Today I want to compare the Roto Grip UFO to the Motiv Alpha Jackal. This is like the clash of the titans. Both balls are the theoretical strongest balls in their respective lineups. Both use probably the strongest solid cover each brand has had. Core specs are very similar. Differentials are identical at 15lb. Intermediate diffs are super close. I talk about core shapes a lot. Look closely at these two… Some tweaks of a light bulb one way or another in my eyes.

As you would expect, regardless of any nuances I might mention, use case for both balls is 100% overlapping. Same slot in the bag.

First the UFO. Again, this is a smooth but huge motion that is pretty versatile. I can play direct or open up the lanes and it’s on the high side of versatile for my style. I mentioned that it’s a ball that has the traction to really giddy up and go. I talked about the UFO being smoother than the Halo Vision. But in this comparison, it’s the Alpha Jackal that’s smoother yet. Before I get into that, I can tell you that the Alpha Jackal covers the same ground as the UFO. I mean it was a bit uncanny that both balls looked so similar on both house and the high volume Scorpion pattern. I don’t have Digitrax running but by eye, it would appear the Alpha Jackal is a touch earlier, hence the smoother motion. What I can say is that when playing the Alpha more direct on the high volume Scorpion, it was actually a bit more consistent in that zone giving me a bit more room. All this is to say the one characteristic that is noticeable to me is the slightly smoother transition of the Alpha Jackal.

For Bryan, watching the video might imply there wasn’t a huge difference. On house, there really wasn’t. Pretty much same zone is playable. Starts up about the same time. The house shot really funnels things close to each other and these are pretty close already. It’s the sport shot where he really felt some differences. Where the smoothness of the Alpha Jackal felt like he had to more finely thread the needle, he had more playable area with the UFO. Again, not that he had more room per se but could play the pattern with different trajectories.

At the end of the day the choice of which ball to buy probably has more to do with which fan you are a brand of. I don’t think either ball has something over the other to pull you away from your selection. The easiest thing is that if you already have an arsenal of Storm/Roto and you need a big piece, then the UFO will make sense because of the relationship of ball motion and coverstock formulation similarities. By the same token, if your arsenal is more Motiv, than the Alpha Jackal will make more sense. Call it a draw.