I finally threw this ball for the first time tonight, not really knowing what to expect. I had been reading opinions on it here and had seen the BTM review. Still, I didn't have much to go on, so I was in for a pleasant surprise.
The ball reacts differently than anything else I have thrown in a very long time. I decided on a stacked leverage layout (3 3/8 x 3 3/8), no weight hole. The first thing I noticed was how controllable the backend reaction was. This ball would NOT overreact no matter how I threw it. It was super predictable, and while not covering as many boards as most of my other equipment, I loved the readability and control that this ball offered. In fact, this is the first shiny OOB ball I have thrown in years that offers a great level of control on the backend with an aggressive layout like the one I chose. The lower differential really shines through on this ball. I love it! My Tsunami H20 (polished solid reactive) is also very smooth and controlable, and very comparable to the WCR, but I put a very tame layout on it (MB left of thumb).
The hit in the pocket is what really caught my eye. It wasn't that pins were flying all over the place, in fact quite the opposite. Pins stayed low and went straight back, mostly due to the decreased angle of entry, and the drive through the pins was very um... clean, for lack of a better word. It reminded me of my old Columbia Beast Pearl, both in reaction shape as well as in the way the ball made its way through the rack, seeming to penetrate the rack and have pins slide off the ball as opposed to the feeling of the ball grabbing the pins on impact. I could really feel the energy transfer from the ball to the pins. Very satisfying hit and carry. Hopefully what I am trying to describe rings a bell for some of you.
I was able to start with this ball on fresh medium heavy and play slightly more up the boards than I usually do with great success. Middle of game two the pattern really started burning up, and as I moved deeper I found that I was unable to swing this ball out and bring it all the way back. That is because the backend reaction was so even that I would have had to play too tight of a line and would have lost my entry angle.
I pulled out the Track Machine to finish up, and found it to go a few (maybe 5 or so) feet longer than the WCR and have a much greater turn on the backend.
I am stoked that I finally found a shiny ball that I can control! Very good projection through the heads and down the lane, with a very even predictable arc on the backend. And when playing a little straighter than normal, this ball handled a decent volume of oil on synthetic lanes just fine. I can't wait to try it in the very tough wood house I bowl in on Mondays. I think I may have a go to ball for that house, finally!
I have heard mixed reviews on this ball, but if you like control and predictability, with the length you can't get from a dull ball and don't want to try an exotic layout, check this one out. Major darkhorse! If this level of control and arciness is common with other balls in the L/L line, I'll have to try some more of them...
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-SawFreak~
Predicting my next opponent runs into a BUZZSAW!
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Proud original member-
F.O.S.
