Hi everyone, just wanted to give you an mini-update on the Heat.
Stats in Profile
Layout = 5 1/2 x 3 3/4 with weight hole about 6 inches over on midline
Cover = OOB
Layout Pic -http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0703/128177/RamtartsBowlingBalls/heattest2.jpg
House #1 - Wood Lanes (Medium Oily pattern with Clean Backends)
Last night I bowled on a Wet/Dry type condition at a local center with 19 year old wood lanes.
Oil concentration felt medium at best. The backends weren't flying, but they certainly felt cleaner than usual.
Took the Slash out swung 15-5 and went through the nose. Had to keep the speed up with this ball. Moved deeper starting the ball around 18 and keeping the same breakpoint and this did the trick. Pulled out the Heat to see if I could get more length/push downlane. This certainly gave me a great look without having to move deeper with the Slash.
I played around the 15 board the whole night (3 make-up games and 3 regular league session games on 2 different pairs). Boy this ball really started to shine. I've used this ball in two previous houses (both synthetic) prior to last night. As the night went on, I was surprised that I didn't move left that much. 2 other people were playing around the same line, but as the night progressed, I was surprised that I didn't have to move left with my feet. I did see some carrydown, so I just moved a board to the right and moved my eyes right a few boards to compensate and keep the ball around the pocket.
Make-up Session Set - 185-256-211 = 652
Regular League Set - 222-244-201 = 676
(finally a couple of decent sets as I felt spoiled with the free hook area hehe)
House #2 - Synthetic Lanes (Light oil in the heads, medium in the middle with hang outside 7 board in the first 30 feet with clean backends)
Definitely a tougher shot. I used the Heat twice in this house during practice sessions. With some hang area around the outside boards, this forced me to play pretty tight around the track area. As a high-end tweener, I usually like to strap the ball, but stroking the ball and staying behind it was the way to go. The heat had an arc like reaction on this type of condition. Very smooth and did not over-react.
House #3 - Synthetic Lanes (Medium-Heavy pattern with more oil in the middle with semi-clean backends - slight hang outside 5)
This house is known for the "outside line." People tend to migrate around the 5 board and just play around the rail. Lately, there has been some light hang in that area. With the higher concentration of oil in the middle, people have been playing the track area more.
I used the heat sparingly on this shot (mainly used the Delta & Slash for this house). I primarily played the same shot I did in House #2, but I could give it more hand. Very clean through the front and a nice arc on the backend. Again, love the smoothness on this ball.
Reaction & Breakpoint Shapes: This ball is very clean through the front. I see this ball about a couple of feet longer than the Slash. It's just what I needed under that ball. On oilier conditions, I saw more of an "arc" type motion and was very smooth. On cleaner backends, I saw a Hook/Set and more of a pronounced sharper backend movement. One thing this ball can do on most conditions is clear the heads with ease. I could only imagine how much cleaner it could be when polished.
Hit: When this ball hits "flush" I rarely left any corner pins. There were a few times when I left a couple of flat tens after swinging the ball out too wide. Other than that, I got a few scramble shots and light hits. For a mid-priced performance ball, it has great hitting power.
Reaction on Oilier Conditions: In the synthetic houses, I saw even more length out of the ball. The first house oils a little heavier in the middle and a little longer. I could play the track area with this ball, but the ball will "wiggle" on Oilier conditions.
Reaction on Mediums: This ball is awesome. I will be using this as my first ball out of the bag for House #1 (wood). This ball is great through the front and was a different animal on fresh backends.
Overall: Great ball for the price. In never had the Original Triton Heat, but from what I hear, a bunch of people liked that ball. I will need to bowl with this ball more and let you know more in the future. Hope this not-so Mini-Review helps out!
Best Regards, Ram
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