Daten- und Textquelle:  BOWLING THIS MONTH ®

Testmonat: Februar 2011

Die vollständigen Testdaten von diesem Ball finden Sie in unserem Ball Selector

Rating von 1 (flop) bis 10 (top) auf den Konditionen:

Stärken: The best asset ofthe 7l8A is its ability to pick up the midlane better than previous angular releases from Track. This will help fill the gap among previous releases.

Schwächen: The 7l8A will struggle on longer oil patterns. The long and strong reaction that this ball provides will push too far down the lane on long patterns creating an unpredictable breakpoint. Removing the polish will help on this type of condition.

Insgesamt: This new upper mid-performance release is a stronger version of the 7l5A. The new core/cover combination allows the 718A to pick up the lane a touch sooner than previous "A" releases while maintaining the angular motion at the breakpoint.

Comments: The 718A is the latest upper-mid performance release from Track. It features both a new core and cover for Track. The new Robot core offers a combination of a lower RG and higher differential as well as intermediate differential compared to the Catback core used in the 715 series. This core and the UMP Gen4A Reactive Pearl cover combine to create more friction with the lane than the 7l5A. The 718A will match up best with medium type oil patterns. The difference between the 7l5A and this ball is the 7l8A’s ability to handle medium-oily patterns. Although the ball will struggle on true heavy oil patterns, it will find its way out of the bag sooner than the 7l5A. During our testing, all three testers found the 7l8A to match up best with our medium test pattern. What we liked the most about it was that we were able to keep it in the oil longer than previous "A" releases. The extra traction in the middle part of the lane allowed shots missed into the body of the oil pattern to still read the lane soon enough, preventing over-skidding. Those who are able to move deeper than their normal comfort zone will find the 718A to be useful as medium volume patterns start to breakdown. Here again, the extra read ofthe midlane allows the 7l8A to make the turn down lane when playing large angles through the front of the lane. Oily patterns will force the ball to stay in the bag for the first game or two until the track area starts to open up. Those insisting upon using it on fresh heavy oil patterns will need to knock off the factory polish to create enough friction in oil. This new release will fare better on drier lane conditions than it will on oily patterns. Those with lower rev rates will be able to stay with moderately aggressive layouts while those with higher rev rates will want to go with longer pin-to-PAP layouts for drier lane conditions. When it comes to sport patterns, the 718A will perform best on lanes that have had some play. This is still an "A" ball, so keep it in the bag until a more angular reaction is needed down lane on flatter patterns.