Bowler Ratings

PatternStTwCr
Oily:X.XX.XX.X
Medium:X.XX.XX.X
Dry:X.XX.XX.X
Sport:X.XX.XX.X

Bowler ratings are from 1 to 10 in order of Stroker (ST), Tweener (TW), Cranker (CR)

Note: Ratings are only available to our premium members.

General Info

Brand:
Name:Raw Hammer Black
Reviewed:May 2021
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Coverstock Specs
Name:Juiced Solid
Type:Reactive Solid
Box Finish:500 / 1500 / 3000 SiaAir
Color:Black
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Core Specs
Name:Raw Hammer
Type:Symmetrical
RG:2.537
Diff:0.038
Int. Diff:0.000

For details on our standard test layouts, please click here.

The Raw Hammer bowling balls are at a new price point for the current Hammer line, replacing the previously discontinued Vibe series. They feature a new symmetrical core design, which has a higher RG and a lower differential than both the Vibes and the original Raw Hammers from the mid-2000s, all wrapped in variations of the Juiced coverstock. The Raw Hammer Black uses the Juiced Solid coverstock formulation, which was used previously most notably on the Black Widow Red Legend Solid. It comes out of the box dull, with a factory surface prep of 500/1500/3000 SiaAir. Even though it has the most traction out of all the new Raw Hammers, its relatively weak core design helped it match up best to our medium oil house shot pattern.

(Editor’s note: Our three Raw Hammer test balls arrived as one Raw Hammer Black, one Raw Hammer Orange/Black, and one Raw Hammer Blue/Silver/White. We chose to drill all three Raw Hammers for our Tweener tester and review them separately so that we could establish consistent performance ratings for each ball and comment on the differences in reaction among them. We apologize for the inconvenience, and we’ll return to our normal three-tester (Stroker, Tweener, and Cranker) format starting with next week’s reviews.)

Starting on the medium oil pattern, Tweener had more total hook from the solid-covered Raw Hammer Black than from the hybrid and pearlized Raw Hammers. Hooking about three boards more than

Additional Hammer Raw Hammer Black Resources

Click here to visit Hammer's website to read the manufacturer-supplied information on this ball. Also, see below for the manufacturer-produced promotional video for this ball.

Please remember that our reviews are solely based on our own testing and that you may sometimes find differences between our comments and ratings and the manufacturer's claims. Links to these manufacturer resources are provided here strictly for convenience purposes.

The BTM Ball Testing Team

About The BTM Ball Testing Team

The BTM Ball Testing Team is led by Eric Martinez. Our team of three testers has thrown and reviewed hundreds of bowling balls for Bowling This Month. When not testing balls for BTM, Eric owns and operates University Pro Shop in San Antonio, TX and he is an avid competitive bowler. Click here to learn more about how we test and review bowling balls.