Roto Grip continues their winning streak with the Winner Solid bowling ball. This ball uses the Altered Hotshot core wich was designed to offer the length and reaction needed at the HP2 performance level. The VTC-S18 Solid coverstock provides traction down the lane without reacting too early. This ball is best used on medium to medium/heavy oil conditions when it will clear the front part of the lane easily and then give ample backend motion.

Color: Black / Purple / Green
All colors do vary somewhat from the picture shown
Coverstock: VTC-S18 Solid Reactive
Core: Altered Hotshot Core
Finish: 3000-grit Pad
Recommended Lane Condition: Medium to Medium/Heavy Oil
RG: 2.54**
Differential: 0.054**
** RG and Diff are based off of 15 lb. balls

LANE CONDITION

Length: House shot

Volume:

Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc):


COMMENTS

Likes:After drilling the Winner pearl and loving the angular back end motion decided to try the solid. It did not disappoint. The Winner solid reads the mid lane very nice and clean and makes a nice angular motion in the back end. Great ball to start with on a house shot something predictable and easy to transition with .

Dislikes:


PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS

Roto Grip Winner Solid

To compliment the original Winner, the Winner Solid has the same Altered Hotshot™ Core but features the new VTC-S18 Solid Coverstock. According to Roto Grip, “The major key was getting the ratios of materials just right to provide traction throughout the lane without gripping too early.”

The Winner Solid will be able to handle a little bit more oil than its pearl counterpart for sure. Compared to the original Show Off, the new Winner Solid will clear the front of the lane easier and give more backend motion. I thought the original Winner was too clean and really needed a high rev rate or slow ball speed player for it to match up properly, the Winner solid though seems to be the perfect bride between the Hustles and the Show Off. I would say it’s a… wait for it… Winner. (Sorry, not sorry LOL)

PAP - 3 5/8 up 1 1/8
Speed - 16
Tilt -17
RPM -400

I was a big fan of the RG original winner.  But sometimes the Winner was a little squirty on the fresh or too much downlane. Well the Winner solid was a perfect match to use on the fresh and or the wet dry lane condition.  I drilled mine 4.5 x 4.5 x 4.5 pin down.
I would label the Winner Solid as Control.  Very smooth and predictable.  A little earlier and slower response down lane.  Great sport shot ball, or high rev guys wanting to control the backends.

Brian Watson
Pro Shop Staff

The Winner solid is the follow up to the Winner in the Hp2 line of balls from Roto Grip. This ball has the same core as the pearl called altered hotshot, which has an Rg of 2.54 and a differential of 0.054, in 15lbs. The VTC-S18 is a new cover for Roto Grip and has a black/purple/green color combination. The Winner solid has a box finish of 3000 grit.

I drilled the Winner solid with a 4” pin, and 3” pin buffer. I’m really not sure what to compare the Winner solid to, as I never drilled the original Winner. This medium Rg ball with high differential has a much different shape than I am used to. With the strong box finish, the Winner really covers a lot of boards. The more surface I put on the Winner solid, the more it hooks without losing backend reaction. I tried polishing the Winner solid with Storm Step #1. This finish really tamed down the board coverage, but the ball flares so much, it’s hard for me to get it to shape through the pins just the right way. I think I would need to try another Winner solid, with a much different layout, to get this ball to shape the right way for my style of play, on a variety of patterns. The Winner solid looked the best for me on really long patterns when the front of the lane isn’t loaded with oil.

The Winner solid is a very unique ball. For me, it needs a very specific lane pattern to really shine. This ball is a great option for a bowler looking to get some board coverage without paying the high end ball price. Thank you for taking the time to read my review of the Winner solid.

Roto Grip Winner Solid

Layout: 35 x 4 ¾ x 60

Surface: Box

The Winner Solid is a smooth and predictable benchmark ball for medium oil conditions that has much more usability on normal house shots than it's predecessor, the Show Off. It has enough mid lane traction to use on fresh house shot conditions, provided it isn't true heavy oil.  It gets through the heads easy, but has plenty of mid lane and a touch of backend that makes it quite versatile. It is a bit too strong for dry lanes or burnt up heads; the Winner Pearl is much more suited for those conditions.  The Winner Pearl is easily 3-4 feet further down the lane versus the Winner Solid, and is much quicker off the break point.

Overall, the Winner Solid and Winner Pearl are a duo that can cover almost all lane conditions, at an extremely affordable price.

Mike LeViner