BallReviews
Reviews => Roto Grip => Topic started by: BallReviews-scodaddy21 on August 13, 2015, 01:34:53 PM
-
Description: The Roto Grip Menace bowling ball lives up to its name and menaces the competition until they can't take anymore. This ball takes the Cage core and covers it with the solid reactive 74H coverstock that is finished with a 3,000 grit pad to create a ball that offers extreme power and mid-lane motion as it dominates heavy oil conditions.
Features:
- Color: Red/Yellow/Green (colors may vary from the picture shown)
- Core: Cage (14-16#)
- Coverstock: 74H Solid Reactive
- Finish: 3000 Grit
- RG: 2.52 (for 15# ball)
- Diff: 0.054 (for 15# ball)
- Recommended Lane Condition: Heavy Oil
-
Ball: Menace
Layout: 80 x 2 ¼ x 50
Surface: box condition
Test patterns: 41ft THS and 37ft sport pattern
Outcome: Using a layout I had on the Sinister and Hyper Cell I figured to get a similar reaction. Smooth roll and not an overreaction in the backend. Actually, it was weaker in the backend then I expected, which was good me because my Haywire is stronger than I thought it was going to be. The deflection on the pin deck was a little higher than I thought it would be, could be the new pins Colony Park just put in. Found the Menace with this layout great for truly super wet/super tacky conditions. I love to play left of center and being able to just have straighter path to the pocket then the having to play the whole lane, and this ball and layout allow me to. Even though this ball is a “HP4â€, it’s versatile enough to be a benchmark ball for about anyone.
-
Orientation: Right Handed
Rev Rate: 375 RPM
Speed: 16-17 MPH
PAP: 4 5/8 straight across
Location: Enterprise Park Lanes, Springfield MO
Pattern: High Volume THS
Layout: 45, 4 ¾, 70
The Menace the smooth and continuous asymmetrical I’ve been waiting for from Roto Grip! The Hyper Cells are a little too asymmetrical for me and I like the Sinister a lot, but it needs to be a little jerky off the spot. The Menace solves both my problems. What I really liked about the Sinister is the fast rev’ing motion in the mid-lane, but the solid cover of the Menace eliminates some of the over/under I saw with the Sinister’s aggressive hybrid cover. The Menace is also very clean in the fronts, boasting a 74 cover strength which makes it the cleanest asymmetrical Roto Grip makes. The result of all this is a very clean, smoother and VERY continuous asymmetrical that you can use on a lot of different conditions. This ball is not just for the fresh. I could see bowlers being able to use this all three games in league and for most of a longer tournament block.
-
LANE CONDITION
Length: Various Lengths
Volume: Various Volumes
Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc): Various Patterns
The newest addition to the Roto Grip HP4 line is the Menace. The Menace uses the Cage Core which was in the Sinister and wraps it with the 74H solid cover stock. The mixture of two results in a ball reaction that is as crazy as the colors on the Menace!
The Menace was drilled with pin below my middle finger with the mass bias kicked out and the X-Hole is on my axis point. The dual angle people the coordinates are 45 X 6 X 70. My coordinates are PAP 5 5/8 by ¾, Rev Rate around 300, more up the back release and my balls speed is around 15mph. I like to go straighter if possible.
I was able to throw the Menace on a couple different patterns. The bowling balls that I also threw were the Sinister and the Hyper Cell which are in the HP4 Line. I started on the Paris (47 feet) and the Hyper Cell looked good until the fronts started to dry up and I had to move left. The Hyper Cell lost too much energy early and did not have enough left for the backend. I switched to the sinister. The Sinister did give me more length and allowed me to make the corner. However, the Sinister became a little touchy and created a wet/dry situation. The Menace was almost a perfect blend of the two… The Menace allowed me to chase the pattern left and it made the corner and continued through the pins with power. The next pattern was the Montreal (41 Feet) and the Sinister looked good early with enough length and strong continuous backend motion. The Hyper Cell was just too much in the front part of the lane forcing me left but still gave me a consistent motion. However, the carry down created problems for both the Hyper Cell and Sinister which resulted in an inconsistent ball reaction on the backend. I threw the Menace early when there was no carry down and the Menace was stronger than the Sinister and had more length than the Hyper Cell. The Menace was able to drive through the carry down. I did not throw the Menace on any of the shorter patterns because it would go against what it was designed for. The Menace is a beast when the pattern is longer or high volumes. The last pattern that I threw the Menace on was the Typical House Shot. Not to sound like a broken record but the Menace blended the pattern and for me eliminated the drastic over/under ball reaction. However, if I got the Menace too far right early it did want to go left! IT IS A STRONG ROLLING BALL WITH A POWERFUL BACKEND REACTION.
The addition of the Menace to the HP4 line will only add versatility to an already stellar lineup.
Likes: Strong Ball that is Versatile!
Dislikes: Sometimes Too Strong!
PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS
-
The new Roto Grip Menace is easily the cleanest and smoothest asymmetrical ball I have ever thrown! Even though it’s an asymmetrical ball, it rolls nothing like one! Compared to the Roto Grip Sinister, which has a much truer asymmetrical roll, the Menace gets down lane much cleaner. The Sinister is by far earlier and stronger off the spot down lane. I was somewhat iffy about the 2.52 RG as I haven’t had much success with mid RG balls like this but the Menace is definitely a perfect fit in anyone’s arsenal. You won’t be disappointed with the Roto Grip Menace!
-
Weight: 14 lbs.
Pin Length: 3 â€
Drilling: 37 X 3 5/8 X 25
Pattern Length: 39 ft. & 40 ft.
Pattern Volume: Medium and Light
Pattern Type: THS
Right Handed
The MENACE has the asymmetrical Cage Core from the popular HP4 line, wrapped with the 74H Solid reactive cover stock. The box finish is 3000 grit, but as always, can be polished and/or changed to suit a variety of lane conditions.
I have used the MENACE on a 39 ft. light volume house pattern, and a 40 ft. medium volume house pattern.
For the 39 ft. light volume THS, I needed to bring the surface to 4000 grit and add a touch of polish. This allowed me to get the ball through the heads easily and have a strong backend finish. As the pattern broke down, I needed to move further in to pick up more head oil, and still save energy for the back end.
On the medium volume 40 ft. pattern, the MENACE performed better for me. It is very aggressive coming off the pattern and I had no trouble carrying the corners. As I had to migrate inside, I was still able to get the corners out. I compared the MENACE to the hybrid Sinister and found the MENACE to face up a bit sooner for me, helping me to get the corners out on the fresh.
If you’re looking for a ball for heavy oil, this ball would be a perfect addition to your arsenal. With a little surface changing, it can be used on most league shots as well.
Carol Teel
Roto Grip Amateur Staff Member
-
Roto Grip Menace
Layout: 70 X 4 1/2 X 50
Box Finish
Bowler Info:
325 Rev Rate
Speed: 16 - 17 MPH
Pap - 4 7/16 over, 3/8 up
The Menace is a medium to heavy oil ball that has a pretty angular backend. Even though it has alot of midlane roll, you can still see the ball pick up strong at the breakpoint and go through the pins with authority. It is certainly designed for medium or heavy oil volumes, and therefore will be too dynamic for light oil conditions. When the Menace starts to hook too much, the Devour is a great choice to change to, as seen in my review video.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNtNg_EMk4Q&feature=youtu.be
Mike LeViner
Bowlers Mart
-
Layout: 60 x 5.5 x 65 - box finish.
I drilled up the Menace - pin under to give me a strong cover ball with a smooth motion on the backend. The idea is to use this piece when I'm on shorter/high volume and longer patterns where I need to keep the breakpoint more in front of me. This ball didn't disappoint as I made the cut on a 42' PBA50 Senior regional throwing this layout. I'm going to drill a second one with higher pin layout and larger drilling angle to conserve energy and also to compliment this pin under layout.
-
Roto Grip Menace Ball Review by PJ Haggerty
The Menace is a flat out monster. I still am a big fan of the Hyper Cell and the Hyper Cell Skid, but the Menace provides a different shape than both of those. A very heavy rolling but clean assymetrical piece that I’ve seen several different styles of players use. Underneath the solid cover is the new Cage core – which is a huge engine with a ton of power when going through the pins.
Similar to the Haywire, I think there has to be some volume on the lane in order to use this ball. The Menace has no problem fighting through the flood. I’ve drilled one Menace so far with my favorite layout: 5x4x 70. This puts the pin above my bridge with the mass bias just to the right of my thumb. I’ve used this ball on Scorpion, Chameleon, Shark, and house patterns.
The Menace is still relatively clean through the front, but you can see it pick up as soon as it hits the second zone in the mid-lane. From there, it keeps going and never stops. It doesn’t have a very fast response time either, which is nice when the lanes are tougher. I think it compliments the Sky Rocket, Loco, and Devour very nicely.
If you are looking for a strong assymetrical monster in your bag for a tighter lane surface or some heavier volume patterns, the Menace should be your solution.
#OwnIt
-
Right Handed
Ball weight: 15
Rev Rate: 378
Ball Speed: 18.2
Axis Tilt: 7
Axis Rotation: 45*
PAP: 3 3/4 horizontal, 7/8 up
Layout: 20 x 3 3/4 x 65, P3 hole
I decided to drill the Menace as a ball up from my Crux Pearl, which is my benchmark for many medium and medium-long patterns. This ball nailed it.
I’ve tried it in a couple of houses on slightly different versions of their THS and it was just too strong. It wasn’t necessarily too early, but it wants to go! I was able to just throw it right and watch it scream back. That is, until they started to transition...then it was time to put it up. It didn’t matter what kind of moves I made, I couldn’t make it work, it was just too strong.
I had the opportunity to use it on a sport pattern (Python-45’ flat) this weekend. I was pretty amazed at how well this ball rolled on what, at the time, was a mystery pattern. As bowlers were searching for a look during practice, I had a shot after just a couple of balls. I was able to target 12-13 at the arrows and allow it to get out to about 6-7 and it was in the pocket. While many bowlers, left and right handed, were having issues with their equipment at the end of the pattern, I was able to use the Menace for 3 games across 3 pair while making small moves left. It rolled and hit great. My only real regret was that more games would have allowed me to see how far I could have migrated before having to ball down.
I’m very excited with the Menace and look forward to using it for quite a while. It will be my go-to for medium-longs.
The Menace is a great release by Roto and a must for anyone looking for something for long patterns or volume.
-
BALL SPECS
Pin Length: 4"
Starting Top Weight: 3.5oz
Ball Weight: 15lbs.
DRILL PATTERN
Pin to PAP: 5 1/4"
PSA to PAP: 4"
Pin Buffer: 2 1/2
BOWLER STYLE
Rev Rate: 430rpm
Ball Speed: 17mph
PAP/Track: 4 1/2" x 1/2" up
SURFACE PREP
Grit: 3000
Type: (Matte, Polish, Sanded): Box
LANE CONDITION
Length: 40'+
Volume: Med/Heavy-Heavy
Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc): Various
COMMENTS
The new Menace is a MONSTER on the thicker and longer patterns seen these days on the lanes. The 74H Solid coverstock is a great match for the Cage Core due to it's ability to be tweaked with surface without sacrificing the read of the pattern. Out of the box the Menace is excellent for longer sport shots and even house patterns for bowlers who have less RPM or higher speed. Having thrown it on the 47' Scorpion pattern, I simply added a little surface with a 1000 grit pad by hand and it gave me the same strong and smooth shape without losing energy or being erratic. I was a fan of the Cage core, first showcased in the Sinister, but felt like a smoother/shiny surface was the only combo that worked for me. This is not the case with the Menace. I've even shined it and thrown it on our house shot with success. I chose a "lengthier" layout as a safeguard against the ball burning up but have since drilled several for customers with 3 1/2"- 4" pin placements, all of which have been very satisfied. The Menace is a great strong asymmetric solid for players across the board. #OwnIt
-
The newest addition to the Roto Grip HP4 line is the Menace. The Menace uses the Cage Core which was in the Sinister and wraps it with the 74H solid cover stock. The mixture of two results in a ball reaction that is as crazy as the colors on the Menace!
I drilled my Menace 4.25 x 5.25 with a 4†pin buffer, which put the pin in my ring finger. With this layout, the Menace gives me a fast revving core that gives a great midlane motion while still continuing well through the pins. The 74H coverstock is the perfect combination for the Cage core. It is a versatile solid cover allows the core to be the star. I compared the Menace to the Haywire, and the Menace was noticeably cleaner through the fronts and much more shape on the backend. It’s great on the fresh, but it really shows how great it is once the lanes transition. If you’re someone who loves to throw asymmetric cores, this is a must own. I see myself bringing at least one of these to the USBC tournament this coming year, regardless of the oil pattern… Yea, it’s that good.
-
The new Asymmetrical ball in the Roto Grip HP4 line is the Menace. The Menace has is the solid version of the Sinister. I drilled mine just like my Sinister, 4.5 x 4 x 4 3/4 or 45 x 4 X 30. For me the Menace is very early rolling and nice smooth arcing motion on the backend. Where the Sinister can be a little angular the menace is more controlling at the breakpoint. Menace can handle more oil in the puddle and keep online with most of the patterns. Very good option to use on the fresh oil patterns.
Bowlers with high ball speeds will like the Menace for its ability to read the pattern.
Another great addition to the HP4 line from RG. Own It!
Brian Watson
Pro Shop Staff
PAP -4 up 1 1/4
Speed - 17
Tilt - 20
Rev - 400
Right Handed
-
The Menace is the most recent HP4 release from Roto Grip. This ball uses the same Cage core found in the previously released Sinister. The Menace has a sanded solid 74H cover that comes from the factory at 3000 grit pad. The guts, grit and grime of the Menace is 82/74/H. The numbers of the Menace are 2.52 Rg, 0.054 differential, with a PSA of 0.015, in 15lb balls. The color combination of the Menace is red, yellow, and green.
I drilled my Menace with a 3 ¾ x 6 x 2 ½ layout. The Menace reads the midlane much quicker than the Sinister, and has a smoother motion through the backend of the lane. I really liked the Sinister, and was looking forward to this release. I tried using the Menace at the factory finish of 3000 pad. I had a little difficulty getting the ball to read the lane the correct way with the factory finish. It seemed if I squared up, It hooked a bit too hard through the backend of the lane, and if I moved in, it doesn’t have a strong enough cover to pick up and make a move off the spot. I tried the Menace on a few different patterns, and all with similar results. I then decided to change the surface of the Menace, using Storm step #1 to smooth out the cover, and save some energy through the backend of the lane. This helped some, but I still felt the Menace could be better. I finally decided to place a small hole 2†down the VAL. This was the ticket to get the ball to read the lane much closer to the way I wanted it to. I have had my best success with the Menace on house conditions thus far. The cover on the Menace is a little cleaner through the fronts than the Haywire.
The Menace is a unique ball. It has it’s place, in my opinion, for more rev challenged bowlers who want to go straighter through the front of the lane and have a strong move off the dry; and high rev, high speed players, who wants an asymmetrical ball that has a bit cleaner cover stock than most other high end premium bowling balls offer. More often, we are seeing more and more of the extreme styles being more prevalent in the industry. I personally fall in between those two extremes, so the layout I choose for the Menace is very pattern specific. True tweeners like myself, are starting to become somewhat extinct, so I can see where even though the Menace isn’t really a versatile ball for me, it will fit the bill for most other styles of bowlers. A believe a different layout would have helped make the ball more versatile for me. Thank you for taking the time to read my review of the Roto Grip Menace. Own It!
-
The Menace is the newest addition to the RotoGrip HP4 line up. The Menace is powered by the cage core which is found in the Sinister and the aggressive traction is provided by the 74H Solid Cover Stock. The Menace is eye catching on the Lane and on the Shelf! I drilled the Menace with pin down under my fingers and the Mass Bias is past my VAL and the extra hole is located on my midline at 5 ½ inches. Roughly speaking for the dual angle people 35 X 5 ½ X 75. My characteristics are: PAP 5 ½ over and 1 up, ball speed about 16 mph and my release is slightly up the side of the ball.
I threw the Menace on various medium to longer patterns and the Menace preformed fantastic compared to previous releases. I have a Hyper Cell that was drilled similar to the Menace. The drilling is the only thing that is similar between the two. The Menace had more hook and had more power going through the pins than the Hyper Cell. The Hyper Cell was my hooking ball but the Menace took that spot. However, on some of the medium but flatter patterns the Hyper Cell was the ball to be in early in the session. When the carry down started and I had to start moving left or going around the pattern the Hyper Cell was just not enough or too much too early. The Menace allowed me to chase the pattern left and it would still go through the pins with power. On the longer patterns, the difference between the Hyper Cell and Menace was where it started to hook. The Hyper Cell was earlier and smoother and the Menace was a touch longer and more on the backend. The difference became more noticeable when the lane transitioned and the front part became dryer and middle became tighter. The Menace stored enough energy to get around the corner and have something left for the pins! The Menace is a Strong rolling ball with a powerful Backend!
#OwnIt
-
Here is my vid of the RotoGrip Menace. This is my favorite Asym of 2015!
It's easier to get through the fronts than most Asyms for me and still packs a punch!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6FJsXfz2NI
-
One of Roto grips newest releases to the hp4 line.I really like what they did with this ball.First off ball looks amazing great colour choice on the ball,when this ball is on the rack or going down the lane everyone will know which roto grip ball this is lol.Ball rolls amazing for a strong piece like this have to stay still has some good finish to the ball but i really like the heavy roll this ball gives in the fronts and mids of the lane,lots of pin carry as well.This ball for sure will work for all types of players no problem also with different finishs on the ball as well.
-
Roto Grip Menace Review:
LANE CONDITION
Lane Type: Wood
Length: 41ft
Volume: 21ml
Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc): THS
COMMENTS
Likes: Versatile being able to play the outside part of the lane as well as the inside part of the lane. Ball motion is easy to read and the ball hits the pins hard.
Dislikes:none
The Menace is Roto Grips newest HP4 Line release. The cover stock is the 74H cover and the core is “Cage†Core. The ball is finished with a 3000 grit abralon. The ball is a nice Asymmetrical Solid that goes well with the likes of the Hyper Cell.
I drilled my Menace with 50x5x30. I used the same layout that I used on Roto Grips Hyper Cell Skid. I wanted to create a compliment to the Skid and this ball fit that mold. Unlike the Skid, the Menace reads the lanes a bit sooner being it’s a solid but it still holds energy and explodes through the pins. I like the Menace because of its versatility. With a quick hand position change or area change you can play straighter on the lane because of its length and you can move inside and play deep on the lane because of the balls overall strength.
I would recommend this ball to anyone looking for a little versatility in a ball. The ball needs oil definitely. The Menace is good for medium to heavy oil. The Menace would be good on house patterns for lower rev rate bowlers but maybe too strong for higher rev players especially with lower ball speed. This Menace is a good fit for medium to heavy sport patterns.
-
Lane Conditions: Medium-Heavy
Typical Conditions: 44 foot sport
Type of Lane: Synthetic
What part of the lane did you play? First arrow
Weight of bowling ball: 15
RPM: 450
Surface of bowling ball: Factory/Box
What grit was the surface of the ball? 3000
Likes: Predictability and Heavy roll
Dislikes: Can’t get deep
I still continue to be impressed with the high performance lineup from Roto Grip. The Menace is no exception. With all of the success I had with the Hyper Cell, I was anxious to try a new type asymmetrical core. For me, the Cage core allows the Menace to be a little smoother through the fronts but still read the lane very well, compared to the Hyper Cell. What I like most about the Menace is its predictable motion in the back part of the lane.
I had the pleasure of getting to throw the Menace at the 11th Frame.com Open a few months back. The pattern was 44 feet with pretty heavy volume across the lane. The Menace gave me a great look up the boards just outside of the 1st arrow. The smooth motion it created on the back part of the lane allowed me to stay right for most of my qualifying block.
The only dislike of the Menace for me was that I cannot get too deep with it and still have it continue through the pins. With that being said, the ball was still at factory finish (3000 pad). I do believe a little polish will help the cause, but with my ball roll, I would rather ball down than change the surface since I love the motion the Menace provides.
-
The Menace was an interesting new release to me because the Menace sounded like a cleaner asymmetric bowling ball, which shocked me because I had some speculations on how clean this ball could be. This ball did not disappoint as it was to me a strong asymmetric that would get through the front part of the lanes without much difficulty.
Using a 6 ¾ pin to pap layout, I found this ball to work very well as a ball down from my strongest ball or later on in the day when the right handers moved way in. To me, possibly because of the way I laid the bowling ball out, the Menace seemed to be a slower response asymmetric but still clean through the front part of the lanes and able to pick up in the midlane. The Menace is a very versatile ball in my opinion and one that I would recommend for anyone as a ball down from a bigger asymmetric like the Lock or Hyper Cell.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXvtzFQzklg