Only show reviews for Columbia 300 Wicked Encounter
This ball is incredible!!! I have used this ball on THS and on Scorpion. I could not use it as 1st ball out of bag on Scorpion, but once the oil went through 1st transition, I switched to the Wicked Encounter and it clobbered the pins! It has enough grab to control the heads/midlane while storing plenty of energy to provide some pop on the back end. Very controllable combination of arc and angular.
First time using on THS for all 3 games, threw 24 of 32 strikes...and 6 of the 8 misses were "bad shots" - so it carried 24 of 26 pocket hits! I am impressed and the Wicked Encounter will be 1st ball out of bag in league and a valuable commodity for tournaments to come.
Other Products Reviewed by davkarsports
Hey all Columbia 300 fans. I was fortunate to get a pro shop in my area to sell me this Wicked Encounter. Been throwing it for over a month now. Well?...........WOW!! Here's what it has done for me. I began bowling in 2009.I was 43. Bowled one season and stopped due to elbow issue.Avg.was 189. Just started up again in May. Decided to go all out with decent weapons. FIRST game with this W.E. a 236.Soon had my avg.up to 213.Two high's of 267&264. The HOOK will NOT disappoint! What I found is just what I believed before hand,that this ball BEG's for oil.The minimum oil where you can control it I would say is Medium to moderate. Anywhere near dry and just put it back in the bag! I would get out ball#2- Ebonite-Cyclone and nail the pocket and notice no where near the ball/pin reaction that the Wicked has. I'm working hard to get ready for League play. I can't seem to get this Ball enough oil.The few times I came close, I put decent hook on it with a release of 5 dot's over from the right with travel to 5 boards from gutter with a 35-40 ft.Exit and a consistent rotation through the pocket.I would miss High and Low and still have strikes due to the action this ball created!I had my share of ten pins but hardly any splits. I am still weak in the spare department. Anyway, I highly recommend this to any serious bowler. Hook Away!
Other Products Reviewed by Timmy G
I was looking to give another ball manufacturer a try because I have been disappointed by the last few Storm releases i purchased (Virtual Gravity Nano & the Anarchy). I was looking for a versatile hybrid coverstock that was strong enough to play in oil and still play in lighter oil (2nd & 3rd game) of league play. I have read the other reviews about this ball needing oil but if you are speed dominant (16mph+)down & in bowler here is a good alternative that was suggested to me by a gold level coach & pro shop operator to diversify my arsenal as most of my equipment is drilled for skid flip reaction. He suggested a shorter pin for pin down drilling below middle finger as this drilling promotes a smooth arcing motion,this advice has helped me enormously, during second and third games the ball does not overreact and gets through the heads cleanly but you must maintain speed of 16 mph+. This ball is an absolute beast. My league scores with this ball are 275,228,265,264,226,222. My avg in 3rd games is 248. I would recommend this ball to anyone.
Other Products Reviewed by DJC
I have 2 drill patterns I use for asymmetric cores. Pin on both is centered above the fingers. One the CG and Mass Bias are straight down the grip line. The other is a leverage drill (CG and MB kicked to the right) with a hole. This ball rolls extremely well with both drill patterns. Medium to Heavy oil is needed. The ball uses its energy on the backend and hits extremely hard. Very good continuation to the Encounter line.
Other Products Reviewed by laffey19
If you need a ball for oil, this is this ball. I drilled one up with the pin belwo the ring and cg kicked out with a giant hole by the thumb. Wow does this ball hook and keeps hooking. Definitely not a ball to throw to much on lighter volumes. Looking for a great high performance ball with great overall ball reaction this is the ball. and with it being a hybrid, you can shine it up and get a pearlized skid flip reaction as well. What more could you ask for from a ball
Other Products Reviewed by bobby71114
Columbia 300 Wicked Encounter
Layout: 45/4.75/35
This ball is easily my favorite of the Summer/Fall Columbia 300 releases. The Wicked Encounter has really expanded my arsenal and given me a ball that hooks on everything! Before the release of this ball, I was using a combination of an Omen and Ransom Demand, both with aggressive 1000 grit surface preparations and strong weight-hole placements for heavy oil. With this ball and a fairly common layout, I was able to find the highest hook potential of any Columbia 300 ball in my bag, and also shows a great combination of early friction AND angular down-lane motion. This ball really reminds me of a Virtual Gravity Nano, which has easily been one of the most popular balls in the history of my career in the Pro Shop industry. This is the Columbia 300 ball to own. Out of the other major releases from other brands, nobody can come close to the hook that the Wicked Encounter provides. It offers me a similar break-point as my Omen (at 1000) but with 3-4 boards more total hook and a much more noticeably angular down-lane motion. Make no mistakes, this ball needs some oil. The strength of this ball on medium and burnt out house patterns does create some difficulty in getting the ball through the front part of the pattern, and does require a ball like the Violent Eruption or Freezes as a compliment. Chris Barnes posted a review and a photo of this ball bragging about his 846 series. I used a similar layout, pin above my middle finger and an aggressive mass bias positioning. While I haven't hit the same score as Barnes, I have this ball to thank for much higher scores on fresh house patterns and longer/flatter sport and PBA patterns. This ball really allows me to open up my area where other balls just don't boast the same hook. This ball is easily my favorite, and I don't see another product on the market that could give me this ball reaction. Again, THIS IS THE COLUMBIA 300 BALL TO OWN!
Other Products Reviewed by The_Cheese
The first Wicked Encounter I drilled is 4.5” Pin x 60* MB (Pin Down) and the surface is 1000 Abralon. This ball is slightly cleaner through the front part of the lane then the Dark Encounter but has a much stronger angle and continuation through the pins.
The second Wicked Encounter I drilled is 30* x 5 ¾ x 30* and the surface is box plus Powerhouse factory finish polish. This ball skids down the lane more than the original Encounter, Dark Encounter, Omen, & Benchmark… But has more backend and the most continuation through the pins that I’ve every seen from any bowling ball on the market. Seems like no matter how far in the pattern sent me that ball still had energy to recover down lane.
My Specs:
Ball Speed: 17.5 MPH
Rev Rate: 300 RPM
Axis Rotation Angle: 45*
Axis Tilt: 10*
PAP: Over 4, Up 3/8
Average: 232
Other Products Reviewed by PremierBowlersProShop
Customer Reviews Average: 5Write a Review Read all 7 reviews
| I Love It |
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100% (7 of 7) |
| I Like It | 0% ( of 7) | |
| It's Ok | 0% ( of 7) | |
| I Don't Like It | 0% ( of 7) | |
| I Hate It | 0% ( of 7) |
Columbia 300 Wicked Encounter Reviewed By: davkarsports 11/30/2012 11:29 ( stars)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
| About the Bowler | ||
| Bowling Hand | Right Handed | |
| League Average | 220 | |
| Sport Shot Average | 205 | |
| Ball Speed | Medium | |
| Style | Tweener | |
First time using on THS for all 3 games, threw 24 of 32 strikes...and 6 of the 8 misses were "bad shots" - so it carried 24 of 26 pocket hits! I am impressed and the Wicked Encounter will be 1st ball out of bag in league and a valuable commodity for tournaments to come.
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Columbia 300 Wicked Encounter Reviewed By: Timmy G 06/25/2012 21:08 ( stars)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
| About the Bowler | ||
| Bowling Hand | Right Handed | |
| Experience | Advanced (I have bowled in a league) | |
| League Average | 194 | |
| Ball Speed | Medium | |
| Style | Tweener | |
Other Products Reviewed by Timmy G
Columbia 300 Wicked Encounter Reviewed By: DJC 10/08/2012 18:32 ( stars)
| About the Bowler | ||
| Bowling Hand | Right Handed | |
| Experience | Advanced (I have bowled in a league) | |
| League Average | 217 | |
| Sport Shot Average | 190 | |
| Ball Speed | Fast | |
| Style | Tweener | |
Other Products Reviewed by DJC
- Storm Victory Road
- Storm Virtual Gravity
- Storm Invasion
- Roto Grip Mutant Cell Pearl MEGA DEAL
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Columbia 300 Wicked Encounter Reviewed By: laffey19 10/08/2012 11:05 ( stars)
| About the Bowler | ||
| Bowling Hand | Right Handed | |
| Experience | Advanced (I have bowled in a league) | |
| League Average | 230 | |
| Sport Shot Average | 200 | |
| Ball Speed | Medium | |
| Style | Tweener | |
| PAP | 4.5 x 1/2 | |
Other Products Reviewed by laffey19
- Columbia 300 Enigma
- Columbia 300 Vow
- Columbia 300 The Classic U2
- Columbia 300 Oath
- Columbia 300 Freeze Hybrid Black/Blue/Silver
- Columbia 300 Freeze Solid Black/Purple/Yellow
- Columbia 300 Violent Eruption
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Columbia 300 Wicked Encounter Reviewed By: bobby71114 08/21/2012 09:59 ( stars)
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- Columbia 300 Vow
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Columbia 300 Wicked Encounter Reviewed By: The_Cheese 08/13/2012 22:33 ( stars)
| About the Bowler | ||
| Bowling Hand | Right Handed | |
| Experience | Advanced (I have bowled in a league) | |
| League Average | 235 | |
| Sport Shot Average | 200 | |
| Ball Speed | Fast | |
| Style | Cranker | |
| PAP | 4" Right, 3/4" Up | |
Layout: 45/4.75/35
This ball is easily my favorite of the Summer/Fall Columbia 300 releases. The Wicked Encounter has really expanded my arsenal and given me a ball that hooks on everything! Before the release of this ball, I was using a combination of an Omen and Ransom Demand, both with aggressive 1000 grit surface preparations and strong weight-hole placements for heavy oil. With this ball and a fairly common layout, I was able to find the highest hook potential of any Columbia 300 ball in my bag, and also shows a great combination of early friction AND angular down-lane motion. This ball really reminds me of a Virtual Gravity Nano, which has easily been one of the most popular balls in the history of my career in the Pro Shop industry. This is the Columbia 300 ball to own. Out of the other major releases from other brands, nobody can come close to the hook that the Wicked Encounter provides. It offers me a similar break-point as my Omen (at 1000) but with 3-4 boards more total hook and a much more noticeably angular down-lane motion. Make no mistakes, this ball needs some oil. The strength of this ball on medium and burnt out house patterns does create some difficulty in getting the ball through the front part of the pattern, and does require a ball like the Violent Eruption or Freezes as a compliment. Chris Barnes posted a review and a photo of this ball bragging about his 846 series. I used a similar layout, pin above my middle finger and an aggressive mass bias positioning. While I haven't hit the same score as Barnes, I have this ball to thank for much higher scores on fresh house patterns and longer/flatter sport and PBA patterns. This ball really allows me to open up my area where other balls just don't boast the same hook. This ball is easily my favorite, and I don't see another product on the market that could give me this ball reaction. Again, THIS IS THE COLUMBIA 300 BALL TO OWN!
Other Products Reviewed by The_Cheese
- Columbia 300 Violent Eruption
- Columbia 300 Oath
- Columbia 300 Full Swing
- Columbia 300 Cool Noize
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- Columbia 300 Total Bedlam
- Columbia 300 Pure Swing
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- See all products reviewed by The_Cheese
Columbia 300 Wicked Encounter Reviewed By: PremierBowlersProShop 08/11/2012 19:54 ( stars)
| About the Bowler | ||
| Bowling Hand | Right Handed | |
| Experience | Advanced (I have bowled in a league) | |
| League Average | 232 | |
| Sport Shot Average | 205 | |
| Ball Speed | Fast | |
| Style | Tweener | |
| PAP | Over 4, Down 1/4 | |
The second Wicked Encounter I drilled is 30* x 5 ¾ x 30* and the surface is box plus Powerhouse factory finish polish. This ball skids down the lane more than the original Encounter, Dark Encounter, Omen, & Benchmark… But has more backend and the most continuation through the pins that I’ve every seen from any bowling ball on the market. Seems like no matter how far in the pattern sent me that ball still had energy to recover down lane.
My Specs:
Ball Speed: 17.5 MPH
Rev Rate: 300 RPM
Axis Rotation Angle: 45*
Axis Tilt: 10*
PAP: Over 4, Up 3/8
Average: 232
Other Products Reviewed by PremierBowlersProShop