SWAG Craze Tour Solid Review

I mean that just >> Yeah. I mean this ball is disgusting. It just little slower, a little more roll. He's I mean that is just slicing and dicing.

Swag's Craze Tour Solid releases on February 17th and is a new spin on a familiar idea but with a big twist that represents a huge step forward for the brand. So let's unpack those first few shots to start the video. Center is Royal Crest Lane in Lawrence, Kansas and our testing condition is Kaggel Chromium. appreciate them always getting us set up. The cold and the dry here has been wrecking my voice, so I'm going to sound weirder than usual for a while, but I have videos to get done, so please bear with me. This is my standard symmetric layout. It leans a little strong, and since my rev rate continues to go up, getting back into this righty thing, I may still update it, but I

think we're obviously in great shape with this ball. Anyway, I do have some instructional videos linked in the description if you'd like to learn more about cores and layouts. I think you're going to have to at some point because cores are getting more complicated and layouts have been a really hot topic lately. However, that being said, Swag wants to keep it simple. Solid, uncomplicated ball reaction at solid prices. Just stuff that looks great and reacts great that you don't feel like you need a degree to understand how to drill or throw. The new spin on the Craze Tours is that typically tour versions feature modified cores that that lower the differential to around

030 to either pair with already lower RGs or the RGs may also be dropped as well, depending on depending on the situation. When you think tour version of something, I think it's hard to avoid thinking about the IQ tour, low RG, medium to low differential for a ball that's going to roll and rev early, but then offer a nice blend of punch and especially control down lane. Since the original crazes already featured a somewhat tour type of core at a 252 RG and an 030 differential and 15 lbs, I kind of wondered, okay, what are we doing here? Are we making them mild

asims like a black venom or a hammer effect tour? or are we dropping the RG and buffing up the diff to move them a little closer to the Venom shock or or what's up? And instead of doing that, the core is the same, but it's the cover that's gotten the upgrade. AP26 or adhesion promoter 26 is a new additive that basically helps the cover read the lane better, more strongly, more consistently both in the oil and the dry. And I think the difference is fairly obvious. I'm also testing this ball straight out of the box, by the way. No surface adjustments. The Rage Solid cover from the original Craze

Solid returns at 4,000 grit here. So, the only difference on paper is the addition of AP26 to the mix, but the difference on the lane is substantial. Swag made some pretty big strides last year in product quality across the board. But even though a lot of it was great, and I threw balls like the Judge Fusion, and both Black Dragons quite a bit, I still didn't really I still didn't feel like they they had that ball that set them apart or that lightning in a bottle ball that anyone really needed to go out of their way to drill or try. But I think this might be the one. Now, obviously, it's going to take more than one filming session for a video to see

what this ball's all about. Now, I have already thrown a set with it in League and shot 725, so we're at least getting off on the right foot. My key points for the Craze Tour Solid are dynamic control, ary continuous, and climbing and angular fusion. This ball sees the lane and especially the backend in a way that none of the balls last year did, but it still feels like a swag ball. They aren't just chasing backend at the expense of stability. While there were several different reaction shapes last year, they all had that climbing momentum building facet of the reaction that linked them together, and that's present here, too. Finally, to help

place it for the Swag fans or anyone else that drilled it. If the original Fusion was cleaner and more angular, that's what this feels like to me. Definitely a solid step up across the board versus the original crazes. Fusion cover, I think, is still a touch stronger, but that's that's where it feels like it fits for me. And for everyone else still not quite up to speed with the brand yet, this really reminds me of a crown victory with the shine knocked off. And I think that's high but deserved praise. The goal for the Craze Tour Solid, I think, was to be a statement piece in several different directions and be Swag's IQ Tour or Venom Shock. The all black look with the

white labels gives it almost a Danger Zone kind of vibe rolling down the lane. It's very much a classic vintage kind of feel that reminds me the most of Colombia's original Messenger line for those that go that far back. This core is a nice platform to show off the new additive to because we had the whole trilogy of craze releases last year, uh, solid pearl and hybrid. And while they were all very good, they were all very much your lighter to medium oil hustle or max thrill kind of balls. Taking that very same core and just upgrading the cover with AP26 really shows off what

it's all about because the other crazes don't do this and neither do hustles or max thrills either. So, I think this was the best way to illustrate the pretty sizable difference it creates. Finally, this is daily driver in league territory all day. This is going to catch the widest range of your everyday league bowler population possible, which is going to get a lot of these in people's hands and be a billboard for what new swag is all about, which is again not big marketing, not complicated, convoluted ball design masquerading as progress just so that they can charge you more for the same ball reaction we've had for years. They want to pull

the reinss back to a place where we can just put three holes in a ball for a reasonable price and go out and have great reaction. This is a solid four ball. Uh balls up are going to be your medium to stronger symmetric balls like the Rockstar Amped, Phase 2 Pearl, Nebula, or Turbo X. Balls sideways of similar strength are again going to be the Crown Victory, IQ Tour, uh Venom Shock, Ultimate Wrecker. Balls down will of course be the original crazes, max thrills, hammer raws, so on and so forth. My most comfortable zone with it

was the first one. So basically third arrow, which isn't terribly surprising. It did make the second arrow zone as comfortable as it's going to be with any ball that's not urethane or urethane like. And while I had to slow everything down a bit when I started moving deeper, it wasn't substantial. It was a very easy adjustment to just slow roll it a little more. In the first deeper zone at 19 to 6ish, it was kind of half and half. You could tell the ball was starting to push its limits a bit, but was still hanging out well. It was still very crisp, readable, and defined on the back end. From 21 to 7, it needed a bit more help. But I I was a lot closer than

I thought I was going to be. I thought it was going to kind of fizzle out here. Uh but all I really had to do was keep it closer to the pocket and not zing it through the spot. It's still a more medium strength ball that leans responsive, but isn't exactly fast. So, like most higher speed, lower rev bowlers would expect with an IQ Tour type of ball, probably not quite strong or sharp enough for you, unless you're bowling on dirt. And in general, I think speed dominance doesn't pair well with this brand, period. This one takes a big step in the right direction to help with solving that, though. So, unless you throw it through the back stop or bowl

on a lot of oil, I think this one's going to be in play for you. Lower revs still look great with it because you can keep it in front of you, but it still offers plenty of control for higher revs. Lower and medium speeds aren't going to have to fight with it to get it down the lane and higher speeds will be just fine, too. You just have to have the revs to go along with it. The Craz Tour Solid is 120 on Bowlers Mart. Uh kind of surprised there. I expected the price point to be higher with the cover upgrade, but we'll talk about that later in the ratings. I usually talk about ball jerseys here. My discount code for Coolwick is rose all 10 to get 10% off

at checkout, but they are also debuting a few sweet looking spare balls here as well, and they're also very competitively priced. I also do have a discount link to get the Nexus backpack journal or other products down there as well. For the pros, I'm not sure I have to say much here. I think it's pretty obvious. This is just really impressive, stable, controllable, consistent ball reaction from all over the lane. It's unique to have something be so easy to throw from so many different zones on the lane. The cover, I think, visibly sees the lane very well. The ball reaction is consistent, readable, and

especially crisp and defined, if not necessarily dynamic. By the time the ball hits the arrows, you know exactly what it's going to do. There's no guesswork with it, and that helps give you confidence in the ball reaction, and that translates to confidence in execution. We've heard the word cohesion with the Brunswick brands additive, then adhesion with Storm's Equinoxes, and adhesion basically means making two things more clingy or attracted to each other. It's not some fancy marketing term. So, it just means the ball wants to read the lane better and more strongly. I think you can see that the ball reaction is extremely stable in the

oil, which means very controlled. Then when it starts picking up, it does so with a lot of authority. It builds momentum and then it drives through the pens very strongly. There were a few of these shots where the ball looked like it weighed 20 lbs going through the pins. It just acted like they weren't even there. It feels like an old school kind of reaction with a new additive that enhances the reaction rather than changing it. For the cons, this is a short list. The one interesting thing here is that with the cover seeing the lane better and being faster down lane than most other Swag Balls, I think you lose some forgiveness in the middle. Typically, you've got tons of tug room

with a Swag Ball. Just get it in and it'll just sit there. But consequently, that has meant not a lot of recovery. This one doesn't necessarily full-on swap those because there was plenty of recovery here. But firmer reaction on the back end means less forgiveness inside. Uh that's just one of those oneplus 1 things. I still had higher than average miss room inside with it though compared to other stuff from other brands. With it being a more tour type of core, it did get slower when I got inside. But who is playing Fourth Arrow with an IQ Tour, Venom Shock, or Crown Victory on the Fresh?

Realistically, anyway, it's funny that it's kind of hard to talk about the cons without dipping back into the pros on hits like this nine pin. Like, sure, the shot didn't strike, but look at how this shot drove. And I'm I'm going to replay this and slow it down. Look at what happens to these pins here. A couple pins go straight up. It completely paralyzes a couple other pins. And for the rest, I just don't have that many misses to show. Not because I cut them out, because they weren't there. Like how many individual unique shots have you seen in this video already? Most of my misses were right at the beginning when I was getting warmed up and feeling

the ball out. Once I got comfortable, I was locked in. So even nitpicking, I just don't think there are any realistic complaints that are grounded in reality. For the ratings S through D, S at the top meaning superior, then descending A through D. Versatility of course means how much can the ball successfully and effectively do without me having to force it. And I think it's a pretty obvious S there. One of the easiest balls I've ever filmed for. I had to lay out of it a little from straighter and roll it more and keep it closer to the headpin from deeper, but it wasn't difficult to do either, and it should be

even better with some transition to work with. Forgiveness means how well did it cover my misses, or how much did it let me get away with. This is an S2. I had an above average amount of miss room from every direction. This is based on me being lined up, too, not area checking it. Any ball is naturally going to be less forgiving if you're playing the lanes wrong. But from the sweet spot, I had four boards of room left to right. And I could also get slow or fast and still get it to the pocket and through the pins well. And beyond that, I had to throw it extremely bad to miss no matter where I was playing. Go back

and watch the video again with the sound off and see if you can call it off my hand. Like, oh, he missed that one inside, that was out and got fast with that one, slow, dumped it, etc. They're all there. really judge my shot quality and see how much I actually got away with. Price, of course, means cost to value ratio. Are you getting a lot of bang for your buck, like a danger zone? Are you paying about what you'd expect for a ball that's in IQ Tour or Venom Shock territory? Or are you massively getting screwed over like a Lightning Blackout? I'm stunned this is the same price as the original, so easy. This

actually fits perfectly for me between the two new danger zones. Not as strong or quick as the Black Solid, not as clean and weak as the purple ice. right in between them. Safety means again if somebody says, "Hey, I'm in the market for a symmetric tour kind of ball like an IQ Tour or a Venom Shock, but I want something fresh. What's out there?" This is the absolute top of the list. I'd feel very safe recommending this ball, and I'd be stunned if people didn't get along with it. I've changed QAQC to appraisal. Quality control and quality assurance relates more to the ball's actual physical production qualities

rather than what I'm intending for this category, which is does it do what it was designed to do? Does it do what they say it does? and does it fit the marketing? Easy yes there as well. The reason this category is important is that people tend to base everything on versatility and forgiveness. And if it's not super versatile or forgiving, they think that's bad. A ball like the Origin EX, for example, isn't really that versatile or forgiving, but it's very good at what it does, and it does exactly what they said it would. So, I think it should get credit for that. Some balls are going to be more niche, and you need some balls to do more

specific things. Like not every ball can or should be a league killer, but if they're not versatile or forgiving and then they aren't even good at what they were designed to do and were mismarketed beyond that, that's a problem. Is it a magic ball or something super revolutionary that we've never seen before? Of course not. But how would you rate the IQ or the shock here? This is Swag's IQ Tour or Venom Shock for 120 bucks and it's actually on that level. That's all I'm trying to say. This is the ball that I think you should go out of your way for if you're tired of overly expensive stuff and convoluted

cores or if you've wanted to give new swag a try but you haven't seen that wow ball that really did it for you yet. I think this is the one. Once again, the Craze Tour Solid releases on February 17th. Link in the description to head to Bowlers Mart to get one ordered. A taste of the livecom is coming up next with some in the- moment thoughts and context. Members will get the full 25minute version. As always, if you have any comments or questions, please leave those down below. And any feedback on the format update would be appreciated. It's the same core as the other crazes.

The cover is stronger, and it's got a new additive called [music] AP26 in it. So, we shall we're going to we're going to see what that actually means. Um, I did like the original crazes. I did not get to throw the hybrid, but I did like the original solid. It wasn't quite enough ball for me. So, that's probably I think what the idea was here is the crazes were more entry level balls. So, let's juice the covers a little bit and see what we got. So,

again, I haven't thrown this at all. [snorts] First shot out of the box. Oo. Okay, that was that was a whole lot of sexy even though I I mean you guys probably saw it up there. Fell in the way of the camera down here and regular layout. So, um

4 and 3/4 in pin 2 and 1/2 two 2 and 1/2 pin buffer. Um it doesn't again it flares like an IQ tour. It doesn't It flares enough, but it doesn't flare a bunch. That one was significantly stronger on the back end than I have seen out of my other swag balls.

That was a terrible shot, but it served its purpose. We might have something here, y'all. Rack's terrible. So, in talking to some people, and again, you know, if you watch my swag report card from last year, [snorts] um, kind of the thing was is the stuff is better, yet it's still kind of smooth. So, like the way that I describe swag balls is that they're clean through the fronts like a storm ball, but then they really

round off and they're pretty smooth on the back end like a motive ball. The thing is that even Motive has a flippy ball now in the Nebula. And so, even though Motive has done a lot of good things, they kind of lacked shape. So, if you really bang on it and just let it kind of float and then kind of ease off on the back end, well, it's great for throwing motive balls, but sometimes you just need something to move down lane. And that was the thing that I didn't really think

that Swag has was got a lot of good reacting stuff. Last year in 2025, they don't really have anything that does much down lane. Even those flippier stuff isn't aren't that flippy. So I mean we are exactly three shots in here and this thing looks tough.

This is this feels like a significant step forward. And like I said, there lot there's stuff last year I threw a lot of it quite a bit. It was pretty good. I threw the judge a lot. Threw the Fusion a lot. But this is this a little different. Um

cuz this this does I mean this I think you can already tell this hooks a lot more than the other crazes. Like the hybrid was really good. I like the hybrid. I think it's great. I think it really gets after it. It's good for Angel. Um the solid was kind of clean and it kind of popped but not really. And then the uh the Pearl one was pretty good, but it was a it was more like an electrified Pearl. It was that kind of earlier rounder. It popped a little bit

on the back end, but it was still kind of earlier rounder tumbly kind of like a shiny Hustle USA kind of a deal. Or again, Electrify Pearl. That's my best my best comparison. This thing, however, that's really good. And I mean, that's the other thing is so it's shaping,

but look at the power through the pins. Like this thing is not just shaping, it's driving. I mean, this thing is picking up and getting through the pins powerfully. So, this was my kind of on that. My elbow flat on that a little bit, but this this ball reaction is crispy.

This was my big thing for last year is like they put out a bunch of really good stuff, but I didn't see anything that you couldn't get from some other company. So again, it's competitive. If you want if you want to go a different direction, if you're not happy with what some of the other companies are doing or you want to just try something new, Swag at least made stuff that was good enough for you to transition. But I didn't really think that there was anything that you needed

to necessarily go out of your way for that you couldn't find from some other company. I said that they didn't have they needed that. I kept waiting for that kind of lightning in a bottle ball. This might be that lightning in a bottle ball. This video was brought to you by Panda Bear Productions. We put the in bowling.