- Wreck-It

First Impressions
The Roto Grip Wreck-It, released in early August 2016 as a central addition to the mid-priced HP2 series, comes in a striking and classy color combination of gold, white pearl accents and a black solid portion. The heart of this bowling ball is the proven symmetric Neutron core, which was already used in earlier successful models from the brand. At the standard weight of fifteen pounds, this core carries a moderately high RG of 2.55 along with a medium differential of 0.042. These specs are designed to give the ball good length through the heads without transitioning into the roll phase too early. The Neutron core is wrapped in the so-called Psyched Hybrid Reactive coverstock. Unlike many other balls in this price range, which often ship highly polished, the Wreck-It comes out of the box sanded matte with a 3000-grit pad. This rougher finish should ensure that, despite the symmetric core design and the hybrid blend, the ball builds stable traction early in the front and middle portions of the lane. The well-thought-out combination of the slightly longer core and the grittier surface aims at a very controllable, smooth and versatile ball reaction that describes an even arc toward the pocket.
Comparison Compared directly to its predecessor, the extremely popular Roto Grip Wrecker, the Roto Grip Wreck-It shows clear differences in ball motion, which are largely due to the different surface preparation. Where the Wrecker generated maximum length with its heavily polished pearl shell and reacted very late — and at times somewhat uncontrolled — to dry boards, the Wreck-It offers a considerably more predictable and rounder reaction thanks to its matte hybrid surface. It noticeably starts reading the lane earlier, which takes the edge off overly snappy reactions at the breakpoint. Looking at a model from another manufacturer, such as the Motiv Venom Shock, both balls cover a very similar range of use as reliable options for medium conditions. The Motiv Venom Shock, however, uses an all-solid coverstock and a core with an extremely low RG, which results in an even earlier, more continuous and smoother motion. The Wreck-It, by contrast, stores a bit more energy for the backend thanks to its higher RG, while the 3000-grit finish gives it more safety and midlane control than pure pearl balls. Against stronger and considerably more expensive asymmetric balls, the Storm Lock for example, the Wreck-It naturally lacks maximum flare potential and aggressive angle creation — which is exactly what makes it valuable when weaker and more controllable motions are called for.
On the Lanes The Roto Grip Wreck-It is primarily designed for medium to lightly oiled lane conditions. Its moderately rough 3000-grit finish builds reliable traction on typical house shots without overreacting in an uncontrolled or overly harsh way on drier boards. When the lane is completely fresh, the absorbent hybrid surface allows for a stable midlane read, which helps you hit the pocket consistently and safely. Once the game moves along and the inevitable transition sets in, with oil in the front part of the lane depleting and being carried down into the actual dry zone, the Wreck-It shows its greatest strength. Its core is weak enough not to burn up all of its energy immediately in the dry heads, yet the finish makes it strong enough to generate sufficient hook at the backend for solid and consistent carry. If you throw the ball at higher speed, you can benefit especially from the light surface sanding, since the ball won't unexpectedly slide through the oil past the breakpoint but always grabs reliably. For bowlers with a rather lower ball speed or a very high rev rate, however, the ball can grab a bit too early on very dry conditions or broken-down lanes and lose hitting power. In such situations a manual, light polish of the surface can help restore the necessary length and delay the final reaction to friction a little. All in all, the Roto Grip Wreck-It is an extremely versatile, forgiving and easily controllable option that works excellently as the first ball out of the bag on unknown or classic medium conditions.