Post by: admin on December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM
Coverstock: PowerGrip SF32 Reactive Resin
Coverstock Rating: SF32
Core Type: Symmetric
RG: 2.51 (Medium)
Diff: .058 (High)
Mass Bias Rating: low
Post by: BowlPro on June 10, 2002, 11:47:27 PM
Ebonites has its first entry under the Ole "Hammer"
Label and its a New and Improved version of an Old
Hammer weight block design.
Ebonite took the weight block design of the 2001 Black
Hammer and added a "Pancake Style" Flip Block to the Top
of the ball. This allows for more revolutions which should
result in more hooking power!
The cover stock is the new "PowerGrip SF32 Reactive"
"SF" standing for (skid/flip)! The Fully adjustable cover
will allow you to fine tune this balls reaction to the lane
conditions that you bowl on.
This coverstock along with the stronger weight block does make
this new Hammer come to life! Those of you who we call, "Hammer Heads"
will find this Hammer to be one of the strongest to date!
Our (Label Leverage) Test ball "4X4 drilling", Gave us the ablity to
play inside out with ease! This Hammer was smooth and controlled until
it hit the dry part of the lane, (the Backend) and then it made a strong
left turn!!! As we played different lines we could play inside or out!
The Hitting Power was Ok! (Stronger Releases will see more!)
The Ball seemed to "ping" abit,(Corner Pins) but was better than the
first two 2001 balls from the Past FAB Company.
Overall, this first Hammer from Ebonite is a good effort to keep the Label Alive!
I hope to see more from them as we get into the new bowling season!
We will recommend this ball to Our Customers and to all bowlers.
BowlPro
www.discount-proshop.com
Post by: Wadney on June 14, 2002, 10:30:02 PM
Post by: BuddiesProShopcom - Bill on June 25, 2002, 02:38:20 PM
I laid the ball out with the pin over my fingers and the Mass Bias in my track. No weight hole. I was going for more of a hook/set reaction.
I was amazed at how many lines I was able too play with just simple hand changes. I was able to start out going up the lane, then after a game, I moved inside and was able to turn the ball up a little more and still get it around the corner.
I am looking forward to get another one of these ball to give it a stronger layout, to see what this ball will do.
This is a great start for the New Hammer. Amazing Carry, and Great Coverstock and Core match up.
I watched a friend throw this last night with a little stronger drilling and this ball got around the corner like someone was kicking it to the pocket. The name of this ball is fitting.
Thanks,
Bill
BuddiesProShop.com
Post by: Ron Ware on June 26, 2002, 10:21:00 AM
When I finally got one of these, I had it drilled leveraged out of the box and after throwing it for a block, I immediately had another one drilled out with more finger and polish to scoot it down the lane a bit more. When this ball turns that corner, it reminds you of that battery commercial, "it keeps going and going and going..." My lowest set has been a 689 during the last four league outings. My high was a 804 with a 300 to boot.
This ball's brute power can and will make a difference in your game. VICIOUS IS SIMPLY AWESOME!!!
Post by: Dwight Albrecht on July 03, 2002, 08:50:03 AM
This New Release from Hammer now owned under the Ebonite name still lives. Hammer has a great guy with Ed Gallagher in charge.
The 1st Hammer since Ebonite has taken over is a “phenomenal†entry back into the Reactive Family of balls. You can tell the R&D people really put their minds together to produce a great choice for the bowlers out there that want that “go long and break hard reactionâ€. Angular movement is the main selling point with this ball.
The cover stock of this ball is the Power Grip SF 32 reactive, which stands for the “Super Flip†which this ball does well. The weight block is out of the Black 2001 with a big added flip block. The core is very dense which lowers the RG but the flip block adds the kick needed in the back ends.
I drilled the Vicious with my favorite layout 3 3/8 X 75 mass bias. Weight Hole by axis point. The first thing you notice when you throw this ball is the good skid through the front 15 feet of the lane and tremendous amount of back ends this ball can generate.
Lane Condition was New Brunswick Synthetic’s with oil outside dry track and oily insides. Back ends fresh. Playing inside around 3rd arrow with a slight belly gave me the best area. This truly is a ball if you need recovery from the inside angles. 689 out of the box were my 1st 3 games with this ball. Quite Impressive.
The only negative I had with this ball was the surface read the oil and dry sometimes to fast and too violent making it hard to control at times. Sensitive to carry down and speed adjustments showed up in backend reaction. But overall if you can control the ball it is quite impressive on the power.
Hammer truly has a winner with this ball and definitely justifies having it on my shops floor to show and sell. It gives me a different look than anything else I sell in my shop.
Thanks for reading my review and best of look in your Bowling futures.
Dwight
Post by: g_thing on July 08, 2002, 10:53:43 AM
I had the ball leverage drilled with pin about 2:30 of ring finger approximately 1.5 - 2 inches out. Line from pin through CG would pass to right of thumb approx 3 inches or so.
The lines I play vary for the lane conditions. If oily, I try to play around the 10 board and let the ball roll in. If drying, I tend to move left and swing it over the 15 board out to the 10 or so and let it come back. At worst, with little oil, I move to last dot, try to hit the 10 board and swing out past the 5th board for the ball to have room to come back.
First night with the ball after 4 practice shots I hit a 719. Next week hit a 650 or so. In practice this weekend, average well over 210, bordering on 230 for the last 4 games when there was little to no oil on the lanes.
Personally, I love this ball. With the way I throw the ball and my ball speed at times, I cannot afford to put the ball out if it's not going to come back. But this ball is a beauty!! In the heavy oil, I simply slow down, play the down and in shot and wait for the lanes to dry up a little so I can make her dance.
Pin action is great with this ball. Keeps the pins low unless you hit the pocket just right. And when you do, it's like a pins get sucked into the back. An absolute awesome ball, that's all I can say.
Will try and post more at a later date after more use. I am looking forward to a fruitful summer league this year!! And the Vicious will be the main weapon of choice out a 'Hammer' arsenal consisting of a Nova, Truck, 3D Offset Pearl, and a 3D Maxxx Indigo.
Post by: Mike Whitacre on July 19, 2002, 12:55:39 AM
For me (a Stroker/tweener med revs) this ball really skids and flips. I find it to be touchy from wet/dry and various release angles and ball speeds. It hits very hard, but has a tendency to be a bit over/under for me. I use it as a ball to use after carry down has occurred. Then its a bit smoother. Perhaps after it has broken in alittle the reaction will be a bit more forgiving.
Thanks
Mike
Post by: Mike Whitacre on July 25, 2002, 11:46:44 PM
For me in box condition it was a bit over and under. I wet sanded it with 1000 grit just to take the edge of and now it is alot smoother. Still hits very hard and now has a nice strong arc.
Thanks
Mike Whitacre
Post by: Sniper206 on July 27, 2002, 03:52:14 PM
I recieved my viscious with a 3-4 in. pin and 3oz of top weight.. I drilled it with the pin an inch under my ring finger, and the cg an inch up and right of the thumb, and have left it in the box finish for now...
I didn't know that hammer could produce a ball with so much power!!! I threw this on lanes that had open play on them most of the day and i was standing 31 setting down around 5th arrow, sending it out to 7 and ripping racks all night long.. This thing almost hooks as much as my aggression, so i will be making a trip to my local pro shop for the ball spinner... Don't let this ball fool you, it will hook, and hook alot..... The reaction is excellent, the carry is all power, and it hits like a semi!!!!
Hammer is back to take some names!!!
thanks for reading this review
Todd
Post by: Hornetajc on July 31, 2002, 12:33:31 PM
To be truthful, I don't like this ball at all. On a typical house shot I will throw 15 to 7. With this ball I would throw 17 to 8 and it would hit like a marshmellow leaving a ton of corners. The only way it would work with mild success is putting no hand and throwing it up the boards. I threw it on 3 different sport shots (35 ft, 38 ft, and 40 ft). As long as I didn't put any hand in the ball, it would carry ok, still leaving 10's. But if I would go high, I would leave 4-9's or 4-7-9's. Not once did I leave just the 4-pin. I also found this ball had no forgiveness if you don't exactly repeat your hand position.
I think this ball would be good for an up the boards bowler with no hand. Otherwise I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
Post by: perfect18x on August 01, 2002, 02:01:30 AM
Post by: Hin Hale on August 06, 2002, 04:07:23 AM
It´s a great ball that hooks alot. I belive that they were
trying to make the first "new Hammer" a sure success, that´s why
this Hammer is so very!! like the Matrix Dominator.
Post by: govt45 on August 14, 2002, 02:43:37 PM
Needing a new dry lane ball for myself, I bought a Vicious this past Monday night. Had it drilled pin 4 1/2" from PAP, which again, by the drilling instructions, set the ball up for dry lanes with less ball flare and late roll. I bowl 16-18 mph, medium revs. Playing straight up the 10 board threw 7 X's in a row out of the box. Unfortunately, at that point my thumb started sticking and instead of getting it reamed out then, I kept going through the game. After getting the thumb hole reamed I rolled just to check the adjustment made, and threw 4 more in a row.
There is no doubt that the drilling makes a huge difference on this ball. The ball drilled 3 3/8" from PAP hooks, hooks & hooks... and would be a great ball for wetter lane conditions. With the drilling I have 4 1/2" from PAP, the ball is MUCH tamer (still has a vicious flip though). So be sure you know what you want out of this ball and get it drilled accordingly.
This is going to make a great addition to my newly building arsenal. I can't wait to bowl on more dry lanes now :-)
Post by: ball boy on August 29, 2002, 02:00:31 PM
Spec's: 15.5 oz 2-3" pin with 4 oz of top wt.
Loaded it up with my favorite drilling - pin above ring finger, cg kicked out about an inch with a small wt. hole. Ball just sniffs out the dry boards and - BAM!! Thing really flips hard into the hole. Impressive heavier roll but still wants to be extremely angular on the backend. Reminds me of an old Turbo X on steriods! Ball is a super one to swing wide and watch it come back!! You have a lot of room to miss with it either way. It will hold in the oil and scream back from the dry. It can be sensitive to the oil and it will skid through it's breakpoint. Mostly happened if I was too hard, too deep. All in all a great medium to heavy oil ball. If you have or need snappy backend, this is the ball for you! It shocks me that this core is the Black Hammer 2001 with a flip-block attached and it hooks as much as it does. I guess Fab had good cores and bad coverstocks.
Great Job Hammer!! Keep the name alive!!!
Post by: tenpin on September 08, 2002, 08:45:10 AM
Post by: Prodigy on September 08, 2002, 08:22:08 PM
The Prodigy
Post by: Empire Pro shop on September 11, 2002, 09:31:43 AM
With a 5inch pin to pap and 105 degree drilling we got great lenght and still retained a controllable backend. This ball floats through the heads and mid-lane even after they burn up. Hammer promotes this new Vicious as their best skid-flip ball yet and I must agree. A more positive drilling will give this flippy feeling.
A side-note. We got 5 1/2 of flare with a mild drilling......For high track players, pin placement should be above the fingers.
Overall this new Vicious will be highly recommended to our Hammer Heads with a high rev rate looking for a last ball of the night. The only drawback I saw was the high (.058) diff. Maybe to much flare for totally burnt lanes.
Roger
Post by: BenLaughlin on October 13, 2002, 08:22:32 PM
1 4 X 4 with an extra hole.I use this one mainly when the patterns are a little shorter with strong backends.Great reaction for this pattern.
the other is 4 X 3, this is the first ball out of my bag.Plenty of length with non stop backend hook.Hits like a truck.
Awesome balls.
Ben Laughlin Hammer Regional Staff
Glendale Az
Post by: Smash49 on October 25, 2002, 03:02:16 PM
Smash49
robert@bowlersslidesock.com
www.bowlersslidesock.com
Post by: pocket710 on October 26, 2002, 09:24:54 AM
Post by: Oahu Bowler on October 26, 2002, 06:46:57 PM
Aloha, Dale
Post by: Bob and Steves Pro Shop on November 01, 2002, 11:16:58 PM
Drilled this one for myself, a righty, Pin @ 11 oclock, pin to axis 4 1/2 inches. Axis 4 5/8 and 3/4 up.
Rank this one a 9 out ot 10.
Bob J
Bob and Steve's Pro Shop 724-869-2122
Post by: BC28 on November 06, 2002, 03:39:53 PM
Me: tweener, 15-16mph ball speed, 90 degree side rotation.
Lane: wood, medium to heavy oil, fresh backends.
Played inside throwing to the 3rd arrow. Ball snaps violently to the pocket, drives hard and carries very well! Hits like a frieght train.
Excellent ball; you just have to know when to put it away (especially when the heads begin to dry out)
Post by: Strazz on November 13, 2002, 07:11:13 PM
2.5 inch pin and 2.4 onz topweight
Rolled a few games in practice on regular house pattern about 38 feet
found that it rolled up very smooth and hit like a train. My games were 229 234 256 215 for a 934 series (not to bad)
This ball is great i recomend it for anyone who bowls and i rate it 10/10
Post by: Hazardman on December 24, 2002, 09:44:09 PM
Here are my results in leagues so far:
Before Viscious: 81 games, 16376 pinfall, 202.2 average.
Using Viscious: 48 games, 10871 pinfall, 226.4 average.
Total combined: 129 games, 27246 pinfall, 211.2 average.
Plus I have just come off my highest 3 game series ever, 269,279,269 for 817!
This was in a Christmas tourney so it is not reflected on my league average.
The ball was drilled with the pin about 2 inches southeast from my ring finger and drilled with a little length.
The shot I throw is, stand five boards left of center, roll over 18 board out to 8-10 and back. The shot is walled up pretty much here but it has been that way for a while. So even though its this way, I have went from a 202 average to a 211+ while averaging 226+ using this ball!
Post by: thecrapshoveler on March 10, 2003, 01:44:44 PM
Post by: Mark French on April 01, 2003, 02:15:45 AM
P.S.- Ball is layed out w/pin out 1/2 inch from ring finger and 1/2 inch down, with CG straight down about 2 inches from pin. Small weight hole on axis.
Post by: Gene J Kanak on June 09, 2003, 02:18:20 PM
--------------------
Bowling is without a doubt the dumbest, most pointless, most idiotic excuse for a game that has ever been invented. So, what time are we bowling tomorrow?
Post by: wannabebowler on July 19, 2003, 01:19:44 PM
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Get Vicious
Post by: punkska on August 14, 2003, 01:09:22 PM
goes long flips hard not as good as my core power hrg but its getting old and i need a new one.... contact me
Post by: Rich Thompson on August 28, 2003, 06:55:36 PM
Post by: BluewindArmada on November 15, 2003, 11:36:16 PM
Post by: tonygee on November 24, 2003, 02:31:08 PM
3" Pin
35degree layout pin under fingers
I expected flip, I got skid roll hook, I don't consider this bad. I expected later reaction than my other stuff but got early reaction, again not a bad thing.
It is a little deceiving, it will find the pocket, no problem there, but carry totally depends on its mood. If it's having a bad hair day it will leave soft corners. If you show it some boobs it will carry all day. Basically it is a great pocket hitter but carry will depend entirely on lane conditions.
I like this ball but sometimes it can be a real SLUT~!
Post by: ViciousCircle on September 30, 2004, 07:12:42 PM
Post by: JessN16 on December 22, 2005, 03:56:16 AM
I recently gave this ball away to a beginner bowler. I'm very open to the notion that my problems with it were the result of operator error, but I just couldn't find many conditions that the ball liked.
On a dryer natural wood house shot, the ball had too much power. On a very wet synthetic shot, it wouldn't get back to the pocket.
I seemed to fare much better on a medium shot with active back ends. I will give the ball its due in that it carries very well, hits hard, and doesn't over under. You get a consistent path on every pitch. The problem for me was getting it where it needed to go to deliver its punch.
I know there are a lot of people who swear by this ball, but I found it too condition-specific to be of much use to me.
Jess