DV8 Hellcat Ball Review by Jeff Ussery

Layout: 60 degrees x 5 1/2" x 25 degrees

RG: 2.55"

Differential: .053"

M/b: .016"

Surface: 2000 grit sanded

Core shape: Asymmetric

The new DV8 Hellcat carries on the performance of the Hell Raiser series by using the same core, but DV8 used a new cover formula to change the reaction. The core was paired with a blend of the super aggressive cover found on the Hell Raiser Blaze and a skid/flip cover on the Hell Raiser Return. The new Hellcat’s reaction fits right between those two balls. The new Havoc cover is a solid that produces less traction in the oil than a Blaze, conserving energy for the backend and making the Hellcat easy to choose from medium to heavy conditions.

This new DV8 Hellcat was incredibly impressive right out of the box. I drilled this Hellcat with a smaller VAL angle than I typically use on my stuff. What that translates to is a longer and sharper breakpoint than normal. I first tried this on the Hammer 3D Offset back in the winter and it worked out pretty well, so I thought I would try again here with this aggressive piece from DV8. It ended up being the perfect layout for this ball and my game. This Hellcat is super strong in the backend while maintaining some of the predictability of the strongest Brunswick poured bowling balls. What surprised me the most was how easy it was to get this 2000 grit sanded cover down the lane. Typically sanded covers with strong asymmetrical cores tend to hook up very early for me with my lower axis rotation. But this ball exhibits none of those features. It's actually quite long down the lane for a sanded finish, and continues unlike any other ball I have right now.

I've been able to throw this Hellcat at several different places so far. It's matched up fantastic on both house shots and super wet/dry conditions. Everywhere I throw this ball I see strong hook potential on medium to heavy oil lane conditions, with huge backend continuation. This ball runs over the 8 pin over and over when it goes through the pin deck. It's one of the biggest jumps I've seen in ball performance from a brand in quite a while. Typically the strong asymmetric DV8 balls have been very early rolling with smooth continuation down lane. This Hellcat is nothing like those, and offers some of the best motion on our wall in the medium to heavy oil category right now.

There's no chance I'll be touching the surface of this ball with anything but ball cleaner for quite a while. It simply rolls too good for me to alter the reaction. But there is a definite possibility that I would drill another Hellcat and take the surface to more of a polished finish. I'd like to explore the skid/flip potential based on what I've seen so far. This ball is going to be an early contender for ball of the year based on what I've seen.

DV8's Hellcat comes out on Friday, August 5th. We'll have plenty of 14# and 15# balls in stock ready at TBG! Stop by and see us for more info about this exciting new release.