Was going to pick up the X-Factor Deuce but the pro shop guy told me that this one would be just as aggressive so, since I already love the Blade Pearl, I decided to get this Hammer into my arsenal as well. The ball is 15lbs, 2-3" pin, not sure of top. The ball is drilled 3-3/8" leverage, pin slightly above and right of ring finger, cg in line below, everything in strong position, box finish. Used the ball today in an event on the Amateur Bowlers Tour. Didn't start using it until game three of my first set, shot 234 with it out of the gate, +27 for the set. Decided to bowl another set since I liked the look it gave me on the lanes. Good move. Shot 280, 192, 211= +128 and a spot in the seminfials tomorrow. The shot was solid medium through the heads and midlane, clean backends, not sure how far down. The ball clears the heads nicely, starts reving up in the midlane and makes a great move on the backend. The ball does struggle a bit with carrydown, but finding more dry, turning it harder or using more axis rotation helps fight that. The carry with this one is great. Not enough games to give a true rating but it sure seems like a 10 so far!

this balls got all the shots!!
i threw my high series of the year a 781 a cold 8 pin blew my 800 and 300
in the last game that is my only complaint it hooks and keeps hooking i even had to polish the piss out of it oh ya hammer has a damn fat ass!!!

This ball is GREAT, hooks so much I can't use it in many leagues around here. I put down a hard pattern, 20 units of oil gutter to gutter, 50 feet down, boy was that tough, this ball barely worked, need a particle ball for that. All around great ball for medium heavy oil, and maybe medium if you go DEEP, perfect roll, nice and smooth, no hops skips or jumps.
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G_Dawg In the House

I got the Blade this past summer at the lanes where I helped install some new syntehtic lanes (can we say freebie!!!). I have it drilled just as in the BTM review for a stroker.

The ball started off to be very hard to figure out. I didn't have to try and make it hook it just did. I would either hook it too much or it would burn up and roll out. Well now I have it figured out! p.s. I love it!

My regular line was not working for me, standing at 20 and trowing up ten is my saftey game and I move from there. I have found that the ball for my game works best moving farther in and throwing over the tird arrow out and breaking at 8.

The ball rolls extremely well. The way the ball is colored helps me figure out if I messed up at the release. It's easy to read the side roll and rev rate. I reads the mids extremely well and doesn't get caught up in the heads. Once it does get to the mids it will be easy to tell what it do at the break point. If you throw it well it will not exactly flip, but it will just turn hard and kinda pimp slap the pins (it was like an extra little move in the back end right before entry into the pocket).

The ball reved up nicely for me and has become a bench mark ball for me to figure out the lanes. The tell tale sign to put it away for me is what it does in the mids. If the ball will not push out to 8 for me after a couple of moves, but still has some back end I go to my polished pearl ball (Stinger 2-piece). If it goes out to 8 but doesn't make a move or a weak move then I go to my V2 particle.

The hit on the ball is awesome. Solid pocket hit, sound like a hammer cracking a cinder block in half. Light hit also carry well. I don't go left of the head pin much with it, but sometime the ball will go to high and tend to leave the 3-6-10 and the 3-6-9-10. Not so many corner leaves but I have seen more stone 9's with it.

I think the ball is comparable in hit to the Monster SmashR (one of the hardest hitting balls I have seen, the Blade has it beat or just even), but the move is more predictable and not as early.

I have not been as impressed with a ball since I first threw the Stinger 2-Piece pearl (my favorite ball). Just an awesome ball that lives up to the "Nothing Hit Like a Hammer" mantra.

-The Lurker
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Consistantly inconsistant.

Picked this ball up first week of January.  My previous ball was an original Blue Hammer.  Before that I threw THE ANGLE.  I actually averaged 200 with that ANGLE back in 1989. (When averaging 200 meant something).  Not now- when I see  seventeen year-old's shooting 300's and 700's after bowling for four years.  O.K. back to my review.  

This is my first "high tech" ball.  Told the guy who drilled it my bowling style and he drilled her up for me.  First night I threw a 716 with it.  The next two weeks were 646-625.  Originally did not have thumb plug put in.  Had driller guy put one in on 625 night.  This past week I threw a 780.  My first game was a 203 and I left five ten pins.  I then proceeded to throw 22 of my next 24 balls for strikes, 17 in a row at one point.  279 second game followed by a 298.  All this from a guy who had never strung more than seven in a row and never even had a sniff of a 300 game or 800 series.  Is it the man or the ball.  Of course, I love this ball and look forward to bowling every week now.  If you used to use Hammer products, go back to them, they got something.

PS-average with OLD BLUE was 198- 230 for one month with THE BLADE.  In reality, if your throwing at your home lanes, I would say averaging 220-230 in this day and age would be comparable to a 200 average 15 years ago. So don't chest thump if your average is around 200 with all this new ball technology.

PSS- I can shoot spares too. (unlike these young guy's who are spoiled by these balls) THE RAT.

Eh....For slower ball speeds...But is a good start out ball
Lane Conditions: Medium-Heavy Oil
Typical Conditions: House Shot
Type of Lane: All Synthetic
What part of the lane did you play? Second Arrow
Did the ball track out? Normal
Weight of bowling ball: 13
Surface of bowling ball: Sanded
What grit was the surface of the ball? 800
Likes: This was my first start out ball and it did me well as my first hook ball, it got me some good scores....
Dislikes: Not for high speeds, good for slower speeds

IT WAS OKAY!

I just got this ball. Around 4" span. Not sure of the specific specs, i got it from a friend for free and didnt get the fingers fixed. First two games i bowled at my home alley, along the 9th board, 173 and 171. go to my next home alley, and throw 221, 178, 167, 158, 183. GREAT ball for strokers and in & out. I love this ball. i encourage ANYONE to get this ball. It is completely adjustable and it just cuts the pins like a BLADE.

I do not no the drill pattern or pin placement i do no that it is 15 pounds and it is a great ball for oil pattern i have shot a 277 and 287 game with it and 684 this ball is the first ball out of my bage every time i bowl