Author Topic: Dark Star (Read 22197 times)

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

- Coverstock: Ultimate Vision Pearl Reactive
- Weight Block:Photon Core (14-16)
- Ball Color: Dark Blue/Purple All colors do vary somewhat from the picture shown.
- Ball Finish: 1500 Polished
- Track Flare Potential: 3-4 Inches (Med) on a scale of 1-10 Low-High
- Recommended Lane Conditions: Medium-Light Oil
- A few tiny pit holes in the cover stock of the ball are normal
- Description: Value and Performance have always been synonymous with the Roto GripÂ® brand, and the all new Dark Starâ„¢ stands to continue that tradition. Our first goal was to develop a stronger Shieldâ„¢ Line ball to fit into the Roto GripÂ® line. The Team felt that there was too big of a gap between the Nomads and the Planet series balls. The intent was to create more mid-lane read with stronger backend motion, so we developed the Photonâ„¢ core with a lower RG value and a higher differential. To enhance this core motion we also added Ultimate Visionâ„¢ pearl coverstock to this ball. This performance proven coverstock was found on the EPICâ„¢ and Illusionâ„¢ series of balls. It boasts a higher coefficient of friction and surface texture for added traction in the oil and superior backend performance. This combination of core and coverstock was the ideal fit into the line. Our tests showed that it filled the gap between the Nomads and the Planet series balls perfectly. The legacy of value and performance will live on in the new Dark Starâ„¢.

SenorRotoGrip · « **Reply #16 on:** April 03, 2010, 12:05:16 PM »

Combining the Ultimate Vision pearl coverstock (1500 polished) with a new medium core (2.58) and medium differential (.40), Roto Grip introduces the Dark Star to its mid priced line. With a slightly stronger Rg than the Planet series, the Dark Star is a ball for medium to drier patterns. For PBA patterns, with proper layout, a stroker/tweener will find the Dark Star to be a good go to ball on the 37' Viper and 35' Cheetah as the pattern breaks down.

I drilled the Dark Star with a 55 degree pin/pap, pin 4 1/2' from PAP, below my ring finger, with the cg out and a 7/8" weight hole drilled on a straight line 4" from my grip center to create some hook/stop on the back end. This is the same layout I used on a Riot to give me a go to ball when the Riot started to burn off or hook to early as the pattern dried out. For bowler's in the 140-160 average range who want to go to a reactive that is controllable, the Dark Star would be a good choice.

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Senor RotoGrip

mikelj1 · « **Reply #17 on:** April 05, 2010, 02:53:11 PM »

I loved the Dark Star on a medium or dry shot. This ball should be ideal for a house shot. In a typical league shot I could play outside the second arrow most of the night. As the conditions broke down, I could easily move in 3-5 boards and stay in the pocket. With the pearl finish, this ball has a sharp backend and makes a quick continuous move to the pocket.

My Dark Star was drilled with a 4 X 4 layout from my PAP with the pin above the fingers keeping the box finish.

This ball cleared the heads great. In the mid-lane the ball revved up nicely and made a solid, sharp move to the pocket.  

The Dark Star has a very predictable reaction. This is great for the league player. As the lanes transition, I made slight adjustments with ball speed and angle and was able keep the ball in play and use this ball all night long.

This ball surprised me and played a lot stronger than you would expect based on the specs. I was getting 4-5 inches of flair and bouncing the ball off the dry all night.

Mike Johnston
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Mike Johnston
Roto Grip Staff

BackToBasics · « **Reply #18 on:** April 05, 2010, 03:22:30 PM »

One problem I've had in the past with the Planet series was the lack of flare. My axis rotation is very high and I hit a lot of conditions that tend to either be very wet/dry or hooking heads/mids with oil downlane. So the Planets pushed easily enough but didn't have the core to handle the oil downlane. They were very conditional for me. Enter the Dark Star with a slightly lower RG but higher diff.

The Dark Star has been a perfect compliment to the Nomad Pearl. It pushes much easier than the Nomad Pearl but because of the higher diff, it can handle a little bit of oil downlane. Plus I have more drilling options with the higher diff. The Dark Star is deceptively strong downlane without being flippy.

If you tend to bowl on lighter volumes or your ball speed is low, the Dark Star will give you a little more versatility than the Planet series.
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Anthony Chapman

Roto Grip Staff 2009/10
Vise Grips Staff 2009/10

mr ed 2u · « **Reply #19 on:** April 05, 2010, 10:22:45 PM »

Review Dark Star
Drilling 41/2x4

This ball has an even smooth roll not too responsive off the dry but enough to give plenty of angle to carry the corners very well. From the first shot I made with this ball I knew it has a very nice place in the Tournament bags. But don't underestimate how much this ball can hook it will be a great surprise. Use this ball on what it was intended for and you will not be disappointed. In the performance of this ball. I use this ball in the minor events at the USBC in Reno it allowed me to get thru the front part of the lane and not over react down lane I think this ball should be in your bag at Reno this year

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Ed Riffle
Roto Grip Advisory Staff

Tess7654 · « **Reply #20 on:** April 06, 2010, 12:33:36 PM »

I drilled my Dark Star with a 5 1/2 inch pin to pap (above my middle finger) with the cg slightly kicked out 1/2 inch with no hole. For me this ball gets great length and a very strong backend reaction...much more than I expected. This will be a good ball to go to when my pearl nomad is too strong off the spot. Seems like this will be a great ball for anyone wanting alot of backend pop without spending alot of money. I used this ball on a few house shots and it comes back from almost anywhere, I also used it in a regional on cheetah (but the gutter didnt hook) since the gutter was OB I tried to use my Dark Star and play 10 to 5 but the backend was too much. All in all I think this ball should compete well against the other balls in its price range.

David Tessman
Pba regional staff.

pbacanuck · « **Reply #21 on:** April 06, 2010, 01:58:17 PM »

Dark Star and Riot Review

I am reviewing these balls together because I feel the two balls are perfect companions for each other.

I had a lot of success with the Illusion and Grand Illusion. I felt they were both great control balls. As soon as I saw the Dark Star and the Riot and the technical data on the balls I felt they would be the perfect replacement for them.

I drilled the Dark Star 4 X 4 and the Riot 4 Â½ X 4 Â½. with the pin above the finger holes. When I started practising on our house shot with them I found the Dark Star to be a bit, what I call, flippy. It gave me an over/under reaction. I have a low track and about a 60% axis tilt with medium/slow ball speed. I find if I have too much shine on a ball that it can have a hard time reading the break point. I took an 4000 abralon pad and went over the ball on the spinner to take a bit of the polish off of it. The difference that made was amazing. I went from having about a 1 board area to a 3 or 4 board margin of error, and when the ball hit, it hit.

The Riot, even though drilled to go a bit longer, had a tendency to roll a bit early and the end result as a weak pocket, leaving 10 pins and 7 pins with the box finish. So back into the shop I went. I didn't want to change the ball's characteristics, I just wanted to help it go a bit longer. This time I used a 2000 abralon pad. It worked out really well too, giving it a little more length and a better finish.

I had a set idea of what I wanted the balls to do when I drilled them and it has turned out great. I can use the two balls in similar lane conditions with usually just a 1 or 2 board adlustment. I can go back and forth between them very easily.

I am not presently bowling in tournaments, the survival of my business taking most of my time. I'm bowling a couple of times a week, one league, 3 games, the other 4. I have struggled a bit as a result of no practise and the average was hovering at just over 200. Since I drilled the Dark Star and the Riot I have had triples of 738, 721 and 720 and 4 game totals of 987 and 939. In the month of March my average has jumped up to 208, not easy to do this late in the season.

In my opinion, for the price, these two balls are about the best value out there. I have already drilled a number of them for entry level customers and well as more experienced bowlers looking for a good control ball.

RonCase823 · « **Reply #22 on:** April 06, 2010, 10:51:00 PM »

My Axis is 5 5/8 right, Â¼ up, my speed is average and I would consider myself with higher revs but more up the back. So not a cranker but not really straight either.

Drilled Pin 5" from PAP & CG 4" from PAP in thumb weight quadrin.

Ball is a monster on a house shot. It goes long and then jumps hard when it leaves the oil. It has great backend reaction and on patterns where you need to play inside it recovers and carries very well. It is definitely stronger than the Planet balls but not too strong that it will be too much even when the lanes break down. I have not hit a condition that this ball jumps too early on. Even as more games are bowled, it goes through the heads great and holds its energy for the big bang on the backends. As long as the pattern is not too long this ball will work for most of us.

ODriscoll · « **Reply #23 on:** April 06, 2010, 11:44:09 PM »

Dark Star,

Roto Gripâ€™s intent was to fill the void between the Sword line Nomadâ€™s and the Shield line Mars. When the Nomadâ€™s came out they turned out to be much stronger and therefore widening the gap between the two lines. We needed something to smooth it out.

The Dark Star and Riot easily fit right in. The Dark Star 1500 / pearl reactive polished finish is a nice looking purple similar to the old Oracle Vision. The Dark Star is really smooth through the front part of the lane and I was surprised how much longer I could stay in the dry or track area. It does have a little lower RG than the Mars which allows it to pick up quicker with some unexpected predictability on the backend. Normally when you can get a ball to push well through the fronts half of the lane it can tend to be a little over under on the back. Not the case with the Dark Star.

Great addition to the Roto Grip Shield line it did fit right in.

Kelly O'Driscoll
Roto Grip Staff

tonybowler · « **Reply #24 on:** April 07, 2010, 02:35:47 AM »

The Dark Star, is a pretty purple ball that will have your competition mystified on its outstanding performance, more noted, its hitting power. The pearl reactive shell tends to be a little skid flip when out of the box. If this is what youâ€™re looking for, then keep the box 1500 polish cover. I like my reaction better with taking the surface to 2000 light abralon and no polish. This evened out the skid flip reaction and made the ball transitions smoother. It goes through the heads with ease and revs up quickly, next is the big move to the pocket. I have my Dark Star drilled with a 4.5â€ pin and it is just under the fingers and the CG kicked out 50 degrees. This layout produces high flare rings. Even with this drill pattern this ball still plays very well with a deep inside line. The back end is continuous through the pins. The Dark Star compliments the Riotâ€™s ball reaction when the lane condition has transitioned to more on the medium to dryer side.
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Tony Szeluga
Roto Grip Staffer.
Retired All Army Bowler

KENOMAN · « **Reply #25 on:** April 07, 2010, 01:26:20 PM »

I have my Dark Star drilled 5x5, 2" pin 1/2 inch over bridge cg 1" below the bridge. This layout and the balls polished surface gets through the heads very clean and gives me good very good length. The ball makes a strong continuos break on the back end and saves a lot of energy for the back end. This is the middle ball in your arsenal that can turn the corner and give you the strong angle to the pocket needed on many tournament and league conditions. A must for your arsenal.
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KEN TAYLOR SR
AMATEUR STAFF
ATLANTA GA

Dino · « **Reply #26 on:** April 07, 2010, 04:52:10 PM »

For starters, this ball looks great right out the box. That's always a plus by my standards. I drilled this ball very similar to my Riot which I really like. I put the pin beside the ring finger with the CG nearly right under it. For medium to lighter volume patterns this ball matches up on a lot of conditions. Heavy oil and really dry patterns will put this ball in the bag. With the layout that I have this ball is very even with a strong read in the mid-lane. The carry is good and what I like most about this ball is the versatility. This ball is a great compliment to the Riot.

Onebigtwister · « **Reply #27 on:** April 07, 2010, 06:10:25 PM »

Dark Star

15lb 3oz with 2.48 oz Top weight. 3-4â€ pin

Drilling: 5 X 5 no hole
Finish: box

The name on this ball fits so well, for the money this thing out preforms many middle to upper lined equipment in other companies. Its really in the dark, not getting all the attention because its not a high end ball. I tell you what this ball should win B.O.Y for lower price point. It is my belief by watching it down the lane on the same patterns as the Evil Seige, C- System 2.5, a Polished Jigsaw. This ball looked just as good if not better then these on that pattern. Maybe it was the pattern, but I have thrown this ball on a variety of patterns and I can always seem to get lined up. Its nothing fancy just clean through the fronts, excellent length with a strong smooth tip at the back. Any carry seems to be better then expected from a lower entry level ball.

I have yet to play with surfaces yet, but when I do I will be sure to post what I see. Thanks

Any Questions or Comments please feel free to contact me: strike2win@hotmail.com

Jake Bedard
Roto Grip Staff

JCrewsRG838 · « **Reply #28 on:** April 08, 2010, 09:15:17 PM »

My axis is 5 1/16th right and 0 up or down. I drilled my Dark Star with a 5x3 and it really gets through the fronts clean. It gets through the fronts a lot like the Neptune but really finishes strong down the lane with forgiveness. The Dark Star really fills a gap between the Nomads and the Planet Series. On the shelf the purple really stands out and is a very good looking ball. I would tell anyone to drill one of these because I think you will like one as much as I like mine.

Jimmy Crews

Roto Grip staff member

LarryH · « **Reply #29 on:** April 12, 2010, 12:27:34 AM »

Roto Grip has 2 more balls for all ages & averages in the high value low price market. The Riot & The Dark Star....As a senior LH Stroker I had both balls drilled with a 3 inch pin 1/2 inch below ring finger. On league & Medium oil conditions the Dark Star has a smooth mid-lane with strong back end for great carry.After lanes opened at the Easter High-Roller the Dark Star gave me the top score in the 1st annual Former Champs 2 game sweeper-484...Layout Photo's on RG Reviews......L. Hoffman, Roto Grip Advisory Staff

Bigmike · « **Reply #30 on:** July 08, 2010, 09:20:48 AM »

See profile for stats.

Lay Out: 4.75" from PAP at 75* PAP angle and 40* VAL angle. Dual angle measurement would be 75/4.75/40. The pin ended up slightly above my ring finger. I eventually added a weight hole on my axis point. Out of the box this layout was very tight flaring and the weight hole smoothed out some of the tendency to want to skid past the breakpoint.

Surface: I have left it at box which is 1500shine. I have been using Turbo Strike Wipes to remove the dirt but haven't thrown it enough to touch up the surface

Purpose: I wanted to have a smooth rolly control ball for when the lanes started to get spooky in the fronts. This ball also is for when they start to move pretty hard on the back end.

Lane Condition observations: I have thrown this on our house shot and the PBA X version of the Cheetah and a Kegel short pattern. On the house shot it had to get in the dry a little earlier to pick up enough to hit consistantly. If I played a straighter line or line-drived it to the pocket, it would not get the 10 out. On the short patterns, it was nice and I could flatten my hand to get even more versatility out of the ball. On the short Kegel pattern, it was a lot of ball and I had a tough time getting down the lane. This is not an equipment problem as I need to get some holes quickly in a urethane Grenade to combat that condition better.

Final Thoughts: The Dark Star and the Riot fill a much needed price point in the Roto line and can stand toe-to-toe with the Freeze and Slinghsots of the bowling world all day. These two balls have slightly more motor than the Planet series and should have some good use for someone looking for a step up from a 3 piece reactive with out breaking there wallet. These are also good arsenal balls for someone looking for a couple of smoother rolly type pieces to go in there bag.

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"Why don''t you call me sometime.....when you have no class" ~~Rodney Dangerfield to Sally Kellerman, his college professor in Back to School ~~1986

Mike Craig - Storm Products Pro Shop staff -Columbus, OH

Author Topic: Dark Star (Read 22197 times)

admin

Dark Star

SenorRotoGrip

Re: Dark Star

mikelj1

Re: Dark Star

BackToBasics

Re: Dark Star

mr ed 2u

Re: Dark Star

Tess7654

Re: Dark Star

pbacanuck

Re: Dark Star

RonCase823

Re: Dark Star

ODriscoll

Re: Dark Star

tonybowler

Re: Dark Star

KENOMAN

Re: Dark Star

Dino

Re: Dark Star

Onebigtwister

Re: Dark Star

JCrewsRG838

Re: Dark Star

LarryH

Re: Dark Star

Bigmike

Re: Dark Star