Hey everybody, I am stoked about the 4 new Rotos I got to drill up today to add to my tournament bag. Here's a brief synopsis on them all. I got to throw about 7 games today, rotating balls, and lines on a 40ft house pattern with a very heavy concentration of oil inside and a huge wet/dry bounce outside of the 6 board if you are playing left to right. The optimal shot in here while they are fresh is pretty direct with parallel trajectories.
-Horizon Solid-
This ball is just too f'n sweet. I drilled it with the pin 4" to my PAP and 1.5" above the midline with the c.g. stacked and a flare increasing weighthole 2 1/2 inches below my PAP on my VAL. The way this ball picks up in the midlane and flat out charges right is beyond sick. In this house where most people with higher speeds struggle to get something to drive through the flood in the middle(if you don't get it out to the bounce), the Horizon Solid cut through like the volume was next to nothing. My first 3 shots with it were runaway brooklyns while I moved 2 boards after every shot. Finally, getting to 3rd arrow out to 5 at the breakpoint, the Horizon solid had enough flare and kick to make the turn and keep driving with no problem. I threw 10 in a row with this ball flush and the 10 pin didn't stand a chance on any of the shots. I can really see myself coming out the gate on most shots with big numbers throwing this ball. It gives me the confidence to come out of the ball as freely as I want without having to worry about if it will make the turn. With 8 inches of flare from this thing, I will be able to open up most patterns with ease.
-Horizon Pearl-
The Horizon Pearl came with a 4 1/4" pin placement and I put it 1" over the ring finger(5 1/2 from my PAP) and a flare increasing weighthole 2" past the PAP. I was able to move 4 right with the Horizon Pearl off the Horizon Solid line and still get that strong rev in the midlane with a strong swooping arc off the spot. The carry with this was unbelievable. I thought the Horizon Solid finished strong, this one just shreds racks with ease as I sent tons of messengers on light hits and scouted out two flush 9 pin hits. This ball has a killer roll to it. Very reminiscent of the Original Inferno, and that was one of the best balls I ever threw. I can see myself throwing this on anything. On longer patterns I can square up and bang on it(which is my forte), and as they break down I can make a huge jump inside and never give up continuation on the backend.
-Rotogrip Saturn-
I drilled the Saturn with the pin 5" from the PAP(the pin ended up in my fing finger.) I kept the C.G in line under my ring finger with no x-hole. This ball right here made me a believer. Control, read, and strength throughout the lane, all for around $100-120 drilled. This is just insane. The motion I got out of this ball was similar to a Vortex 2 drilled for length. I was able to get in between where I was with the Horizon Solid and Pearl and smash the hole at will. I went 3 boards right of the Horizon Pearl and played up 3-5-7 respectively and the ball was glass for 30 feet with a strong midlane pickup and smooth motion on the back. Don't let the smoothness fool you, this ball is NOT weak. In fact, I will be able to use this whenever I have the option of using Horizon Solid and I want to play the lanes straighter. The Saturn will be a great fit.
-Super Sonic-
I looooved this ball. It is drilled with the pin 5" to my PAP, but 3" above the midline. It is longer and smoother than the Saturn, but the farther I played out on the ditch, the stronger this ball finished and continued through the pin deck. I even had a great look slowing my speed up and getting on the same line as my Horizon Pearl. The ball was a little flatter in the pocket, but never deflected right. I was still able to throw a ton of light swishers and the ball never "wiggled" in the flood of oil in the middle.
I am in love with these balls. I drill out of a shop that has been stocking and selling hundreds and hundreds of Rotos since the Red and Blue Retros hit the market(we might have even reached the 1000-1500 sold mark since 2001) so I have seen many come and go. A couple I really liked, and a couple of the earlier offerings I didn't really care for too much. I found out that the older cores with the majority of the mass in the bottom of the core(Silver Streaks, Fuel series) never really matched up well with my game, except with some serious surface adjustments. The taller and bigger blocks(Assault Series, Rush, Sonic Boom & Horizons) have been sweet for me as they rev up fast in the midlane and are strong off the spot. That little bit of help I get from those matchups really make up for my tendency to overthrow the ball through the breakpoint and that will be a great advantage when I need to match up quickly. These 4 will fit in nicely with my Silver Streak Pearl and Rush.
I plan on shooting some footage and getting some video reviews up soon for these. Be on the lookout.
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- DP3
Hoss Central Inc.
Respect the Game
