The Sahara in a nutshell
Great pearl reactive for light conditions and late games. Behold what Brunswick's BVP Punisher can be
Sharp breakpoint shape, paired with very good length.Needs a clean back end; carrydown is criticalMake sure you have a driller who knows to set the ball up for youFrequent oil extraction recommended
The Sahara is my 2nd venture into MoRich county, and as far as I can tell, not a bad trip! I bought my Sahara as an addition to my Shock & Awe (see my review there for reference), which works like a wicked charm for me ...until the oil is gone. Main "problem": with my lower speed, lack of oil will result in wide-open splits in just a few frames’ time.
About me:
Style = Stroker/mild Tweener, right-handed
Speed = 13,5-14,5 mph
PAP = 5" & 7/8"^
Axis tilt = 18,7°
Revs = 250-300 RPM at release
For more details, check out my profile, please.
My Shock & Awe, as a reaction benchmark, is drilled with the pin at about 4 1/2" from PAP, directly at 1:00 above the ring finger hole, and with the MB placed at ~90° from PAP for a sharp break, directly to the right of the thumb hole. The CG ended up in the palm, 1" towards PAP from grip center. It delivers a very sharp, dramatic hook that just needs some good head oil to work.
As a remedy and a new arsenal addition for lighter conditions I was looking for something weaker that would not burn up easily, but hopefully with a similar lane performance to pull out when the Shock & Awe quits and to maintain a similar line. Additionally, the ball was to act as a "high performance option" for my running 2005/06 house league when the lanes are still fresh but the pattern is just 30'.
Decision process:
Knowing that the Sahara features Brunswick's state-of-the-art N'Control PowerBoost coverstock (also used on the BVP Punisher and the overseas Master Zone) the ball would get that extra length I was looking for – probably paired with a similar violent breakpoint motion as my S&A due to the medium MB core.
Fortunately I had the opportunity to test, among other balls from fellow bowlers, 2 Punishers and a Sahara before I ordered mine. I did not like both Punishers at all: They reacted very erratic for me, much over/under, and overall not very convincing. Basically I got the impression that the inverted bell core does not work for me, because testing a Nemesis with the same BVP series core was disappointing, too.
Finally, a friend's new Sahara (even though drilled for a low tracker and only 14 lbs. in weight and not exactly fitting my hand) worked much better for me. To my surprise, the ball moved rather in an arcing fashion - I expected it be very itchy. But this ball left a very good feeling on my house league's medium-dry shot, with nice length and a strong, consistent movement as soon as the ball would break.
After diverse trials and observations, the Sahara looked like the perfect fit for the job at hand. So I bought one, despite the fact that it is/was quite expensive (German list price is about $230 without drilling!). But MoRich balls are rare around here, some kind of insider tip, so the “cool” factor gets a full 100% and makes the investment worthwhile
. I did not regret it!
The ball and its setup:
Once more, credits and big respect to Michael Kraemer in Duisburg, Germany, for his drilling support, expertise and patience with the “exotic-ball-nutcase” of mine.
My Sahara is 15 lbs., top weight unknown before drilling (see below). It has a 2¾” pin distance, CG kicked ¼" towards PAP from the line between pin and MB marker before drilling. From personal tests and my friend's experience with his Sahara, I knew that, once the ball breaks, it moves relentlessly and is almost impossible to get to the pocket if it breaks too early.
Additional knowledge from friends’ Punishers left me with the impression that the coverstock is, even though rather mild, very “jumpy” once it hits dry ground - making the Punisher a truly sharp weapon in the right hands and a bit condition-specific. That made me cautious about the Sahara.
Finally, the Sahara was not drilled by MoRich’s standard patterns, but for my personal specs and style. With the Shock & Awe as its stronger counterpart in mind my Sahara's pin was relatively moved up, higher and towards the track: Pin is exactly 1" at 12:00 above the finger hole and about 4¾” away from my PAP. MB was positioned at 90° from PAP in a strong position to maintain a good flip reaction, ending up at 1½” in 3:30 position from thumb hole.
A small X-hole (only ¾” wide and 1½” deep) was necessary to make the ball legal, and the finger holes were drilled a little deeper than usual – I guess my specimen had much top weight before drilling, and the small X-hole still leaves room for future adjustments.
=====*=====
===o=o=====
======#====
=========x=
===========
====O=+====
===========
* = Pin
# = CG
+ = PSA marker
x = X-Hole on PAP
Ball picture: http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=3473652
Silicone oval finger inserts and a urethane thumb slug completed the drilling job (all white, to match engravings and to see the ball react on the lane). Surface remained OOB: polished, probably on a 400 grit base as Brunswick's balls.
The testing program:
Flat 38', buffed to 40-42', sport pattern, 1994 Brunswick AnviLane:
In its "maiden flight" my Sahara convinced me and justified my investment and buying decision. 1st game with it ever was on a played-down pair of lanes during training in my club house, after my Shock & Awe and Trauma had quit their usefulness due to oil dissipation.
Enter the Sahara: without any ball experience and just a guess how it might react I started out with 5 strikes and a 9 spare for the first 6 frames, for a 204 game. VERY nice ball, fun to watch, confidence inspiring and with awesome carrying power.
Like my Shock & Awe, the Sahara showed a clearly defined breakpoint - but less aggressive overall, smoother and easier to control. Yet, it moved quite a lot: I started standing at 27th board with my right shoe tip, playing across 3rd arrow and moving up to the 29th board in the following games.
At the training sessions's end, on the more worn-down lane of the pair, the Sahara started to read the lane earlier with every shot, and therefore break too soon and tended to move towards Brooklyn - just as expected. But this was easy to control by a speed adjustment, just holding the ball at shoulder height in the pushaway instead of my normal waist height and giving myself ½' more space on the approach.
A great ball for late games, just what I wanted it to do, and even a bit strong for this job. Pin above bridge (~5¼" from PAP) might have been enough!
Addendum Aug 2006: I love this ball! During summer 2006 my club changed the oil pattern to a narrower oil "tongue" with buffed oil outside of 12th board up to the gutters, while rising oil volume from 17 to 22 units.
The Sahara became my primary weapon for this fast-changing and tricky pattern and saved my butt several times in summer league (with my all-time official high game of 255 so far and 2nd place in overall net earnings
). I was able to play it in the buffer zone on the fresh pattern (up 12th board) or deeper through the oil across 3rd arrow, once the buffer zone dried up. Hit was simply amazing - just after a lot of games, when the oil was ridden down, I finally had to bag the Sahara and switch to something less aggressive like my black Pure Hammer, mostly after 3 or 4 games. Some impressions of the ball on such a broken-down condition (8MB file)
Short, thin and spotty 32-35' Christmas tree pattern with 8 dry outside boards, Brunswick synth:
Site of my dreaded & dry hobby house league, one of the reasons I bought this ball. I was able to play the Sahara on this condition when the lane was almost fresh and for a while after it broke down, which normally means a dramatic change of line and ball reaction.
On the fresh short 30' pattern with slightly buffed back end to the "full" 35' the Sahara shined with length, control and carry. A nice line was standing at 31st board with my right shoe tip, and playing across 3rd arrow or, later, 1 target board to the left to compensate for the deeper approach position. The Sahara proved to be a true high end solution for this condition, I suppose that anything stronger in drilling or coverstock would have been unplayable.
What surprised me here (again) was the ball's easy controllability. Slight changes on the approach, hand positions or speed are exactly executed, and as long as you have some oil in the heads the Sahara is anything you could ask for. Even though on a short pattern, the ball did not show a true "edgy" breakpoint shape one might expect: rather a tight, arcing move which left much room for error and is really predictable.
After about a total of 10 games in league play, this house pattern tends to break down completely. So, when the mid lane broke away, I could feel and see that the Sahara would start burning up. Not as dramatic and sudden as my Shock & Awe, but it started lacking hitting power and was only kept in play through excessive speed. A higher address position (ball at shoulder height) compensated once more most of the lane breakdown, but the ball became too strong to be handy and comfortable. Yet, even with the higher speed, the ball's hook was not to be killed. It still moved in the back end and was nice and predictable - tribute to the med-high MB multi density core.
Fat 40' or so long Xmas tree pattern with carrydown, brand new, probably AMF surface:
A one-shot, since it was during holiday training games in Berlin Spandau. But I include it as a contrast to the rather dry situations mentioned before. Well, I played the pattern on 3 occasions together with the Shock & Awe, and each time things got more complicated with carrydown and oil build-up in the lane's middle part due to social bowlers.
Generally, the Sahara had to be played 3 boards to the right with my feet compared to the S&A, and it covered less boards. Lines included a deep line, standing at 30 with my right shoe tip (33 with the S&A) and playing across 17th board at the arrows and went to a rather down-and-in shot standing 23 (25) across 12 on a lane, when a long oil tongue of 50' or more prevented ANY back end movement, not to say any predictable multi pin conversion on the left side of the pocket...
Nevertheless, the direct comparison with the S&A proved that both balls do not like oil in the back end. On the same condition, the S&A moves a lot more, more dramatically than the Sahara, in a more "brutal" fashion. On the other side, the Sahara plays a real control ball role. Both balls complement each other very well.
40' long, 5:1 ratio gutter-to-gutter medium crown pattern:
Here, at Duisburg's Treff Bowling, I tested the Sahara after 6 games on a slick System300 (AMF?) surface, after struggling with my TPC Player and Vicious Attack to find a consistent line to the pocket. After having played with the Vicious Attack (it has a very similar drilling to the Sahara, surface is 1.500 grit sheen) standing at 22nd board with my right shoe tip and playing across 13th board at the arrows for a more direct line, I pulled out the Sahara to see what it would do.
To my surprise, the Sahara was not much weaker than the Vicious Attack! Even though it was polished and definitively has weaker pearl coverstock, I could comfortably stand at 21st board and use the same visual target for pocket success.
Comparing both ball's reaction shapes showed me, though, that the Sahara seemed to make its breakpoint move rather with the help of its core, softer and continuous, while the Vicious Attack truly gripped and made a sharper breakpoint movement when it hit the dry. I did not expect the Sahara to cover such a wide range of conditions!
Some conclusions:
Like the Shock & Awe, the Sahara shows a strong performance, but in a very different way. The Sahara is very forgiving (more than the S&A) and easy to handle for a medium to high MB asymmterical ball. Smooth and strong reaction, but not nervous. Impressive piece. Wow!
I consider the ball to be ideally suited for medium to medium-dry conditions, medium length and shorter patterns in general. OOB, the Sahara might also be a very good choice for players with some hand who need length but do not want to miss the pop of a strong core on the back end. For high rev players it might even work on medium to medium-oily shots without much carry down.
Even though this ball uses the rather mild polished N'Control PowerBoost coverstock from Brunswick, the well-known MoRich core makes it a STRONG ball for a surprising wide range of conditions. Kind of Punisher on steroids or a solid version of it. It is a versatile piece, just not suited for heavy oil and long patterns, or a total lack of oil.
Lane reaction on medium-dry to dry conditions:
Comparison Slate Blue Gargoyle, black Pure Hammer, MoRich Sahara
Lane reaction on medium to medium-dry conditions:
Comparison black Pure Hammer, Revolution Renegade, MoRich Sahara
Lane reaction on medium conditions:
Comparison Sahara, Awesoem Finish, Shock & Awe
Lane utility for tested ball (pattern length vs. oil volume):
|S M L
|h e o
|o d n
|r . g
|t
_______
|0 X X| Light volume
|+ X X| Medium volume
|X + 0| Heavy volume
Legend:
X = Best suited with effective control & carry
+ = Fairly suited (works, somehow, but lacks control)
0 = Unsuited (ineffective, either slips or burns up)
The chart concept is borrowed from Storm's 2003 print catalogue. Surface prep and drillings may change the results, it is just personal experience with my style and the reviewed ball
IMHO, length is key for this ball: OOB you get it nicely through the heads and very far down the lane, but when the core "kicks in" (literally), the ball is hard to stop. So watch out for the drilling setup! If in doubt, put the pin ½" further away from your PAP and a bit higher than usual you'd "naturally" do.
The ball breaks with a clear breakpoint, but it is by far not as violent as my Shock & Awe. Calling it arcing would be wrong, too... a tight breakpoint and turn with a small but controllable hook describes best the reaction I get out of my Sahara. Besides, its hook potential (at least with my setup) is limited, though, what makes deep lines beyond 4th arrow difficult for me. But the Sahara plays well between 3rd and 2nd arrow.
Nevertheless, I can control the ball and its reaction easily through speed and hand positions, what surprises me positively. Slow down and cup the wrist, and the ball will cover more boards on the back end. Bend back the wrist and hold the ball more sideways, and you can take out any right-side multi-pin leave like the dreaded 3-6-9-10 without a wink of the eye. It is not (only) that the ball goes long and straight - it will still break and roll with just the amount of hook to get that nice sweeping angle when you need it. Best ball to control I got into my hands so far.
Even with higher speed, the strong multi-density core will still deliver a clean breakpoint and a good back end movement. As long as you can feed the ball to the pocket (which is easy to do), this ball will carry with emphasis, like any MoRich equipment I have seen until now. But you should also not play too slowly, or it will not work properly. This could be a coverstock phenomenon, since friends' Punishers also carry better when they are "pushed" a little bit down the lane, especially when the lanes dry up.
After my tests and ongoing experience I rate the Sahara very high, with a personal overall 9,5 out of 10. But, like the Shock & Awe, with some details to watch out for to prevent disappointments (see below).
The Sahara is currently (May 2006) the “weakest” ball in MoRich’s line-up, the last one with the multi density core. In direct comparison, it IMHO outperforms the Punisher in any way, showing much more back end reaction and being more versatile concerning lane conditions. And, compared to other (older) Brunswick equipment, the Sahara would nicely fill the gap Brunswick currently has left open between the Smokin' Inferno and the Punisher: a snappy, pretty strong ball for medium to medium-dry conditions like the discontinued Fuze Igniter (of which it reminds me much), Command Zone ARC or the Blazing Inferno. Another ball it strongly reminds me of is Ebonite's TPC Shooter (same good control characterstics on similar conditions, but a little more light-footed).
My personal impression so far is shared by a public review of Michael Kraemer and Achim Grabowski, both German Brunswick staffers and world class players, which I found for this ball: "A weapon for ‘drier’ lanes. MoRich produces only balls in the high end range and the Sahara is the weakest ball in MoRich's line. A ball with dual Flip block core, likewise asymmetrically like all MoRich of balls, in order to offer most drilling options. I can compare this ball only with difficulties with a Brunswick ball. It is stronger than the PUNISHER and weaker than the RAMPAGE, but, the Sahara has for instance the length of the PUNISHER paired with a still stronger final movement of the RAMPAGE. It is a thing I did not play in my time as Brunswick staff player yet. Thus, angle or lines on played or less strongly oiled courses are possible, which I could not do before. The ball always goes through the heads, without problems, moves and has an enormous effect in the pins without losing track or being diverted."
(Source: www.spobag.de, Brunswick’s and MoRich’s distributor in Germany, own humble translation)
Not much more to add here.
...except for those pesky points to watch out for, as mentioned previously:
Dry lanes?
Well, I'll take up this topic LuckyLefty discussed in his review (and which pops up in the BR.com MoRich forum quite frequently) and add my 2 cents: There is IMHO the (potential) misunderstanding that the Sahara was a "dry lanes" ball. It is NOT, unless you drill it to be dead! But then, you do not need the Sahara at all. The Punisher is not one either, by the way.
The Sahara is a ball for "drier lanes" and a true high end product for this condition. Judging from the oil other MoRich products need to perform well, this still means a good amount and at least a played-down medium condition. The Sahara in box condition is a very good medium-dry to medium conditions ball, nothing less, but also not much more. Period.
Other weaknesses?
Yes... Like any polished pearl reactive, this ball has in inherent allergy to carrydown, spotty lanes or too much oil in general. If some oil builds up on the back end, the Sahara in box condition will, much like the Shock & Awe, even more severely, slip beyond its breakpoint and not finish well. The rather weak coverstock adds to this symptom, and it is also typical for the Punisher. In the MoRich line-up, the Sahara has a definitive place to fill and the better core makes it IMHO more versatile and controllable than the Punisher - if you have a driller at hand who knows his/her trade and your game. Touchy thing, these high MB cores, but worthwhile.
Besides performance, the Sahara looks just great! The cobalt blue and bright purple pearl mix is nice, and the big white engravings look flashy, even precious. The colours in "real life" are much brighter and stronger than depicted on most catalogue pictures around or online.
A special ball, but a winner for late games and light patterns. Get one, you'll love it! Another great job, MoRich!
Addendum Nov. 2006:
After about 100 games with my OOB Sahara I recognized recently a major loss of performance - especially the bal end reaction had become much tamer than it used to be. So I decided to put the ball into the bucket and refresh the polish, since the ball caught some scratches and nicks during summer league.
Et voilà: the ball immediately came back to old performance, and teh coverstock is sqeaky again. I was really surprised how much oil this ball would suck up: I could see it evaporate in "clouds" as it drowned into its warm bath! Nevertheless, maintenance is easy, and if your Sahara loses some pop, consider a warm bath for it 
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DizzyFugu - Reporting from Germany
Team "X" website (now available in English!): http://homepage.mac.com/timlinked/
"All that we see or seem, is but a dream within a dream..." - Edgar Allen Poe
Edited on 26.09.2011 at 7:34 AM