Ball NPS Score: Not Available
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Black Hammer 2001 sets the standard by which all heavy oil balls will be
judged, with a 2.465 RG and .038 differential, and the most versatile cover
stock introduced to the game - Nylothane. Nylothane is the perfect
combination of particle and reactive urethane, which can easily be polished
or sanded to match the lane condition and the bowler's style. The new
compact, explosive HD core (Heavy Density Core) features the densest
material ever put inside a Hammer bowling ball, with a density of 4.50. The
HD core is so compact and dense most drillings will not even hit the core
leaving the core's integrity intact for optimum striking ability. The
specifications are: Cover stock: Nylothane, matte finish; Core: HD core
(densest material ever put inside a Hammer bowling ball); Hook potential:
overall (20), backend (20); Length: 12; Radius of gyration: 2.465;
Differential: .038; Flare potential: 4-6"; Hardness: 73-74 D Durometer;
Weights: 13-16 lbs.

I purchased the black Hammer 2001 to use on medium and heavy oil conditions, and to date, I have had the opportunity to roll it on both with remarkable results. The lane tech at my favorite house set up a pair with differant oil patterns, and are as follows:



Lane 3- Medium oil set up. 35 FT and a lighter spread from 10 out to the channel, next 10 FT also a lighter spread, last 15 FT was clean.



With this oil pattern I was playing a small swing from 15 to 9 and rolling very strongly into the pocket with exceptional carry. A few times I got fast feet and tugged it inside and was happy with the way it held then rolled heavy and cleared the rack.  If I rolled outside of 5 I could expect early burn and usually a washout or challenging spilt, but this is to be expected from my style of game.



Lane 4-  Flat to 35 FT with consistant units equal from channel to channel, next 15 FT was lighter and in a christmas tree pattern with the outsides being slightly lighter, last 10 FT was clean.



At first I had trouble on this pattern getting lined up, I tried the small swing area as used on lane 3 and just didn't have enough pop into the pocket to carry the corners, but still was able to get to the pocket. I then moved out and rolled down and over 4 and 5 with once again,exceptional entry angle and carry, only left a couple of ten pins through out 8 games of practice.



The cover stock on this ball is very aggressive and taylors itself to how I roll the ball.  I am a " Down & In " bowler who relies on solid fundamentals, such as timing, release and staying focused on target, this ball has rewarded me in ways I could not imagine.



Stats: Ball weight 15 LBS

       Drilled for a medium roll setup for medium to heavy oil.



        Pin to PAP 3 3/8 from CG, No balance hole needed.



        Axis 5 x 0, 1/4 oz Pos side WT. 1/8 finger Wt and 2oz top Wt after drilled.



        Flare band was measured at 4 1/2 to 5 inches. Track was measured at 3/4 inch from finger and thumb.





For me this is a remarkable ball that hits and carries with extreme force. The heavy roll with smooth powerful arch allows me to read the break point with near precision.  I am rating this ball a 10 on the 10 scale, and this is a understatement.



Michael Anoles AKA Plane Facts

Maybe the Blue Hammer 2001 will give you the hook in oil you need.  I won this ball at a tournament and initially was telling people that the Black Hammer 2001 would give a lot of hook for oil.  WRONG!

I gave it a positive vertical shift, put the pin at the fingers and thumb close to the CG for early roll.  I wanted something to hold in the oil and give a little pop in the backends.  I polished it up a bit, assuming it would hook a lot.  The ball went straight in the oil and didn't recover until too late.  

Fighting with the ball, I found a home for it bouncing the dry.  It actually turned out to be a nice solid-shell skid flip ball which should increase carry over pearlized (i.e. compared to my Cuda 2000).

If you want hook, keep it dull or throw it 13mph.  If you want a good wet-dry ball, drill it.

To be honest, we haven't really liked the Hammer particle balls up to now and we weren't sure what to expect from this latest version.  The Synactive Hammers seemed to have two problems one being lack of predictability and they seemed to back off if there was any oil in the back end.  The Black Hammer 2001 hasn't shown either of those tendencies thus far.

  This is a very strong ball with a cover stock that that needs oil to be effective.  We tested the ball with a leverage layout with the pin in a flip position and the c.g. close to the axis and an extra hole 1" past axis.  A second ball was drilled with the pin 5" from the axis and the c.g. at 1/2 negative.  Both balls were wet sanded to 1200 grit and polished with Track's particle polish.  What we noticed first was how niether ball could get to the break point on the medium dry lanes we were bowling on.  We were also throwing a Mo Rich Labrynth, Track Avenger and an Imperial Quantum none of which had the same problem.  Despite the fact we had polished the shell (with less than great results) we noticed that we were unable to wipe the oil off the shell after each shot.  This was an indication to us as to how aggressively the shell was gripping the lane.  We fought with the 2001 on this condition for a while moving inside and throwing harder but after an hour we knew that more oil was what we needed.

  Once we had the opportunity to use the 2001 on heavier oil we were very pleased with the results.  We were lined up playing a slight head belly hitting 12-13 at the arrows out to a break point at around 7 and back to flush in the pocket.  From here the Hammer had no trouble clearing the heads, made an arcing move and carried very nicely.  On shots that missed right we saw good recovery and were still able to hit the pocket but didn't carry as well.  We couldn't seem to hold the ball back on shots pulled into the oil, it had us thinking that there wasn't much oil build up in the center of the lane but that wasn't the case.  Just to get a better feel for the condition we were on, we tried throwing some of the other balls we had with us.  What we saw really surprised us.  Not only were we forced to move right with our feet to get any of the other balls to the pocket, we did get some hold area on shots where the Black Hammer wouldn't stop!  We had a stronger ball than we thought.  That could be bad news for some bowlers on some conditions but its good news for any Hammer fans who can't get enough reaction from their current stuff.

  We have heard and read mixed reviews for this ball.  We see the ball as very strong with an arc shape reaction and requiring oil to help get it down the lane.  All of our testing was done on AMF HPL 2000 synthetic lanes with medium to high medium rev players who's speeds are between 14.5 and 18mph.  If you have any questions about this or any other review please e-mail us at: proshop@bowlero.com

This is a good ball at what it does, which is not hook a ton.  This ball is almost unbeatable on a wall or a condition with fresh backends since it does not overreact and hits a ton.  I like other reviewers am disappointed only with how Faball has stated this ball is a "huge hooking" ball which it is not.  I have not taken the surface down yet, but in my opinion it is a great medium ball and compliments the Violet Offset very nicely.  If you are looking for a predictable ball with great hitting power here it is, but don't expect to miss right and have it come screaming back for you.

This ball is definitely not for the novice.  With it's core and cover,  one should really know how to handle a ball.  If you have a lot of hand,  go for this one.  You won't be sorry.  It hits like all Hammer lines,  like a truck.  But if you can't produce enough revs,  look somewhere else.  A Colossus might not be a bad idea.

this ball sucks after 40-50. My Storm Flame hooks more. it doesn't have a 20+ hook rating. Its not versital its only good on medium oil even out of the box. It sucks on heavy oil. I had it drilled for maximum flare and it's my cross-alley ball. not for power players. Speed kills the ball.
Peace and check out my other reviews.  I'm 17 years old I have 10+ 300 games under my belt. I have 10 bowling balls and this is the last to come out of my bags.  Storm balls are the balls for power players.

I had this ball for over 400 GAMES and it still hits hard like day one.
The condensed core really push the pin hard.  I'm a left hand bowler with
200 average.  I had the bowl drilled to the max hook with the balance hole.
It's not so great on dry lane because it needs lots of power to make it go long.
  I'm a medium speed bowler with small flare and hard flip down the middle.
This bowl really flips hard and turn the corner.

  Overall, hammer always produce consistant shot.  This is the third hammer I
 had and I really like their product.  If you like hitting power then this is it.
   This is a great bowl for amateur and professional bowler.  Great for any type of bowler.
    I strongly recommended this ball espcially you can pick them up cheap on ebay.