Robert-- I kind of figured that was going to be your response when comparing the Reax (and V2) to the Unleashed-- the biggest differences being the Asym vs Sym cores, and the numbers therein when holes are in the ball. I'm very curious and will be trying a MOtion Hole layout on a Yeti Unleashed in the future-- should take the place of my "pin up" first Nexus release from Brunswick in the next few months.
Thanks for the recommendation about the Torrid Affair-- I recently traded my Loaded (a long story, but in the end I got to keep a Brunswick Melee) in but I haven't found the ball reaction I'm looking for yet (my loaded was a medium/dry ball for me, had adjusted the surface up to around 4k and then I added polish). From what I have seen with the Affair-- it will fit my mold of "favorite reactions"-- that is, easy to read, controllable, and extremely useful on those patterns where everything else is giving me fits. It looks to be medium in strength, but above average in pin carry and different lines/lane play options. In short, when I can, I'll get both the Affair and the Elite (really want to find the first "Torrid" as we all know which ball it was "modeled" after :-) )
For me (my Reax is my "oiler") the Reax plays very well when the backends are fresh and there is more than enough volume to get it down the lane in a correct manner; though this layout/surface combo regulates how much "play" the ball gets, I know that when it is needed, it is the best piece of equipment that I could have in my hand. Thanks for posting the pic on their website-- my Reax is drilled in a similar manner (pin is shifted just a bit more towards my ring finger) and the reaction is strong, predictable, and my go-to ball when everything else doesn't wrinkle on the pattern.
Matty--
I agree with your assessment - I'm curious to see what kind of average a person (skilled, of course) would carry using only the 3 versions of the Yeti line, and a spare ball. By my best guesses, I'd think that pattern coverage would be at 90% or so, depending on the skill, style, and ability of the user.
I love to hear that you leave other balls at home because you are enjoying the releases from Radical-- though it is a "smaller" company (just beginning under this company name) they can "hang" with the big-boys of the industry. To be honest, I think the core variations that Mo and Phil come up with the feature "off set" and "finger scoop" are so advanced when compared against other products, its almost unfair. I mean, think about it--- Radical produces a symmetrical core (with various cover combo's) and then teaches people about the MOtion Hole layout-- which redefines how much a ball can "hook" when compared to standard layouts. A hole on the backside/bottom of the ball, which is still legal, but adds at least 7 more boards of strength and continuation?? That's just not fair man, not at all!
Radical doesn't pay me to say these things; nobody does. I'm a twice a week league bowler, and when I have the extra money and time, I hit up some tournaments. With how I've seen Radical roll personally, as well as in the hands of friends, I can honestly say that no other ball company has my attention like Radical does...........