New to Hammer

[Rusty]

Hello all. I am new to hammer. I am a high track, med. revs, bowler. My ball speed is around 18mph at the pins, my axis rotation is between 60 and 90 degrees. I like to play inside and track area. I am looking for some advice on a good arsenal from hammer. I need a lite to med. oil ball, a med. oil ball, a med. to heavy oil ball, and a heavy oil ball. I average around 200 if that means anything. Any imput would be helpful. Thanks in advanced.

[JDR]

I've been throwing Hammer products for 12 years (since I was 14), and I'm always glad to hear when people want to switch or try them out. From Hammer's current lineup, you'll find that most Hammerheads will say similar things: Road Hawg for heavy oil, Doom Raw Hammer for medium, and Vibe for light. I too play high track, although with less speed, and have similar revs and tilt, and I've been having success with the Big Deal for oil (big backend, never leaves you hang out to dry), so I'd personally recommend the Big Deal since it's cheaper and a bit less 'trendy' than the Road Hawg. For medium oil, I throw the Big Blue Pearl, although I don't like it all that much, honestly. For medium I'd recommend one of the Diesels (big rig or big block), the Doom, or the High Rev. For light, I'd recommend the Vibe or the new Switch Blade. Be weary of the original Hawg and the Blues, as those are the two balls I've heard people having the most trouble with. Hope that helps...and welcome...

[BigDog]

I throw a Vibe for light oil, and Big Block and Power Diesel for medium oil (I use my Power Diesel for lanes that have more carrydown). The Power Diesel was discontinued some time ago, and the two remaining diesels (Big Rig and Big Block are about to meet the same fate also.

My heavy oil ball is the Hawg. Some have had problems with it, but the thing for me is to remember to keep the speed up, and give it room, becuse it WILL come back very hard. I recently tried to baby the ball during a qualifier, and that didn't work very well. I came back a few weeks later, and threw normally, and I left toothpicks on the pindeck. I've thrown maybe 20 games with it, as there is only one house in the area that has a lot of oil on it, so for me, it's mostly a tourney/practice ball. I've also seen my Hawg stop hooking, but that's the fault of the bowler, not the ball. My Hawg will simply roll out if there is not enough oil in the heads.

If I had to rebuild my arsenal, it would be:

Tuff (10-pins)
Vibe (Light oil)
Big Block/Big Rig/Doom (Medium Oil) - Depending on availibility
Hawg Wild (Medium-heavy Oil)
Road Hawg/Hawg (Heavy Oil)

[stlbowler]

Well, the Real Deal or Big Deal are both great bowling balls for heavy oil. All the Hawg series bowling balls are great for med-heavy oil. And the Vibe is good for light/dry oil (I use Big Blue Pearl for light).