Hammer Special Effect

Picked up my new Special Effect at 6:45 pm on Friday. Threw six practice balls...then threw a 600 series. With a 175 average, I was VERY happy. The biggest improvement...I only left two 10-pins in three games. Love this ball.

The Hammer Special Effect perfect complement to the Hammer Effect. The HK22- Cohesion solid cover stock provides great mid lane traction without sacrificing super back end hook. This is due in part to the Huntsman asymmetrical core in the Special Effect. This ball will get down the lanes and make a strong arc into the pocket. I find this to be a great ball to switch to when a solid starts burning up or it can be a great choice out of the bag on the fresh. Either way, this ball has great ball motion and I strongly recommend it!

Last Tuesday, Hammer announced the 3rd release in the Effect line of bowling balls...the Special Effect. The Special Effect features the same asymmetric Huntsman core wrapped by a 4 color (purple/red/grape/black) cohesion solid cover with the known HK-22 base. I drilled one with a 60 x 4 3/4 x 30 layout and I went over the ball with a 4000 Siaair pad. (Box surface is 1500 Siaair/Factory Compound) I tried the Special Effect on fresh and leftover THS.

Being honest, I never really used the original Effect a great deal. Between the Black Widow 3.0 and the original Theorem, I had an excellent range of motions in asymmetric core equipment. (Also there was one of my favorites as well, the Envy Tour for a much slower response on higher volumes for fresh. I also like the new Effect Tour for similar purposes) Additionally, I had a little trouble getting the original Effect to match up with my game. I did use a little weaker MB and pin placement to see if I could get a better look. (The original Effect had a 40 x 4 1/4 x 25 layout) I can already tell I am going to like the new Special Effect more. They are similar and from what I can see in terms of watching them from shot to shot, they are pretty similar. That being said, I used it in league and what I noticed is that the Special Effect got around the corner better in the last game when I had to use a very steep angle through the front. I don't know if it's cover or layout but I do like the motion of the Special Effect better. I do see the new Special Effect being in my bag and I'll be looking forward to drilling a second one shortly.

The Hammer Special Effect releases officially today, March 20, 2025. See your local pro shop for more information!

The Hammer Special Effect is just that a special blend of the original Huntsman Core and the HK22 Cohesion Solid and finished with the Factory Compound has smoothened out the reaction of the Original Effect yet provides awesome recovery and hitting power. This ball is Goood! This balls allows me to play up the boards as well as move to play inside angles. Even when there is some oil on the lanes you can see this ball tracking through it and still providing the hitting power and motion on the backend. This is a great addition with the Effect Tour and Original Effect. You can see the progression from the Special Effect to the Original Effect when the lanes begin to break down. The Effect Series is providing great reaction and reliability.

I tested this out against some of Hammer's recent HP balls and the Special Effect gave me the combo I was looking for on MH-H volumes. With lane panels getting older and having more friction, the compound added go this ball to clear. When the mid lane and end of the pattern friction showed up, the change in re rate and motion was easily seen and adjustments could be made. High speed mid to lower rev rate bowlers will like this. Still too long? Knock off that compound and see what you get.