- Violet Gargoyle

First Impressions
The Visionary Violet Gargoyle, released in July 2004, is a bowling ball that stands apart from many other models of its era both visually and technically. The cover is made of Gargoyle Solid, a reactive solid material that comes with a 1500 polish out of the box. One visual peculiarity of this cover is the so-called phazing, in which lighter or white spots and streaks can appear on the violet surface. According to the manufacturer this is a purely cosmetic effect, often brought on by slight temperature swings, and it has no negative impact whatsoever on performance on the lane. Inside the ball works the symmetrical Gargoyle core. At a ball weight of 15 pounds, this core shows an RG of 2.580 and a moderate differential of 0.038. The comparatively high RG signals that the core revs up late and that the ball tends to travel very easily through the heads. The medium differential provides an easily controlled flare potential, which should keep the ball from overreacting unpredictably.
Comparison Using the modern Storm Phaze II as a reference, clear conceptual differences emerge, even though both balls fundamentally use a solid cover. The Storm Phaze II employs a heavily sanded surface combined with a core that has a very low RG and a high differential. This construction aims for very early traction in oil and a strongly rounded, smooth and powerful motion. The Visionary Violet Gargoyle behaves fundamentally differently here despite its solid material. Thanks to the polished surface and the high RG, it glides through the first boards far more effortlessly and preserves its kinetic energy considerably longer. When it finally meets friction in the last third of the lane, it creates a much more angular and aggressive move at the breakpoint than the rather forgiving Storm Phaze II. Compared in-house with the Visionary Green Gargoyle, which uses a pearl cover, the Violet Gargoyle reveals its specific strength. Where the pearl ball sometimes skids too long on marginally more oil, the solid cover of the Violet Gargoyle reads the lane a touch earlier, yet retains the strong, sharp hook at the end of the lane.
On the Lanes In practice, the Visionary Violet Gargoyle is primarily conceived as a versatile benchmark ball for medium lane conditions. Its absolutely ideal territory is typical house shots, where a balance of good length and defined backend reaction is called for. When transition sets in over the course of a longer tournament and balls with a dull finish start burning up their energy too early in the heads, the polished surface of the Violet Gargoyle offers an excellent tactical solution. It helps you keep getting to the pocket consistently and safely, while at the same time the solid material in the cover should ensure that the ball does not suddenly skid past the breakpoint. This should generate very reliable and consistent carry. The ball suits a wide range of player types, since the moderate differential produces neither too jumpy nor too weak a reaction. If you throw the ball at lower speed, you benefit from the built-in length of the high RG, while high rev players will appreciate the enormous predictability of the symmetrical core. Should the 1500 polish still offer too little traction on freshly oiled lanes, the cover can easily be scuffed with sanding pads to create more early traction.