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Riot and Dark Star Reviews

09 Mar

Layout 1
45x4x60
no hole
box surface

Layout 2
75x5x25
no hole
surface changed to 1000 with reacta shine

The design intent of the Riot is to help fill the gaps between the Planet Series and the Nomad Series. This is a release I have been highly waiting on.

Layout #1 is one of my favorite layouts. I have a Nomad and a Pluto laid out this way, so I figured this would be a good layout to use to really compare the Riot with the Nomad and Pluto. This ball rolls absolutely amazing! It definitely fits in the Roto line where it is suppose to. The best way to describe it is very predictable. With this layout the Riot will definitely be a first ball out of the bag for me. It gives me a very good read of the lanes because of it\’s smooth transition from oil to dry.

Layout #2 is a layout I like to use when the pattern starts to push me farther left and I need the ball to react quicker off the dry. I currently have this layout on a Grand Illusion which has been one of my favorite rolling balls. This Riot is a completely different animal from the other. Compared to my Grand Illusion it is about 5 boards stronger and is much more angular. It is much cleaner through the fronts than layout #1 (due to the surface change) and unleashes a ridiculous move at the breakpoint. This is going to be a great choice for me when the patterns are breaking down and I have to move left still be able to get the ball to recover down lane.

Overall the Riot is a awesome piece of equipment, and for the price you can\’t beat it. If you are looking for something to replace the benchmark ball in your arsenal or looking for something strong and controllable the Riot is definitely something you should look into.

Layout:
45 x 3 3/8 x 85
Hole 2 1/2 inches down VAL
Box Surface (1500 polished)

When laying the Dark Star out I was looking for something that would be very clean through the fronts without changing directions very quick off the dry so I could play a little straighter in league. I have used this layout before on a Mars and it worked really well, but was not quite strong enough for what I was looking for.

This ball turned out absolutely perfect! The first night in league I threw it I shot 248, 249, 259 for a 756 playing about 5 and 3 right of where I normally play in this center. The area that I had was absolutely ridiculous and the ball got through the pins so much better since I didn’t have to use such wide angles through the fronts. Through the entire night I moved a total of 5 and 2 which is very little compared to the moves I normally make.

The Dark Star compliments the Nomad Series and Planet series very well. The Dark Star seems to match up better for higher rev players and for slower ball speeds. Another great release by Roto Grip!!

 

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