- Black Widow Urethane

First Impressions
The Hammer Black Widow Urethane was released in December 2017 and marks a significant fusion in the manufacturer's history. It combines the traditional urethane technology Hammer has been known for since the 1980s with the company's most modern asymmetric core. Visually, the ball comes in a plain, matte black. Inside works the legendary Gas Mask Core, an asymmetric weight block that in a 15-pound ball shows a low RG of 2.50, a high differential of 0.058 and an intermediate differential of 0.016. The coverstock is a solid urethane blend, finished at the factory with a very coarse 360/500/500 Abralon surface. This combination is unusual, as it pairs the early friction of a urethane cover with the high flare potential of a high-performance core.
Comparison Compared to the classic Purple Hammer Urethane, which uses a symmetrical LED core, the Black Widow Urethane offers noticeably more overall hook and a stronger change of direction. While the Purple Hammer is known for its extremely smooth, arcing motion, the Gas Mask Core in the Black Widow Urethane produces a more aggressive reaction in the midlane and more backend bite. Compared to a modern solid reactive ball such as the Hammer Black Widow 3.0, the urethane version reacts considerably earlier on the lane and shows a much flatter angle at the breakpoint. Unlike the Storm Pitch Black, a purely symmetrical urethane ball that offers very straight-line control, the Black Widow Urethane allows larger playing angles thanks to its asymmetric design, since despite its urethane characteristics it can generate a significantly higher degree of friction in oil.
On the Lanes The ideal application for the Hammer Black Widow Urethane is on short oil patterns or in conditions with extremely high friction in the backend, where reactive balls would react too unpredictably. Through the combination of the cover's early reaction and the core's dynamics, the ball should offer a solution if conventional urethane balls don't give you enough hitting power or hook. It is particularly effective if you have a high rev rate, as it helps control the heads without missing the pocket entirely. On typical house shots, however, the ball can tend to lose energy too early if there isn't enough oil in the front part of the lane. In tournament scenarios it is a strategic tool for playing the oil pattern outside in a controlled way and for influencing the lane transition for your opponent by deliberately leaving urethane residue (carrydown).