Hammer Obsession Tour Pearl • Hammer Infamous

Ball used for comparison – Hammer Obsession and Hammer Obsession Tour as the base reaction and both been drilled with a layout of 55*x4-1/2”x35*. My PAP is 5-1/4”x1/4”^ with low tilt at 1.67*. All balls when tested were used with their box finish. Hammer Obsession has less than 10 games on it, while the Hammer Obsession Tour has about 20.

 

Hammer Obsession Tour Pearl
(Layout: 55*x4-1/2”x35*)

Bowling on a fresh house shot (I believe 8:1 tapered), with my release, the lane surface friction, plus the volume of oil used the Obsession is just too strong and early to be productive. I instantly had to move into the 15-20 zone at the arrows and with the pattern at 40’, this made it tough to get a consistent reaction. My feet were at 31 and targeting at 19 with a projection point to 8-10 near the end of the pattern. The Obsession is made for more volume and it is good to have in the bag for heavier volumes, but not a match for me on what I was bowling on. Higher speed bowlers could be a better match up if their current equipment doesn’t read early enough on the fresh. Switching to the Obsession Tour, the smoother ball motion that the cover and milder asymmetric core allow me to move right but just a little. Feet were at 29 to 17 to the same point down lane and it is a better reaction. But I believe I would have to change soon as the heads begin to transition. Changing to the new Obsession Tour Pearl, I was able to more a bit more right (1/1) and the cover was easier to get through the front. Staying with the original Tour, speed had to be very consistent due to the strength of the coverstock. With the Tour Pearl, length was very good and there was a sharper but still controllable shape of the end of the pattern than the Tour Solid. The Tour Pearl would be nice choice for a ball down and possibly stay in the same area when High Performance solids start to read too early. It would be a great go to ball if solids start too soon and symmetrical pearls don’t recover fast enough on what you are bowling on. The shape of the Obsession Tour core when the cover read friction is so readable and easy to make moves. Of course, the gold color draws attention.

Ball used for comparison – Hammer Web T.E. (Solid) 4-1/4” x 30* and Hammer Fugitive Solid 4-3/4”x30* as base reactions.The PAP used is 5-1/4”x1/4”^. All balls when tested were used with their box finish.

Hammer Infamous (Layout: 4-3/4”x30*)

Since the Infamous has a new core design and a version of the Envy Solid coverstock (without the CFI found on the Obsession), I wanted to compare it to a few recent releases as well as a solid symmetrical from 2020- the Hammer Fugitive Solid. Starting with the Web T.E., the launch angle was too open to keep the ball consistent. The lanes seemed to have more friction when I did this comparison than the normal fresh pattern. Changing to the Scorpion, it was a better read standing 27 and targeting 17 to 8-9 at the end of the pattern. Good clearance and hitting the pocket to strike. Switching to the new Web Pearl, I could stay in the same place and targeting but have a longer, sharper reaction with more recovery down lane than the Scorpion. Both struck well from there, just a different shape. This is one point I bring up during lessons is that some patterns will be scoring friendly to different types of balls depending on the volume and ratio in that area. The Fugitive Solid was a ball (along with the Fugitive Pearl) that got a bit lost during the closures we had due to local business restrictions. Moving 2/2 left, the Fugitive wanted to read early, so I tightened up the angle and kept it in the heavier volume. It also wanted to roll forward at the end of the pattern. Conclusion: it needed more volume and maybe a longer distance on this surface. Switching to the Infamous, it was a 5/2 move and opened my angles. It gave more length than the Fugitive (Higher RG 2.559 vs. 2.486) and has the opposing radial discs to help with length. I also added more axis rotation (60*-70*) to help the ball maintain more side roll and it helped the ball to strike. I would need more volume or a surface change to use on this type of pattern. For bowlers who used the Fugitive Solid but need more length and not as clean as a pearl or smoother surface, the Infamous would fit right in. The cover is very strong out of the box and tamed down a bit after some use. This statement gets confused with a loss of ball reaction but this is not the case here. The next day back on the lanes, the Infamous was much better for me. Still stronger lane any symmetrical I compared it to and a more consistent ball motion.

These are my views and your results may vary. Please go to the FTF Ball Comparison Info post to see how I was able to get the above information. You can also download a PDF of the information in this post to read at your convenience.

It’s important to know your personal specs to help you make the proper choices for your game and increase your scoring. I believe bowling balls are tools and using the ones that work against your specs, skill set and environment will cause issues.

You can always contact me with any questions or schedule a consultation session on your current equipment. Visit the Coaching & Services page on our website, email us at www.info@filltheframes.com or you call and text messages to (310) 784-1901.

Thanks, be well & safe!
Juan Fonseca
Fill The Frames Bowling Services