Author Topic: Thinking of trying the hammer brand (Read 7172 times)

Stormroto22 · « **on:** January 10, 2016, 09:33:48 PM »

I've primarily focused on rotogrip and storm for the past year or so. Bought a few motiv balls to try and now I'm thinking I want to try hammer. I do have a few questions. With the carbon fiber tech and the 3 year warranty has anyone had any issues? I've had several storm balls Crack on me and not old ones. Also hammers slogan is nothing hits like them, is that true? Do they actually hit harder than most or is it just a catch phrase for the brand name. Also what balls would you recommend getting? I was thinking of getting a BWRLS and a viral pearl to start. As they would compliment my current arsenal. Then go from there.

Dave81644 · « **Reply #1 on:** January 11, 2016, 06:42:59 AM »

had no issues with any Hammer pieces cracking.
I primarily use EBI, I can't believe any ball hits harder than any other one, the only possible proof is the Columbia Swerve that has somenew core technolgy and they have some vids to prove it.

as far as what to get, it all depends on what you are looking for.
house shot, sport conditions, etc
what part of your arsenal are you looking to get a new piece for?

Stormroto22 · « **Reply #2 on:** January 11, 2016, 08:21:50 AM »

Currently I have a haywire, forza redline, and a graffiti tag. The redline and tag are on the weaker side. The haywire hooks but I don't like the way it turns and continues so I was thinking the red legend solid to take place of that as from what I've read it continues great and is smooth and would most likely be a tad stronger overall. And then get something below that

buckeyebailz · « **Reply #3 on:** January 11, 2016, 11:07:22 AM »

Ive been a hammer head for the past 5 years. Never had any problems with their equipment. Begining this year i switched back to using track which is an ebi company. They have some really good pieces out right now. Nothing against hammer. I was always satisfied but track matches up to my game much better

kidlost2000 · « **Reply #4 on:** January 11, 2016, 12:10:47 PM »

Used only brunswick brands the past many years till a month ago.

Tried the following 900 dream big, black ops, ebi source, pivot move, pivot point, the one prime, Columbia resurgence fire, throw down, hammer deadly aim and absolut curve.

Compared to anything else I've used from brunswick brands I didn't notice a difference in reaction, hit, carry or anything else that would make me pick any brand over another. I also had the same experience with motiv a few years ago after trying several of their balls.

Having a good layout and adjusting surface as needed has been the biggest thing I've come away with from this experience.

Plowboy300 · « **Reply #5 on:** January 11, 2016, 02:21:25 PM »

I have been on staff with Hammer for 8 years now, and ever since they have switched with the Carbon Fiber & 3 year warranty, I have not had a ball crack on me. In regards to the Hammer equipment you are looking for, the Red Legend Solid would definitely be stronger overall than your Haywire for the heavier medium / heavy volume patterns.

The 2nd ball I would recommend would be in the Ebonite line - Warrior. This ball is definitely a great rolling piece that will get down the lane and give you a nice continuous motion in the backends for you. This compares to the Red Legend Pearl which actually works better for lower rev rate bowlers to give them a big backend motion ball. The Warrior blends out the big backend motion and is more continuous than the RL Pearl.

Another great rolling piece for the medium patterns would be the Arson High Flare (red/yellow). This is a big backend motion ball to that would fit within your current arsenal.

Hope this helps, & let me know if you have any questions!

bergman · « **Reply #6 on:** January 11, 2016, 02:35:35 PM »

Unfortunately, I never had much luck with Hammer's Gas Mask cores. No matter how I drilled them, or what surface preps I made, they always tended to roll out early for me.
On the other hand, I like the Hammer Arson High Flare and EBI's Warrior Lines. I am also considering the Columbia Swerve.

bradl · « **Reply #7 on:** January 11, 2016, 03:22:19 PM »

I've been bowling with a combination of Ebonite and Hammer (current and Fab) for nearly 30 years. I have had only the following balls crack on me within the past 3 months, all due to non-use:

Ebonite Apex Addiction: bought in 1999, last used in 2003.
Ebonite XXXcel: bought in 2005, last used in 2008.
Ebonite TPC Warrior: bought in 2002, last used in 2012.

Out of Hammer's line, I've thrown the following: Faball Blue, Faball Blue Pearl, 3D-Offset, First Blood, Cold Blood, True Blood, Cube, Absolut Curve, Absolut Flip, Deadly Aim, BW Legend, BW Red Legend, ALF Solid. None of those have cracked.

Out of EBI's line: Turbo/X, Nitro/R, Nitro/R2, Optyx Formula 1, Total NV, Complete NV, Mission, Mission Domination/250K, Challenge, Pursuit/S, and Pivot. Again, only the above 3 EBI balls have cracked.

I will caveat this by saying that those 3 EBI balls were pre-Hammer acquisition. But I haven't had any issues at all from balls cracking that weren't through extended periods of non-use.

BL.

billdozer · « **Reply #8 on:** January 11, 2016, 03:58:52 PM »

Quote from: bergman on January 11, 2016, 02:35:35 PM

Unfortunately, I never had much luck with Hammer's Gas Mask cores. No matter how I drilled them, or what surface preps I made, they always tended to roll out early for me.
On the other hand, I like the Hammer Arson High Flare and EBI's Warrior Lines. I am also considering the Columbia Swerve.

My gas masks roll great but don't carry...hmmm.

Dave81644 · « **Reply #9 on:** January 11, 2016, 05:30:57 PM »

Quote from: billdozer on January 11, 2016, 03:58:52 PM

Quote from: bergman on January 11, 2016, 02:35:35 PM
Unfortunately, I never had much luck with Hammer's Gas Mask cores. No matter how I drilled them, or what surface preps I made, they always tended to roll out early for me.
On the other hand, I like the Hammer Arson High Flare and EBI's Warrior Lines. I am also considering the Columbia Swerve.

My gas masks roll great but don't carry...hmmm.

I have not ever had any luck with the gas mask core either, until this new one
it is very good out of the box
what I learned today at the EBI seminar that i was able to attend, that the numbers associated with a ball aren't necessarily the only factor in equipment anymore. its still a part of the equation, just not the only thing to look at like I usually did, up until today.
they presented 3 new(er) balls with almost identical numbers, but all 3 had different motion, not a huge difference, but different none-the-less
all has to do with the magic area of the hook phase, where in that hook phase does the ball start to react
very interesting stuff that is being looked at

Stormroto22 · « **Reply #10 on:** January 11, 2016, 09:08:38 PM »

Like I said I've primarily focused on storm and roto. Lately I haven't been impressed with durability and reaction. In the past year I've had 5 balls crack and they aren't ever left in a changing climate. I take them to league, bowl, take them home and they sit in my room which is the same temp all the time. So I've been considering a switch. Looks like hammer has a very complete lineup with great options and they have been interesting me for a while now.

vkowalski1970 · « **Reply #11 on:** January 12, 2016, 08:51:16 AM »

5 balls cracking has to be caused by something. I doubt it's a storm/roto issue. In 30 yrs of bowling I've had 2 crack. Seems weird to have so many. As far as Hammer goes, I use mostly storm/roto and Motiv. I have had a lot of success with Hammer over the years. Mostly vibe and gas mask cores. Not much luck with others. I have the red legend Pearl right now. I can't throw it polished at all at any surface. It's very over/under. But at 4000 the ball is still super clean and a great ball. I threw the Red Legend Solid and liked my Haywire much better, it handles more oil than I will ever see anywhere. But ofcourse that's my opinion only.

Plowboy300 · « **Reply #12 on:** January 12, 2016, 10:13:38 AM »

Quote from: vkowalski1970 on January 12, 2016, 08:51:16 AM

5 balls cracking has to be caused by something. I doubt it's a storm/roto issue. In 30 yrs of bowling I've had 2 crack. Seems weird to have so many. As far as Hammer goes, I use mostly storm/roto and Motiv. I have had a lot of success with Hammer over the years. Mostly vibe and gas mask cores. Not much luck with others. I have the red legend Pearl right now. I can't throw it polished at all at any surface. It's very over/under. But at 4000 the ball is still super clean and a great ball. I threw the Red Legend Solid and liked my Haywire much better, it handles more oil than I will ever see anywhere. But ofcourse that's my opinion only.

I found the same thing with the Red Legend Pearl... I took mine down to 800 grit Abralon then FF polish, the ball blends out the over/under motion that I saw previously, yet still gets down the lane. Hope this helps others that might see the same issues with the over/under problem. This ball is AMAZING for the lower rev rate bowlers to have a ball that gets down the lane and where they can chase the oil inside for them.

avabob · « **Reply #13 on:** January 12, 2016, 10:34:17 AM »

Its all about core shell matchups. Hammer has some great cores, particularly the Vibe core. It seems to work with a lot of different shells. Other cores are good on some shells but not so much on others. My Black Widow Legend was not a great core shell matchup for me. Vey condition specific, it worked well on very long patterns, but my Track Paradox carries much better for me on medium length house patterns.

Bottom line, there are a lot of really good balls out there, and I don't think any company has a monopoly on them.

Stormroto22 · « **Reply #14 on:** January 12, 2016, 12:27:21 PM »

Quote from: vkowalski1970 on January 12, 2016, 08:51:16 AM

5 balls cracking has to be caused by something. I doubt it's a storm/roto issue. In 30 yrs of bowling I've had 2 crack. Seems weird to have so many. As far as Hammer goes, I use mostly storm/roto and Motiv. I have had a lot of success with Hammer over the years. Mostly vibe and gas mask cores. Not much luck with others. I have the red legend Pearl right now. I can't throw it polished at all at any surface. It's very over/under. But at 4000 the ball is still super clean and a great ball. I threw the Red Legend Solid and liked my Haywire much better, it handles more oil than I will ever see anywhere. But ofcourse that's my opinion only.

I see in your signature you have a critical. How do you like that? And have you thrown a lock?

Author Topic: Thinking of trying the hammer brand (Read 7172 times)

Stormroto22

Thinking of trying the hammer brand

Dave81644

Re: Thinking of trying the hammer brand

Stormroto22

Re: Thinking of trying the hammer brand

buckeyebailz

Re: Thinking of trying the hammer brand

kidlost2000

Re: Thinking of trying the hammer brand

Plowboy300

Re: Thinking of trying the hammer brand

bergman

Re: Thinking of trying the hammer brand

bradl

Re: Thinking of trying the hammer brand

billdozer

Re: Thinking of trying the hammer brand

Dave81644

Re: Thinking of trying the hammer brand

Stormroto22

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vkowalski1970

Re: Thinking of trying the hammer brand

Plowboy300

Re: Thinking of trying the hammer brand

avabob

Re: Thinking of trying the hammer brand

Stormroto22

Re: Thinking of trying the hammer brand