My condolences. I've heard the Sledgehammer line had a similar problem when they first came out, but not the 3-D line. I've had about every one of the 3-D's except the Super Hook and Tour models, all of them great balls. Never had one of the early 3-D balls however. I took off a few years from bowling during that timeframe, but now I'm back, balls deep, literally! Got the Hammer arsenal up to 12 and still counting. Too many good balls, not enough time... G knows what I'm talking about! So what did you end up replacing the Violet with? I've heard that Violet Gargoyle looks alot like the High Rev as far as appearance goes.
Spike