Written review added>>>
Description: The Venom Recoil is the seventh Venom in the very successful series. It is only the third with a solid cover stock and the first since the very successful Venom Shock, the other being the first ever Venom, the Strike. This time it has the Coercion MFS Reactive Cover, which is the same cover stock as on the Villain and comes with a 4000 LSS finish. The BIG change in the Venom Recoil is the core, it NOW has an asymmetrical core, a modified version of the original Gear Core. The Gear APG (Asymmetric Performance Gain) Core has an RG of 2.47 and a .0.36 differential.
Reaction: The Venom Recoil certainly has some similarities to the ever so popular Venom Shock, which should peak a lot of interest. I went with a similar pattern as my favorite Venom Shock, as you can imagine I have several Venom Shocks. I feel like the Venom Recoil reads the front and middle part of the lane stronger than most balls, if not all balls in a medium to light oil category. It provides plenty of hook for the price point and it’s not very often that you can get an asymmetrical core for this price either. I think the biggest asset the ball provides is control on a lot of conditions, maybe even up to heavier oil with some added surface, although there are better options. It could even handle lighter volumes of oil and really provide some extra control that you don’t always see with balls designed for light oil because they are too clean and then tend to be too fast off the spot. I really like that I have an asymmetrical piece for more than just heavier or fresh conditions. It’s a piece that even on patterns as they start to hook you’re not going to see too much hook down lane or off the spot. This will end up being a benchmark ball for a lot of people!
Comparisons: Of course, there must be a comparison to the original Venom Shock, so I won’t disappoint. The Venom Shock has less hook potential than the Venom Recoil, I feel the core and cover combination allow the Venom Recoil to be a solid 2+ boards stronger on a fresh house pattern. Against the Venom Shock in the video you’ll notice that it just didn’t quite get up the hill like the Venom Recoil did from the same spot with my feet and my target. Comparing it to the Venom Shock Pearl because the VSP is that much cleaner and reaches the friction to the right much easier, the VSP has more recovery and is more angular. If there were more shots shown, you’d see that the Venom Recoil does handle the oil much better than the VSP, especially the misses to the left into the oil.
Summary: Overall, this release is probably right in between the Venom Shock and Venom Shock Pearl shape wise, but it has the most hook potential. This is a great addition to the long-lasting Venom line and will provide something very different to your arsenal. It is early to say this, but I can say the Venom Recoil will be coming with me to Las Vegas for USBC’s this year. The Venom Shock wasn’t quite enough ball for fresh, but throw it every year at some point, so the Venom Recoil should do well out there based on previous years.
Mike Magolan
MOTIV | Turbo | Brotherhood Sport Apparel | BowlerX, Staff Member
