- Dark Legend Solid

First Impressions
The Hammer Dark Legend Solid catches the eye with its deep black and blue solid color scheme. The heart of this ball is the asymmetric Gas Mask core, which carries a 2.50 RG, a 0.058 differential and a 0.016 intermediate differential. The cover is the Semtex Solid coverstock, dulled with a 500 and 2000 Abralon finish. This combination of a proven, highly dynamic core and an extremely aggressive cover should give the ball massive traction. The Dark Legend Solid is designed to pair strong oil handling in the midlane with a powerful backend motion.
Comparison
Compared to the original Hammer Dark Legend with its hybrid cover, the solid version bites through the oil in the heads considerably more aggressively and starts its hook noticeably earlier. Against the Storm Alpha Crux, the Dark Legend Solid delivers a similarly high flare potential, but thanks to the Gas Mask core it often looks a bit rounder in its closing move to the pocket. Once the transition becomes noticeable and friction on the lane increases, the surface of the Dark Legend Solid quickly becomes too strong, causing it to burn up its energy before the pin deck. It demands sufficient oil volume to play to its strengths.
On the Lanes
The primary home of the Hammer Dark Legend Solid is lane conditions with heavy oil volume. If you're a cranker or throw the ball with a lot of speed, you can rely on the extremely strong cover to read the boards securely and not slide past the breakpoint. Thanks to the asymmetric core, the ball generates a strong entry angle, which should have a positive effect on carry. On drier conditions or late in a league session, though, this ball quickly becomes too much to handle, since it leaves the heads too early and hits flat. That makes it a pure specialist for fresh, oily patterns.