About the ball: 15 lbs., 3oz. 3 inch pin with a topweight of 3 1/8 oz.
Drill: label (pin to right of ring finger, cg about 1/2 inch from mid-line. There is no balance hole.
Me: I don't have information on rev rate or axis tilt. Righty. Throw about 15 mph (speed as calculated by Qubica at the pin deck). stroker style who can play inside a little by changing speeds and wrist positions.
Lanes: Older wooden lanes. 39 foot house shot, oob from 5 board out, clean backends.
First Impressions: For starters, the packaging of the ball is quite impressive. Included with the ball is a ball see-saw, ball cup, 2 oz polish, 2oz cleaner, 2 scuff pads for surface adjustments, some promotional brochures and a ball drilling guide. Also included was a DVD featuring Fred Borden, Sam Baca, Ken Yokobosky and Bill Hoffman. The DVD was about the quality of the materials that go into each ball as well as some information about the dynamics of pin placements, cores, etc. A nice little extra.
Practice: Started off in practice (rent a lane) this past Sunday, throwing about 6 games with it. Ball was in out-of-box condition, which was surprisingly not as highly polished as I thought it would be. Ball rolled very well and had a strong arc to the pocket playing a down and in (10 - 6) shot to the pocket. Ball was hitting very hard. Last game was able move inside with it (28 - 5) and get back to the hole with plenty of energy retention. Was pretty satisfied with it overall, but was wondering how much effect a thumb hole change I made (moved the hole 1/8 inch right to alleviate a rubbing problem with my thumb from previous equipment) was having on my shot. Polished the ball on the spinner when I got home from practice, so now I have no read on how it will react next time I throw it.
League last night: Wasn't sure I was going to throw it in league, as I'm always hesitant to go with a new ball after only 6 games on it, especially after altering the surface the previous day. I was carrying with me a Roto-grip RS-1, Lane#1 Tsunami and a Storm Paradigm, so I had some rather attractive options to go to. But the strong hit I saw on Sunday, combined with the light polishing I gave the ball got the best of my curiousity. The ball was an absolute monster going down the lane for the down and in shot, crushing the rack with one of the most predicatable rolls I have ever seen (better than my Tsunami, which I love)! The first few shots, my teammates didn't think the ball was coming back to the pocket (I can hear them back there saying "hook, hook!"). After that, there was nothing for them to worry about. The great thing is that while other on my team had to move during the 3 games, I was able to play the same line all night long), and much like any ball that can retain energy, the drive through the pin deck was strong and continuous (including the two 9 pins I had, lol).
After league (which was 258-246-223-727), I threw a game from the inside line, and there was plenty of scoring to be done. Again a strong, predictable roll and great energy retention.
This ball can be best thought of as a bench mark ball for medium conditions. Drilling my ball label gives me the versatility I need to play in or out, thanks to the strong resin coverstock of this ball. Surface adjustments, although I haven't tried them yet, should allow you to stay in the game on oilier or drier conditions. This is a hard hitting ball! You may a a 9 pin every once in a while. This is one of those "first ball out of the bag" balls that many bowlers are looking for.
A word about the cleaner and polish that come with the ball. The odor is strong on the cleaner(which they do warn you about). They work very well, but if you can use them in a ventilated area, please do so.
This is my first Legends\LaneMaster purchase (thanks Iketown300). While I usually don't see enough oil for their stronger particle coverstocks, I hope to get my hands on more of their equipment in the future.
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Just remember, every time you miss a single pin spare, you need 3 strikes to get you close where you should have been...
