Ball Reviews by PL8   

Hit Counter

HOW I DID MY RATINGS:     Distance (obvious), Line Drive pop (obvious), Durability (how well, long does it hold up with good pop and remain usable), Compression (high refers to 575, however, some balls are CLEARLY harder and will be rated as High as opposed to just 575 if they appear to be better than the standard 575), Bat Damage (what is the likely hood that if you use this ball on a somewhat cool night you may dent or crack your high priced bat), and Value (my opinion if the cost of the ball is worth the expense vs. what you get out of the ball).

ADDED FOR 2004: WIND EFFECTS -  Low Effect on wind means the ball has enough weight to not be OVERLY effected by the wind.  Medium Effect  means the ball will be "knocked down" both while pitching and hitting with a good 10 mph wind or more.  High Effect means the ball will be dramatically effected by a 10 MPH wind or higher.  Hard to control pitching and knocked down quickly with a wind blowing in due to their light weight.  These effects will also be exaggerated in the other direction with a wind blowing out.  

2004 Balls

In my world, the best balls will rate with high 9's while I find average to be around 8 to 8.5.  For 2004, ratings may change as more 2004 models become available.  Check back regularly.  New for 2004, weight/pitching analysis.  Newer balls are sometimes very light and move a ton when pitching in the wind and hitting into the wind.

ASA APPROVED BALLS FOR 2004    
WORTH GOLD DOT .44/375 Razzo by Demarini .44/375    
Distance 8.75 Distance 8 Distance   Distance  
Line Drive 9.5 Line Drive 8.5 Line Drive   Line Drive  
Durability 8.75 Durability ? Durability   Durability  
Compression Feel medium Compression Feel soft Compression   Compression  
Bat Damage low Bat Damage low Bat Damage   Bat Damage  
Value Good Value OK Value   Value  
Wind Effect-pitching Medium Wind Effect-pitching High Wind Effect-pitching   Wind Effect-pitching  
Wind Effect-hitting Medium Wind Effect-hitting High Wind Effect-hitting   Wind Effect-hitting  
Good ball.  Have it several about 25 time each, holding up well.  VERY light new, below 6.5 ounces.  Travels well on well struck balls, doesn't appear to grow soft.  So far I have only hit these between 50 and 70 degrees.  Further comments will be added after hitting in very hot weather when these lower core/lower compression balls seem to soften up.   Very light ball.  Not bad, but feels soft when you hit it.  Seems to give before the bat trampolines.  Moves a lot in the wind, knocked down easily.  Does not fly on mis-hit balls.  A good league ball that will keep the HR's down on windy nights, unless the wind is blowing out, in which case it will fly easily with the rest of the balls.    

 

ARCHIVED 2003/2002

Dudley ZN .47/525 Dudley Thunder .47/525 Decker Shark .47/525 Razzo by Demarini .47/525
Distance 10 Distance 9 Distance 9.9 Distance 9
Line Drive 9.5 Line Drive 9 Line Drive 9.5 Line Drive 9
Durability 8 Durability 10 Durability 10 Durability 9
Compression High Compression 525 Compression High Compression High
Bat Damage High Bat Damage Low Bat Damage Medium Bat Damage High
Value Excellent Value Excellent Value Excellent Value Excellent
My favorite ball, but of course I like to hit for distance!  Leave it in the ball bag if it's cold. Very solid ball, the best line of good, value added balls in my opinion.  A very good .47 ball. Another great ball for distance.  Has become very popular.  The only other ball my team used besides Dudley. Good ball.  No complaints.
deBeer Clincher .47/525  2001/02 Dudley Thunder .44/525 Worth Super Dot .47/525 Razzo by Demarini .44/525
Distance 7.5 Distance 8.5 Distance 6 Distance 9
Line Drive 8 Line Drive 8.5 Line Drive 7 Line Drive 8.5
Durability 7 Durability 8 Durability 8 Durability 9
Compression 525 Compression 525 Compression 525 Compression High
Bat Damage Medium Bat Damage Low Bat Damage Medium Bat Damage High
Value Fair Value Good Value Poor Value Excellent
Another ball that was a super ball in the late 90's, however, has lost it's luster in my book. Good solid .44 cor ball.  Would be a good option for league play Very popular ball, but I hate it.  I loved it in 1999, but last few year, poor ball in my opinion. Good over all ball.  Quite hard and not much distance is lost from the lower core rating.
Legend Centerfire .44/525 Legend Centerfire .47/525 Legend Centerfire .44/375 Worth Gold Dot .44/525
Distance 8.7 Distance 8.5 Distance 8.75  Distance 7 
Line Drive 8.5 Line Drive 8.5 Line Drive 8.75  Line Drive 7 
Durability 8.5 Durability 8 Durability 8.5 Durability 8
Compression High Compression 525 Compression Medium Compression 375
Bat Damage Medium Bat Damage Low Bat Damage Low Bat Damage Low
Value Good Value Good Value Good Value OK

Good ball, good distance and a firm compression.  Still a good value, not sure on long range durability.
Dudley Titanium .47/525 Razzo by Demarini .44/375 Trump Rock .44/375 Trump Rock .47/525
Distance 9.2 Distance 8.5 Distance 8.5 Distance 8.75
Line Drive 9 Line Drive 9 Line Drive 9 Line Drive 8
Durability 9 Durability 8 Durability 8 Durability 9
Compression Medium Compression LOW Compression LOW Compression Medium
Bat Damage Low Bat Damage LOW Bat Damage LOW Bat Damage Low
Value OK Value OK Value Very Good Value Good
Quite expensive, but a very good ball. Expensive ball, but good pop for a .44/375, ball traveled very well and line drives were crisp and hard.  Not much difference between the Demarinia and the Trump low compression balls, Trump may be a better value at $38 a dozen vs. $54 for Demo. Good ball and good value.  Traveled very well.  I doubt the compression is as low as listed.  Balls traveled well over 350 on well struck swings.  Only issue is durability. Ball seems soft coming off the bat but travels pretty well.  It sounds like a very soft ball but it is very light and carries well.  So far, there seems to be very little difference between the .44 and the .47.  I will be updating these two Trump ratings after we get our next batch.
Dudley Thunder .44/375 Decker Shark .44/375 Rawlings Silverback .47/525 Worth Blue Dot .47/525
Distance 8.75 Distance 9 Distance 9 Distance 8 
Line Drive 8.5 Line Drive 9 Line Drive 9 Line Drive 8 
Durability 8 Durability 9 Durability 8 Durability 8
Compression LOW Compression Medium Compression High Compression 525
Bat Damage LOW Bat Damage LOW Bat Damage Medium Bat Damage Low
Value GOOD Value Excellent Value ? Value Good
Good ball when new, does seem to get soft quick, much like the Trump line.  In very warm weather this ball feels like hitting a sock, but you can still spin it out. I like this ball the most for .44/375 balls.  Decker balls always seem to have the highest compression which results in the most response from the bat. Not sure about the durability yet.  I have hit some of the longest balls with this, but also some well struck balls on used versions didn't get the same response.  I will update this rating over time.