First Impressions
It’s been a minute since Motiv has had a strong benchmark type ball and the Raptor Fury looks to fill it nicely.
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Tamer Elbaga (Lefty)
Style: Tweener
RPM: 330 rpm
PAP: 5 & 3/8 up
Average Speed: 18.5 mph (at release)
Axis tilt: low
Axis rotation: medium/high
Test Equipment: 14 Pounds
Layout: 4.5 x 45
Bryan Hoffman (Righty)
Style: Stroker
RPM: 280 rpm
PAP: 4 1/2 & 1 1/2 up
Average Speed: 18.5 mph (at release)
Axis tilt: high
Axis rotation: medium
Test Equipment: 14 Pounds
Layout: 5 x 45
Tyler Church (Righty)
Style: Power Player
RPM: 450 rpm
PAP: 5 1/2 & 1/2 up
Average Speed: 19 mph (at release)
Axis tilt: med
Axis rotation: medium
Test Equipment: 14 Pounds
Layout: 5.25 x 50
“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.”
Pattern
THS: 42ft, 23ml
Sport: TBD
Specs
The Motiv Raptor Fury uses the Affliction V2 symmetric core inside the Leverage XFS Solid coverstock.
15 pound = RG of 2.48, diff of .055
14 pound = RG of 2.50, diff of .053
Coverstock finish: 2000 grit LSS
Overall
I feel like these type of balls don’t come around too often. Ones that really feel like a benchmark shape. Controllable but actually do something. Now granted this is on the stronger side but the Raptor Fury brings a ball reaction back to the Motiv lineup that hasn’t been around since probably the Original Forge. Other balls like this in the Motiv line up were the Forge Flare, Rogue Assassin. The Forge Ember while still in the lineup didn’t quite hit the mark in my mind. It’s a bit of a tweener, unsure whether it wants to be strong or mid, smooth or angular, yet somehow just didn’t fully click. In my eyes, the Raptor Fury brings that shape back and fills the Strong Control slot very well. They have it slotting between the Ambush and Ghost and I guess it technically does in some ways but not the way I think about arsenal building. Anyway let’s get into the details of the ball. This is a heavy rolling type ball. It’s got a low RG and wants to roll up which is great at blending patterns. The cover is also strong and blends just enough not to fight the revving nature of the core but also not sapping it of all its energy. I will say this is not the type of ball that loves crossing a ton of boards. It works better from more direct trajectories where you can take advantage of the heavy roll. The amount of actual board coverage is relative to the bowler of course but so is its limitations. There’s a nice window for me +/- from the 3rd arrow. The house shot brings a lot of shapes together but we can still differentiate with a keen eye. I’m not fond of house shots at all and this one is quite heavily walled. So hit 7 at the breakpoint, you strike. Hit 8 or 9, the ball looks soft. Hit 10 and you crush the pocket because the ball floats in the oil. You can see that as I move in, I have to move the breakpoint in or it just dies. But getting past the 4th arrow for me is not going to be the Raptor Fury’s strength. For context and comparison, the Raptor Fury fills the same slot as the Storm Phaze II in the bag. So here are a few shots to give you an idea of the difference. The main thing is that the Phaze II has a touch more length but more response to dry. So while not quite as smooth as the Fury, it’s greatness comes from its versatility of that slightly more angular response to friction.
Power Player’s Position
Next is Tyler and the control nature of the Raptor Fury looked great for him. With his higher rev rate, he can certainly cover more boards than I can. However, the same description and nuances apply. The pattern dictates lane play and you can see the same situation on the right side of the lane. The Raptor Fury does a nice job blending those few boards of area that should exist on the house shot. Get out to 7 and it generates the nice high flush strike. Hit 8 or 9 and it doesn’t quite punch but the heavy roll offers very good carry. Hit 6 and it’s going high. But he had good carry in a nice zone to the pocket on the house shot. I would say it’s a touch strong for the house shot but certainly not unusable. But it is squarely in the Strong Control category for Tyler as well. Quick comparison to the Phaze II and you kind of see the quicker nature of the response. A touch cleaner.
Stroker’s Stance
Bryan is next. He’s had the original Forge in his bag for a while and it’s still the Strong Control he loves. So the idea of a Motiv ball finally able to replace it is tantalizing. So as he tosses the Raptor Fury, he quickly realizes that it really is that close. And I would say all the stuff I commented about the house pattern and the trickiness of it was not much of an issue for Bryan. Because his game plays closer to the friction line, the heavy rolling nature of the Fury meant that while he saw the same physical response on lane to the different boards he would hit, he struck more often than not. 7-10 breakpoints were all striking fairly consistently. You see the same characeteristics we saw but the heavier roll from more direct meant more likelihood to strike vs leaving a flat corner. He tried some shots from deeper and there was no chance on this shape pattern.
Final Thoughts
What else can I say that I haven’t already. It’s always nice to not only find a ball that squarely fits in a part of the arsenal but also one I can see actually slotting in there. Relative to the Jackal Ghost, The Raptor Fury is a nice strong control partner where you have the Ghost as your Strong Defined.
Thanks for watching.