The Roto Grip Halo is the newest high-performance bowling ball in Roto Grip’s beloved HP4 series. Our Roto Grip Halo review will take a panoramic view of this new aggressive bowling ball gem, giving you a fair and balanced look at all of its aspects as you ponder a potential purchase decision.
Is the Roto Grip Halo versatile enough for multiple oil patterns, or is it just a heavy-oil specialist? Is it too aggressive or just aggressive enough for the majority of hook-heavy bowlers? Delve into our Roto Grip Halo bowling ball review for the answer to these questions and more!
Overview
The true aim of the folks over at Roto Grip was to make the Halo a complete heavy-oil masterpiece, and they’ve succeeded on the majority of accounts. While it provides a similar overall motion to other Roto Grip favorites such as the Hyper Cell and No Rules, it changes the game by dialing up the strength several notches.
This strength is extremely apparent on the back end. The Roto Grip Halo expends a fair amount of energy down the lane, but it still gathers plenty for some fireworks upon pin impact. This is coupled with a unique angularity made possible by the reactivity capabilities of the ball’s reactive solid cover stock.
The great thing about the Roto Grip Halo is that it rewards creativity when it comes to a bowler’s approaches and shot angles. The aggression of the cover stock coupled with the ball’s unique asymmetrical core opens up plenty of angles which may not be open with the vast majority of high-performance bowling balls.
The problem with the Roto Grip Halo is that its full versatility is limited to medium-heavy to heavier oil conditions. As oil patterns begin to deplete or on lighter oil patterns in general, the Roto Grip Halo loses its total efficacy. It becomes a struggle to keep on the lanes and to get it to do much when there.
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Features, Specs & Materials
The Roto Grip Halo’s MicroTrax-S18 Reactive Solid cover stock is a proven commodity which has been a crowd favorite on past Roto Grip Halo offerings. It’s undoubtedly aggressive and custom-built for turning lots of oil into lots of strikes.
What sets the Roto Grip Halo apart from other company offerings with the same cover stock is the brand-new Centrum asymmetrical core. There isn’t a more off-kilter core in the Roto Grip catalog, and that means open angles and plenty of firepower.
The ball’s 2000 Grit Pad finish is perfect out of the box for attacking fresh conditions with zeal. You may rethink using the Roto Grip Halo once oil conditions deplete, but the dull box finish is going to do wonders for you in the interim.
FEATURES:
SPECS:
Color: Coal, Fuchsia, Sky Blue
Core: Centrum (Asymmetrical)
Coverstock: MicroTrax-S18 Reactive Solid
Finish: 2000 Grit Pad
RG: 2.49
Differential: 0.050
Flare potential: Moderate
Recommended Lane Condition: Heavy
MATERIALS
You’ve got to hand it to the good people over at Roto Grip – they know a good thing when they have it! The MicroTrax-S18 Reactive Solid cover stock is a near-perfect specimen of aggression and angularity. It’s also very durable and can outlast the majority of high-performance offerings on the market when it comes to play life.
That aggression is only multiplied with the fired ceramic Centrum asymmetrical core. The core is built to both facilitate crazy mid-lane motion while holding onto plenty of energy for some powerful back-end reactions.Advantages & Disadvantages
Advantages:
Did we mention that the Roto Grip Halo is the pinnacle of aggression and angularity? It bears repeating. The Roto Grip Halo is perfect for any bowler who’s got a handle on their hook but wants a few notches of extra oomph. That’s especially true on heavier oil patterns where this ball becomes a painter’s canvas of sorts.
The unique thing about the Roto Grip Halo is that it is able to store so much energy for a powerful back-end reaction while expending plenty down the lane. You usually get one or the other with high-performance bowling balls. The Roto Grip Halo straddles the line and gives an adept bowler the best of both worlds.
The Roto Grip Halo’s debut of the Centrum asymmetrical core is a smashing success, literally. This ball just hits harder than other Roto Grip offerings in the same line. That’s thanks to a precarious and off-kilter game of chicken between the aggression of the cover stock and the aggression of the new core design.
If you’re tired of locking into your angles and being chained to a consistent approach, you’re going to love taking the Roto Grip Halo into the heavy oil. This ball can do so much when the oil is just right. You’re not only going to figure out new angles to approach the pocket, but you’re also going to do so with some unparalleled firepower upon pin impact.
Disadvantages:
This ball is made for heavy oil and its overall efficacy falls dramatically as oil patterns start to deplete. Unless you’re playing primarily on much heavier oil patterns, you’re going to want to keep another strike ball in the bag for choppier patterns and lighter oil densities.
The aggression of the Roto Grip Halo is eye-popping to be sure. That can be to its detriment for any bowler who isn’t skilled enough to tame its impulses. If you’re unable to track with it and find a groove to the pocket, you’re not going to get much lane length or consistency out of the Roto Grip Halo.
Higher-rev bowlers may hit a saturation point with the Roto Grip Halo which mutes its overall charms. This ball does a lot of the work and can be a task to rein in when adding a higher-rev bowler to the mix.
Our Thoughts
The Roto Grip Halo will reward the brave bowler who works hard to direct its extremely aggressive nature. It can be an absolute puzzle for bowlers who struggle to read a high-performance ball’s early motions, but it wasn’t made for those bowlers.
If you’re a hook-heavy bowler who simply wants to turn heavy oil into more strikes and crazier angularity, there’s no better option out there than the Roto Grip Halo. Just be sure to keep backup options on hand for lighter oil densities and depleted patterns.
Overall Score: 8 out of 10
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