Hammer's most recent release, the Black Widow, is a ball to be reckoned with. This sleek orb is mostly black with hints of dark maroon and it brandishes an arachnid as well as the traditional Hammer logo. Technical data for 16 pounders: rg- 2.51 differential- .049. And for 15 pounders: rg- 2.50 differential- .060.
The Black Widow features Hammer's "Gas mask" core which which was also used in the Big Deal a couple of years back. The core has a high mass bias rating which increases the relevance of mass bias positioning when considering a layout. Combined with Hammer's "violent reactive" coverstock, the Black Widow is one very strong and aggressive bowling ball.
The test ball used came with a pin 2 3/4 inches from the cg. I drilled the pin out through my ring finger (4 3/8 from my pap) and placed the mass bias marking in a 75 degree position from the center of my grip. No extra hole was needed and I left the coverstock at its box finish.
The first pattern I tested the Widow on was a modified house shot. Slightly shorter in length (36 feet) this pattern also had more oil applied to the outside boards of the lane but still had a decent hump from 12 to 12. After a few shots to limber up, I tried lining up around the 15 board swinging out to 6 or 7. Some nice strikes were thrown but the backend motion of the Widow seemed a little inconsistent and somewhat sensitive to the release as it would set up a bit early and hit a little flat if I stayed up the back too much. This problem was easliy remedied when I took about a 12 board step to the left and started it in the heavier oil. Suddenly the back end movement was not only more consistent, but eye opening as well As the session progressed, some carry down began to develop. Other equipment I was using to gauge against the Black Widow became rather speed sensitive to this oil down the lane and it was easy to come up light, leaving 2 pin combinations and some weak or ring tens. The Widow stood out from these others by continuing to make a very strong, predictable move between the end of the pattern (36 ft) and the forty foot mark and carry was not a problem at all.
Test pattern #2 was a pattern used on the PBA's senior tour last year. Oil length was 39 feet and applied somewhat evenly across the entire lane with a slight hump between 9 and 12 on the right side. Early on the, the heads were pretty slick. The Black Widow wanted to make a move that was a little too early and strong going up the lane (roughly 13 to 7-8 or so) and was a bit easy to shoot throught the break point (as was every other ball I tried) when I looped it in the fronts too much. After about 15 minutes worth of shots, a slight hook spot in the heads developed between 12-15 and a little oil was pushed down the lane in the track. That's all it took to allow the Black Widow to thrive. From here, I was able to creep a little bit left with my feet, sliding around 30 and crossing the arrows around 20 with a breakpoint at 7-8 at around 40 feet. The Widow struck a bunch. It also made it back to the pocket from some spots that it had no business hooking back from. Once again, carry percentage was quite high.
Overall the Black Widow is a very impressive bowling ball. And from what I've heard from fellow bowlers, pro shop operators and ball reps, its sales are doing very well. Its biggest strength is its hook potential and area it creates for the bowler. This ball does need some oil, however, especially in the front of the lane to be at its best. Bowlers with high tracks and minimal axis tilt may need to polish the Widow for best results. Bowlers who tend to spin it a little, meet your new best friend.
Big thanks to Joe Farley and Brian Graham at Hammer for providing equipment for testing and thanks much to Karl Wolf at Hi-Roc lanes in Saratoga, NY for use of the facilities.