Author Topic: Black Widow (Read 43154 times)

admin · « **on:** December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM »

Featuring the High Mass Bias Gas Mask core with flip block and Violent Reactive coverstock, the Black Widow goes long and attacks violently on the backend. There''s no lane condition out there that''s safe.

16# 15# 14# 13# 12#
RG DIFF RG DIFF RG DIFF RG DIFF RG DIFF
2.51 .049 2.50 .060 2.49 .057 2.53 .055 2.60 .039

Lightning1 · « **Reply #46 on:** February 12, 2007, 11:05:25 AM »

I have finally gotten enough reps in with this ball to give this a go..

I am a fairly low average (on this board) 146. Only been bowling for 6 months...Bowl in a Saturday night league with burnt out oil patterns. Due to the drier conditions, I also use a Vibe Blue. Picked up my BW and I see what I had been missing.

I am a tweener - 15-16mph and medium revs..

I use this ball in OOB surface while the lanes have a bit of oil on them

Basically, I feel really comfortable with this ball throwing from 20 out to 8 and see a nice hard break into the pocket. I will move 1 board about every 2 frames (feet and target) through the second game and see that the ball reacts really well...to the adjustments as the lanes dry out. It goes long and breaks hard, which is what I needed and was missing with the Vibe. Into the 3rd and 4th games, I move back to the Vibe Blue (which I also use for my spare ball) and it makes a really good combo for those medium to dry lane conditions. Overall, my BW is about 10-15 boards stronger, depending on my consistancy...

My average over my last 20 games with the Widow has been a 168 and my high game finally went over 200 (212) so I am extremely happy with this ball.

I have a 4.5" pin drilled somewhat between Layouts 1 and 3 and find that slight adjustments in speed can reduce the angularity of the break when I need it

Thanks to all who posted here for the high recommendation of the Widow....I love it....even though I am scared to death of spiders....LOL

Deejay319 · « **Reply #47 on:** February 12, 2007, 11:43:56 AM »

Bought this ball eary in the season due to heavier oil than usual on my lanes. My old ball wouldn't finish.
This one sure does. It is a great ball for medium oil. Need to bend the ball to hit the pocket. I'm a lefty, average last year was 200. Too much ball to play outside.
It is the hottest selling ball at our lanes and worth it.

essexbear · « **Reply #48 on:** February 12, 2007, 09:27:43 PM »

Having been a Brunswick bowler since I started - found the Black Widow to be an excellent alternative to change manufacturer.

Although not a great cranker have found that The Black Widow needs a lot of work to be put into the ball on Synthetic lanes but a great wooden lane ball.

Ball was drilled aggressive - Stacked Leverage.

Brandon2369 · « **Reply #49 on:** February 14, 2007, 08:53:46 AM »

Pin over fingers, sorry that about all i know about my layout. Anywho, Im a stroker, and throw between 16-18mph. By far this is the first ball out of my bag. Great arcing shot with devastating backend action. You can afford to miss with the widow. There have been a few times that I didnt even hit the head pin at all and struck! Just amazing! You can cover many boards with this ball. Very versatile. But, overall I would have to say the thing I love most about my widow would have to be the awesome mix and carry that I get with it. I was just a mo/storm fan but the widow has pulled me into loving the Hammer stuff as well!
EXCELLENT JOB ON THIS ONE GUYS!

phoenixheat · « **Reply #50 on:** February 16, 2007, 07:43:00 PM »

Got the ball a few months ago. great ball on wet lanes, even medium oiled lanes with some adjustment... watch out for dry lanes though. this thing was made to hit the boards and go left. it does exactly what the "box" says it's supposed to do so I am very impressed with that. It's a good ball to have if you have a drier lane ball like the Hammer Vibe to back up the Black Widow. all in all I love the ball hits hard as hell and is as consistent as you are.

tdxnorm · « **Reply #51 on:** February 26, 2007, 10:17:31 PM »

WOW!!!
I picked up my BW on Saturday and used it for the 1st time on Sunday in a tournament. 233, 300, 244. This has got to be one of the best balls I have ever thrown. The ball is drilled with the recommended layout #1. I have a higher rev rate and avg between 15 and 16 MPH.

The ball reads the lane very well whether playing an inside or outside line.
This ball shreds the pins from any entry angle.
If you are looking for a ball that hits like a tank, check out the Widow.

Stembage · « **Reply #52 on:** February 27, 2007, 12:16:58 PM »

The black widow was my first ball ever due to me only bowling for 3 months. Its an awesome ball and mine was drilled to go long with a monster hook. and thats what it did. However, it started to die on me a wee bit after around 50/60 games. so i took the oil out it using a heater and the cpr treatment. i must say the results were phenomenal. i went back to the old pin crushing coast to coast ball it was before and i posted my highest series and game with it the day i de-oiled it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
series = 563
game = 243
Arsenal - black widow , vibe blue , white dot

tomyo10 · « **Reply #53 on:** February 27, 2007, 09:24:48 PM »

I have to chime in with a review on this ball.

Well, used the Black Widow last week for the first time. Boy this thing hooks.
I don't know the specifics of the layout, other than he left the cover alone (4000), and he didn't want to add a hole to slow it up.

I don't need a lot of help in turning the ball, so I was wondering if I made a mistake.

I realized I could't put too much hand or loft it too much out on the alley, or this ball is not controllable. Shot 209 the first game with 3 big holes, and 208 the second game. I then realized I needed to give that a rest. I pulled out my Freak-a-zoid and shot 252.

I really don't like messing with different balls during the night. But I wanted this ball to be different from the FAZ. So, I had the pro shop guy polish the out-of-box 4000 grit finish. What a difference!

Shot 235, 280 (stubborn 2nd frame 10 pin), and 235 (got lazy a few shots) for a 747.

This ball is now a keeper. I could probably play this ball anywhere with some speed differences. Standing as far left as I can go, tossing it over 15-17 with some speed and it just hangs there 'till the end, then explodes.

Great Ball!

lanstrong · « **Reply #54 on:** March 12, 2007, 09:14:26 PM »

This is simply one of the best balls one could possibly own. It is very user friendly and can play just about any condition out there. How well it holds up remains to be seen. Mine is a 3 inch pin. Pin just below ring finger CG below grip center line and kicked out approximately 7/8-1 oz of side weight.
I really could care less about static weights. I relate everything to Pin CG and PAP. A balance hole to me is only for legal bowling purposes.
To me what is important is that the ball feels good in and off my hand.

This ball picks up nicely on med to med heavy oil 4000 abralon surface(OB) As the lanes dry out it is the only ball I can use with confidence to really open up the lanes. On most house conditions missing left is great the ball comes cruising on back high flush. It does not over react and hasn't to date under-reacted except on lousy shots and even then I still have found light pocket. I have carried every light pocket shot to date. Keep in mind the ball is still in its break in period. Approximately 8 games on it.

The ball is very predictable and has a strong arc snap at my normal break-point. Which is usually the 8 board. My slide foot finish position is 27-30 board. I have a higher ball speed and above average revs.

I would order another in a heart beat. Keep one duller and shiny. You cannot go wrong buying one two or three of these. Plus its a darn cool ball to look at. I am ready for the pearl to come out.

Spider Ball Bowler · « **Reply #55 on:** March 15, 2007, 12:12:13 AM »

This is the best ball I have ever thrown....hands down!

I am a lefty, stroker, that prefers a small swing shot. I have used this ball on a vast array of conditions and all but one it worked very well on. Here's the review.

I have this ball drilled with the pin to the left of the ring finger, and the cg is stacked below it just south of the grip midline. The mass Bias is slightly to the right of the thumb hole, and I have an x-hole located 4 inches left of the cg nearly on the same line.

First Condition: Wood Lanes, Heavily Oiled Heads, Strong Back Ends, 0 Hold in the middle, and hard core out of bounds outside of 7. This was the first place I used this ball, and actually is the house I was looking to find a ball that matched up. This ball did the trick.

Easy Length, Great Midlane, and nice and smooth on the backend. Explosive hitting power...my first set was 224, 257, 197 for a 678.

2nd Condition: Your Standard THS. Flooded Middle, Dry Outsides. I really don't need to get technical with this shot..the ball is a beast. Any ball would be on this shot. I did run into the problem of it burning up once, but no biggy.

3rd Condition: A Desert. No oil to be found anywhere. I have no idea how they could even call this a league condition, but they do. I tried to use this ball, but it wasn't happening. It started hooking in my backswing. Put it this way, my Urethane ball was hooking at the arrows...that's how dry it was.

Overall this ball is a winner. It's not the best selling ball on the market for nothing. The first post Ebonite Hammer that I've liked, and it just happens to be my favorite ball I've ever drilled.
--------------------
Formerly SGC300

smitty845 · « **Reply #56 on:** March 20, 2007, 05:00:29 PM »

I average about 235 (house shot) and about 210 on tougher shots. I find this ball recovers very well and is very versatile. It reads the lanes better than just about any ball I have ever thrown and is extrememly predictable. I have two of them drilled differently. One drilled with the skid/flip layout the other with the strong layout. I drilled the skid/flip first and found the reaction was awsome until I came across tighter conditions or carrydown. I havent come across those conditions since I drilled the strong layout but judging by the reaction of the ball I think I have taken care of the tighter oil pattern problem. Ive drilled a few of these balls for other people and have found that the versatility also holds true for them. The Black Widow rolls well on wood but I think it rolls even better on synthetics. This ball is a winner and I think everyone should have one in their bag.

Carson · « **Reply #57 on:** March 20, 2007, 06:40:29 PM »

This is actually my first Hammer ball and usually, when one buys a ball from a manufacturer the first time, it leaves a lasting impression..Well let me say this, I am now a Hammer fan. Right now in my bag, I have a Brunswick Absolute Inferno, a Track GP2 Rule, and now a Hammer Black Widow. I have just made the transition from 16 to 15 pounds so I am trying to get my gauntlet together again. The Black Widow was an excellent choice and I agree with what Smitty845 said above that everyone should have this ball in their bag. I have bowled with this ball on a few different conditions now, including a sport pattern and I must say I was very impressed. I can play down and in, a sweeping hook, way inside, really anything I wish. I had mine drilled with the skid and flip drilling spec. included with the ball...however, I have a very medium ball speed so it flipped a little too much in the beginning, being that the ball is pretty snappy to begin with. So I took the ball and blasted it with 360 grit sanding pad in a ball spinner, then I polished it up with Diamond Gloss polish. I threw my first 800 with it just last week. Needless to say I am happy with this ball, and I think if you are looking for a ball that you should definitely give this one a try.
--------------------

Necromancer · « **Reply #58 on:** March 22, 2007, 11:25:38 AM »

First Hammer ball (usually stick with Storm).

Specs: 15 lbs 3 oz
PAP: 5" x 1/2" up
Speed: 18-19 mph
Revs: Above Average
Layout: "Strong" with extreme MB swing over 5" right of thumb hole creating possibly the 'strongest' BW drill in history
Pictures in Signature

Lanes: Synthetic, THS (~35 feet of medium oil)

Using the OOB finish, I was not happy the first few games. The ball hooked ridiculously standing at 20 and throwing out out around 4-5 board, the ball came up too high. It left several splits and my average was dropping. Now that I have bowled around 10 games with the BW, the ball is very impressive. It leaves very few corner pins and very few splits, even on high hits. I have moved slightly right of the middle and throw down between 1st and 2nd arrow and have it come back strong to the pocket. My last 4 games on these lanes have been 265-256-248-259 averaging 257 with this ball.

Lanes: Wood Regional #1 (40 feet of flooded oil)

Ball doesn't hook much if at all. The ball may hook 5 boards at most with this layout and on these conditions. Not many balls can hook though. Overall, this ball is just ok on these conditions.

Lanes: Synthetic Viper (37 feet of oil)

Ball works good. Need to watch speed and you can play inside or outside (very low ball speed). Overall, it does about as good as any other ball on these conditions.

2nd Time on Viper:

The BW works good as long as the backends are clean. By the 3rd game of the tournament, the BW just plain sucks. So in conclusion, the BW just doesn't handle carrydown well at all. It is still a great ball, but something with a more aggressive coverstock is needed than the BW.

===========================

I am still seeing what this ball can do. Hopefully I can hit 300 soon with this ball. I can feel it. My last game with it I had 7 in a row up to the 8th frame.

Overall: 9.5/10
--------------------
Current Arsenal
Storm X-Factor Vertigo
Hammer Black Widow
Lane #1 Cobalt Bomb Solid
Storm Trauma ER
Storm Recharge
Ebonite Vortex Afterburner
Columbia 300 Messenger Ti
Storm Hit Blue Pearl
Ebonite 14 Fun Ball
Total Season Average: 205.642
2007 Year Average: 212.861
2007 Tournament Average: 150.333
The Vertigo is the best ball Storm ever made. Find one if you can.
I might have the strongest drilled Black Widow in history.

Fatboy8 · « **Reply #59 on:** March 27, 2007, 07:56:06 AM »

Ball surface: 4000 OOB dull
PAP: not sure (right hand)
Layout: Pin right of the ring finger, and up slightly, cg stacked, weight hole.
Pin distance: 3" pin
Style: righty, medium revs/stroker
Ball Speed: 15-17
Lane Condition: Fresh THS, heavy synthetics

This ball is everything I'd hoped it'd be. It rolls smooth, and has a fierce backend reaction. I've got to say it's one of the most predictable balls I've ever used. I've used it on a flood, THS, broken down shot, and a drier shot.

The heavier the condition, the more right I needed to play, and as the lighter the pattern, or as the shot broke down, I was able to move in deeper with great success.

I never have to worry about an overreaction with the Widow. It's got a nice arc to it, and carries VERY well, and seems to really get messengers active on the deck. The one thing this ball does not really like is carrydown. I know it's due to it's 4000 grit surface, but that's why we have more than one ball.

Likes: carry, predictability, strength, versitility

Dislikes: carrydown

This is by far my favorite ball. Plus, I shot my 1st 300 with it too.
--------------------
Hammer-Lane #1-Ebonite-Brunswick

bowlerdirt biker · « **Reply #60 on:** March 29, 2007, 01:46:34 AM »

I have a Black Widow, and it is a really nice ball. I am more of a stroker bowler, but if I want to crank it, it can really hook. The ball is hard to through in dry condtions, but for medium oil it is great. I am 14 and am holding a 182 average, and I have been cranking out 200's lately, my best with the Widow is 255, but I have only had it for a few weeks. I would recomend this ball to a more experienced bowler.

Thanks for looking, Ryan

Author Topic: Black Widow (Read 43154 times)

admin

Black Widow

Lightning1

Re: Black Widow

Deejay319

Re: Black Widow

essexbear

Re: Black Widow

Brandon2369

Re: Black Widow

phoenixheat

Re: Black Widow

tdxnorm

Re: Black Widow

Stembage

Re: Black Widow

tomyo10

Re: Black Widow

lanstrong

Re: Black Widow

Spider Ball Bowler

Re: Black Widow

smitty845

Re: Black Widow

Carson

Re: Black Widow

Necromancer

Re: Black Widow

Fatboy8

Re: Black Widow

bowlerdirt biker

Re: Black Widow