So I see the new ball on their website is the Disel- mid performance and the re release of the Vibe(blue and cherry)lower performance.
Is bowling ball companies running out of ideas or is this what the masses want?

For the Vibe I guess the remix didn't work.

Not a bad core but will admit nothing too special.  Hits fairly decent but mostly got the Burgundy and Blue for the cover stocks.  Only ball I have I got more for the core than the cover stock is my Stealth Bomber.

>Hope it allows me to play straighter than balls that are strong off the friction.

Oh they will for sure.  They really are a down and in strokers dream.  They do place a premium on accuracy though.  You aren't going to get a whole lot of recovery from either (especially the blue) and with the flat entry angle of both you go through the nose and you may be looking at a nasty split.  Still with surface changes an incredibly versatile 2 ball combo especially for the price imho.

Quote from: ignitebowling on June 08, 2017, 05:23:48 PM

No matter what the core name is or looks like if "new" or "old" the numbers always fit the usbc guidelines for specs. There is no new ball shape or reaction on the lanes we haven't seen before. It's just marketing.  You have been buying the same stuff for years. 

It's just nice when they can actually make the colors and logos look good… ..that seems to be harder for them to do these days.  Liked both Rebels and Sideswipes. In terms of looks and names the replacements are a bit of a let down.

Yeah thats how I feel, Juke looks atrocious and EBI has went with a thinner scribing for labels which also doesn't help the look either.

Columbia300 has started using a different "engraving" process for the labels on their newer stuff.  It is very similar to Motiv Neomark graphics.  My Swerve has the new style labels, and the Juke (which looks like the Urge's long lost twin) looks to also have the new style label as well.  Ebonite branded balls seem to still be using the traditional engraving style...the labels on my Adrenaline Shot are very shallow but still traditional engraving.  My Warrior's engravings are very pronounced [with glitter embedded in the engraving paint].  My GB2 MVP also has the traditional engraving.  Ultimately, shelf appeal doesn't translate to performance on the lane.  If one of the ball companies came out with a ball that absolutely guaranteed 30 more pins on your average, but was baby poo brown with neon pink labels, would you not buy it because of the look?

I had a Hammer Diesel Particle Pearl "back in the day" and absolutely loved it.  However, I am not going to spend $127 for this new one when I can buy a closeout High Performance line EBI ball for $99-$109 (Warrior Supreme/Elite, Swerve FX/GT, Paradox, etc.)  Closeouts are the best way to update an arsenal, because as ignitebowling said you are getting the same technology as the "new" stuff just with last year's name/label.  These ball companies need to bring their new releases into balance.  There is simply no need to constantly refresh their products like they do.  I get they are trying to create demand [an artificial demand at that] and give their marketing and sales departments something to do, but it is really out of control.  The newest ball in my arsenal was released 18 months ago and is working just fine, despite what the ball companies want you to believe. 

it really is out of control and with the seemingly endless supply of discontinued and slightly used not sure why I would consider a newer ball. and even the remakes are not what the first gens are so why would that be a selling point is beyond me.

The Burgundy and Blue Hammer are different beasts than their predecessors because its pretty obvious both contain at least some resin.  I like them both especially for the price as finding balls that carry like reactive and act like urethane (on steroids with Burgundy) isn't easy.  My only complaint is I would be willing even to pay $50 more for a CFI cover stock version of the Burgundy as its amazing how ding free my Scandal Pearl is with it. 

Hammer puts carbon fiber in the solid Scandal cover stock too and though I don't own one I always assumed it is nearly as resistant to dings (though will admit the pearl probably does help some too).  Now whether the Burgundy could still have its smooth roll with CFI is another matter.  Needless to say Hammer isn't going to be putting CFI in sub $100 ball coverstocks any time soon.

The Blue Hammer is noticeably weaker than the Black. The Blue is a small step above plastic, definitely not the same as other urethane balls. Black Hammer, BooYah, Pitch Black are all much earlier than the Blue Hammer