The Spike series is a high rg / high diff core from the Black Widow Nasty (symmetrical core). The covers on the Spike series have been pearl & hybrid covers. I think the problem with this ball is that it comes off the spot to hard, but you are correct with some extra surface, this ball is a good ball for the medium patterns.
The Vibe core has been the best value line for the Hammer brand & that core has been proven over the test of time. You can wrap any cover in with that core and get almost the same motion (a few boards overall hook)... at one time, I had a complete league arsenal using only the Vibe series... Very versatile ball that you can bowl on many patterns with... the new Viral continues that success with the Vibe series & is another great rolling piece in the Hammer line.
There are so many great pieces in the Hammer line to choose from and I think some balls get overlooked a little bit... the new Black/Gold Spike with the new Hybrid cover rolls better than the previous Spike balls. Very clean & angular motion down the lane. You will see the Widow lines stronger overall than the Spike series as they should be. Hope this helps!
