Dougbsu123
04-23-2016, 10:55 PM
DESCRIPTION
INNER CORE - Top Gear™ Dual Density Weight Block
COVERSTOCK - Sabotage™ Hybrid Reactive
FINISH - 5500 Grit Laser Scan Polished
RG RATING - 2.47 (15 lbs)
RG DIFFERENTIAL - 0.34 (15 lbs)
FLARE POTENTIAL - 3"+
REACTION
The Venom Cobra brings a unique motion to the light-medium oil category. The low RG and all new Top Gear dual density core give this ball plenty of length with a fast response to friction. Out of the box the ball is long and angular with plenty of continuation through the pins.
VIDEO
https://youtu.be/cGaQj8vdT2M
COMPARISONS
In my ball motion video I compared the Venom Cobra to every ball in the current Motiv lineup that has a similar reaction (including the recently retired Panic). Here is what I found which you'll be able to see in the video. As always, my pin down started up earlier and isn't as fast off the back end. My pin up Cobra gets further down lane before it reads friction. This has been the norm for me with these layouts.
The Venom Cobra's motion was closest to the Paranoia while being about 4-5 boards weaker in overall hook. The Octane Burn started earlier than the Cobra and is a couple boards stronger. With a higher RG, the Burn doesn't rev up nearly as fast as the Cobra. The Venom Panic hooks a bit earlier than the Cobra but for me was much weaker off the spot. While the Cobra is more angular, the Panic is more forward which made it about 3-4 boards weaker in overall hook. I threw the Graffiti Tag in there just to show how much stronger the Cobra was in overall hook. The Tag was 5-6 boards less in total hook than the Cobra. It reacted significantly further down lane which isn't surprising. The Agility cover on the Tag is the cleanest cover in the current lineup.
SUMMARY
I ordered two Venom Cobra's and drilled one pin down (75°x 4.5" x75°) and the other pin up (65°x 4.125" x50°). I bowl in three different houses with three very different surfaces. They consist of synthetic lanes, old beat up wood lanes, and newer well maintained wood lanes. The house shots vary in length and volume from center to center. After filming the videos I started experimenting with surface. Just like the Paranoia, box finish was a bit too fast for my liking. I tried a few different surfaces before settling on 2000 sanded on the pin down, and 4000 sanded for the pin up. What surprised me with the Venom Cobra was how much length they retained even with surface. While they started a bit earlier than box finish, they were still quite angular off the back end. Usually when I add surface to a ball it just makes it much earlier and slower. This was a welcome surprise. With the Cobra being designed for light-medium oil it allows me to stay in the same spot longer before having to chase the transition. The Cobra is the perfect step down from the Paranoia when you need to ball down and retain a similar motion.
Motiv Staff Member
Doug Anderson
INNER CORE - Top Gear™ Dual Density Weight Block
COVERSTOCK - Sabotage™ Hybrid Reactive
FINISH - 5500 Grit Laser Scan Polished
RG RATING - 2.47 (15 lbs)
RG DIFFERENTIAL - 0.34 (15 lbs)
FLARE POTENTIAL - 3"+
REACTION
The Venom Cobra brings a unique motion to the light-medium oil category. The low RG and all new Top Gear dual density core give this ball plenty of length with a fast response to friction. Out of the box the ball is long and angular with plenty of continuation through the pins.
VIDEO
https://youtu.be/cGaQj8vdT2M
COMPARISONS
In my ball motion video I compared the Venom Cobra to every ball in the current Motiv lineup that has a similar reaction (including the recently retired Panic). Here is what I found which you'll be able to see in the video. As always, my pin down started up earlier and isn't as fast off the back end. My pin up Cobra gets further down lane before it reads friction. This has been the norm for me with these layouts.
The Venom Cobra's motion was closest to the Paranoia while being about 4-5 boards weaker in overall hook. The Octane Burn started earlier than the Cobra and is a couple boards stronger. With a higher RG, the Burn doesn't rev up nearly as fast as the Cobra. The Venom Panic hooks a bit earlier than the Cobra but for me was much weaker off the spot. While the Cobra is more angular, the Panic is more forward which made it about 3-4 boards weaker in overall hook. I threw the Graffiti Tag in there just to show how much stronger the Cobra was in overall hook. The Tag was 5-6 boards less in total hook than the Cobra. It reacted significantly further down lane which isn't surprising. The Agility cover on the Tag is the cleanest cover in the current lineup.
SUMMARY
I ordered two Venom Cobra's and drilled one pin down (75°x 4.5" x75°) and the other pin up (65°x 4.125" x50°). I bowl in three different houses with three very different surfaces. They consist of synthetic lanes, old beat up wood lanes, and newer well maintained wood lanes. The house shots vary in length and volume from center to center. After filming the videos I started experimenting with surface. Just like the Paranoia, box finish was a bit too fast for my liking. I tried a few different surfaces before settling on 2000 sanded on the pin down, and 4000 sanded for the pin up. What surprised me with the Venom Cobra was how much length they retained even with surface. While they started a bit earlier than box finish, they were still quite angular off the back end. Usually when I add surface to a ball it just makes it much earlier and slower. This was a welcome surprise. With the Cobra being designed for light-medium oil it allows me to stay in the same spot longer before having to chase the transition. The Cobra is the perfect step down from the Paranoia when you need to ball down and retain a similar motion.
Motiv Staff Member
Doug Anderson