My specs:
Left handed, ball speed around 16 MPH, rev rate around 300 RPM, axis rotation of around 60 degrees, and axis tilt around 30 degrees.
The last ball I drilled up was a smooth surface FMG with a “Rico†drilling. I drilled that one to use in a particular house that has a strong “wet / dry†border and lends itself to overreactions. I’ve been pretty happy with it because it is so predictable and blends the oil / dry out. The only thing was that if I pulled it slightly into the oil, I would have a good chance at looking at a corner pin. Now many people might think that I wouldn’t have much to complain about. An occasional corner pin on a marginal shot is to be expected, right? The thing is, I’m a greedy SOB. I wanted something that would carry those corner pins as well.
When I first saw the information on the Ogre Particle and saw that it had the same cover as the Granite Gargoyle (which I also have), I was intrigued but thought that it would be too aggressive for the house in question. But as I read more reviews on it, I became more interested. So I placed a call to the Visionary folks and, as always, they were more than helpful in answering my questions. They told me that the combination of the lower flare Ogre core and smoother surface would allow use on more of the medium conditions, and that the ball was really intended to blend the pattern out. I decided to give one a try.
Already having the Granite Gargoyle for the heavy stuff, I drilled this one out a little tamer. Using the “Dual Angle†system, I went with a 60* drilling angle x 4†PAP x 30* VAL angle layout, and left it in box finish. The “maiden voyage†was some practice games on a leftover shot from the previous day. I honestly thought that it would check up early and die. The first two games were playing around 22 out to 8. It had an extremely heavy roll, a very even arc, and still hit like a truck. I upped the speed some and tightened the line to 16 out to 8. The next three games were 235, 247, and 300. Wow. I couldn’t wait for league night and a little more oil.
After my first night in league with the ball, I’m not sure that this thing is capable of a game under 240. I was playing from 9 out to 4 with a little speed, and turned in games of 243, 249, and 289. And it was EASY. I felt like I had the whole lane. Shots that hit the dry too soon just arced back without “ricocheting†off the dry, and shots tugged into the oil held the line, still picked up a heavy roll and just blasted through the pocket. But what was really impressive to me was what happened with small differences in release. There were some shots that I really didn’t get much on, and they still rolled up for some awesome “mixersâ€. There were a few others where I really got a handful and would have bet that they were through the nose, but they just rolled up high flush and destroyed the pins. It keeps your swing pretty loose when you know you don’t have to be perfect.
This ball definitely gives me a different reaction from anything else I’ve got. But you do need to know what to expect. If you’re looking for something with a violent change of direction at the break point, look somewhere else (like an Immortal Pearl if you can still find one). If you’re looking for something that will scoot down the lane when they’re toasty, this is not the ball (try the Ogre SS). It really reminds me of the reaction I used to get using an aggressive non-reactive urethane ball back in the early 90’s: an early, very heavy roll with a smooth, medium sized arc. Most companies put their particle covers on their low RG / high differential balls for very heavy oil, making them highly condition specific (to the point you may never get to take it out of the bag). This is one that you can actually use. Great job, Visionary!
