I am going to post their numbers and comments. I never put much merit into what the numbers are, but what they say is usually pretty good.
OIL: 7/7/8
Med: 9/9/9.5
Dry: 4/5/5
Sport: 5/4/4
(listed: stroker/tweener/cranker)
4.51 RG: The RG is slightly higher than the Rule and Xception. The medium-high RG will still rev up suprisingly well for any style of player.
6.9 Diff/Flare: The flare potential is very similar to both the Rule and Xception. The X 5.0 has 5 plus inches of flare built into it. The most any of us could get in the oil was Cranker with 3 inches.
6.0 Torque: The midlane is slightly stroner than the Xception. Since the midlane is a little stronger, the 5.0 is also a little smoother at the breakpoint.
12.5 Length: The length of this new release from Track will fit between the Rule and Xception. This gives the Xception 5.0 the versatility to perform well on medium and oily patterns.
14.5 Back End: The stronger midlane and smoother breakpoint keeps it from covering as many boards at the back end as the Xception. With a little less at the breakpoint and back end we were able to play closer to the oil line.
49 Total Hook: The total hook of the 5.0 is almost evenly spread throughout the entire lane. It will cover a few more boards than the Xception, but a few less than the Rule and GP2.
Comments: The X 5.0 will fill the gap between the Rule and Xception. You should be able to tear up medium-oily patterns. We couldn't help but fall in love with the Xception 5.0. Usually each tester prefers one of their test balls over the other because of the drill patterns. This ball rolled great no matter how it was drilled. We could easily carry both of these balls in our arsenal because of how well the two different drill patterns complemented each other. When the stronger drill started to burn off too much energy we simply pulled out the weaker drill and we were back in action. AFter we got tired of striking, we put some Magic Shine on the weaker drilled balls to try and increase our chances on our dry pattern. This increased our chances of getting to the pocket, but we still preferred our look on the medium pattern wtih the box finish.
SUMMARY:
Strengths: What we liked the most about the 5.0 is how it takes to drifferent hand positions and releases. If we needed a little more at the breakpoint all we had to do was give it a little more torque.
Weakness: It will struggle on drier lane conditions. The back end is a little too smooth for getting in deep and going around the lane. When faced with this type of condition, we would prefer something more like the newly released Track Heat.
Overall: The Xception 5.0 is strong in the midlane with an evenly strong breakpoint. The midlane and breakpoint reaction gives it a smooth strong roll at the back end.
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A couple of things that I want to comment on:
First: I peronally have had no problem getting the 5.0 to circle the lane at all. Recovery is never an issue, unless it burns up and if that happens I shouldn't be using it anyways.
Second: They have a section where they give info on the Core of the equipment they are reviewing. There is a part under the 5.0 that says "Enhanced Mass Bias: Not available". This bothers me. I feel they should list the spin time of every asymmetrical they review. HOWEVER-----as I said earlier in this thread, I read their comments and put nothing into the numbers.
-EX-
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C-G Pro Shop (owner/operator)
Youngstown Ohio
Track Intl.-Amateur/Pro Shop Staff
