The original Scandal was the first ball to use Hammer’s CFI coverstock. The Scandal/S uses the same aggressive cover technology from that ball—this time in a reactive hybrid form—along with the same symmetrical core design. This core shape took a short hiatus while the asymmetrical weight blocks from the Rip’Ds and the Gauntlets were introduced at the high performance price point. The return of the Scandal core gives us a ball that is cleaner than the original Scandal by using the same cover as the Gauntlet. The Scandal/S comes out of the box at a 500/2000 Abralon finish that gives it plenty of traction through the oil. Pairing its dull, aggressive cover with a low RG (2.48″) and high differential (0.054″) core design makes the Scandal/S an easy choice for heavy volumes of oil.

All three of our testers had their best reactions on our fresh heavy oil test pattern. The Scandal/S’s sanded box finish allowed it to be strong enough to bite through the oil toward the middle of the lane, while its hybrid coverstock formulation helped it retain energy for the back end when we opened up our angles through the heads. Cranker started with the Scandal/S on 30 off his hand, crossing between the third and fourth arrows, and using the eight board as his breakpoint. His ball’s sanded cover had no trouble grabbing the lane through the oil, and he ...