LANE CONDITION

Length: 41'

Volume: Medium

Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc): THS


Using the Halogen core and the new Agility SFP coverstock, the Tag Cannon is very clean with a fast response at the backend on higher friction surfaces, making it a useful weapon for bowlers of all styles.

I tried this ball on our house shot pattern (Kegel Main Street 41') and this ball does exactly as advertised. It is very clean through the front part of the lane and when it hits the friction it has a strong move to the backend.

When I found out about this release I was expecting a weaker ball and something more close to the Graffiti Tag, but this ball is completely different than the first Tag. the Cannon is stronger overall, it is not as clean as the Graffiti Tag and it has a more predictable backend motion.

As a low rev, medium speed bowler, sometimes I have issues with low-medium performance pearlized balls. If the ball hits the friction too soon, the ball goes sideways, if I stay in the oil a touch extra, the ball goes long and it moves late, so most of the time I have to use surface to get the ball to read the lane earlier. With the Tag Cannon I didn't have to touch the out of the box surface and I was surprised on how the ball read the mid part of the lane and gave me a continuous motion through the pins.

I was able to start close to my confort zone around the second arrow and I could swing the ball a little bit farther down the lane than what I was expecting. The Cannon is definitely stronger than advertised. I can see myself using this ball on fresh without a problem or concern that the ball would be too weak for me.

I compared the Tag Cannon with the Freestyle Rush and with the Octane Carbon.

The Freestyle Rush goes a tad longer than the Cannon and it has a slower response to friction, making it smoother down the lane and a good step down from the Cannon.

The Octane Carbon is definitely stronger than the Cannon. For me I had to move 4 boards to the right compared to the Cannon. The Carbon has similar length, but it is more angular and it has more hook potential than the Tag Cannon.

Overall I really liked this ball. I wasn't a big fan of the first Tag and I thought I was gonna experience the same issues I had with the original... Well, I was wrong. The guys at Motiv did a great job keeping the same shape of the original but making it a touch earlier, more rounded, stronger and more predictable down the lane. I feel that this ball will be useful to open up the lane on most light-medium oil conditions or to play straighter angles while bowling on fresh.

This ball will be a great fit for all the tournament bowlers who need a ball that provides length and controlled angularity. The Tag Cannon will also be helpful for all the league bowlers that encounters lighter oil conditions on their leagues and want a ball that will allow them to play in their comfort zone longer than with stronger balls.

Thank you for watching!


PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS

Ball Specs:
Motiv Tag cannon
Skid Flip Pearl Reactive
5500 LSP
Ball Specs: Halogen Symmetric Core
Layout 50 x 4.5 x 30 (no balance hole)

Bowler Specs:
Right Hand. PAP 5 Over 1/4 up
Rev Rate 275. Tilt 20. Rotation 50.
Speed off hand 18

Review:
The New Motiv Tag Cannon provides good length through the front part of the lane, then reads the middle well and finally provides a predictable flip when it encounters friction.  The Tag Cannon features an upgrade in reaction to the Original Tag. The new evolution is more predictable and hits harder than the Black and Green Tag in my opinion. I like the cover better on this Tag because I can roll it multiple sets and just wipe off dirt and oil with Motiv Power Gel Clean or a good spray cleaner.  My original Tag needed to see the ball spinner after a few sets to stay at box finish. The Cannon fits between my Freestyle Rush and Venom Shock in total hook. The ball motion is also between these two balls as well. The Cannon took the best parts of The Shock and Rush and put them together in one ball. I feel the Cannon was stronger than expected on a house shot, yet very playable on all but the very oily, flat patterns. I do have a lower rev rate. The Tag Cannon hits hard and carries very well.  The Cannon digs the corner pins out nicely. I even have been getting more messengers!   I let a few no thumbers with high rev rates try my Tag Cannon and the ball really shines for them. They cleared the heads easily and the backend was ridiculous!  These bowlers got easy length with a devastating hit. The Cannon plays well from many target lines. The Cannon will definitely have a place when I need control and hit on beat up or drier patterns. The colors are really nice and the ball looks better in person than in print or on line. I wasn’t sure if I would like the bright orange logo on Blue and Green but it really looks good. If you liked the original Tag but wanted more control and less maintenance the Cannon is for you!

Summary:
The Tag Cannon provides easy length with an angular but predictable backend.
This is a great choice when playing Drier lanes.
The entry angle creates great pin carry.
The Tag Cannon is an eye catcher and looks great rolling down the lane.

Glenn Wendel
PBA Member
Motiv Staff
Ultimate Staff

gwendel@comcast.net
www.motivbowling.com

Layout:
   70 x 4 x 35

Be ready to make a statement. The Tag Cannon is a bold ball that was created to compliment the Octane Carbon and Freestyle Rush yet still stand out on its own. The proven Halogen core (2.55RG, .037Diff) stays in this new Tag iteration as the motion it helps create fits really well with the medium-light conditions this ball is built for. The new Agility SFP cover (finished at 5500LSP) not only stands out because of its bright color choice, it also creates a motion that will give bowlers a strong option later in the day when friction is aplenty. I drilled mine with a stronger pin placement in order to get the core revving a bit more for increased flare-traction. Even with this in mind, which I did obtain, the Cannon still effortlessly glides through the heads to retain energy for its downlane motion. Once at the breakpoint the ball makes a strong, but not uncontrollable, move towards the pocket with excellent continuation through to the pit; one of my teammates is continuously impressed by how well this Tag goes through the pins. I can throw this on a fresh summer house-shot, making sure to stay right of ten the entire time, but this is built for, and excels, once the lanes open up. As I stated above, this is a good compliment to my arsenal as it is about two boards weaker than my Carbon (due to additional length) yet stronger than my Rush (about three boards stronger). If you need length without sacrificing breakpoint control for the medium-dry conditions, the Tag Cannon is a solid choice to make.

Trent Overbey
In the Zone Pro Shop
MOTIV Staff
www.motivbowling.com

MOTIV TAG CANNON
INNER CORE   Halogenâ„¢
COVERSTOCK   Agilityâ„¢ SFP Reactive
FINISH   5500 Grit LSP
WEIGHTS      16   15   14   13   12
RG RATING      2.54   2.55   2.56   2.59   2.64
RG DIFFERENTIAL   .036   .037   .038   .038   .031            
FLARE POTENTIAL   4"+
Bowler Info:
Hand: Right
Weight: 15
PAP: 5 ½ > ¾ ^
Rev Rate: 460
Speed: 17mph
Track: High
Layout – Dual Angle 60x5.5x30
Favorite Surface – BOX

Summary:
The new Tag Cannon is a force to be reckoned with on dry lanes, even some of the more challenging house conditions will not stand a chance. The ball creates easy length on higher friction lane surfaces and a fast response at the back of the lane.  This is achieved with the proven Halogen core and the new SFP (Skid Flip Pearl) cover stock. The Tag Cannon explodes on the backend of the pattern still retaining plenty of energy to be a nightmare for bowling pins. I personally love throwing this on typical house conditions because it allows me to play all directions and angles, reducing my need to make a ball change in the later games. On sport conditions, when the front of the lanes start to become frustrating, the Tag Cannon versatility shines when it allows me to get past the mess in the front without losing reaction.  This ball absolutely exceeded my expectations and is awesome to watch roll down the lane.

Scott Wiley
MOTIV & VISE Staff

Check out our complete review and video here:
http://tamerbowling.com/motiv-tag-cannon-bowling-ball-review/

Short excerpt:
Motiv has done well to add the Tag Cannon to the Light Oil Angular slot in their lineup. Firstly, it fits well in terms of both light oil and angularity. For those with medium or good hand, you could use it on medium and medium-light conditions. Same if you have less speed but be careful with the angular nature of the ball when laying it out. If you are very speed dominant or low rev, you will want less volume to allow this ball to be most effective. I find that the Tag Cannon is easily a ball that could be put in someone’s bag who decided they only want one or two balls and sees these medium to lighter house shots. For Summer house shots on the east coast, I could easily bring only this and one other slightly stronger ball to manage. It’s an attractive ball that has performance to support its place in Motiv’s lineup.

The Halogen core provided me with great continuation down lane mixed with the Agility SFP cover which gave me a little more traction down lane which was much more
controllable than  the original TAG. I use this ball late in the day around game 5 or 6.

I drilled this ball pin in the ring same as m first TAG and the ball i can use 1-2 games sooner that i would have used the original tag which is my closer in long sets.

Thomas (Boz) Bosquez Jr.
Motiv Staff
Mongoose Staff
Bowlifi Staff
Genesis Staf
Vise Staff
PBA Member


 

LANE CONDITION

Length:

Volume:

Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc):  Lower volume THS


COMMENTS

Likes:  This is a criminally underrated ball for lower volume house shot.  The ball reads the midlane without overreacting better than just about any other pearl I have thrown.  If you tug it inside it will sit amazing well and as long as don't photon torpedo it will recover on shots missed outside as well.  Also seen virtually no over under but did knock polish off to start.  Think nearly Marvel Pearl control but cleaner and can be thrown on less oil.  The carry is phenomenal as well for non 2 piece low diff ball.  More than likely this will end up being my only league ball this year as bowling in the dry house.

Dislikes:  Since I am speed dominant this is not the ball to use on heavier fresh THS.  I could see this being an amazing transition ball though.  For those with more hand this could be a house shot killer on nearly any medium condition.

PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS