Hammer Hammerhead Bowling Ball Review

The Hammerhead is a new nameplate for Hammer for the spring of 2025. This ball is part of a dual release with the Special Effect. Hammer fans will recognize the symmetrical Spheroid weight block from balls like the Web, the Rhodmans, the Bad Ass, and the Bad Intentions. The coverstock is Aggression Solid, the same shell used on the Black Widow 2.0 and the Dark Web. This cover is finished with 500 and 2000 SiaAir, leaving it rough enough to handle longer or heavier volumes of oil while blending out the reaction enough to handle shorter patterns as well. We found this ball to be incredibly versatile at the box finish, with all three of our bowlers able to match up very well with it on all four of our test patterns. The ball fits in multiple spots in the bag, making it a great starting point or a strong addition to any bowler’s arsenal.

Cranker

Cranker really liked the strong downlane continuation from the Hammerhead on the fresh medium oil pattern. The duller surface of the ball kept its reaction from being too jumpy when it found the dry, while providing plenty of traction in the oil. He could play this pattern from as far left as he wanted, using the dull surface to provide hook and recovery. This was especially useful as the pattern started to break down in the track area. The Hammerhead allowed him to get farther left and away from the hook, keeping the ball in the oil longer. The motion was earlier and smoother than the new Special Effect, while providing more total hook than the Hazmat Solid. He saw a lot of continuation even later in the session with the box finish, with sufficient drive at the pins. He could have used