The Shred-It is the latest addition to AMF family. This new release shares the same core as the Shredder with the difference being the cover type and finish. This ball comes out of the box with sanded 4000 grit Abralon and is a hybrid reactive shell. This cover gave all three testers a terrific contrast in reaction between the Shredder and the Shred-It.

The three testers had their best look on the heavy oil test pattern. Stroker played the furthest right of the three testers as usual. He was able to play a small swing shot allowing the strong midlane to create the necessary angle to the pocket. Tweener also saw the best results playing a straighter line through the front part of the lane. Cranker was able to keep his angles open due to his higher rev rate.

On the medium test pattern, all three testers were able to give the ball plenty of room through the front of the lane. Stroker had the best look of the three with Tweener not far behind. Both players were able to see strong recovery down lane as long as they kept the ball in the oil long enough. Hitting the friction too soon will cause this ball to check up early, losing too much to carry effectively. Higher rev rates will need to add some polish in order for the Shred-It to be effective for more than a game or so on medium oil patterns.

The dry pattern didn’t offer much for any of the three testers with the factory finish. Even with polish added, only Stroker was able to get it back to the pocket with any degree of success. Weaker pin-to-PAP layouts, as well as surface adjustments, are a must for players on higher friction surfaces.

We found the Shred-It to match up fairly well with our sport pattern. The Shred-It let all three testers open up their angles, which is a rarity on this pattern. We attribute our success on this pattern to the strong midlane the Shred-It offers. The Shredder and Shred-It make a great one-two combination for any bowler’s bag.

Strengths: What we liked the most about the Shred-It is the strong midlane and continuous back end motion that creates. Its ability to handle large volumes of oil, without a ton of surface, allows it to be playable on medium patterns as well.

Weaknesses: Dry in the front of the lane will force bowlers to choose another ball. Early friction will either make the Shred-It over-hook or hook too early and lose energy and back end reaction. Polishing will help only those with extremely low rev rates.

Overall Summary: The difference between the Shredder and Shred-It in performance is quite apparent after just one shot. The change to a reactive hybrid cover makes this ball stronger in the midlane and much smoother downlane.