board and plugged and re-drilled the Nightmare.  This time we went with a 6x4x4 drilling, which put the pin above and slightly left of my middle finger, and the mass bias to the right of my thumb about an inch.

I now LOVE this ball! I get the reaction exactly as described.  It is clean through the front.  It then reads the mid-lane great, which is something I like to see, and then it makes a very strong move on the backend.  This ball now makes it back from ANYWHERE on the lane!  When I need to move in and open up my angles this ball allows me to do just that.  It also lets me close them down and play square when the lanes are tight.  It is amazing what the right drilling can do! 
 
As a recommendation to people looking to drill the Nightmare, if you are a high rev player, try not to drill it with too strong of a pin.  I did, and it did nothing but burn itself up.  This ball is very strong on it’s own, it does not need the help of a layout to make it move.

Pattern: House

Style: Cranker w/medium-high speed

DV8 has done it again with another great release. I drilled my nightmare with a 5" pin up and it hooks a ton. If there isn't a lot of oil in the middle, this ball out of the box just won't make it through the heads clean. I put a little polish on the surface and it works great on medium or fresh backends with no trouble retaining energy to still drive through the pins. A dislike for this ball is like all other asymmetrical blocks for my style, it's pretty much a niche ball for me out of the box because it is so strong, so I might keep the polish on it for now. Can't wait for more new stuff. Damn Good Bowling!!!!


Billy Pautz

Mn DV8 regional Staff

LANE CONDITION
USBC White Pattern 41 Feet

Length:41 Feet

Volume: Medium

Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc):THS


COMMENTS

Likes:  THe Nightmare gives me flashbacks to the original Nexus of Brunswick, but with the ability to cover a significantly greater amount of boards.  You want to open up the lane, let me introduce you to the nightmare. 

Mine was layed out 50X5X30.  With 350 rev rate and primarily a forward roll release, most balls will pick the lane up earlier which is a great thing on Sport Conditions.  However as an added benefit, when attacking a typical house pattern, it helps to have a ball that goes and goes and goes and responds to friction so well.  Using the OOB finish, I was able to open up the lane in a way that took me back to when I first threw the Original Nexus.  Except with a better ability to corner downlane and recover.  It's a pleasant sight to see a strong ball with surface scoot through the front part of the lane and store a significant amount of energy... enough energy so that I'm throwing the ball away from the headpin and it's still getting back is a significant score booster for me. 

I have been able to toss the ball a few games on a Sport Pattern and found while other balls in my arsenal struggled to recover when looping the ball, this ball recovered and hit the pins at strong entry angles.

I am really excited about this ball in particular and the potential releases to follow this technology. 

PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS

DRILL PATTERN

Dual Angle: 50 x 5 x 30

X Hole (If there is one):

LANE CONDITION

Length: Multiple

Volume: Multiple

Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc): THS


COMMENTS

Likes: Have been able to play multiple parts of the lane with this ball and to success.

Dislikes: None

With one of the latest high-end performance balls from DV8, the Nightmare is basically hook in a box. I really enjoy the fact that I am able to take my speed and use it to my advantage with this ball. I can play up the boards when they are flooded with this ball, and when that starts to break down, I am able to move in and play a little more inside and able to throw it to the dry and still watch it recover off of there and annihilate the pins.

Jason "Animation" Woolem

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer and not of Brunswick Corporation.