The Amazing Duo…
First Impressions
The Roto Grip Haywire and Hy-Wire are absolutely fantastic balls, no doubt about it! Haywire is the strong ball that still makes a big move and the Hy-Wire is so versatile. These are balls that read the midlane and late midlane, respectively, but still transition strongly with strong moves on the backends.
Our Testers:
Tamer Elbaga
Tweener: 325 rpm
PAP: 5 & 3/8 up
Axis tilt: 5 degrees
Axis rotation: 70 degrees
Layout: 45 x 4.75 x 45
Thanks to Jeffrey Smith of Pure It Pro Shop, Lebanon, PA, our partner for ball reviews.
Thanks to Limerick Bowl in Limerick, PA.
Keep in mind that coverstock accounts for 70% of ball reaction, but the core creates the dynamic shape of the reaction. Your driller will alter the shape to suit your game.
Test Patterns:
41ft THS, 24ml
Value
Roto Grip Haywire: 9/10
Roto Grip Hy-Wire: 9/10
Plain and simple, middle of the road pricing, top shelf performance. What else can you ask for.
Specs
Both the Haywire and Hy-Wire use the Middle Roll 70™ symmetric core. Same core that was in the Disturbed which was beloved by many. Haywire brings the super strong 80H™ MicroBite™ cover which debuted on the Defiant. The Hy-Wire brings a weaker 62M™ 1 part solid, 2 parts pearl, hybrid cover. Specs are 2.50 and .043 on this core.
Overall
Haywire: 9/10
Hy-Wire: 9/10
The balls reach their high value in my estimation in different ways. The Haywire brings that “hook on anything” look out of the bag while not feeling like it will roll out. The strong cover blended with a medium strength core provides a seemingly perfect balance. The ball has the ability to have decent length, i.e., it will not hook at your feet. In fact, when you compare the 2 balls, it hooks 1-2 feet earlier than the weaker Hy-Wire. That still means it covers more boards overall. It has a very predictable midlane read and move off the end of the pattern. Trustworthiness with power is the ultimate in my opinion and that is what the Haywire offers. It seems pretty versatile. We were able to test it on a THS, 2016 USBC Nationals Team, as well as Doubles/Singles pattern. In the video, you can see how well it rolls on the THS. However, it is easily as good on tough sport conditions such as the Nationals patterns. Super reliable and adds forgiveness due to the perfect blend of cover to core. Many bowlers love this ball motion and for very good reason.
The Hy-Wire has its own characteristics that stand out. Firstly, it is much cleaner. On a THS, the difference in length from the Haywire is less obvious. On a sport shot, much more so. This is where the Hy-Wire shines in my eyes. On the THS, it is clean, but again has that super reliable move late midlane and off the end of the pattern. It’s not skid/flip but really strong. On your typical medium volume THS, it almost makes the Haywire unnecessary. On the other hand, this is also a great sport shot ball, provided you ensure you have the correct surface match up. It is a perfect step down from the Haywire on the sport condition. It is very clean through the mids, which allows you to be some 3-5 boards more direct than the Haywire. Yet, the look is very similar down lane in that it is a smooth but strong move. The Haywire is smoother of course and stronger, but when you want to step down, you pick up the Hy-Wire which will give you the easily added length while guaranteeing a good strong move at the end of the pattern.
These balls are really impressive and I can see them staying in the bag for a long time. Definitely going to Nationals with me!