I think the Helios is a great versatile piece.  Unlike the Original Idol, I can continue to migrate left throughout the night and continue to carry the corners with the Helios. 

It's one of those balls where surface is key though.  If I want to play a little swing it's way better with a little polish on it.  No one is having much luck around here with the Zen Master unless it's in a 9 pin tournament  

Helios is one of the few SPI balls I didn't buy, so I have no personal feedback to give you. I can give you observational feedback, though: What you're dealing with, a lot of other people are dealing with the same thing.

The complaints have been the ball is too much shape, too "fast" on the fresh but you can't really chase it inside very far. A part-time teammate of mine has it and I haven't seen him struggle so much with a ball before. Like you, he has a Zen as well and that ball fits his game a lot better on house shots.

Just personally, from watching it I don't think it's the best option for a league shot. Despite its issues with excessive shape, I think it has to have more volume across the lane in order to work its best. I basically think they responded to complaints about the original Idol being too round and overdid it.

All of the local guys are shooting big around me.

It's an updated IQ tour more so that a remake of the original idol if that makes sense. I feel the cover is isn't as strong as you would assume, it's finally a tournament ball for roto.

I never though of it that way.  That really makes sense ... the shapes are the same.

I agree with all the other previous suggestions about this ball.

SURFACE is KEY! Out of the box is hit or miss for most people I've seen use it. Almost all of the folks who are having success with this ball have altered the surface!

The guys who put up really big numbers with this ball took it to 4000.

I was at a tournament this past weekend and a high rev guy was playing 13 with his and putting up decent numbers. 246 first game and 245 second game.

He had to move to 4th arrow with it and had to lean on it to carry properly. He ultimately finished with a 252, but if he let up at all it was flat ten city!

I took the surface to 4000, and it was very useable reaction.  It still will flat 10 you to death if you need to make a move inside.  The entry angle is unbelievable for a sym solid but it’s hit or miss.  It does what it does and that’s it.  I think this is a love it or hate it ball.  It really looks like a bright orange iQ Tour Solid going down the lane … shape is almost identical, but it just handles more oil.

I think it's the other way around, I think the cover is a lot stronger than people give it credit for, which is why the flat 10s.  Having thrown/tested it on a lot higher volume and longer length than typical house shots, it reacts better with more oil available.  I think if people get some games on it and let it settle in, that'll help, but I think it's too strong of a ball for the majority of conditions people are trying to use it on. 

Quote from: billdozer on February 26, 2022, 09:35:44 PM

All of the local guys are shooting big around me.

It's an updated IQ tour more so that a remake of the original idol if that makes sense. I feel the cover is isn't as strong as you would assume, it's finally a tournament ball for roto.

Yep and from what I have seen, it is definitely not IQ Tour territory.  The guy that I see in my Monday Night league use it (currently averaging around 230 with it) and it goes pretty sideways which the IQ Tour is not known for.  Maybe on a longer pattern with less friction it could resemble it to an extent.  But on the standard 40 foot house shot, The Helios seems cleaner through the front and then definitely more down lane reaction.