Hi Guys, well I have an update on the Slash I got drilled up last week by Rick.
Slash Layout (5 1/2 x 3 3/8) Don't mind incorrect specs on the pics hehe. Thanks for the correction Rick! -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0703/128177/RamtartsBowlingBalls/Slash_Layout.jpgLast night In league we encountered a Wet/Dry type pattern. The front portion of the lane didn't feel heavy nor did it feel light. It was more on the medium side condition wise. One thing though, the backends were pretty fresh. I don't know if they stripped them or not, but they were cleaner than usual. One thing is for sure, you couldn't let down on your speed the whole night.
Tonight's condition showed how the Slash smoothed out the backend. I really like this layout (Pin directly under bridge and cg kicked out on midline). It enabled my ball to roll smooth and "push" in the backend without sacrificing carry. In comparison, I saw a few guys equipment diving into the "nose" or going brooklyn struggling with the Wet/Dry in practice.
COMPARISONS WITH OTHER BOWLERS AND THEIR EQUIPMENT ON MY PAIR
I saw a bunch of balls with different types of drillings (RSX, Storm XXX, Storm Fire Storm, Purple 3D Hammer, etc. and my Slash).
Storm Fire Storm (Stroker) - Drilled Label. He played up the boards (In between 1st arrow & gutter) and had nice hold. He throws it pretty straight. He struggled in the first game, but finished out the night with a 208 & 192.
Brunswick Teal Rhino Pro - Drilled Label. The tweener with the old Out Of Box cover Teal Rhino Pro swung the ball a little bit (12 at arrows swung to 5). Medium track on his ball. He couldn't get the ball to finish per his faster ball speed. The ball started to check up as the lanes started break down. He struggled with a 147 in the first game, but bounced back with a 209 in the last game.
RSX - Drilled Pin over bridge and CG kicked out just above midline. Low track player (kinda close to a spinner) with faster speed and tweener type RPMs. With his decent hand, he was also struggling to get the ball off the "Nose." He's my teammate and isn't comfortable with "swinging the ball," but when he had the confidence to actualy bounce the ball it gave his ball the decent amount of room to recover off the fresh backend. He had a nice 230 game in the 2nd game, but with the lanes breaking down he finished off with a 177.
Strom XXX - Drilled about 4 x 4 stacked by ring finger. Another low track player except with slower ball speed and tweener type RPMs. He likes to play deep (4th arrow) but his ball has the tendency to roll out. This was apparent tonight as he was either going through the nose, leaving buckets or washing out. Another teammate of mine. We told him to square up a little bit and the shot started opening up for him. He had 1 200 game for the night.
Hammer Purple 3D - Not sure of the drill layout. Higher track player with 14-15 mph speed and medium revs. He was also playing deep and kind of had the same look my teammate with the Strom XXX did. His ball seemed to roll out a bit as well, but he did have a great look in the last game as he crushed a bunch of strikes from a deep inside line. Not sure if he had a 200, but I remember he punched out to beat one of my teammates in the 11st game.
Track Slash - Pin under bridge and CG kicked out on midline. My stats are power tweener with a High Track and 16-17 mph speed at the deck. In practice I wanted to see how much room I had. But when I noticed the Wet/Dry it triggered a slight concern. So I figured what the heck, I could be comfortable with firm ball speed and let it go from there. I was comfortable swinging the ball from 15 at the arrows to about 5 at the breakpoint. The ball had great push and a real nice pronounced "Arc" Just what I was looking for in this ball. It was apparent, the ball never "Jumped," it just reacted off the dry mildy. Dang, I never new a Cover & Layout combo could serve its' purpose so appropriately. As the night went on, I moved deeper, In the third game I was playing Inside the 4th arrow and had a bunch of area to the right. If you missed right, the fresh backends would help out, but don't get me wrong, you still needed to put some hand in it.
Carry factor was great. The ball really drove through the pins. Light shots scrambled. I left 1 "9 Pin" and 2 "10 Pin" I did leave a washout and a 2-8-10. I also left a bunch of "4 Pins" and 1 "7 Pin". From what I remember I did leave a few 3-6-10 combos and I chopped one.
178-199-232 = 609
Not a spectacular set but I'm satisfied for the Slash's first look in league. The wet/dry surprised me but it was refreshing to see a different shot. If you're looking for a control layout without sacrificing the backend reaction try one. I'll update you all when I encounter a Heavier Oil condition with the Slash. Hope this helps!
Regards,
Ram
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"Heck Yes!"
Napoleon DynamiteEdited on 7/8/2005 10:19 AM
