I just picked this pair up recently, and I can't begin to tell you how glad I am that I did. This line of balls is truly something special. The Cross reads early and is super smooth all the way down the lane. I think it could be an absolute savior for me in El Paso with how much the backends fly down there. The original Melee is longer and stronger off the spot, but it's still buttery smooth from foul line to pin deck. If you bag the Cross, the original, and the Jab, I really can't see there being anything other than flood and bone dry you can't cover. The Melee line is superb. If you've haven't thrown these balls yet, do yourself a favor and get them into the bag; you'll be very glad that you did!

I've been toying with the idea of dropping down to 14 and nabbing these as a 3-ball arsenal. I have the original Mrler and love it.

I've not touched a Jab or the original Melee. I will join the bandwagon applauding the Melee Cross. I didn't think it could be better than the Meanstreak Beatdown -- it is better, more versatile, and it has a more continuous motion through the pins.

I picked up the original kind of as a throw in when I really was after a Cross, and I'm glad I did. The original is silky smooth. It's not as early as some benchmark pieces, at least not at the box finish, but it still reads the lane, and the backend is strong enough to carry while being perfectly controllable. I think this ball can be an absolute wrecker when you need control and hitting power.

Agreed! Also, don't overlook the Intellect. I've never had a solid that continues as much as that one does. When the original Mastermind is reading a bit early and starts to struggle making the corner, the Intellect just keeps right on ripping. When there is oil to cut through down the lane, you won't find a better ball than the Intellect!