Let’s spend a bit of time comparing the UFO to the Halo Vision. The UFO has a new core which has a very different shape from the Halo. The light bulb like ET vs the blocky Centrum. The impression to be totally frank is that these are pretty good compliments. Both balls are using nano technology for strong traction. The UFO core is going to feel a bit “rounder” in its motion but this is a small nuance. By contrast the Centrum core will look a touch sharper in the transition. I talked about the ET core being a little less forward. That has to due with the sharpness of the cores transition. Some will like one shape a little more than the other and vice versa. That being said, I find the UFO a little easier to use due to that slightly smoother transition. This nuance will come into play for me as I describe the experience differences.

Clearly the UFO is a very strong solid asym motion that would be the top of anybody’s bag who needs this much strength. There isn’t anything stronger available. The solid grippy cover will always give traction. As the ball goes down the lane and the ball starts to bleed energy from both friction and hook phase, it will finally get into the roll. It’s smooth yet aggressive. The core shape compliments the traction level of the cover at the end of the pattern. I could make this shape work from 2nd to 4th arrow. Sometimes the smooth shape makes for a smaller usable window. Each individual bowler has there limitations so this is all relative. So this ball had a wide usability range and that’s not always the case for me. Some balls will only have a range of say 5 boards at the arrows for me.

With the Halo Vision, the big characteristic when we first saw it was that it felt like more ball than the original Halo. Is it? Well not exactly. But as you watch you might say the same about it vs the UFO. The bottom line is that the hybrid cover gives this ball more pop downlane. This ball allows me to generate a lot of angle late. The sharper transition plus extra energy storage of the hybrid means extra motion. For me that meant that it had about the same usability window. However, I have to play them a touch different on the same pattern. Whereas the smoothness of the UFO meant when I got deep I could bring my breakpoint in. With the Vision, bringing the breakpoint in as much as the UFO wasn’t going to hold. It’s just a touch more angular meaning a little more miss room out.

As you watch Bryan, you can also see the more angular nature of the Halo Vision. In the original UFO video, you could see a small delta between the UFO and Halo. Again, the Centrum core is a bit sharper to transition but those 2 balls where not much different. Comparing to the Vision shows a slightly bigger differential. In the end, some might feel like the Vision is the bigger ball and on certain conditions, it might feel that way because the hybrid cover stores a bit more energy. Always remember stronger doesn’t always mean more board coverage. In fact many times it’s quite the opposite.

Ultimately the Vision is the same compliment to the UFO as it was to the original Halo. And while I assume at some point there will be a UFO hybrid, rest assured the Halo Vision compliments the UFO nicely.