Author Topic: Mean Machine (Read 15465 times)

admin · « **on:** December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM »

Ball NPS Score: Not Available

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Coverstock: Fang LS Control
Weight Block: Robo core
Ball Color: Black/Pearl
Ball Finish: Smooth
Hook Potential: 7 (Medium-High) on a scale of 1-10 Low-High
Length: 8 (High) on a scale of 1-10 Low-High
RG Differential: 0.050 (Medium-High Flare) on a scale of .000-.080 Low Flare-High Flare
RG Average: 2.52 (Medium-Low) on a scale of 2.43-2.80 Very Low-High Break Point
Reaction Shape: Strong Flip
Recommended Lane Conditions: Heavy Oil

Brian Eger · « **Reply #1 on:** July 11, 2006, 01:06:26 AM »

All I can say is I love this ball. Laid my Mean Machine out with the pin below the bridge, shifted slightly left (almost under the middle finger). CG is shifted under the ring just above the my thumb. Close to a 5 3/4 x 5 layout. MB is just left of my VAL and below the thumb. No weight hole needed. This ball is a winner. Tremendous ball reaction on house patterns and PBA conditions. The ball clears the heads so well. What a great combination of cover and core. The Fang LS Control coverstock should be a major player on all kinds of conditions (short of the dry stuff). I will definitely be drilling another one of these for the arsenal. I'm very curious to see how polishing would change the roll characteristics. But, I'm not touching this one. It's just too good. The Machine and Mean Machine make a awesome 1-2 punch. I will highly recommend this ball to all of my bowlers.
--------------------
Brian Eger
Track Amateur Staff
www.trackbowling.com

gobeavers92 · « **Reply #2 on:** July 17, 2006, 11:18:39 AM »

(1) MEAN MACHINE â€“ 6 x 2.5 Pin high above bridge with the MB at 25 degrees (roll position) EX Hole on Axis and 1500 polish. This ball was a little bit of an experiment. I was looking for a ball that would get through the fronts and get down the lane before it starts to pick up. Then once the ball got toward the back part of the lane I wanted a VERY smooth and even move. I know this is an odd combination, usually with this high of a pin and surface the ball will jerk left because the ball has retained so much energy. I was presently surprised to see this ball get through the fronts and midlane and then make a VERY smooth move toward the pins. This ball looks great on the fresh and hits VERY HARD!

(2) MEAN MACHINE â€“ 5.5 x 2.5 Pin Below middle finger with MB at 50 degrees (Hook/Set position) EX Hole 2.5in down from Axis (flare increasing) box finish. As you can see this is a COMPLETELY different animal that the other Mean Machine. I specifically drilled this ball the PBA Regional pattern 5 (44ft). This ball rolls VERY hard. It picks up in all that oil and nothing is going to stop it. This ball is stronger than my GP2 or my Arsenal Aggressive. I am so excited about this ball I canâ€™t even begin to tell you how good it looked. It makes a nice even but very strong move even with all that oil. I may never get flooded out again! I am still amazed that you can take the same bowling ball and have such COMPLETETLY different looks. These 2 Mean Machines are not even close to each other. It amazes me that the same ball drilled differently can produce such a different reaction. This ball will cover MANY different conditions and for the higher average player / Professional this ball will help you more than you can imagine.

THANK YOU TRACK!

--------------------
Blaine Weninger
Track PBA Regional Staff

oldschoollefty · « **Reply #3 on:** July 18, 2006, 04:40:08 AM »

And now from the left side...

Mean Machine:
Mine is drilled 5 x 4, pin over ring finger, CG close to palm, no weight hole. I fully expected this one to go straight sideways at the breakpoint given the resin cover and the Robo Core. What a surprise, even with a strong read in the mids, this ball did not overreact at all and was very smooth with great continuation on the back ends. The first three times I threw this one were on two different house patterns (one fairly long and the other, pretty short) and the third time in a regional on a Guardian surface that offered plenty on free hook. Never once did this ball jump too hard even when the heads began to toast some. This may be one of the most versatile balls Track or anyone else has come out with in a long time.

Equation:
This one is drilled 3.5 x 4.5 with the pin left of the ring finger. First, let me say this is a GREAT looking ball. I know purple and gold have been done before but not like the Equation. This one really stands out. As for performance, the Goo LS shell and the Ti nugget addition to the Heat Blast core didn't disappoint at all. On house patterns, this ball let me get inside the track area, swing to the dry and maintain better speed. Translated, I was able to open up the lane more than I've been able to in quite a while. I thought once, I heard tires screeching when the ball hit the breakpoint and this was after the lanes had been bowled on quite a bit and there was some carry down. One word sums it up... ANGULAR.

Special thanks to Del, our new rep, Mike Judy, and the folks in San Antonio who make the magic happen. We'll be seeing a lot of these two new entries both on TV and the winners circle.

--------------------
Your arsenal isn't complete without an Arsenal.

www.trackbowling.com

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PROUD TRACK REGIONAL STAFF MEMBER... CONTINUING THE REVOLUTION

www.fastrackproshop.com

rohde846 · « **Reply #4 on:** July 21, 2006, 01:48:24 PM »

I received this ball out in Vegas during the MegaBucks Tournaments. MY stats are as following:

Left Handed
Ball Speed: 19-20 mph
Rev Rate: 450-475 rpm
Axis Point: 4.75 by 13/16 up

Ball Drilled:
2 by 6.75 with a Weight Hole by the thumb
Kept at Manufacturer's surface

Threw the ball at all 3 tournaments (TAT, Hi-Roller, and Mini Eliminator) and used this ball exclusively. on the 37 foot pattern of the Mini, I was able to play 7 to 3, and this ball was able to roll through the back, with a strong, but controllable movement. I was able to make it into the 3rd round of the finals in the Mini. As the lanes broke down, I was able to move right, where the ball was able to recover, but but not overreact.

On the TAT pattern, which is usually the easiest of the 3 Megabucks in terms of scoring, I was playing a very similiar line as the Mini, with the ball able to get down the lane and store energy. Had a little bit of issue in terms of carry, but it was more due to a bad matchup.

At the Hi-Roller, was to myself, the toughest pattern and was forced in, playing 18-10 and just like at the other tournaments, it was able to roll through the backends and maintain the pocket. I did run into an issue of carry, but everything else in my bagwould overreact, while this ball held the line very well.

I came back and bowled in my Sport pattern league back home. The pattern was a 2.5 to 1 ratio, 40 foot pattern, with a high volume of oil. Out on the edge (5-3)and ended the end of the night playing 8-5. WIth this ball, I was the only bowler in the league that could get the ball to recover off the outside. While most would whiff the head pin, I was able to consistently hit the pocket, shooting 665 on it.

I would like to Thank Track for coming out with the Mean Machine, as it is my first ball out of the bag.

Billy Rohde

Mike Meifert · « **Reply #5 on:** July 30, 2006, 10:57:09 PM »

Drilled mine with pin above ring finger (4" from pap) and MB just right of the thumb. With box surface this ball gets down the lane easier than I expected and has a good strong arc to it. For my game the Machine is a great benchmark ball and the Mean Machine is outstanding when I need a little stronger reaction through the oil. Both Machines are a great compliment to each other for tackling medium to longer patterns. Tried the Mean Machine on a drier house pattern and PBA pattern 1 with the lowest volume and it gave a very controlled reaction but burned up a little early for me. I believe with a lot of axis tilt the Mean could handle a large variety of conditions. For me it is going to be an outstanding oil ball that I could probably chase the oil line with a lot longer than most heavy oil balls.
--------------------
Mike Meifert
Track Regional Staff

Craig Szplett · « **Reply #6 on:** July 31, 2006, 05:05:34 PM »

Finally drilled this ball after having it a couple weeks (my other stuff rolls too good) and I wish I would have drilled it sooner. I drilled it last Tuesday to use it in league on Wednseday and shot 268 247 300 815 right out of the box! I polished the ball with Magic Shine and drilled the ball with the pin at 5" above ring finger and MB 5" also. The ball is very clean through the front and has a very strong smooth arc on the backend. Much smoother than I would have thought based off of cover and core. I think anyone who likes their Machine will like this one just as much or more.

Sorry for the short review but I've only got 3 games on the ball.

Thanks Del!

Craig Szplett
Track Amateur Staff

tenpinspro · « **Reply #7 on:** August 01, 2006, 03:04:00 PM »

Pap â€“ 5 over 3/4 up, rotation 55 degrees, speed 14-15, weight 14lbs
Layout - 4 7/8 x 4 3/8mb, 1 5/8 above mid line

Video - http://media.putfile.com/Mean-Machine

More vids - http://media.putfile.com/Mean-Machine-various

Testing conditions: synthetics 32ft buffed to 42

Readability and Hook: The ball is strong in the midlane and still offers a very good backend reaction to boot.

In the out of box finish, this ball likes oil. With good oil present or thicker head oil up front, it clears very nicely with a pronounced midlane reaction and a very nice strong arc to the pins.

Control: Even with my aggressive layout, the ball reacts with a strong arc, not skid flippy at all.

Hit: The hit is very interesting, another ball that keeps pins low and carrys well but the interesting part is the sound. I donâ€™t get that loud crashing sound but instead, I get this low crumbling sound as it mows the pins down slowly.

Overall: Very nice ball. Just a tad shy of oil handling capability compared to our Robo Rule but makes up for it on the backend. Our new coverstock Fang Control LS offers the best of both worlds it seems as it reads the lane like particle but finishes in between the jumpiness of a reactive and the sometimes smoother reaction of particle. It truly fits right in between the two coverstocks in reaction. Great addition to the bag for that med/med to med heavy oil.

--------------------
Rick Leong - Ten Pins Pro Shop
Track Intl. - Amateur/Pro Shop Staff
Vise Inserts Staff
www.Trackbowling.com

See profile for Track Ball videos

*El Presidente of the Track Legion

Berries · « **Reply #8 on:** August 05, 2006, 01:12:47 AM »

Drilled 5 1/2 X 3 No Hole
Avg Rev Rate and Speed
Testing Conditions Regional Pattern 3 (38ft) and House Pattern

The Mean Machine out of the box is very strong and needs oil to work at its best. I polished the box surface with Magic Shine and had a much better look. The Mean Machine rolls very heavy and strong and that turns into strong hitting power on the backend. The ball is pretty strong rolling so it doesn't jerk on the backend, more of a controlled strong roll. Compared to my Machine it is much stronger in the front and the mids. A very good ball for high ball speeds or people that need a strong resin ball.

--------------------
Dave Beres
Track Regional Staff

BuddiesProShopcom - Bill · « **Reply #9 on:** August 08, 2006, 12:47:10 AM »

I drilled this ball up with the Mass Bias 4 3/4 inches from my PAP and the Pin 4 1/2 inches from my PAP (Positive Axis Point). I needed a small weight hole.

I tried this ball out on our normal house shot and 2 different sports positions. I was able to adjust to any of the shots I have come across. I was able to play inside and out with this ball without much trouble. I was able to play these different angles without lossing hit.

I didn't find this ball to be the biggest hooking ball on the market, but what this ball lacks in overall hook, this ball makes up for in versitility. This is a great overall ball. I would say that this ball would be best for Medium oil, but if you have a good game, you will be able to make this ball work on just about anything.

If you have any questions, please email me at Bill@BuddiesProShop.com
--------------------
Thanks
Bill
BuddiesProShop.com
"The Place All Bowlers Shop"

JessN16 · « **Reply #10 on:** August 09, 2006, 03:41:51 AM »

I won this ball from Track during its Ball-A-Day Giveaway and got a drilling suggestion from none other than Del Warren himself. Whether or not the ball ends up becoming a favorite, the customer service Track has already shown me is outstanding and far above and beyond the call of duty.

Moving on to the ball itself, I received a 15-pound Mean Machine with 2.5 oz of top weight and a 2.5-inch pin. Del's drilling suggestion placed the pin in my ring finger, with the CG in the palm under the ring, and the mass bias a couple inches right of the thumb at about 4:30.

Original testing of the ball took place on oil conditions that I can best describe as comical. The lane was dressed with day-old PBA Regional Pattern 4, but the front 34 feet or so had been oiled over with THC. So the first half of the lane was a blend of THC and Pattern 4, then the rest was day-old Pattern 4.

Nevertheless, I got good performance out of the Mean Machine. The two things you'll notice about the ball from the get-go are (a) a lot of backend for an oiler and (b) you have a maximum of about six shots on any given line before this ball has already wiped the oil clean there and you need to move. The upside to that is that I inadvertently got in a lot of practice playing fourth arrow and left of that -- a line I rarely use.

The ball got another test on THC, then got its first real test tonight on fresh Regional Pattern 4. Where no one else's balls were hooking in the backends, the Mean Machine was moving 10-15 boards and carrying.

The best part of this ball may be the core, which is the best carrying core design I think I've ever been behind. The coverstock on this ball, though, should also prove to be pretty versatile. I got quite a bit of flare out of my drilling. Basically, the ball is a winner all the way around.

The only potential negative is that it may be too strong for most of the conditions amateur bowlers will face -- but that's a nice "negative" to have.

I also have the original Machine, and this ball makes a great complement to that ball. Thanks to Track and Del Warren for the ball and for designing a great product.

Jess

C-G ProShop-Carl · « **Reply #11 on:** August 14, 2006, 10:52:42 PM »

Ball:
Pin 4 3/4 from PAP, 3 inches above my midline, MB 4.5inches from PAP..I left the factory finish on the ball.

Lanes: I have tried the Mean Machine on synthetics, wood and a combination wood and guardian.

HOOK:
Heavy Oil- I believe the Mean Machine can handle a very heavy amount of oil..probably just an eyelash less than the Robo Rule. I had success with this ball on the shark pattern with its surface at around 1000. It is best suited for the heavier side of medium oil.

Medium Oil- Generally this layout is more of a medium oil type layout for my game....but the coverstock is so strong that this is not a medium oil ball. Should the coverstock be adjusted appropriately then I can see it handling medium oil very well. The Mean Machine is an extremely versatile ball.

Light Oil- Forget about it!

TOTAL HOOK:
It is less than the Robo Rule as far as the ability to handle longer patterns...but not by much!!!! It makes up for the slightly later roll than the Robo with an amazing backend reaction. The Mean Machine backends more than any dull ball I have thrown or I have seen thrown.
9.5 out of 10

Control:
Being a strong asymmetrical ball I have no doubt the Mean Machine could easily be drilled to control any part of the lane that you wish to have it control. The layout I have on it is very strong in the midlane and backend...so control with this layout...nope.

Expected Reaction:
I actually expected this ball to get tremendous length due to the layout and the reactive coverstock. The Fang Control LS coverstock is amazing. A ball shouldn't be allowed to roll as well as this does and have this much backend at the same time!
The result was a reaction that was quite suprising. As stated above, the Mean Machine does read the midlane very well...but its backend shocked me.

Readability:
Even with this type of layout I get a very good read of the lane with the Mean Machine. Rarely do you see a combination of strength and consistancy out of a ball like you get wtih the Mean Machine.

Strengths:
Medium/heavy patterns will make the Mean Machine damn near illegal. As long as it has enough head oil to get it down the lane the Mean Machine will perform extraordinarily.

Weaknesses:
Patterns that are light oil or that have broken down some and have little head oil remaining.

Placement:
I have never had a difficult time placing a ball in a slot for an arsenal like I have this ball. It will not cover boards in a flood like the Robo Rule...but on most patterns it will outhook the Robo because of the strong backend it has. SO....I place it between the Robo Rule and the Machine.

Comments:
I had a Robo Rule drilled up exactly like this ball.....in a direct comparison the Mean Machine was stronger. Granted the backends were open and the Mean Machine covered many boards more in the backend of the lane.
The addition of the Fang LS Control Coverstock was much needed in the Track lineup. This coverstock is amazing....it gives the midlane read of a particle ball yet backends in a motion between what you normally get out of a reactive and what you normally get out of a particle.
--------------------
Carl Hurd
C-G Pro Shop (owner/operator)
Youngstown Ohio

Track Intl.-Amateur/Pro Shop Staff
www.trackbowling.com

Tag Team Member #1
(tag team partners w/ Rick)

vilecanards · « **Reply #12 on:** August 19, 2006, 02:29:09 AM »

update: have received and thrown Equation and Mean Machine in a side-by-side test after work(closing the lanes). One lane was day-old oil that hadn't been bowled on, adjacent lane had received much traffic, therefore a good bit of carry-down. Both balls drilled aggressively... MM drilled mildly speed dominant, and equation with drill pattern#6, latest breakpoint. Ball reactions were almost identical except that, of course the EQ went about 2-3 feet further before making it's move to the pocket. The lateness of the move makes the EQ hook APPEAR to be more boards than MM, though they are actually about the same... for me(high-speed, avg. revs, high-tracker) it was 10-12 boards. This was about what I expected from MM, but I NEVER figured on getting that much movement from a pearl/polished ball! Now I just need to figure out which one to use for game1, game2, and game3. Knowing when to switch is going to be tough, since I've been having BIG first games(220-269), mediocre 2nd games(190ish), switch balls for 3rd game and back in the low 200's. League night we have virgin oil/backends so either ball would work... but WHICH ONE should be the 2nd out of the bag? Thanks for any advice/suggestions!
--------------------
r.k.wolfe

SteveAustin2808 · « **Reply #13 on:** August 20, 2006, 03:54:44 PM »

Mean Machine
Weight: 15#
Pin: 3"
Top Weight: 2.5 oz

Layout:
4 1/2" Pin Below the Ring Finger. CG in negative position with MB at 5 o'clock. No Weight Hole. I really thought I was going to have a problem laying the ball out the way I wanted because of the CG placement; however, this turned out to NOT be a problem whatsoever!

Oil Conditions:
I used this ball on AMF synthetics that were oiled to 38' and buffed to about 45', pretty much a house shot basically. Ranging from a fresh shot to about heavy medium with a slight appearance of carrydown.

First Impressions:
I was expecting this ball to be a good fit under my Robo Rule. After throwing a few times, my expectations were blew apart. This ball gave me alot more than the Robo Rule ever gave me as far as hook went.

Detailed Description:
The Mean Machine is a very forgiving ball. I started playing deep because I really didn't think this would be able to handle direct angles although I tried this a few times. I stood on 25 with my feet aiming at 15 (3rd arrow). This ball was still too aggressive as I got blow out 9s and trip 4s strikes. So when I played this ball direct with my feet on 20 and aiming at 10, the ball caught friction very early and finished through the beak. I finally decided to stand on 30, which is really out of my comfort zone as far as playing the lanes and aiming between 17 to the middle arrow, getting the ball out as far as the 8 board and I just couldn't believe my eyes when this ball had enough energy to make it back to the pocket and strike with a light mixer! Simply put, just incredible!

Comparison/Contrast:

Mean Machine vs. Robo Rule

I have the Robo Rule laid out with a 4 1/2" Pin High Above the Ring Finger with the CG kicked out about 1-2" with the Mass Bias at 30 degrees. This ball gives me quality length and snap on the backend. Although it gives me length, the Robo Rule is still quite the hooker! The Mean Machine compared to the Robo Rule in this case would be that the Mean Machine gives me more energy retention on the backend playing deep, whereas the Robo Rule would get back to the pocket easier but left me alot of weak 10s. If the Mean Machine's reaction is too erratic, then I could go with the Robo Rule and not worry about it snapping so hard as the particle coverstock gives it alittle bit of roll out and smoothness for me. If you are looking for a ball that will hook a lot of boards, give the Mean Machine a try. If you desire controllable yet a decent amount of hook, then I would suggest the Robo Rule.

Conclusion:
The Mean Machine is a very impressive ball in the aspect of how it handles the slick stuff. Being able to put it in the middle where the thickest oil is on a THS and it still have the power to get back to the pocket just simply amazes me! So, if you are looking for a ball to handle the slick stuff all the way down to the heavy side of mediums, take your game to the next level and get MEAN on the competition with the Track Mean Machine!
--------------------
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Albany601 · « **Reply #14 on:** September 07, 2006, 06:05:47 PM »

SteveAustin2808 -- Your review of the Mean Machine in dead on. I purchased one this past weekend with practically the same layout and have seen the same results. I have to admit, the conditions I used this ball on for the very first time were not ideal conditions. The lanes were medium to dry so I was definitely standing at 30 rolling out to 15/20. The Mean Machine made it back to the pocket without any problem. My ball speed was around 14 mph as a Stroker and I managed to bowl a 204 out of the box on some pretty dry conditions.

I went back to the lanes last night on fresh oil, about a 37' pattern. I was able to move in to 25, but not more than 22. This is a truly a ball that will deliver 10 in the pit without a doubt. Bowled 215 and 210 last night for practice. My main reason for purchasing this ball was to upgrade from the Ultimate Inferno which just seemed to lose it's turn to the pocket after 3 months. I'm going to polish my Mean Machine just a little to take off some of the midlane action. I'll post another message after league tomorrow night to share the results.

Author Topic: Mean Machine (Read 15465 times)

admin

Mean Machine

Brian Eger

Re: Mean Machine

gobeavers92

Re: Mean Machine

oldschoollefty

Re: Mean Machine

rohde846

Re: Mean Machine

Mike Meifert

Re: Mean Machine

Craig Szplett

Re: Mean Machine

tenpinspro

Re: Mean Machine

Berries

Re: Mean Machine

BuddiesProShopcom - Bill

Re: Mean Machine

JessN16

Re: Mean Machine

C-G ProShop-Carl

Re: Mean Machine

vilecanards

Re: Mean Machine

SteveAustin2808

Re: Mean Machine

Albany601

Re: Mean Machine