I drilled one of these out today, as my first experiment with dropping down to 15lb.  The ball had a 3 inch pin, and I layed it out in a strong label leverage with the cg kicked out to about 3/4 positive.  I then used an axis hole to take it back down to 1/4. I was looking for a smooth arcing reaction off of the outside dry and I seem to have gotten exactly that.  I rate this ball right up there with the Hot Rod from Storm, the Valor P, and several other low priced resin balls that have come out in the last year.  For league conditions, and as a dry lane arsenal ball for tournaments balls like the Sonic X are great.  Incidentally I clearly think my carry is better with the lighter weight due to increased revs off the fingers.

In my area, 80% or more of the houses would be considered dry, so I am always interested in this class of ball. My driller had a SonicX at a great price with only a couple of games on it ("Waaah! It doesn't hook enough! Waaah! Take it back").

3 1/2" pin, almost above the bridge, shading slighly toward the ring. CG out 1"+ from the center of the grip. Needed a weight hole about the size and depth of my little finger. Usually, this layout makes for a sharp breakpoint, but not so with this ball. It's still the mildest backend I've ever seen in a resin. No need to drill this one to death.

I could cut all this short and just say that the BTM review is close, but sells it a bit short with an 8/9/8.5 on the dry. As a tweener who can really shade into either, I'd have to bump that at least half a point. I notice they reviewed on 38' of oil on wood, and where Sonix shines is on synthetics with strong backends; I've never seen anything that approaches its performance on this condition. Sonix is the resin for light conditions that crankers and high-trackers have been looking for.

Sonix delivers everything the high-rev bowler needs - length, control, ability to shape the backend, and good pin carry. High RG/low diff usually translates to "squirrelly" for me, but this is so far the most consistent, readable ball in its class I've thrown. Finally, for any bowler who is having trouble with excessive entry angle, this may be the answer.

The natural comparison is to a Too Hot, which was previously the mildest 2-piece resin I was aware of. I have these two in somewhat similar drillings, and can attest that they are very different balls. Sonix is a significantly better ball for me and the conditions I see. It is longer than a Too Hot with a soft arcing move instead of the Too Hot's snap. They are different looks, and it's well worth owning both if you see lots of gradations of dry.

I think Too Hot is more appropriate for the stroker release. I get frustrated with it because the core wants to rev at its own pace rather than mine; otherwise the results are disappointing. Sonix, on the other hand, has that ineffable "sweet roll" (possessed by Illusion and Viper Pearl, for example) for
the cranker and is a better-carrying ball. This core is so nice, sight unseen, I would  bet on the Sonix Solid as the sport ball of the year.  

My only complaint is that it tracks up like mad. A handful of games on it, and it has more wear than my 2 month old Too Hot.

Summary: An amazing package of length, roll, control and hit on the dry. Where it shines is in the hands of a high-rev player on synthetics with flying backends.

Ratings:

Versatility: 6. Definitely an arsenal ball for many players, but a main ball for a few. Doesn't reach up into the medium conditions like a lot of pearls. Put it away on the carrydown. Far better, for me, on synthetic than wood.

Control: 10. Seems to give me some hold on a shot that doesn't afford much.  If you have a shot with some swing and not much hold, get ready to slaughter 'em.

Hit: 9.5: Little move, big carry. The move off the dry is so smooth I don't worry about getting it out too early and leaving flat 10s. The bad case is tugging it into the oil.

Well I finally have bowled on enough dry to feel comfortable posting a review on this ball..sorry about the length of the post, but wanted to give a lot of detail and background:

Ball was a 15# 2.5in pin and about 2in top...I am a heavy handed right handed cranker (see profile)...went with layout #1 (on the drill sheet that came with the ball...but which in a previous post came to find out that it was an older drill sheet and doesn't match what is on their webpage....so I guess on the web page it is closer to A then C.)..  Pin is to the right and just under the ring finger (not above like the web drill sheet "A" due to a shorter pin length)....cg is in the center of my grip...

Used this AWESOME ball during a league that normally has a lot of oil, but yesterday took place directly after the GCC Games Trios @ Funland Center in Bahrain...which was 3 to a lane (6 to a pair), 6 games...so before my league there was about 18 games put on the lanes, not counting practice...so the league members weren't happy when they found out they weren't being oiled for league...but I was smiling because I knew I had the Sonic X in my bag..

First game went front 7, then got excited and over muscled the ball 4-10 split, missed, then turkey, 9 on the fill for a nice 263...then games 2 & 3 made some silly mistakes opening up to much, or getting fast with my push away and left some light hit 2 pins...but finished 238 - 207 (missed 10 pin, the only one I left all night and a missed 7 pin)....706...next highest in league was the high average bowler (210)- who shot a 649...I don't think anyone else was over 600...and there are some great bowlers on this league.

All in all I was able to keep this ball in play much easier then most people (who were using aggressive particles trying to over power the lanes and squeezing the heck out of the ball to give it that little extra...don't they know that just makes it worse).  I was playing about 25-18 all night...where other people were trying to fire it up the outside or play 4-5 arrow out to 5 and just watching the ball grab the lanes and take off.

This ball would hit the tracked out area about 25-30 ft down, look like it would turn up to get ready to take off, and then just glide to the pocket.  I knew it would do this, as I had played with this ball a lot during practice on varying levels of oil, and I could see the core just stand up and then nothing..no more turn...and would leave a lot of flat shots, but that is just proof that this is not an oil ball...it is a GREAT dry lane ball.

I look forward to getting the Sonic X solid, putting a stronger drill pattern on it, and use it for mediums.

Got the Sonic X for when then lanes were either really dry or broken down. I drilled it with the pin above ring, CG stacked under middle finger. I wanted the ball to go long and arc hard; exactly what this ball does! I play this ball mostly with a down and in shot. Stand 15, throw to 10, breakpoint around 8 board and let the ball arc in. This has to be one of the smoothest balls I have thrown. Very clean through the heads and midlane, just making a very hard arc on the backend. Ball has fantastic carry, just crushes the pocket on flush and light hits, occasional 10 pin (won't ball won't?). Skids a little too far to play in the oil. It's just a fantastic ball, another top notch product from Roto Grip.

Update:
After using it on several different conditions I've come to the conclusion, this is way too strong to be used on dry. I thought this would be my dry lane ball in my arsenal, I was wrong! It will flip harder than anything else in my bag on dry. I'm still tinkering with it, but I just think its way too strong for dry.  You would need a lot of speed to keep this bad boy in play.


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Josh


When in doubt, Throw it out. Go buy a whole new arsenal!

Specs in profile about myself, the ball is 16lbs, 3" pin out and was drilled (5x4) pin over the ring CG kicked out some.

This Sonic X complimented it's Solid brother very well.  I bowled with the Sonic X on second shift drier lanes and could stay in the track area just outside the oil line without over undering reactions.  This was because the pearl was more skid snappy than my Solid was, providing a little extra punch at the backends.

The hit and carry are tremendous just like the Solid, but carrydown will make you leave flat hits, maybe ten pins or nasty splits. (Just like the Solid)

Roto Grip has come up with two of the finest lighter oil equipment on the market, because these two play like top shelf heavy oilers.

Just don't be fooled by the specs, they will hook more if there is too much dry in your ball path.  If you have any sort of hand there's no need to drill these to death either...anything simple (weak) will do just fine.

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In the old days people used to cut wood with axes.....................now and days...............they just have Executioners do it for them!

Pin_Krusher IS a serious threat to modern day bowling wood as we know it today.

16 LBS. 4" pin 4 oz top
Drilled 6x4 and extra hole on PAP.
Got this ball because the house I normally bowl in has reduced the amount of oil they are putting out (7 to 7 block) I got this ball because my Silver Streak Pearl was too much ball and was burning out on the dry pattern, this ball is a great compliment to the SS I was able to move 8 boards inside where I normally play and was hitting like a truck. I have used the ball for 10 games now and have not yet seen one 10 pin!!!

drilled stack 1" over and drilled back down to 1/4 pos

Ball flips to hard on your THS but moves lazily, not enough under the hood and tires are using chains.

The ball covers as much area as my Silver Streak and my Piranha Retro which is alot of area, but again it moves lazily and soft.  It was suprising but it shouldn't of been because I knew it used the Silver Streak Pearl coverstock.

Planning to take the positive out so that it will play nicely in its own realm (the go long/for dry lanes realm).  

P.S. When I tried to play the oil it moved a little but left a bunch of soft corners...grrrr BUT MARK MY WORDS IT WILL BE IN MY BAG IF ITS THE LAST THING I DO! to be continued...

Lately I've been bowling on a made for fluffers short pattern that reminds me of the Monty Python song "Every sperm is sacred you must never waste it!"
Now substitute the word Rev for sperm.  

Anyway this short fluffers delight pattern has left me in an absolute quandry.

Coming in and practicing in the mornings I had been using stuff designed to close to the hole.  This same stuff in evening league had made me look like a FOOL!  Deeper inside angles with all sorts of swing some splits with a 1 board miss at the breakpoint and lots of 6 pins and back row pins.  While 5 rev fluffers and pure spinners are throwing 680s.

Talked to my teacher and she said get some shorter pins, weaker cores and keep the balls high grit but no polish.  Yo'all will do just fine!

Reading these weak core specs and Mr. Tony Gees hysterical review and others I was left with a mixed reaction, is this ball too strong or too weak for my goal of playing straight up on this super short pattern? (say 28 feet).

Therefore I split the difference and might have nailed this.
Pin right next to top of ring finger say 4 1/2 pin to pap and cg down 1/4 inch below grip center line at 3 1/4 cg to pap.  Yes 4 1/2 X 3 1/4.

This ball is absolutely the bomb!  A short pattern delight.

Matched up against a highly polished Fuze Ignitor, Walter Ray 1500 grit no polish, a Bowl America Atomizer(BZ Bullet with PK 18) and a Dull 1500 grit smash/r.  This ball was the hit of the session.

Able to play straight down 10 on this hard wet dry, this ball had everything one wants on this pattern.  Sanded to 1500 and left unpolished this ball carried everything from 10 to 1, straight down 10, swung to 6.  In a total of about 3 games this ball left like 1 7 pin.  The fuze ignitor while great and owning the pocket suffered numerous carry deficiencies.  The highly polished surface to tame all the differential left 9 pins, 7 pins, while the Sonic X just carried from nearly every conceivable angle.

What impresses about this ball is the midlane it just seems to set this ball up.
To punch.  There is even a little curl and the hook shape is just slightly less than the Walter Ray Mvp which has quite a bit more diff.  .33 versus this very low .20.  Of course looking at the core shape these wider center cores almost always supply midlane.

Now the trick will be to get the weighthole just right to not change reaction.
Just ever so slightly illegal I want to maintain the reaction exactly, and these low diff balls can be tricky.

Most similar to the Blue Pulse in movement(check specs rg is higher, diff the same and core shape similar for midlane) but it handles both oil at the breakpoint better and has slightly more at the back.

This is the short pattern champ!  As one of my favorite reviewers Tony Gee notes this is not a dry lane ball as I tried going out to 5 and as he described the ball bounced quick and had nothing left at the back.  Set it down along the oil line of your short pattern house and note how easy the lane looks and tally em up!  You'll be astounded that this 62.50 ball new is takin everyones cash!

REgards,

Luckylefty
PS for on the right and playing more swing on a short pattern I'm sure it's slightly stronger brother the Sonic Boom is winning answer for those playing inside fanatics!