Got my Assault specifically for the new heavier oil pattern my primary house has begun to use. Punched out a 15# 3.5" pin with about 3 oz. top using the "4 star" RotoGrip drill pattern, box finish, basically stacked leverage. I'm a right-handed medium track stroker/tweener, and I can usually vary my revs and ball speed within a reasonable range to try and improve or modify the ball's reaction, depending upon conditions.
I was expecting a high flare hook monster, but it was nothing of the sort. I had to add a lot of hand to get even moderate reaction, and the ball became squirty and difficult to keep on my breakpoint as carrydown developed and the differentiation between wet & dry became a little vaguer.
I had it plugged and redrilled a little more aggressively, the "5 star" drilling which has the pin a little wider and the CG kicked in a little closer to the thumbhole, and the surface taken down to 600. Still nothing. Very flat, inconsistent back end, not much hitting power.
One more try, taking the surface to 320, and surprise, it came alive! Big smooth arc, lots of hitting power, very similar to the Visionary Scorcher in surface texture and reaction. Pins stayed low, no problems with corner carry. I had to make only minor moves to manage the entire three game set in a typical league night, though it was showing some signs of rolling out neat the end of #3. I suspect that a little Black Magic would extend its useful life, though I have not tried that as yet.
I'd rate it about a 7, only because it took so much work to make it live up to its advertising. Those with more hand may have much simpler time of it. One caution: I was told by the pro shop that did the drilling that there's a run of these balls with faulty coverstocks (needless to say, I thought mine was one of them at first). Your pro shop can verify the serial numbers of the bad ones, so use a little caution when purchasing one.
