- Combat Solid

First Impressions
The Brunswick Combat Solid, releasing in August 2026, positions itself as the strongest model in the Combat series to date and is designed specifically for demanding, heavily oiled lane conditions. Visually, the ball underscores its aggressive character with a dark, solid appearance. At the heart of the ball works the asymmetric Rampart Core, which at a 15-pound reference weight shows an RG of 2.502, a total differential of 0.051 and an intermediate differential of 0.019. These core specs deliver very high flare potential and an early, extremely steady roll phase. The cover is the further developed HK22C2 Alpha Premier Solid Cover. This variant of the HyperKinetic technology is enriched with special Cohesion and Chrome additives to maximize traction in oil. Out of the box the ball is sanded with 500 and 1500 Siaair pads, giving it an extremely dull, high-traction texture. This rough surface forces the ball to read very early in the heads and to cut through heavy oil volumes instead of sliding across the oil film. The result is a heavy rolling motion that generates an immense total hook and moves extremely continuously toward the pocket.
Comparison A direct comparison with the previous model, the Brunswick Combat Hybrid, shows the substantial development toward traction. While the hybrid version was built to generate a bit more length and to react more sharply at the breakpoint, the Combat Solid reads the lane considerably earlier and offers a more arcing, consistently more controlled motion through the midlane and back end. Placing the Combat Solid next to a classic benchmark model like the Storm Phaze II makes the conceptual differences on the lane very clear. The Storm Phaze II, a symmetric solid ball, delivers a very balanced and predictable reaction that is ideal for medium oil volumes and for reading the lane. The Brunswick Combat Solid, by contrast, acts as an uncompromising specialist for heavy oil thanks to its dynamic asymmetric core and its notably more aggressive cover. It absolutely needs high oil volume in the heads so it doesn't burn up energy prematurely, but in exchange it offers an incomparably more massive hook and superior overall strength when weaker balls like the Storm Phaze II reach their traction limits.
On the Lanes Because of its extremely tacky cover and strong asymmetric core, the Brunswick Combat Solid is an excellent tool for very high oil volumes and long oil patterns. This bowling ball shows its true strengths at the start of a tournament or league block, when there is plenty of fresh oil on the boards and weaker balls tend to slide across the oil and miss the breakpoint. The rough finish provides enough traction to get the ball rolling early and to guarantee a strong, dependable drive into the pins. However, once the lanes move into transition later in the block and the front part of the lane dries up, this ball will find friction too early and use up its energy before reaching the pins; at that point a move to balls with more length is advisable. The Combat Solid is also very well suited if you throw the ball at higher speed or have a lower rev rate and need help from the material to get the ball rolling. For those players the ball generates the traction needed to reach the pocket reliably. The massive flare potential and the heavy rolling design also provide excellent carry, since the ball drives through the pin deck with maximum energy and shows very little deflection even on deep, very oily lines.