If you read my review of the Roto Grip UFO, it was my favorite ball for medium to heavy oil in the period right before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down bowling.

So you can imagine how much I was looking forward to throwing the UFO ALERT when bowling resumed for me.

Both balls feature the E.T. (Equalizer Technology) weight block that in a rarity has the same numbers for 14, 15 and 16 pounds: 2.52 RG, 0.054 differential and 0.016 MB differential.

The UFO features the dull and very strong MicroTrax-S20 coverstock, while the UFO ALERT has the eTrax Hybrid, which comes with a 1,500-grit polished box finish.

As is my standard procedure, I hit my UFO ALERT with a 4,000-grit Abralon pad to take the gloss off and hopefully avoid those squirty 2-8-10s.

For my UFO ALERT, I chose my standard pin over bridge with a strong drilling angle. With my PAP of 4 7/8 over and 5/8 up, the ball numbers are 5 1/8 pin-PAP, 4 mb-PAP, and 3 1/2 pin buffer.

I have used my UFO ALERT on a house shot, and the Ballard 35 and Roth 42 lane patterns.

All bowling was practice at my home center, Ten Pin Alley in the Madison suburb of Fitchburg, which is about 18 years old with Brunswick synthetics that were leveled in 2019.

My first impression was simply that the UFO ALERT hooks a ton. It was too much for the Ballard, and required focus to get it to the breakpoint on both the Roth and house shot.

I really like the look of the ball’s motion, but I’m not sure my ball speed is enough to make it useable for me all that often.

I liken the UFO ALERT to the Roto Grip RUBICON UC2 that also looks great but is so strong I struggle to use it with my slow speed.

The UC2 makes more of a hockey stick move, while the UFO ALERT is more of a curving motion, but the total hook and mid-lane pickup is similar. The UFO ALERT might be a little cleaner to the breakpoint, but the difference is not large.

If you are looking for a strong hybrid that you can let out with confidence that it will come back, the UFO ALERT is for you. Unless you have slow ball speed and moderate to high revs, you should have no trouble handling it.

If you want a ball you can play down and in with that offers lots of control, make a different choice than the UFO ALERT.

I will have a better feel for the UFO ALERT after I am able to use it in competition — practice just isn’t the same.