I have both..... two very different looks.

The NM really roars and revs up in the midlane. The widow has no midlane... ignores it unless you bring down the cover. Even so, it doesn't rev up like the NM.

The NM hits and carries like no ball that I've ever used... even the Widows. The BW provides greater angularity, while the NM is more continous.

I am now keeping the NM at 2000g for oiled conditions, and  using the BW at 2000g for medium heavy.

P.S. With both at the same cover finish, the NM is stronger.... I just run out of oil very quickly with it.


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pjr300
live from the Bowling Capital of the World

specs and transaction record (positive and negative) in my profile

Edited on 3/25/2007 9:23 PM

Toxic would be a better replacement, IMO. Bowled on the Shark pattern with our normal shot over it, tonight. The NM was ...was working great until it had a fight with the return. 1 1/2 inch gash in it, sad to sad. The Toxic worked OK as long as I stayed at 7 and worked down and in only. The Toxic will NOT handle that much oil. But, neither was a Special Agent, Big Shot or Agent. It was one of those nights where there was so much oil, no they didn't strip before reapplying our normal shot, that the only thing that had much luck was ..luck.
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az guy aka: R & L Bowlers Pro
rlbowlerspro@cox.net
www.rlbowlerspro.com


Looking for treasures ? Take a look at my wife's ebay store http://www.ebaystores.com/Pitas-Place?refid=store

Here's mine so far:

Black Widow #1~ pin right of ring, and up slightly, cg stacked, weight hole. This ball goes long, and has fierce backend. I've used this on a bunch of different conditions, and it always impresses me.

Black Widow #2~ pin over bridge, cg kicked right, weight hole. This thing really wants to rev up early, and has a TON of backend on it. Just like #1, it drives hard, and continuous.

Toxic~ pin under ring, cg kicked about 45*, weight hole. This ball is a beast to say the least. It wants to hook at the arrows, has a ton of midlane, and still saves some for the backend and really drives all the way through. It's probably the strongest out of the 2 Widow's and No Mercy on overall hook, and oil handling.

No Mercy~ drilled with the standard "bag" drilling. Good ball, was kinda of unpredictable at times, and it's "oil" handling was some what overrated. It's a good ball, but the Widow and Toxic are number one picks in my book.

For me, the two different layouts on the Widows, and my Toxic really give me a good variety. I'd like to try another Toxic with a weaker layout sometime, and unlock even more potential in that ball.
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Hammer-Lane #1-Ebonite-Brunswick

Edited on 3/27/2007 5:44 AM

MFortney for what its worth I have the "No Mercy" along with Ebonites TNV, Angular-One, and Infinite-One and I can say this; my "No Mercy" is by far without question the best ball I have ever thrown.

Its already has won me a lot of money this season and also has brought me some very nice series too  However, for me to use it the way I throw I had to change the surface down from OOB.

I keep it between 500-grit abralon to 1000-grit abralon. I also clean it after every set, although I rarely do it right after bowling as I usually clean it the day after (to lazy I guess)

I'm so impressed with the "No Mercy" that I am changing over to Hammer exclusively. I plan on getting a "Black-Widow" and a "Hawg-Zilla". Good luck with your decision...

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Big Jake