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Author Topic: Blue Hot Flame vs. Orange Bubble Gum Flame  (Read 3582 times)

Ric Clint

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Blue Hot Flame vs. Orange Bubble Gum Flame
« on: August 07, 2004, 02:09:59 PM »

What's the difference between the 2? Which is longer, which is cleaner in drier heads, and which has more backend?

Were they the same ball but just different colors? Or 2 completely different balls?


...AND...


There's 3 of the Storm Hit's out there right now (not the Big Hit's, as they handle more oil than the regular Hit's do)... The 3 HIT's are "blue pearl", "red pearl", and "purple pearl".

Are all 3 of these HIT's the same exact ball with just different colors... or does each one do something different? Did Storm just make 3 of the same ball with different colors just so the customer could choose which color he/she liked best?

I'm needing to get one of these to go above my 3500-5000 grit polished Lane #1 XXXL.


Also... I'm guessing that the BIG HIT's are stronger than the Blue Hot Flame and Orange Bubble Gum Flame... but are the regular HIT's the same exact ball as the Blue Hot Flame and Orange Bubble Gum Flame? Did the HIT's just simply replace the Blue Hot and Orange Flame?





 

charlest

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Re: Blue Hot Flame vs. Orange Bubble Gum Flame
« Reply #1 on: August 08, 2004, 07:35:36 AM »
1a. The Big Hits replaced the Hot series (Blue Hot, Red Hot).
1b. The Big Hits have a dynamic core, as did the Hot series.

2a. The Hits replaced the Flame resin series.
2b. The Hits and the Flames had a plain pancake cores.

In GENERAL the Blue Hot went longer and had slightly more backend and significantly more "hit" than the Orange Flame (which was a pearl; there was a Purple/Red Flame which had a solid resin cover over a pancake core.)

The Blue Hot is THE ball to get, in my opinion.

The Hot series and the Flame series used Curelyon coverstock, which, in my personal opinion, seem to be slightly stronger than the Pro-Glide coverstock used on the Hit, Big Hit, Razor Wire and Barbed Wire. In every Storm ball I have used which had a Curelyon coverstock (there were a few variations), that ball reflected the strength of the core almost precisely. That is a large positive factor in my book.  

* As far as I know, the 3 Hit pearls are just color choices. They all use a pancake core. You better have significant dry or a lot of hand to use them.

quote:

I'm needing to get one of these to go above my 3500-5000 grit polished Lane #1 XXXL.


The question is not only what is going above, but between which two balls does your new ball need to go. Any one of them can go above the XXXL. How high above it do you need to go. That will be told by which ball it must fit below.


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Ric Clint

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Re: Blue Hot Flame vs. Orange Bubble Gum Flame
« Reply #2 on: August 08, 2004, 09:02:33 PM »
Well, I just recently got a Columbia WILD on a trade. This ball is something special... which was suprise to me actually! Did expect this ball to roll this great and carry this great on Medium/Dry lanes.

Well, when I compared the WILD to the XXXL, there was a big gap between them.

I keep the WILD at 3500 and the XXXL at 5000. I can't get the XXXL to hook at all... which is exactly what I want it for - for toast.

Several people told me that this ball hooked a little too much to be a true dry lane ball, but in my hands and with my low baby girl revs, the XXXL is a great dry lane ball.

I need something between the WILD and XXXL.

I was thinking along the lines of one the HIT's... since you say that the Curelyon coverstock, which was used on the Blue Hot and Orange Flame seems to be slightly stronger than the Pro-Glide coverstock, which was used on the Hit's and Big Hit's.

The Purple Pearl HIT has caught my attention.

I'm affraid the Blue Hot (I know of a guy that has one for sale) and the Orange Flame might have too strong of a cover for what I'm wanting.

What do you think?




charlest

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Re: Blue Hot Flame vs. Orange Bubble Gum Flame
« Reply #3 on: August 08, 2004, 09:36:28 PM »
The Wild uses a coverstock like the Curelyon IN THAT it reflects very well the core with which it used. That said the Wild is for medium dry, IF BY THAT you imply what we might more regularly call light oil, a step below medium-light oil.

The Blue Hot is probably close to the Wild, with the Wild having more backend, and being more flippy. The Blue Hot, the Orange Flame and the Big Hits are not flippy balls. With these balls there is not huge difference between the balls, because the coverstock reflects the core so well and the cores are all fairly weak.

IF you really need something between the Wild and the XXXL (in my opinion this is a very tight squeeze) then I would guess the Big Hit is your safest bet.

Since the Big Hit's core is barely dynamic, do not fool too much with mild drilling. I'd do 4x4 or some such average, strong-ish drilling.
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Strider

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Re: Blue Hot Flame vs. Orange Bubble Gum Flame
« Reply #4 on: August 08, 2004, 11:09:16 PM »
I haven't had the chance to throw all the balls listed side by side, but I'd guess that the Big Hit might be too close to the Wild.  Even though it only has a pancake weightblock, I think the regular Hit would fit the bill better.  The offset puck on the Big Hit is going to add more flare than you want.  If you don't want a plain Hit, consider the Visionary Slate Blue Gargoyle.  I know for a fact that it's a small step down from a Blue Hot Flame.  Dynamic core inside pearl urethane.
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charlest

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Re: Blue Hot Flame vs. Orange Bubble Gum Flame
« Reply #5 on: August 09, 2004, 06:52:11 AM »
Strider,

With the Wild's SuperFlex cover being much stronger than the Big Hit's Pro-Glide and the RG differential of the Wild being .033 to the Big Hit's .020, the Wild will handle more oil and have a more pronounced backend; it can downright flippy at times. Also that XXXL is a lot stronger than its specs make it out to be; it borders on the Hit's territory.

All in all, this is very nebulous territory; the gradations of differences among these ball is statistically and practically almost nil. That is why I wondered where he wanted his new ball to fit.
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Strider

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Re: Blue Hot Flame vs. Orange Bubble Gum Flame
« Reply #6 on: August 09, 2004, 02:46:19 PM »
You may be right Charlest.  I keep forgetting they put Superflex on the Wild's.  I've just seen a few Big Hit's and they look real close to the Wild's on a house shot.  I have never seen a XXXL in person.  I know you'll get a bit of flare and more hit with the core, but being plastic I wouldn't have guessed it was nearly as aggressive as a regular Hit.

Heck, maybe Ric will buy them all since they're cheap and give us a full rundown.  
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Ric Clint

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Re: Blue Hot Flame vs. Orange Bubble Gum Flame
« Reply #7 on: August 11, 2004, 03:06:47 AM »
Thanks to everybody!

I'm still pondering what to do.




Strider

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Re: Blue Hot Flame vs. Orange Bubble Gum Flame
« Reply #8 on: August 11, 2004, 04:47:32 PM »
I had to bowl on a pretty dry shot yesterday.  Flipped a coin between bringing the Blue Hot Flame and the urethane Gargoyle.  Decided on the BHF and tossed an honor score, so I guess it was a good choice.  On the same shot, my Nighthawk M2 (Superflex cover like the Wild, but much stronger core, but also a ton of mileage on the ball...) got good enough length, but I couldn't control the midlane and backends.  The drilling on the Nighthawk has never lent itself to getting very deep, so a mild ball like the BHF was just the ticket.  It allowed me to stay in my comfort zone where I knew I could hit the pocket and carry.  If it weren't for some late carrydown, I might have pushed 800 for the set.
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Ric Clint

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Re: Blue Hot Flame vs. Orange Bubble Gum Flame
« Reply #9 on: August 18, 2004, 01:16:29 AM »
When you guys get on a drier shot and have to use your Blue Hot, Orange Flames, etc... do you have to get in deep around say 5-6 arrow or can you stay more outside around 2-3 arrow and still get the length on the drier shot?

And does the ball still get through drier heads good enough to get length? Or can you see the ball actually digging in early? What I mean is does it still get through the heads easily eventhough they're drier and have friction up front, or do you have to fight it to get it through the heads?

I've never really gotten experience on this kind of shot... always on Medium Oil and up are my strong points.

My prefered area is between 3rd and 1st arrow, and I'm wanting to put something between my WILD and XXXL. But when I get on shots where the head oil is so gone that even my WILD is not pushing through the heads... I can't really get deeper because I don't have the hand to do so, so I kind of stuck. I guess I may could try moving more outside where nobody has played say like outside of 1st arrow and go down and in because if between 3rd and 1st is scorched more than likely, outside of 1st there may still be some oil left?


STRIDER, what line were you playing when you shot your honor score with your BLUE HOT? And what did you shoot?






Edited on 8/18/2004 1:18 AM

Strider

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Re: Blue Hot Flame vs. Orange Bubble Gum Flame
« Reply #10 on: August 18, 2004, 01:53:12 PM »
I'm a medium rev guy without a lot of axis.  I can get fairly deep, but I can't create the angle needed to carry from way inside.  I keep balls like the BHF so I can stay closer to my comfort zone.  The cover on the BHF (and Hit/Big Hit) is much milder than the Wild's Superflex, so it gets through the heads much easier.  I still get good length through drying heads.  If the BHF checks up early, it's time for plastic.  Either that or try the twig and see if there's any head oil outside of 5.  The BHF doesn't bounce hard off the dry, so you'll get a warning 4 pin instead of the Greek church if catch some unexpected dry.

I shot 300-254-205.  Last game I was either getting lazy with my release or getting a bit of carrydown.  One 4, one 9, and about 4 weak 10's.  I don't remember where my feet were exactly, but I was around 25, crossing 17 at the arrows, out to about 7.

It wasn't a super dry shot, but I would have had to get deeper than my Nighthawk M2 would carry from, and very deep with my Silver Streak Pearl.  I was lined up with the SSP, but I was already near the ball return, and anything left or slow would have been through the beak.  I'd rather use something mild and cover less boards.  Carry isn't always great, but it keeps you out of trouble.
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Ric Clint

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Re: Blue Hot Flame vs. Orange Bubble Gum Flame
« Reply #11 on: August 20, 2004, 03:11:14 AM »
Thanks!





Ric Clint

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Re: Blue Hot Flame vs. Orange Bubble Gum Flame
« Reply #12 on: August 22, 2004, 02:42:49 AM »
And what about the Dyno-Thane BARRAGE and the Tornado Warning Pearl? How would these compare to Orange Flame and the Blue Hot?

And how does the Barrage have a RG Differential of .033 when it's only got a pancake for a core?






Edited on 8/22/2004 2:36 AM

charlest

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Re: Blue Hot Flame vs. Orange Bubble Gum Flame
« Reply #13 on: August 22, 2004, 08:50:24 AM »
quote:
And what about the Dyno-Thane BARRAGE and the Tornado Warning Pearl? How would these compare to Orange Flame and the Blue Hot?

And how does the Barrage have a RG Differential of .033 when it's only got a pancake for a core?

Edited on 8/22/2004 2:36 AM


Ric,

The Barrage is very close in overall performance to the Blue Hot, but almost seemed to hit harder, AND, most importantly, it had less over/under. I think that is because while the Barrage is listed as a pearl, it barely a pearl in appearnace. Once I got my Barrage, and used it a few times, I sold my current Blue Hot AND the undrilled reserve Blue Hot I had.

I had extensive talks with DT on the Barrage's core. It is only generally shaped like a pancake block but it is much thicker and is a little bit more, as reflected by that differential. A pancake core's RG differential is in the neighborhood of .018 - .020.

Regarding drilling,
if you're a high tracker, use the pin placement formula of keeping it either online between ring finger  hole & axis point or above this line. I track higher with my Barrage than any other ball I own but I still have no problems.

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Ric Clint

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Re: Blue Hot Flame vs. Orange Bubble Gum Flame
« Reply #14 on: August 22, 2004, 08:11:38 PM »
Thanks for the info about the BARRAGE!

It seems that this may be the ball that I need for drier lanes?

I just thought that since the BARRAGE had a Diff. of like .033 that it would flare too much for dry lanes... is that not the case? And plus the info on the ball on ballreviews.com said the ball could flare up to 4" so I thought how in the world could this be a dry lane ball?

So are you saying that this ball is actually weaker than it's specs make it out to be?