"Doesn't a BIGGER differential = BIGGER hook???"
"Balls like the WOW, Icon 300, Super Freak, etc... only have a differential of like .040 or .043!!! "
1. An RG Differential of .040 is hardly low. It generally equates to 5-6" of flare potential.
2. Surface had a SIGNIFICANTLY greater effect on a ball's performance than the core and the drilling. While the exact proportion has been debated, the undisputed fact is that surface is at least twice as influential than drilling.
3. For TRUE heavy oil, one almost does not want a huge hook. One needs an effective hook and, for heavy oil, that implies NOT a big hook, but early and strong grab of the lane surface. That, in turn, implies a large amount of friction between the lane's surface and the ball.
Some professional ball reviews, notably Bowling This Month, has, in the past 6 months, admitted that there are some balls that have such a high degree of friction that they actually now start to grab the lane in the oil. That has never happened before, or, if it had, no one ever admitted it.
For true heavy oil and for true dry lanes, surface considerations rule.
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"Those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it."