Likes: Clean up front, strong but predictable transition, good carry power, looks great polished
Dislikes: OOB surface without polish
The Hammer Brick was purchased to complete the total revamp of my arsenal (moved up to 16 from 15). Stats: 380-420 revs, 19-22mph speed, low track
I took a different approach to how this ball will be used compared to what the majority will do. Seeing that I already have a good arsenal of heavy, medium, and medium-heavy balls (Defiant, 919C, Vital Energy, 505T), I figured that using this as a replacement for my Rising Star would be a good option. When the lanes start to transition or when I want to open up the lane when I throw higher speed on the dry, the ball can compensate for that. In addition, I tend to match better with asymmetrical cores in most cases.
In this case, I decided to use an identical 4 x 4 x 1 layout used on my older Rising Star, which places the pin to the side of my ring finger and slightly kicks out CG. Originally, I decided to go OOB with the finish. The positives with this were that the ball was clean up front, and did read the mids well. However, the ball was losing energy in the back and was struggling to make the transition. This was on a burned up 43 ft house shot that had hook on the backends.
After seeing this, I decided to keep the OOB surface but added a light coat of Powerhouse Factory Finish polish to it. That made the biggest difference in the world and really allowed the ball to shine for its purpose. After adding polish, the Brick is still clean up front, and now gets a little extra length. The ball still reads the mids very well but then has a very nice jump in the backend. I found this reaction to be predictable and controlled while hitting hard and carrying very well.
Now, comparing the Brick to the Rising Star with the same layout, I found that the Brick has a more controllable and consistent back end with its polished finish. My older Rising Star would normally jump too early with its polished finish. Also, I noticed that the Brick carried better on certain angles whereas the Rising Star could die out in the backend and leave a solid 5-10 or 8-10 split. The Brick was very effective working on multiple lines playing the extreme outside to moving inside and swinging it. The hybrid cover gave me the length I was looking for but still gave the slightly earlier reaction I like in the mids without being too jumpy.
The Brick is one of the most versatile balls that is out on the market at this time. It's MPA core really allows you to tune the reaction to what you want with using smaller adjustments in layout. In my case, it was for a medium-light piece below my 505T. For most, it will usually be for medium and medium-heavy conditions. Many balls today don't offer that type of drilling flexibility.
Bottom line is if you throw higher speed and want to tune the ball down for medium-light patterns, the Brick can and does work. Just use a weaker layout and add polish. If you throw average or lower speed and want a great ball for medium or medium-heavy conditions, just simply drill it stronger. The Brick can and will handle it. As they say, "Nothing hits like a Hammer." It's a great piece and one that I enjoy throwing. I'm sure you will too.
