The Hectic
Review Date: 15 December 2015
Reviewed by:
Storm/Roto Grip staffer John Brockland
Style: Stroker Rev Rate: 280-310
PAP: 5.50" over and 1" up
Being a older guy with medium speed and less
hand than many younger guys, the HP2 portion of
Roto Grip’s arsenal has always been a little
dicey for me.
I was a big fan of the RUMBLE when Roto
Grip first released it.
It was a smooth rolling ball without
strong sideways motion that was really useful
for me in being able to go up the lane on medium
patterns and even to play out and comfortably
still stay pretty direct on shorter patterns.
Its successor, the DEVOUR, has a little
more sideways motion and, for me, reads a little
earlier than the RUMBLE did.
Because of that the DEVOUR hasn’t proven
as versatile for me.
The opposite is true for me when it comes to HP2
pearls.
I usually fought a lot of over/under with the
UPROAR, the pearl version of the RUMBLE.
If I tried to attack the dry too much with
it, it would react too early or too violently.
If I tried to get into some volume and open
up the lane a little with it, it was usually too
weak for me to get it to corner well enough.
If I waited until late into a tournament and
tried to use it when the lanes were
well-transitioned, it often didn’t produce enough
length to get me comfortably to the break point with
a shot shape my stroker game and weaker hand can
handle.
Roto Grip’s recently released HECTIC, however, is a
totally different story for me.
I can’t explain the “why” of this in a way
that would make any sense (my layouts have all been
almost identical on former and current HP2’s), but
to me the HECTIC performs more like a pearl version
of the RUMBLE than a pearl version of the DEVOUR.
Mine is a simple, no-nonsense pin up layout.
The specs come to 55 x 5.5 x 45.
Built around similarly named
guts as
the UPROAR, the
engine in the HECTIC is the Late Roll 56TM
core.
It’s rated five points stronger than the Late
Roll 51TM core that was in the UPROAR.
Visually, though, the HECTIC core seems to
bear more resemblance to the stronger NeutronTM
core in the WRECKER which has a
guts
rating of 61.
Contrary to what I saw in the comparison of
RUMBLE vs. DEVOUR, where the UPROAR often was too
early for me the HECTIC produces good length.
Where the UPROAR was often too weak to get
through the pins well, the HECTIC seems to continue
much better.
In terms of its
grit
rating the HECTIC’s coverstock is rated at a 50ML
(medium light
grime) and the UPROAR was a 51ML, so there is
negligible difference there.
The layout specs on my DEVOUR (pin above bridge)
come out to 55 x 5 x 45.
The first outing with the HECTIC was on Thanksgiving
Day in a fun little 9-pin no tap.
The lanes were “frictitious” as some now call
it! I
was able to float the HECTIC from about 20-board at
the arrows out to the track and it went through the
pins like a champ!
I didn’t keep tally of what my real score
would have been for the evening but there were far
more natural strikes than not.
I have tried to use the HECTIC early in a team
tourney on a house shot which, like most in the STL,
tended toward wet/dry.
It was smooth and awesome until the little
bit of blend at the edge of the pattern wore away
and the little bit of carry down that typically
happens in that center took over.
After doing nothing but strike in practice
and starting the first game with a double, solid
8-pin, and a double the rest of the game was three
consecutive solid 10-pins, a 4-pin when I tried to
bump right and firm up a little, and a limp 10-pin
when I softened up and moved in but caught too much
volume for too long.
Had to put the HECTIC away in favor of
something a little stronger.
I haven’t had opportunity to bowl on any flatter and
shorter patterns since the release of the HECTIC,
but I look forward to seeing if it proves to be as
useful as I think it will.
Along with the RUMBLE I still have and
Storm’s RIDE which I also like a lot, the HECTIC may
well end up being a consistent tournament bag
occupant for shorter length, lighter volume, or late
in the day situations.
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