The ball: 16 pounds, 2-inch pin
The drill: Pin below bridge, CG directly below in the palm, no weight hole. Works out to a 4.25 x 4 drill for me. Finish is box.
Me: PAP 4 over 3/8 up, tweener revs, good speed, good circumference coverage
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Look two reviews down and you'll see my review of my initial Retro that I still have. This review is for a second one that I bought via an eBay closeout. It was heavier than my last ball (16 pounds vs. 15 pounds) and had a shorter pin.
My first Retro is drilled pin over bridge and has polish added. I dropped the pin below the bridge on this one and left the ball in a matte finish.
Not surprisingly, I can see similar characteristics between the two balls due to the similar drill patterns. Both balls are smooth but offer a nice bite off late dry. Both balls push through the heads well, even when a little burnt.
As expected, the ball I left in box condition was a little sooner than the polished version and could handle a little bit more volume up front. Carry on this ball, however, was not quite up to what it is on my polished version. Both balls have the tendency to leave corners more often than a lot of my gear but it's particularly an issue with the box-finish ball.
Probably the best thing about both Retros is the predictability. This is an excellent ball for novice bowlers needing a single ball for their game or a single strike ball to go along with plastic. The ball never overreacts or underreacts. It doesn't give you a lot of bailout, but it doesn't give you any unpleasant surprises, either.
It is most at home on true mediums. Polished, it will handle medium and medium-light. Left in its box finish, it will handle mediums and perhaps medium-heavy, depending on your rev rate. Enough polish will give you a dry-lane ball, but I don't think any amount of sanding will ever make this ball an oiler. Another highlight of this ball is cover longevity, as my polished ball has immense game traffic on it and still performs well.
This is my favorite Roto Grip ball of all time and one of my top 10 of all time. If I had to pick only one ball to bowl the rest of my life with, this would probably be it. The summary follows:
Positives: Extreme predictability, tunable cover, one of the best weapons on medium conditions ever built.
Negatives: Carry on corner pins is only average, can't be made to handle true heavy oil conditions, not a lot of mistake cover-up on shots sent wide.
Overall: The definition of what a good bowling ball is, and very undervalued by the general public.
Jess
