Post by: admin on December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM
Post by: mrpc12 on October 11, 2001, 05:42:59 PM
Post by: ball boy on October 15, 2001, 09:44:32 AM
Ball spec's: 2-3" pin
3 1/8 oz of top weight
Drilled ball pin above ring finger, hot spot 2" right of thumb. After reading about this ball's hook characteristics I was worried that it was going to hook too much for my style so we drilled it to go a liitle longer. I have to say that this ball hooks a ton! It has a super heavy roll to it. It reads the midlane extremely well. The ball is a Fab states - a controllable big hooking ball. It is not flippy but very continous throughout. The ball hits pins pins very hard and keeps them low on the deck creating great carry. Dosen't show any signs of quit or burnout. The ball didn't really come dull or polished. I left it as is. Worked to perfection. 737 first night out. It dosen't take off on you unless sent to the dry/track area too quick. I will try another drilled to go nuts and polish this one. The two should compilment each other super! Ball seems very veristle. Reminds me a proactive type Sledge Hammer. Can't say if it is resin or proactive -have read two different stories. It really dosen't matter. Hammer has come out with a winner!! This ball is well worth the money!!
Post by: Paul Meyer on October 25, 2001, 01:47:47 AM
Post by: Hammerman on October 25, 2001, 02:04:48 PM
Post by: Zman on October 25, 2001, 11:07:52 PM
Drilled 3 3/8 x 3 3/8 stacked leverage.
Extra balance hole on the VAL 2 3/4 inches from the PAP to add some extra flare.
Balance hole 7/8 inch diameter, 2 inches deep.
My PAP is 5 3/4 inches over and 3/4 inches up.
Ball speed 16-17 m.p.h., average revs...40 degrees axis tilt.
Ball left in box condition.
Ending static weights were 1/2 ounce side and 1/2 ounce finger weight.
Lane condition is crowned to 36 feet all wood lanes. fresh stripped back ends.
Not pure stripper but a 6-1 water to stripper mix always stripped before 1st
shift every night. Medium oil, crowned but still at least 3 units of oil outside the 7 boards each side.
For a low RG ball it clears the heads nicely and makes a nice strong arc to the pocket. Carry was very good. It seems on medium oil the Wheel will not leave as
many 8 and 9 pins because it is not skid flip and really does not over react
even swung to the drier boards out side the 7 board.
I'd compare the reaction of this ball to slightly less than a Rock On I had
drilled 4 x 4 with no balance hole required. After 2 sets so far I love this ball.
Post by: Mike Austin on December 03, 2001, 12:37:04 AM
Many thanks to David Hickman with Bowling and Billiards of Dallas for comping us this seed ball. I drilled the Wheel for one of Houston's better amatuer players, David Jay. One reason is David's grip is very generic, many different people can throw his balls with little or no adjustments to them.
David is a higher rev, above average speed right hander, who can big "Wheel" it from the left gutter, or smoke the crack off the right gutter. We drilled the ball with the pin over the ring finger, and HOT spot swung slightly to the right of the thumb hole. We had to use a small hole well below the PAP area to get the ball to legal. The ball is 15lbs, pin out about 3 inches, and about 3 1/2 top weight.
About 20 different guys threw this ball in 3 different bowling centers, on different lane conditions and patterns. For all but the straight players, the ball flared more than anything we have seen. David flared the Wheel on to every hole on the ball, sounded like "Rolling Thunder". For both of us the ball was smooth through the fronts and mellow at the break point. Very weak on the back end, but the carry and hit was very nice. The ball was a little tough to make turn the corner from deep inside, but not impossible. A little shine took care of this for me. I think this would be a decent Sport shot ball, as it is very smooth and controllable at the break. For as much as this ball flares, it doesn't hook very much.
I think the straighties could use this for dry to most mediums. The tweeners could use this ball on just about everything. The big hook players might like it on really wet/dry conditions because of the smooth break point. There might be other balls better suited to oily lane conditions.
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Mike Austin
Mike Austin's Precision Pro Shop
Houston, TX
strikes4days@aol.com
Post by: Walter Fennell on December 16, 2001, 06:40:31 PM
Post by: Jason R Stacy on January 04, 2002, 03:58:36 AM
jason:
Post by: REVOLUTIONS PS on January 19, 2002, 07:57:55 PM
The first thing we noticed about the Wheel was it's even revving nature. The ball comes off your hand rolling hard and never stops. Due to that revving nature and the shell and drilling we used, we had a very even and predictable ball that was better thrown straighter down the boards. Whenever we tried to swing the Wheel it didn't react well and in fact sometimes never turned the corner at all, even on dry back ends. We attribute this to the drill pattern, you have to believe that this ball would really flip on dry back ends if it were drilled with more of a 12:00 pin-mb placement. Having said that, when we were able to get lined up throwing the ball straighter up the track area (pattern #2) the ball was as good as anything else we had at the time. Because the Wheel revs up so nicely, it drives through the pocket like only the most powerful balls can and that provides some impressive carry. The shell of the wheel is fairly versatile and can therefore be polished and scuffed easily. When polished, the Wheel skids slightly farther down the lane but again, due to the layout we used we still could not create a skid-flip reaction.
The downside to all of the above is that because our Wheel was better when thrown straighter, we were in the dryer part of the lane and length became a problem. It clearly wasn't the best way to attack the condition. When the shot is tighter, dry back ends or not, this ball is a great choice for all but those who turn the ball really well. Our Wheel loved an oily track and it was then that it really showed it's stuff. It skidded far enough to the break point, arced strongly and destroyed the rack time after time.
Overall, we were very happy with the Wheel but unhappy with our choice of drilling pattern. The people who will like this ball the most are league bowlers who like to play straighter down the track but who have trouble getting anything to react enough for them to carry. If you are a Hammer fan who was disappointed with the Hammer 2001 balls, don't let that scare you away from trying this ball.
If you have any questions about this or any other review, e-mail us at: proshop@bowlero.com
Post by: MacDash on March 19, 2002, 09:45:06 AM
this is one of the best ball's I've thrown so far. I has a nice roll and a strong hit, it took some getting used to.. but the result is OK.
I normally play on wooden lanes, second league of the evening. (9 games play on when we start). This season is my best so far, averaging around 200 in league. Tournaments around 190.
The only negative feature... it keeps flaring over the middlefinger. This might be the drilling.....
Greetz,
MacDash
Post by: bowlerbob1 on March 27, 2002, 03:56:39 AM
Post by: EFFEN 10 on April 07, 2002, 08:41:57 PM
Post by: Deadbait on April 14, 2002, 10:53:47 PM
Post by: BowlingJunkie6 on May 04, 2002, 06:22:23 AM
First thing I found about the ball is that even though I had it drilled for maximum hook, this isn't really a "heavy oil" ball. Without a decent dry backend, the ball didn't want to make a real hard turn in the back. Also, and this has been mentioned before in previous bowlers' reviews, the ball does not sound like some of the older Hammers (Original Blue, Purple Urethane, Burgundy, Sledge). Those balls made it seem like you were hitting the pins with a piece of lumber. This ball sounds "soft".
That being said, on a medium-oil lane layout, with a little grip on the backends, this ball carries extremely well. The ball revs up very nicely, and has a great entry angle at the rack. I left only two 10 Pins in 9 games when I hit the 1-3 pocket. The ball continually drives through the pins; very little to no deflection. As I said earlier, this ball really carries for me.
One last thing on the Wheel. It is the softest shell I have ever seen in a bowling ball. It seems to mark up, both with dirt/oil from the lanes, and nicks from ball returns. You will probably need to clean it every 3-6 games.
Overall, I like the Wheel a lot. If you need a medium-oil ball, and don't mind the upkeep on the coverstock, this is a good pick-up. I definitely do not recommend it as a heavy-oil ball, no matter what the specs say. Good luck and good bowling.
Post by: hammer_o_the_way on July 08, 2002, 11:06:36 AM
The wheel is a different beast compared to my black 2001.
I got a 16# but it feels lighter than my 15lb black 2001.
The light core really let the ball loose and rev up very fast.
I've bowl about 30 games with wheel and I also like this ball too.
This ball require rev generated by the bowler. If you just throw straight
then the ball will only go straight. If you drive the ball down with good
rev then the ball will produce good hook. I had the ball drilled to medium
agressive hook and it helped me picked up the 7 pin since I'm a left handed.
This ball doesn't hit hard but it bounce the pin around with chaotic reaction.
Since the external shell is heavier than the core, the momentum on the shell
knocks the pins wild. It is similar to the "helecopter" style of bowling where
it drives the pin in "spinning" motion. The ball is not for everyone and it
will not work in heavy oil for this drill pattern. The ball is more for the
pros rather than the average bowler. It did improve my average by 10~15 pins.
If you like to hook the ball ( not ball to hook for you .) then this is wheel
to get you there.
I don't recommend this ball for beginner.
Post by: kingrob76 on February 11, 2003, 11:07:12 AM
The coverstock is very soft and basically absorbs oil like a towel. If you want a consistent reaction with this ball you are going to have to clean it between each set, and sometimes use a cleaner during a set. I would classify this coverstock as "high maintenance". Someone mentioned shooting two frames, moving right, two frames, move right, and I have to agree my Wheel had some of those same characteristics, especially as it absorbed oil.
I got exceptional carry from my Wheel, especially on light hits. After about 100 games I started getting noticeably less reaction from this ball, even with all the coverstock maintenance, and I have pulled it from my bag. All in all, I would by another Wheel, but I would drill it much stronger than I did here. If you can pick up a new one on the cheap I would do it, without hesitation.
Post by: g_thing on June 04, 2003, 07:21:16 AM
My driller drilled the ball odd, so let's get that out now. Have got the pin 12:00 above the ring finger about 2 inches in distance. CG is kicked out about 4:30 to ring finger about 1.5 inches in distance. Hot spot is 6:00 below ring finger about 4 inches in distance. No weight hole as I believe he has the ball at exactly 1 oz side.
He did this after doing some testing on his own Wheel to see where it was rolling, that being over the thumb and fingers. With this, he just missed in that it rolls over the fingers, but hasn't yet caused a performance issue. Macdash actually mentions the same thing.
As BowlingJunkie6 mentions, the ball is not a hook monster. What it is though, is a great ball for a medium oil condition, or even less for that matter. Revolutions PS states it the best when talking about how the ball is ideal for straight up, however, with my shot it’s straight up between 5-7and walk the ball into the pocket once it reaches the breakpoint. Note, this is not the same type of shot he is talking about I believe. My shot is still breaking from 5-8 over the last x amount of feet to hit the pocket.
This is not your typical Hammer sounding ball. It hits the pins with the same intensity as any Hammer and really mixes them up well on light hits. I do not find a lot of 10 pins though. I’d say it’s average in terms of that in that I get the same amount no matter what. Just depends on the lanes and my shot.
My shot is as described above. I have had moderate success swinging the ball out, perhaps from 10-12 out past 5 and then right back in. When playing this line, there can’t be much in terms of oil out there. If so, ball will not make it back. With drier backends though, this baby comes back with a vengeance like any of the other Hammers I have. Only thing that may hurt is when it decides to roll heavily on the fingers. Then I got a little problem. Just depends on when it gets past the thumps. The only other thing I can think of is that with my shot, too much speed, even on the dry, will kill the ball.
Overall, I rate this ball excellent, but not for heavy oil. The ball is high maintenance, but I’m anal so all my stuff gets cleaned that night no matter what. Even if only thrown 2 shots. I have recently started summer league and planned on playing around with the ball. I can say I am probably averaging an easy 215 with the ball. Finished with a 490 for 2 games at end of fall league and then shot a 674 with it for start of summer. Ball gets used in practice as well, but only for 1 or 2 games. Gotta have a little TLC session with all the Hammers I take when practicing.
G
Post by: The_Spirit on July 14, 2003, 11:36:43 AM
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T. Michael Crosby
