The Defiant is not a skid/flip piece. It a heavy rolling particle ball that is designed to eat oil. Its going to grab early and different surfaces are going to enhance or delay that grab. But it's not going to really "arc hard" unless you have a ton of hand. It was made to play the straighter angles, the Pearl gives you the ability to move somewhat in, and the Soul is for the heavy handed that want to start inward.

the original drill was pin under, and i didn't care for it that way.  it required fresh heavy oil, and no carry down yet to get a good reaction. 

i'm not sure it is going to be the best ball for me, but it's a learning experience, none the less.  I'm not going to be able to get a new ball til nearly september, maybe christmas time, so the theory being a great option, will likely not be available when it's time to get a new one.  I like the look of the First Blood, but have heard the EBI covers tend to suck up oil and lose a lot of their reaction early.  I have recently stumbled into a new drilling and starting using finger inserts instead of raw tips, and added currently getting more reaction out of my equipment.  While that's a good thing, my stuff is hooking too early after the first game or so.

Rotogrip is on the verge of signing one of my good friends to a trial contract to the senior tour, and would not mind supporting the brand, but need to find the right piece to do so.  I had a Hy Road, but it seemed to die a little early on me, and was a very speed sensitive ball for me, and now i'm having issues finding the Defiant's true use.

I would like to get a ball to react like my old Black Widow Pearl, and even the Black Widow, that later jump off the break point.  I've obviously got time to see what all the companies are going to bring out leading into the fall, here's to hoping there's a good one coming out.

You would probably be happier with the Defiant Soul. It is a non-Micro bite hybrid and is very popular on tour right now. Still not a skid/flip, but cleaner through the fronts than an equivalent surface Defiant or Edge.

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While they will handle the heaviest of oils that we see today, they will never provide the sharp backend that people crave to see, as they do in the original Virtual Gravity and the Critical Theory. People (read; male bowlers with super-sensitive machismo egos) need to see a sharp backend even if they are not capable of generating such with their own release.

Poetic.

I have the Original Defiant and it is definitely an early rolling piece with a hard arc on the backend. I've tried it sheen shine and dull. You will never get a skid flip reaction. The Defiant Soul is a great ball under the Defiant. It is cleaner up front, strong in the mids and has a nice continuous angular arc on the backend. The Soul compliments the Origianl Defiant.