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Author Topic: Zen U Review  (Read 4401 times)

addynyr

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Zen U Review
« on: November 02, 2022, 10:20:12 AM »
Layout: 4 x 20

Surface: Box Surface (1000 Grit)

I was super excited for the Zen U as I was trying to find a stronger version of the Storm Pitch Black for my tournament arsenal. I always felt the Roto Grip Rubicon UC3 didn't dig into the lane as much as I needed out of urethane. The Zen U for me accomplishes just that with the new S35+ coverstock and modified Meditate Core. This ball to me is a combination of the Pitch Black and UC3 as it hooks early like the Pitch Black but continues down lane like the UC3 does. The Zen U is a ball I can move into the oil more on both a typical league pattern as well as a sport pattern. This is very important as the lanes break down or the pattern stays on the harder side. I got to test the Zen U on both a 44ft typical house pattern and a 38ft sport pattern.

House shot review:

I was amazed at how well the Zen U continued down lane even in the flood of oil in the middle of the lane. It was controllable overall but handled the oil extremely well while blending the drier part of the lane. I am not a firm believer of using urethane on a house pattern, but I can honestly start to make an exception on this Zen U. It allows me to play in the oil more with my higher rev rate while giving me the ball reaction that I need to score well on a house pattern. As I needed to move left with my feet, it still continued fairly well down lane which is incredible for true urethane. If you tend to use dull or stronger bowling balls for league, you can absolutely use this Zen U.

Sport Pattern Review:

On the 38ft Sport Pattern, I saw a lot of early hook as expected, but still had great continuation like on the house pattern. For me, the Zen U was about 5 boards overall stronger than the Storm Pitch Black. This is essential for me on sport patterns because it allows me to stay in urethane for more games when the Pitch Black gets too forward and especially if the oil pattern is very difficult. I can see this ball being used on a wide array of patterns due to how much overall hook comes from the ball. It will be to able handle both heavier oil and shorter and longer patterns as well.

Adam Chase

Storm Staff
Adam Chase
Storm Regional Staff
Vise Regional Staff
Bowlifi Regional Staff
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@adamchasebowling

 

TonyMarino

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Re: Zen U Review
« Reply #1 on: November 14, 2022, 12:41:20 PM »
Review: O.M.G. go get one! The end… ;)

In all seriousness, this is the type of shape I look for when using urethane. The new Zen U has the new S35+ cover and a modified Meditate Core. The 2 things to note there are the urethane+ in the cover which tells me that this is either a stronger urethane formula or a urethane/resin blend. The other thing to note is that the Zen U is using a low-medium flare symmetrical core. Why this matters is because like in the Storm Pitch Black (and unlike the UC3 and other asymmetrical urethanes), this type core allows the cover to be the star.

As a tournament player and someone who happens to also be left handed, urethane is a must have in my bag if I want to compete. And I have drilled every urethane ball that 900 Global, Storm and Roto Grip have released, and THE ZEN U IS THE BALL I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!

I have been begging for an upgraded version of the Pitch Black for years. And that is exactly what the Zen U feels like. I drilled my Zen U with my normal strong urethane layout of 3.5x5x0. Comparatively, the Zen U is a close to but a touch cleaner than the Pitch Black at the same surface, but the Zen U is wwaaayyyyyyy stronger overall and is not nearly as bogged down with oil farther down lane. I have only ever had 2 issues with the Pitch Black, 1 is that once the pattern starts pushing down it didn’t have the strength to fight through it without me really slowing my speed down and/or really increasing my rev rate (both of which I am not super great at). 2 was that there never seemed to be a ball I could switch to that was even in the same universe. The closest ball was the UC3 but both the UC3 and Pitch Black are super sensitive to oil down lane which for my style made them hard to use in tandem. The Zen U seems to fix those problems and fills this gab in my urethane bag in a HUGE way. Drill a Zen U, you won’t be disappointed.

william.tefft

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Re: Zen U Review
« Reply #2 on: November 17, 2022, 06:12:42 PM »
900 Global Zen U
Cover: 1000 grit abralon S35 Urethane+â„¢ Solid
Core: Meditateâ„¢ LD (Symmetrical)
Color: Jet Black

Review:
The Zen line has quickly climbed the ranks and has become a staple in some many people’s bags. The line expanded when they added the latest Zen U. Taking a proven core like the Meditate and alternating it to fit around a Urethane cover. This has to be one of the smoothest rolling urethane balls I have ever thrown. When my UC3 starts to get to angular for me I like to switch to my Zen U. This ball is going to be seen in a lot of different bags very soon! As soon as you can get your hands on one of these ball I would suggest adding it right away.
Will Tefft
900 Global Staff Member
will@parklanes.net
www.900global.com