- Slate Blue Gargoyle

First Impressions
The Visionary Slate Blue Gargoyle, which hit the market in July 2003, marked a notable return to classic concepts in an era dominated by reactive materials. The cover of this model is made from a modern urethane blend developed specifically to tune the typical properties of that material to the lane conditions of the day. Out of the box, the surface carries a coarse, dull finish. That texture forces the ball to build traction very early in the heads rather than skidding on the remaining oil. Inside works the same proven symmetrical Gargoyle core that is also used in the reactive sister models of this specific series. Looking at the technical specifications for a 15-pound ball, an interesting contrast emerges: the RG sits at a relatively high 2.580, while the differential is moderate at 0.038. Where a high RG normally signals that a ball with a reactive shell will start up late, the heavily gripping urethane cover massively overrides that characteristic. At the same time, the moderate differential limits flare potential, so the ball exposes only a little fresh surface as it rotates, producing very controlled and predictable ball motion.
Comparison Bringing in a modern reactive benchmark ball like the Storm Phaze II for comparison makes the massive conceptual differences between urethane and reactive resin extremely clear. The Storm Phaze II uses a reactive solid cover that also reads early, but thanks to its extremely strong core it still stores enough kinetic energy to generate a powerful, strongly arced and continuous move toward the pins at the breakpoint. The Visionary Slate Blue Gargoyle behaves fundamentally differently here. Because of its urethane cover, it grabs the lane considerably earlier and begins an extremely smooth, even roll phase almost immediately. As soon as it meets friction in the last third of the lane, it shows none of the angular or jumpy reaction of reactive balls. Its hook is extremely round, very slowed down and completely flowing. Where the Storm Phaze II can often react too aggressively once dryness sets in, the Slate Blue Gargoyle offers a heavily dampened, good-natured reaction that consistently prevents the ball from skating past the breakpoint uncontrollably.
On the Lanes In practice, the Visionary Slate Blue Gargoyle finds its absolutely ideal application on very dry lane conditions, heavily played house patterns or short, demanding sport patterns. Its greatest strength shows when transition sets in massively over the course of a tournament and reactive bowling balls start to become unpredictable on the drier boards. When the heads lose oil and other models burn up too early or overreact uncontrollably at the end of the lane, the urethane cover of this ball offers a reliable tactical solution. The extremely even and early ball motion should make hitting the pocket maximally predictable. The entry angle is inherently flatter with urethane material, which can slightly reduce carry on shots that aren't struck optimally, but the enormous gain in control often makes up for that on difficult patterns. The ball should be especially helpful if you have a very high rev rate or an extremely slow ball speed and are looking for a way to tame your hook and keep the ball reliably in play. On top of that, the very mild and predictable ball motion makes it excellent for use as a spare ball for precise clean-up shots. On freshly oiled lanes or patterns with a lot of volume, however, this urethane model inevitably runs into its performance limits, since it can't develop enough dynamics to clear the pins effectively.