Snell MTB Black Vs. Vice Pro Plus – What’s the Better Golf Ball

Premium tour grade balls should be a number of things – namely long, feel-y and controllable. After all, you are paying a premium for these kinds of balls, right? You should be getting your money’s worth.

We have been hearing a lot about these two tour grade balls but we never take anything for granted – especially when it comes to golf gear. So as you might’ve expected, we hit the links with both of these balls to see if they lived up to the hype – and they did.

We played two full rounds with each of these balls to find out if they are really worth the price and if so, which one is the better buy.

Of course, it should be noted that your own swing speed will be a huge factor in the kind of golf balls you prefer. With that caveat noted, the two balls we will be reviewing today are said to be suitable for a wide range of swing speeds. So let’s get started.

The Vice Pro Plus Balls

The thing that you will notice right away about these balls (at least, it was the first thing that we noticed) is the matte finish. Whereas most balls have a glossy slick finish, the Vice Pro balls have a flat matte finish.

We thought the matte finish was relegated to the neon green and red balls but even the white balls have a matte finish. So right off the bat, they were a little different.

As you would expect from a tour caliber golf ball, the Vice Pro balls feature a 3-piece construction. The outer coating feels very thin and has silicate particles interspersed on it. The low compression core is what gives it its soft feel.

There are 336 dimples adorning these balls which helps keep trajectory pretty true. The cover is made of cast urethane which is apparently supposed to deliver both superior feel and ball durability.

Pros:

  • These balls are highly visible
  • Come in your choice of white, neon green and red
  • They play long
  • You can get good distance with these balls even if you have a slow swing speed
  • Feature a “keep in line” alignment marker for putts
  • Minimizes glare in the sun

Cons:

  • The durability of these balls is questionable
  • They don’t sound like a premium ball off the tee
  • Low compression
  • Not the most ideal ball if you have a fast swing speed

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The Snell MTB Black Balls

The MTB Black premium tour caliber golf balls from Snell are another set of balls that offer high-end features in a relatively soft golf ball. As opposed to the original Snell MTB balls, the MTB Black golf balls have a softer feel so they are friendlier to golfers with slower swing speeds.

Like the Vice Pros, the Snell MTB Black balls have a cast urethane outer layer and a 3-piece design. The compression rating on these balls is 100 which is surprisingly high for a ball they advertise as soft. You can actually feel the relatively high compression core off drives.

At any rate, the cast urethane cover is supposed to provide more control and greenside spin. If you are looking to get more backspin from your ball due to a slower swing speed, these balls may actually help. The softer cover gives more bite and we saw a noticeable improvement on spin.

Pros:

  • Good distance for a compression 100 ball
  • Feels good off the driver face
  • Good backspin
  • Great for players with lower swing speeds
  • Hold soft greens very well
  • They sound good off irons and drivers

Cons:

  • They feel harder than advertised
  • Hard to work
  • Only come in one color
  • Easy to lose on the fairway

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Driver Performance

Something that we all noticed about the Vice Pro balls was that they were very forgiving off the tee. Balls that we hit too thin or too thick were flying straighter than they normally would with other balls. And the reason has to be the matte finish on these balls.

The finish, which again is infused with silicate particles, seems to grip the face of the club more which corrects some errant swinging. And once you get a good swing off these balls, they carry a long way. They give great flight time and distance.

The Snell MTB Black balls also gave good distance but were certainly less forgiving. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but they may not be the right balls if you are an intermediate player.

Fairway And Green Performance

The Snell MTB Black balls performed better on approach shots than the Vice balls. They gave an adequate amount of roll while still being easy to control. They sounded great with our irons on the fairway and spun great too.

The Vice balls leave a little to be desired in terms of roll on approach shots. But on fairway drives, we got all the distance and workability we needed to get in good position.

Putting Performance

The Snell MTB Black balls were better for soft greens. They held really well and provided optimal control. The Vice balls again did not provide enough spin on the green but their alignment markers made a wide variety of putts easier to line up.

Price Comparison

There is no comparison here. Both the Vice Pro Plus balls and the Snell MTB Black are the same price virtually anywhere you can get them. You can expect to pay about $34.99 for a dozen of both these balls.

Which is the Better Ball?

To answer the first question posited in this review – are they worth the price? – we must say that the Snell MTB Black feel  like a higher quality ball worth the price tag. The Vice balls have a nice gimmick going with the matte finish, but they are more for beginners.

So we gotta say that the Snell MTB Black balls are the better buy. They performed better on the greenside and gave about the same distance as the Vice balls, even though they feel harder than advertised. Give them a try today!

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