Post by: admin on December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM
Coverstock: Evolution Pearl HD (reactive)
Ball Color: Dark Emerald All colors do vary somewhat from the picture shown.
Finish: Polished
Flare Potential: 3-4" (Medium)
RG Average: 2.586 (Medium-Medium High) on a scale of 2.43-2.8 Very low-High Break Point
RG Differential: 0.031 (Medium-Low) on a scale of .000-.080 Low-High Flare
Recommended Lane Conditions: Medium-Dry Oil
Post by: BuddiesProShopcom - Tim on April 04, 2007, 09:21:17 PM
I drilled the test ball 4 3/4" x 3", with a balance hole in the positive/thumb quadrant.
The Hornet is supposed to be Lane Masters' answer to dry/short oil patterns, and uses the same core as the Buzz with a harder version of the Evolution reactive coverstock.
After testing, I realized you can not try to bring a lawsuit against Lane Masters for false advertising...the Hornet performs exactly as advertised. The mellow coverstock provides easy length and the popular core provides for consistent moves off the breakpoint. If you are joining a PBA Experience league or just are struggling with over-reaction, give the Hornet some strong consideration for the short patterns. The smooth roll off the breakpoint is key in keeping the ball in play on the hooking stuff.
One thing i noticed is that due to the harder coverstock, oil does not get absorbed into the ball very quickly, so it is imperative to wipe the Hornet with a micro-fiber towel to maintain consistent reaction.
Thanks,
Tim
--------------------
www.BuddiesProShop.com
The Place All Bowlers Shop
Post by: thegame on April 14, 2007, 04:01:14 AM
Post by: robospare on May 23, 2007, 02:20:08 PM
15lb
3.5 inch pin
Pin over the ring finger
CG stacked below.
On dry lanes or second and third shifts, this is exactly what the ball doctor ordered. Gets through the head life plastic. Read the mid-lane only as much as necessary. Returns a very controlled and predictible move to the pocket consistently with no over under. Hits super hard with explosive pin action like all the other Lane Masters balls.
On my two PBA sport shot leagues this summer, it is the first ball out of my bag. Even over my Black Pearl which I love. The Hornet rules for me especially on the Cheetah and Viper pattern.
I definate must have in your bag!!!
Post by: Jesse James on June 10, 2007, 08:30:46 PM
3"pin
4X4 drilling(pin right of ring and cg stacked below)
pin is half inch higher than ring finger, no XH
Lane conditions: lite oil- late afternoon/ open play
Lanes: Synthetic
Man o man! LaneMasters did it! This is what I have been looking for in a dry lane ball. Gets thru the heads clean as a whistle. Doesn't read the mids much at all, and just when you think this thing is just gonna scate on forever, it slowly an controllably arcs straight to the hole.
This is one bowling gem for real. Great power at the pocket and excellent carrying power! Just to make sure it was the ball and not me, I also tested a leverage drilled Roto SuperSonic to see the differences. The Hornet carried, ....EVERYTIME. My SS actually carried well too, but did leave a couple of ten-pins.
I am impressed.....and I don't impress easily, so this will be a must have for my arsenal in coming weeks.
Great job LanesMasters. Now I have something to add to my Fantasy X's.
--------------------
Duct tape is like 'The Force'. It has a light side and a dark side, but it still holds the universe together.
Some days you're the bug; some days you're the windshield.
Post by: Skip Wilson on September 20, 2007, 11:58:16 AM
Post by: agrobmei on November 03, 2007, 11:54:50 PM
The way this ball glides on dry is IMPRESSIVE. Way better than my RS-48 (elite).
One of the things I noticed (for me) was that the ball can sometimes get too angular on the backends. I was able to tame this down with a weight hole on my PAP, taking the ball slightly negative side.
The ball is PERFECT now, just waiting for the Sahara conditions.
Post by: Alex from Galax on December 02, 2007, 10:18:34 PM
The ball works great on fresh oiled but drier lanes or short oil patterns. If you like to bowl down the boards on outside lines, you will love this ball ! But as soon as you ll hit carry down, the ball starts to hook less and you will leave a lot of 10th pins. The hornet needs dry boards, and you have to wipe off the oil! The ball is also a little bit sensitive to speed changes.
I bought this ball to bowl late at night, but I have to say , this is the wrong Ball for conditions you will find late at night. The Hornet isn t a strong hooking ball and when you still have a little bit carry down, the hornet won t hook enough. This ball hates carry down!
I like the hornet, but I don t use this ball very often.
This ball has great hitting power, but it is very special and very hard.
I don t think it is a good ball for a beginner. As a beginner ball, I would recommend the Buzz.
The Hornet allows you to bowl further right on drier lanes and can be your secret weapon !!
Post by: zone on December 22, 2007, 12:16:45 PM
layout - went with the low track players layout. pin left of middle finger, CG kicked 45 deg. angle left of pin. weak, low flaring layout.
I LOVE THIS BALL. CAN USE THIS BALL ALL NIGHT LONG. not jumpy at all. just a smooth hooking hard hitting ball. loves light hits. thrown high scores with it already and only had it for a week. this is my new secret weapon. we dont see much oil around here so this ball will be able to be used 70% of the time. cant say enough good things about this ball!
--------------------
LANE MASTERS / LEGENDS convert and never looking back!
Post by: gr8scott6 on January 09, 2008, 12:21:53 AM
OK, if you've read any of my reviews, you are well aware that I am a HUGE LM fan. This ball simply intensified my love for this company!
When the lanes are absolutely FRIED, I pull out my Straight Flush. But before they get to that point, when my other stuff is taking off on me and the SF doesn't hook enough, this baby is SWEEEEET!!!
Last night I started with my Terminator and rolled a 257. Halfway through the second game, I put one through the nose, but I assumed it was bowler error. Nope, lanes had transitioned and like an idiot I stayed with it for two more frames--two more splits (picked up one). I switched to my Visionary Crimson Executioner and pulled out a 4-bagger and a nine count for a 206. A third of the way through the third game, the CE started biting on me and not carrying. Pulled out The Hornet to roll a strike, 9/, and five bagger to pull out another 206 for a 669 series on a pair where 9 other accomplished bowlers struggled to roll low to mid 600s and high 500s.
If I were to roll the second flight, this would be the first ball out of my bag. I've noticed a few complaints that it doesn't hook enough or handle heavy oil. It's not SUPPOSED to -- it's for drier lanes, when you don't want a lot of hook. It does hook considerably more than the Straight Flush, and is simply a wonderful go-to ball when the lanes are transitioning.
Also, I disagree with the previous reviewer regarding this ball's ability to handle carrydown. I've used it several times when there was a TON of carrydown, and the ball didn't even "notice" it.
Another great, great ball from a great, great company.
--------------------
"Love God, laugh more, spend more time with the ones you love, play with children, do good to those in need, and eat more ice cream. There is more to life than bowling." Scott F. Guinn
Post by: D McLaughlin on February 11, 2008, 01:58:51 PM
--------------------
I am a fan of whatever ball is going to fatten my bank account.
Post by: sportsbowlny on February 23, 2008, 10:57:58 AM
Post by: sportsbowlny on April 05, 2008, 01:45:54 AM
Post by: John D Davis on August 12, 2008, 07:52:55 AM
I have my Hornet drilled like a Rico-type layout with the pin being in the center of my grip. It doesnt have a weight hole and is at box finished with maybe added polish. I dont know about some of the bowling areas but in my area I can always find lanes where this ball is usefull! This ball is even good on a house shot when you wanna practice playing straighter and squaring up to the lane. The best part, is this ball can even be used as a spare ball as well for if you take your hand out of it, it will definitly go straight!
The only bad part about this layout/coverstock combo is that if I miss it at all at the bottom then it will go right through the break point. I can over hit it though and sometimes get away with it, grab it, etc. If you dont remember hearing it above then I will say it again. EVERY BOWLER NEEDS ONE OF THESE BALLS IN THEIR BAG!!! A tournament player that is. A typical house player wont need this for they may not find conditions for it, but for the serious players this is a must!
Players may not be as happy putting a length-type layout on it for it may never read the lane and do crazy things on the backend. I would suggest keeping the pin down to maximize your performance. Just dont get upset when you cant use this ball on many patterns but be happy with how good it will work when you finally find that condition it was meant for! I rate this thing a perfect 10! I use to think from time to time in a situation that man, I sure would like to have a ball that would hook a little less. Well now I have it and you should too! John Davis
Post by: CHawk15 on April 26, 2009, 03:32:43 PM
Legends/ Lanemasters Hornet - 15lbs
Pin to CG Distance - 3.5 to 4"
Topweight - 3.5 oz
Layout - Pin over Ring - CG slightly out
Ball Reaction - good length and softer move off of friction.
Comments:
This ball is pretty much as advertised, it's a ball for dry lanes. As such, too much oil up front or downlane will cause this ball to squirt, no question especially with this layout. This ball has a harder coverstock and excels from straighter angles. I typically need to use more end over end roll to get this ball started sooner as well. This is definitely a good ball to bring to a 10-2 game tournamet to use in the final few games of a long block. This ball needs friction in order to work properly. I thrown this ball in 3-4 different bowling centers. The centers that have the well defined friction zone outside is where this ball shines. This ball plays well outside and shallow track angles, if you try to cover too much ground with this ball, it doesn't work well unless you have alot of hand and / or very soft ball speed.
In summary, the Hornet with this layout is a good ball for drier conditions from outside angles. If you keep the angles tighter, you'll have more success and you'll tend to want to use the "straight player" adjustments (speed, loft, softer hand, etc) rather than trying to play deeper unless you're Tommy Jones. Not a ball you'll use all the time unless you're bowling on wood, but good for what it's designed for.
Post by: jbungard on May 17, 2009, 02:47:34 AM
About the ball: 15 lbs, 5" x 3 1/2", 2 7/8" pin, Pin just above ring finger, CG right and up from grip center.
What it is: The Lane Masters Hornet is a unique ball on the market; a special tool for specific situations that every tournament bowler needs from time to time. The Hornet is similar to the Lane Masters Buzz in that it features a medium RG, low differential RG core surrounded by 11 or so pounds of high quality reactive urethane resin. Where it differs from the Buzz is in the hardness of the pearl polyurethane mixture, adding roughly five hardness points on the Shur durometer D scale. Where the Buzz checks in at 73 to 74 hardness, just a point or so above the USBC minimum of 72, the Hornet checks in around 78 to 79, not quite spare ball territory, but much milder in reaction to dry than any of the Hornet’s Lane Masters counterparts (with the exception of the 3-piece Straight Flush).
What it is not: The Hornet is not a spare ball at least not in the sense of a 3-piece polyester piece that hardly sees the lane at all: And it sure isn’t an oiler. The Hornet is not at home on heavy to medium-heavy patterns unless the back ends are dry. Even with dry back ends, the Hornet is not in its element on heavy to medium-heavy patterns. Also, the Hornet will squirt in carrydown.
The Hornet flat out shines on second shift shots, in minor events such as doubles following singles. The Hornet also shines on low volume conditions, short patterns, lighter Christmas tree patterns, etc. When the mid-lane starts drying out, you can move deeper with your benchmark ball and, sometimes, lose carry at the deeper angle, or you can switch to the Hornet and maintain your angle to the pocket.
Like most other Lane Masters pieces, the Hornet is a true two-piece ball: Only core and a high quality shell of the finest high durometer reactive polyurethane that one can buy. Keep your towel with you. This piece does not absorb conditioner. If you want to maintain consistent reaction with the Hornet, you need to wipe it off each shot otherwise it will create its own carrydown
.The Hornet can be a little jumpy off the dry in its factory polished condition. I’ve had excellent success using a white scuff pad to calm the reaction a little: No appreciable loss in length, but it reads in the midlane a little sooner and still finishes well on the backend. P2000 or P4000 abralon also work well but the white scuff pad, by hand or spinner, really gives this ball a great look on dry to medium-dry synthetics. My Hornet works best on wood lanes with the factory polished finish.
In summary, the Lane Masters Hornet is a great arsenal ball for dry to medium-dry conditions. It excels as the second or third ball in your long-format progression and is a fine late-second and third game ball as the sponges “eat” conditioner during league play. The Hornet also excels on shorter sport patterns.
Edited on 1/1/2011 at 10:28 AM
Post by: Pat Patterson on September 23, 2009, 07:43:35 AM
Obviously I got this ball for the drier lane conditions. I haven't used it much, except for a couple of wood houses and the ball really excelled when gunning it up the gutter(1st arrow out to gutter). I keep it around for tournament bowling when I go to an unknown house. One thing I did notice is it is pretty aggressive when it sniffs dry, kinda reminds of the old days of when the Yellow Dot was king.
--------------------
Pat Patterson
Post by: Pat Patterson on August 18, 2010, 04:00:31 AM
This is a speciality ball for me, as my THS would not allow me to get sufficient use out of it. Usually the smallest ball I can successfully utilize would be a Buzz or a highly polished Black Pearl Reactive.
This ball definetly has a spot in bag when traveling to tournaments and for older wood houses.
--------------------
Pat Patterson
Post by: I am batman on January 17, 2011, 09:53:36 AM
LANE CONDITION
Length:
excellent
Volume:
lightType (THS, Sport Pattern etc):
white#2COMMENTS
Likes: Drilled with a classic 1:30 drilling (pin 4.5" from PAP, CG in center of grip) no weight hole.
I love the ability of this ball to make me look like a better bowler. It is extremely controllable. Perfect for down and in or small swing (very small). Definatly my go to ball later in the sets. Not bad to start on fresh house shots. Hits hard and carries extremely well for me. Not a hook monster, even on dry lanes. I have decent speed (15-16) and decent revs (350-450).
Dislikes: On heavy carry down can get squirrley. Can handel some but angle has to be closed down.
PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS
I am Batman"Where does he get all of these wonderful balls?"