Hello guys, this time we had the opportunity to try the Motiv Lethal Paranoia.
This ball features the Oblivion core used on the Paranoia series and it is wrapped with the Hexion Hybrid coverstock, Motiv’s newest coverstock technology first introduced with the Trident Quest.
The Lethal Paranoia is by far the cleanest and most angular ball in the Motiv lineup. Motiv is characterized for how smooth and predictable their products are. Even their most angular balls like the Primal Fear or the Octane Carbon, offer a strong but controllable backend motion… The Lethal Paranoia breaks with the mold and it offers a skid flip motion that I haven’t seen before on any other Motiv ball.
I started laying the ball around 10 and having 4 as my breakpoint and I noticed that the Lethal Paranoia needed more room to keep it on the left side of the lane. I had to move about 4 and 2 to find a good line to the pocket. The Lethal Paranoia is very clean through the front part of the lane and it saves most (if not all) of its energy to make a strong move down the lane. It is like a Paranoia on steroids.
With this ball, as with most pearls, I found that misses inside are better than misses outside. When I missed inside, the ball provided enough hold to never overreact when it hits the friction, while misses outside or when I find friction too soon resulted in the ball going high.
The ball never reads the lane early and never wants to hook before the breakpoint, it is really clean and as soon as it hits the friction, the ball makes a strong move down the lane. As I continued using the ball during this review, the reaction only got better. The Lethal Paranoia really shines when the lanes start to break down.
I compared the Lethal Paranoia with the Trident Quest and the Octane Carbon.
The Trident Quest is stronger overall. Being an asymmetrical ball, the Trident Quest is also clean through the front part of the lane, but it is not as clean as the Lethal Paranoia, resulting in a less angular shape down the lane. The Trident Quest is about 3 feet earlier than the Lethal Paranoia and it has more hook potential.
The Octane Carbon has similar length, but it is weaker overall. The Octane Carbon has a slower response to friction than the Lethal Paranoia. It has a similar shape, but it has less hook potential and is a tad smoother than the Lethal Paranoia.
This ball complements other balls in the Motiv lineup like the Forza SS or the Trident Quest. When these balls start reading the lane early or when you need more length and more shape down the lane, the Lethal Paranoia will be a great option to go to.
While I think this is not the best option to bowl on fresh oil conditions, especially if you are stroker, the Lethal Paranoia will be a useful weapon once you find some friction… That is where the Lethal Paranoia really shines.
Overall, the Lethal Paranoia is a great addition to the Motiv lineup. Bowlers who love to swing the ball and see a strong, angular backend motion will love this ball. The Lethal Paranoia is a great option when you need more shape down the lane, when you need to play steeper angles and when you need to fight the transition.
Thank you for watching!