Jeff,

I have performance problems with mine, it could just be that the ball does not fit my game at all. I figured it would since it was a supposed to be a strong, dull ball which is usually what I use best. The box finish (1000grit smooth) just seemed to me like this ball had to have fresh backends. If the lanes were spotty I could not use this ball at all.

This is just my experience with it.

For me, polished, matte or dull box, this is just too much ball. I think it is a very good ball, for the vast majority. Low rev, House shot people should love the crap out of this ball. High speeders should love it on medium to medium-heavy oil. If you like to throw a huge hook, you should love it. Personally, I fall into none of those categories, plus I never see enough oil to make good use of it.
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"Just because you can do something does not mean you should do it."

Jim,
I understand your post, very well put...however, I was referring more to the posts here not the review section....

Just a lot of cover tweaking going on, and basic 'non' comfortable type posts. Nothing drastically negative, but not screaming positive either.  Let me reiterate as well, that I'm not slamming this ball or D/T, because I'm loving my Element right now....just a sweet strong smooth mid-lane reader ....so I'm not being negative, I was simply wondering if others have noticed what I have too........
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JEFF
Rebuilding my game one mid-500 series at a time !!

Jeff,Good friend (owns 44 lane house and on ABC Team champs 2001)drilled one about 3 weeks ago. (he drills about 3 ball a week for himself to try).  His feedback was "The big booming backend that was advertised wasn't there!  What was there was an excellent midlane read and smooth continuous backend. His comment was one of the better balls he has drilled in the past 12 months. He went 757 first time with it in league. It didn't fit into his arsenal where he thought it would but it has found its place. I think this says it all about the controversy, many were expecting a miracle big hooker and it seems like it has been more about control.

There is an additional problem with this whole discussion and that is the definition of a "hooking" ball.  Frankly, most people don't play lines that require a ball to hook nearly as much as they think.  A line where one lays down the ball at 14-15, hits 10-11 at 20 feet to a breakpoint of 7-8 is not playing a big swing.  If you consider standing with your left foot on 21 or 22 to be "deep", then when you are moving there to use your "stronger" ball,you are catching far more oil than you are used to and, frankly, lengthening the oil, meaning you won't get the reaction you think you should get.  So, if your normal shot is just inside to outside the oil line -- or entirely outside the oil line (the area where the heavier oil really begins on a wet dry or most tapers), which is how most house bowlers play, a strong ball may overhook for you, while if you try to play deeper than usual you might find a strong ball doesn't behave the way you believe a "strong" ball should behave.  For example, the folks who see me bowl ... suggest ... that I have a relatively high forward roll rev rate.  Yet I throw less "hook" than many of the players in my leagues.  Why, because I stay almost entire inside the heaviest oil to the breakpoint (the houses I bowl at have oil that goes out to 41 to 43 feet).  So I might throw an Anomaly 18 out to 10 or 11, never straying outside the heavy oil where the severe taper or wet-dry really kicks in (also, from that angle, there is an out of bounds around five) and staying in the middle of the carrydown; I use the ball to cut through the crap.  Another player, with a different style (let us say a lighter hand with a higher degree of axis tilt and a higher angle of axis rotation) might lay the ball down at 11 or 12, play out to 5 or 6 and appear to be throwing more hook and be thrilled with the big "hook" his Anomaly gives him (any resemblance between this story and actual persons is purely intentional).  

So hand is an issue, oil is an issue, but perspective on what is hook and what one's basic line is also may explain loads of comments.  Drilled strong and with a 800 surface, the Anomaly moves big in comparison to other reactive equipment.  Drilled weaker and with the surface set around 800, it can be used as a control ball for carrydown.  It is not a particle ball.  It will not start up as early as the super early roller, heavy load particles.  It will move.
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"I don't mind if you don't like my manners. I don't like them myself. They're pretty bad. I grieve over them on long winter evenings."

reminds me of the story about the 3 blind men that were asked to describe what an elephant looked like.........
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je

A little off Anomaly topic here...I hope you guys are right about the soaker coverstock needing/liking a breaking in period. I have about 9 games on my Thing Returns and so far my reviews are mixed. Seems a tad touchy to me at times. When it hits the pocket, it's been hitting hard, but seems overly sensitive to speed and/or hand changes. Might play with the surface a bit after I get another 20 games on it or so....
Digs
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Never argue with an idiot....They'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience!