The Forge Flare is the latest hook monster from Motiv. This new release shares the same symmetrical Detonator core design with the Forge and Forge Fire. The difference comes in the new Coercion MXC Solid Reactive coverstock, which is finished at 2000 grit LSS. This is advertised as Motiv’s strongest solid cover, and it comes out of the box rough enough to handle the heaviest of oils. Unsurprisingly, all three testers found this ball to be at its best on our heavy oil test pattern, with Stroker having the most overall success.

Stroker felt like a power player with the Forge Flare in his hands on the fresh heavy oil pattern. He could start left of where he played the lanes with both the Forge and the Alpha Jackal. The Forge Flare provided a smoother arc, whereas the Alpha Jackal had a stronger change of direction at the breakpoint. The Forge Flare provided plenty of traction and, even on shots where he thought his ball was going to burn up and hit flat, it still managed to retain enough energy to kick out the 10 pin. He used loft later in the session to keep his ...