The new Roto Grip Duo is the result of a collaboration with PWBA stars Stefanie Johnson, Shannon O’Keefe, and the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. It pairs the polished MicroTrax Pearl coverstock used on the Exotic Gem with the new Mentor core. This symmetrical weight block design gives the Duo a 2.49″ RG and a 0.046″ differential. This is a slightly higher RG and lower differential than both the Torpex core from the TNT and the asymmetrical Defiant core from the Gem line. The Duo provided a lot of versatility for our three testers, and its versatility was further enhanced by how well the coverstock responded to surface changes.

Tweener edged out the other two testers with his reaction across all four test patterns, and he started striking quickly with the Duo on the fresh medium oil pattern. From the same line where the Duo was striking, he saw the Exotic Gem leaving 4 pins, while the Hyped Hybrid would leave 2 pin combinations. The Duo allowed him to easily stay ahead of the pattern when it started to break down by making small 2-and-1 moves inside. If he wanted to stay straighter up the lane toward the track area, he could increase his ball speed and roll up the back of the ball more to keep it in the pocket. Tweener found a very nice line to the pocket on the dry test pattern as well. The glossy finish on the pearl coverstock gave him the length he needed, and the back end motion was sharp but controllable. The MicroTrax Pearl ...