Snell MTB vs. Vice Pro Plus (Updated after playing)

[Bones.]

I’m really interested in the potential value of the Snell MTB and Vice Pro balls and want to pull the trigger on one of them. But that value really only comes in to play with a big purchase, which I’m hesitant about since I’ve never played with either. As far as I can find, there isn’t a way I can buy a sample sleeve or something to try them out.

 

I know Snell gets a ton of love and Vice seems to have fallen out of favor, but I’m wondering if anyone has played around with both and has some insight to share

 

[WilsonStaffMan]

You can buy a 10 pack on Vice. 2 of each of their models.

 

I just bit the bullet and ordered 6 dozen (5 White, 1 Green) Vice Pro Plus without hitting them. From everything I've read they won't be bad enough that I won't play them. It was either that or buy more Used/Refinished Taylormade TP5's. I haven't paid for new balls in over 10 years.

[hacker49]

They both have sample packs. It's not one sleeve but it allows you to compare their balls. I think the Vice sample pack is a better value. It comes with 2 of each of their balls so you can compare all of their balls types head to head. You can always try and find someone who plays the Snell and buy a sleeve or if they are a friend see if they will let you have a sleeve.

[BB28403]

It would be down to who manufacturers them better. The bigger names have better quality control than these farmed out Mom and pops. Because vice, snell, etc etc use Korean or Asian plants to manufacture their balls, basically outsourcing it.

If you think about it the bigger the company the bigger the facility making the balls. The larger the order the more attention goes into the batch.

 

[davep043]

You can get a single dozen from Snell that includes 6 each of the MTB-Black and MTB-X. That's a reasonable way to test both of their high-level golf balls.

[jjfcpa]

Vice Pro Plus is definitely a firmer ball than the MTB Black or the Vice Pro. I like the way the Pro Plus checks up on greens, but prefer the softer feel of the Vice Pro.

[braincramp52]

I strayed from the Snell MTB last year and it won't happen again. I have no desire to try another brand of ball. The new black is as good as it gets in my opinion.

[DivinDave]

Ive played both and Snell is a much better ball than the vice.

TXG did a comparison on several of the boutique balls vs the ProV1. If launch monitor data is of interest to you, then check it out.

 

> @"Bones." said:

> I’m really interested in the potential value of the Snell MTB and Vice Pro balls and want to pull the trigger on one of them. But that value really only comes in to play with a big purchase, which I’m hesitant about since I’ve never played with either. As far as I can find, there isn’t a way I can buy a sample sleeve or something to try them out.

>

> I know Snell gets a ton of love and Vice seems to have fallen out of favor, but I’m wondering if anyone has played around with both and has some insight to share

>

 

 

[jadams13]

I recently switched from the Snell MTB Black to the new MTB-X, I'm a fan and I 'll be sticking with them for the foreseeable future. I've also tried the Vice Pro+ and Vice Pro but personally like the feel of the Snell balls around the green and off the putter face. My advice would be trying out each, the Snells are 6 of each, but Vice really has an extremely comprehensive sample pack as @hacker49 said:

> They both have sample packs. It's not one sleeve but it allows you to compare their balls. I think the Vice sample pack is a better value. It comes with 2 of each of their balls so you can compare all of their balls types head to head. You can always try and find someone who plays the Snell and buy a sleeve or if they are a friend see if they will let you have a sleeve.

 

 

[Bones.]

Thanks for the feedback. I went ahead and ordered sample packs for both, even though the vice pack has several balls I'm unlikely to use. Figured I'd just put them in play and see how they work. I'm not a member anywhere so I can't really test them besides chipping and putting.

 

Side note, got the Snell's today and it's pretty cool that Dean leaves a hand written note in the package like he does.

[Bones.]

If anyone is interested, I put the Vice Pro Plus, MTB-black, and MTB-X into play over the course of several rounds the last couple weeks.

 

I feel like they were all fairly comparable without big glaring differences, but the one that I liked the most was the MTB Black. I got similar distances with all three, though the Snells were consistently 5-10 yards longer than the Vice. I did not get much difference between the MTB-black and MTB-X, despite the recent testing done by other website(s). However, I felt like the MTB-X was a little looser with the driver than the black.

 

Both Snells performed really well around the green. I was getting great, but not excessive, back spin on approaches with both Snells, and they both checked up great with chips and pitches. The Vice pro plus seemed to roll out a bit more.

 

I wouldn't have a problem playing all three but I just felt like I had better overall control with the MTB-Black. Of course, this was just a few rounds playing these balls side by side using sample packs (total 2 Vice Pro Plus, 6 MTB-B, 6MTB-X) so I couldn't comment on consistency within a larger sample size. That being said, Dean's reputation, resume, and personal note gives me a feeling of confidence (false or not) that he's paying attention to detail and stands behind this product.

 

I went ahead and ordered 5 dozen, and feel pretty good about it.

[LukeDonaldsTiger]

@Bones. I’m really interested in a follow-up review! 
I‘ve been buying MTB Blacks and really loved them, but here in Switzerland, the price including customs and shipping ended up being the same as ProV1s and the likes- too high for a 19 capper who is still losing a couple balls per round. 
I’m almost sure the Vice Pro (which can be had for cheaper here thsn Snells, as there’s a Swiss distributor) fits me better than the Pro Plus. @DivinDave said the Vice is inferior, but by how much and how so, if that’s even true?

 I’m using Srixon Q-Star Tour lakeballs now and they are pretty good, but even at my level, the lower spin around the greens is noticeable. 
They scuff up pretty easily, too. But they’re around $1,25/ball and that’s a huge factor for me. 
Looking forward to more comments!

[PNWGuy]

I've played Vice Pros for the last 5 years and have been happy with the performance and price.  However, about 1 in 6 balls of the last batch I bought would develop small tears in the cover within the first nine holes.  I'm just finishing up a dozen sample Snell balls and really like the MTB Black.  It feels a tad firmer than the Pro and I get a couple of yards more off the driver.  Just my experience, YMMV. 

[snagy2000]

Vice Pro Plus feel and perform great for me, I can't say the same for the Snell's I've tried. The new 2020 Vice Pro Plus is an improved ball which I'm seeing more distance off the tee. I believe the bigger core is leading to these results. With either four-piece ball you're not going to get a considerable amount of performance difference from one ball to the next, just get the one which feels and performs best for you. 

Edited September 9, 2020 by snagy2000

[Twism86]

Everyone wants to compare the value urethane balls to the ProV. Dean Snell designed the ProV before creating Snell....... Do you really need anymore info than that? Not to mention the TP Penta and Project (a), both excellent. 

Edited September 9, 2020 by Twism86

[Tim Schoch]

Wonder why they stopped making the Project (a)..

[Twism86]

46 minutes ago, Tim Schoch said:

Wonder why they stopped making the Project (a)..

They just call it the Tour Response now, essentially. Same 3 piece, urethane cover + new name = Wow new ball, sales go up! 

[Tim Schoch]

On 9/10/2020 at 9:51 AM, Twism86 said:

They just call it the Tour Response now, essentially. Same 3 piece, urethane cover + new name = Wow new ball, sales go up! 

Had to also get the word "tour" in there like all the others.  Thanks.

[BeerPerHole]

I mainly play Snell. I recently got my hands on a Vice Pro Soft and a Vice Tour. I thought the Pro Soft was very good. Am transitioning from the MTB-X to the Black because I want to bring the trajectory down a bit. I was watching Bryson hit those high bombs and it looked familiar - only mine are a leeeetle bit shorter, haha. 

[mattschaefer16]

Couple years ago I got the MTB Black and Red test pack, and first time out played the Black on the front with the intention of paying the Red on the back.  One of the differences was that the Red was supposed to spin more on iron shots.  Maybe it was those greens that were a touch slower, but the Black would stop right by the ball mark so I was like ok why do I need more spin?

 

I just stuck with the Black for the most part.  

 

Work the new X I'll get the test pack and try them both though, there really seemed to be A LOT of people that realty like that one.  

[Nixhex524]

The Snell balls are as good as it gets for me.  The MTB-X is the longest and straightest ball off the driver for me, but I do LOVE the feel of the black.  It is really good, too, I could play either but like the way the X performs off the driver since that is the weakest part of my game lately.  I tried some Vice Tours and they are like the Titleist NXT... good, but nothing great.  I'd much rather buy the Snell 5 dozen at the same price.  Fantastic balls.

[bopper53]

I have played every ball made and I can now afford to play any ball.

 

I play the Snell MTB-X in Yellow

 

I love this ball, its long , straight and checks up well for me.

 

Best quality and value combined on the market now.

[cleverprimate24]

I played Vice Pro all season and was very happy with them, but I've got a couple dozen Snell MTB-X to test out. 

 

I made the decision to go with Vice over Snell originally because of "Shot Area" category on MGS 2019 ball test. I'm really wanting to see Vice's Ball Lab results though.

 

Those guys there seem to think Snell is the superior ball, so I'm giving them a look. 

Edited January 26, 2021 by cleverprimate24

[emos23]

Has anyone else observed that the MTB-X is unusually straight? 

 

I just played a full round with the MTB-X on a windy day. I usually can hit baby draws and baby fades, and at times a hook will sneak in there 1-2x a round. 16 Drives yesterday and nearly every one went straight. Problem was, on most of them, I was trying to draw or fade it, so my draws became pushes and my fades became pulls and I spent more time in the rough than I think I deserved if the balls curved like other balls I'm used to. 

 

I'm not saying this is a problem. I think its actually great if true. I will just have to adjust and aim more for the middle of the fairway instead of the edges and try to work them back. (I like to aim away from trouble left/right and work it back to the fairway)

 

I also noticed my irons were straighter than usual too. On a windy day. Thought it was weird.

 

If for some design reason, this ball is straighter than others, and still performs well around the greens, then I'm thrilled. Will just need to adjust. I didn't really realize it until my the end of the round when my drives on 16 and 18 barely moved an inch left or right.

 

Thoughts?

[cleverprimate24]

I play Vice Pro, I've tried MTB-X and Vice Pro Plus as well. 

 

The MGS ball lab tests showed that Vice's quality control is better than Snell. Their 2019 ball test also showed that the dispersion on Vice was far superior (That test was on the old model of Vice, new test coming this year). At the time of the ball test, Snell was about 10 yards longer with the driver, but I felt "shot area" being two times larger was a bigger deal to me. 

[St Jimmy]

I played Vice Pro Plus for 3 years (loved the green color), but once I tried Snell X I never went back.  It flat out performs better for me.

Longer, felt softer off of the putter face, checked up on greens better.  

 

In fact, the only thing better about Vice is the lime green color.  Although I'm used to playing a white ball again, I still miss the lime.  

[BeerPerHole]

I've been gaming the MTB Black for several months now. There's a retired guy at our club who drives around in his cart and picks up lost golf balls. Sells them and gives the money to 1st Tee. Nice guy. Yesterday morning he drove up to me and said, "Don't you play Snell?" Handed me an MTB-X in good shape so I teed it up. Hit the longest tee shot I've ever hit on one of our holes. That ball really does give me an advantage off the tee over anything else I've tee'd up. Had a silly 70-yard wedge shot in to the elevated green. My partner said, "Go ahead and birdie it!". So, I did. I occasionally wonder if Dean has plans to expand his operation. Certainly has the product.

[ANimz]

On 6/22/2021 at 10:00 AM, emos23 said:

Has anyone else observed that the MTB-X is unusually straight? 

 

I just played a full round with the MTB-X on a windy day. I usually can hit baby draws and baby fades, and at times a hook will sneak in there 1-2x a round. 16 Drives yesterday and nearly every one went straight. Problem was, on most of them, I was trying to draw or fade it, so my draws became pushes and my fades became pulls and I spent more time in the rough than I think I deserved if the balls curved like other balls I'm used to. 

 

I'm not saying this is a problem. I think its actually great if true. I will just have to adjust and aim more for the middle of the fairway instead of the edges and try to work them back. (I like to aim away from trouble left/right and work it back to the fairway)

 

I also noticed my irons were straighter than usual too. On a windy day. Thought it was weird.

 

If for some design reason, this ball is straighter than others, and still performs well around the greens, then I'm thrilled. Will just need to adjust. I didn't really realize it until my the end of the round when my drives on 16 and 18 barely moved an inch left or right.

 

Thoughts?

Yes.  My dispersion with the MTB-X has been the best vs any other ball.  I haven't bought them since they ditched the deals, but they do play pretty straight.  They still snap though.  Lol.

[wantacigar]

On 9/10/2020 at 9:51 AM, Twism86 said:

They just call it the Tour Response now, essentially. Same 3 piece, urethane cover + new name = Wow new ball, sales go up! 

I play the Tour Response.  They're better than the Project(a).  Likely made a few small tweaks to the core and cover but they are great balls.  As for the Snell or Vice Pro.  Snell MTB-X are great balls.  Have 3 dozen yellow.  They are in my rotation.  I'm one of those weirdos that has too many golf balls.  My rotation includes TP5, TP5x, Tour Response, Kirkland KSig 3.2 and Snell MTB-X (yellow)

[BoomShakalaka5]

Never buy used or refurb balls.  They aren’t same quality when tested.  I’ve played both Vice Pro (hole in one) and Snell MTB black.  Snell has been longer. Vice felt like bad more spin with wedge.