AMF 300 Night Hawk Reviewed by: BJI Reviews By Joe Cerar Jr. 02/14/2007 00:00

2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
Core Design:
The asymmetric core used in this remake of the very popular Nighthawk of 1998 fame is identical to the older ball in shape and motion characteristics. The Rg value is 2.52 and the Diff is .043. The mass bias strength is also very conservative at .002, almost non-existent. We saw 5.5' of flare in the oil with a 3.5 pin. Our 5' layouts produced 4' of flare.

Coverstock:
The matte black solid reactive is finished at 1000 grit, as was the original. The base reactive from BASF is called Super-Flex. This cover can be tweaked easily from varying shades of dull to an extremely attractive high gloss. In 1998, the preferred finish was polished; in 2006, bowlers may opt for 1000 to 4000, depending on oil volume.

Manufacturer's Intent:
Every once in a while, the ball manufacturers feel a need to reintroduce balls which were very popular in their day. Often times, these re-releases do not quite live up to their expectations. This is not the case with this 1998 Ball of the Year.

Test Results:
My test staff and I looked at the cover and thought this ball would hook at our feet due to its dull-textured surface. Well, this ball flat out hooks, but luckily, not as early as one would think. We were all impressed with its motion-shape as well as how well it carried from all angles. The core picked up revs more in the midlane than in the fronts. We saw no quit throughout the breakpoint range, and the core was not overly sensitive to slight miscues on our part. In our opinion, the core and cover are matched perfectly, which means this ball should work well for a variety of players as well as on a wide spectrum of lane conditions.

When to Use:
We had the greatest success on our fresh and heavier patterns on either wood or synthetic. Throughout the transition phases, we were able to continue use as long as we migrated into the pattern accordingly. We could either bump the dry, or keep it in the pattern and retain excellent carry and an impressive look. On lighter patterns, we simply smoothed the surface with 2000 and 4000 abralon, and we retained the shape we had with the dull surface on the heavier stuff. After applying our high gloss Neo Tac Renew-it polish, our shape changed from the hard arc to a hockey-stick configuration. That brought back lots of satisfying memories as this ball was one of my personal favorites years back. In fact, I remember the older version gave me the right look only when highly polished, but due to the heavier viscosity oils of this century, I feel I can use this version successfully with a myriad of altered surfaces. This is a major plus in today's ever-changing transitional environment.
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AMF 300 Night Hawk Reviewed by: brian_6977 11/29/2007 14:49

I absolutely love this ball best one I've used yet. I have it drilled for maximum hook and back end. Man does it hook; explosive back end reaction, very easy ball to control and very nice pin reaction. I would recommend this ball to anyone.
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AMF 300 Night Hawk Reviewed by: theonewidow 05/13/2007 17:03

I know two people with the AMF 300 Night Hawk bowling ball, and I know another who is going to get this ball. You could actually make your entire ball line up with two of these. One dulled for heavy oil, and the other high gloss polished for every other condition.
The dull coverstock gives the ball a nice clean arc. The polish gives this ball a very nice snap in the backends.
This ball does absorb some oil, so be prepared for the bathing and regular cleaning. If I can get a good deal on this ball I will buy one myself. I might be able to get one for $150, but this ball really is a jack of all trades worthy for any player's bag.
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AMF 300 Night Hawk Reviewed by: Wonton 03/21/2007 21:46

I was excited to get the AMF 300 Night Hawk bowling ball, but the sight of it was a let down. I thought it would look darker and richer, but after trying it out today, looks can be deceiving. I only started learning the hook a month ago and this ball helped make it happen. It's only the second ball I ever owned and I hit more strikes in one game than I ever have before.
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