BallReviews
Equipment Boards => Hammer => Topic started by: Average Joe Reviews on January 24, 2017, 03:12:42 PM
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Hello guys! Here we are again, this time we had the chance to review the new Hammer Gauntlet.
This ball uses the new Gauntlet asymmetric core and the Semtex Hybrid CFI coverstock, which is a hybrid version of the coverstock used in the Scandal and the Scandal Pearl.
The Gauntlet is a great option for medium and heavy oil patterns. The hybrid coverstock gave our tester a lot of traction in the oil, but it also maintained a lot of energy down the lane, allowing him to open up the lane and see a lot of recovery when he was moving left.
Our tested tried the bowl on a THS in our local bowling center, where we usually have a good amount of oil in the front part of the lane, and as you can see on the video, he had to play between 3rd and 4th arrow and around 10 in the breakpoint, which is farther left for where he usually plays. When he missed outside (take a look at the 4th shot) he missed his mark for about 5 boards and the ball still made it back to the pocket, misses inside were usually through the nose, so he did better when he was missing outside, swinging the ball from left to right and the ball offered plenty of recovery.
This ball is a beast. the strong backend motion makes it a great complement to the Scandal.
The Gauntlet has more hook potential than the Scandal and the Scandal Pearl, being the strongest ball in the Hammer's lineup.
The main difference we saw between the Gauntlet and the Scandal is that the Gauntlet has a stronger motion down the lane, while the Scandal is a tad earlier and smoother off the spot. Compared to the Scandal Pearl, the Pearl is weaker, cleaner and it has a little bit more backend motion than the Gauntlet.
Thanks for reading and watching!
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So this is basically replacing the Scandal?
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Nothing can replace my Scandal. Awesome ball. Only issue is lane shine. I have never seen a ball lane shine so quickly. Every 3 games I clean it with clean n dull and once a week I put ball in rejuvenator. Shocking how much oil comes out of ball in a weeks time. I do bowl 4 times a week but still surprising how much oil ball soaks up. Great ball for heavy and medium conditions.
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So this is basically replacing the Scandal?
No, I don't think this ball replaces the Scandal. The Scandal offers a smoother motion down the lane, since the ball start earlier than the Gauntlet it is less angular off the spot, at least in our experience. The Gauntlet is cleaner and it is more angular, but when we used the same mark and same breakpoint, the Gauntlet seemed stronger than the Scandal, covering more boards and having a stronger backend motion.
I think they are a great 1-2 combo, when the Scandal starts too early, the Gauntlet would be a great choice to open up the lane and have more length and more motion in the backend.
I hope this helps!
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Nothing can replace my Scandal. Awesome ball. Only issue is lane shine. I have never seen a ball lane shine so quickly. Every 3 games I clean it with clean n dull and once a week I put ball in rejuvenator. Shocking how much oil comes out of ball in a weeks time. I do bowl 4 times a week but still surprising how much oil ball soaks up. Great ball for heavy and medium conditions.
Interesting. I just put my Scandal in my personal rejuvenator (NuBall), and I didn't get a drop. I clean mine immediately after use with Hook-It, and it's seems to bring out a ton from the cover and gets rid of whatever shine had built up. I use c&d too, but never at the alley -- it's too much of a hassle. I'm wondering why we're experiencing such a difference.
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I get alot of oil when I use my personal rejuvanator but I play in alot of oil. The Scandal eats up the oil the way pac man eats pellets. I am still trying to find out how to get the lane shine off. I am going to try C&D.
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I get alot of oil when I use my personal rejuvanator but I play in alot of oil. The Scandal eats up the oil the way pac man eats pellets. I am still trying to find out how to get the lane shine off. I am going to try C&D.
You have to hit it with surface (Abralon, Siaair, Mirlon, etc.) to get the lane shine off. Using a cleaner with an abrasive in it (Motiv Power Gel Scuff and others) helps too. I don't think any cleaner is going to do much for you in that regard.
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I get alot of oil when I use my personal rejuvanator but I play in alot of oil. The Scandal eats up the oil the way pac man eats pellets. I am still trying to find out how to get the lane shine off. I am going to try C&D.
You have to hit it with surface (Abralon, Siaair, Mirlon, etc.) to get the lane shine off. Using a cleaner with an abrasive in it (Motiv Power Gel Scuff and others) helps too. I don't think any cleaner is going to do much for you in that regard.
Actually, Hook-It does a good job of removing much of the shine. It's not your father's water based cleaner. You might die an early death due to exposure to it's toxic chemicals, but it gets the job done.
Ultimately, abrasives are the ultimate solution for removing lane shine. However, Hook-It (and a few cleaners like it) are a good interim solution.