Well, for me the Absolute never matched up. But the Vapor Zone has been a great ball. So I guess Activator+ will work for me in certain cases. I've seen this a bit with the Inferno/Zone Classic too as I like the Inferno reaction better than the ZC.

Good question.

  I loved my original inferno.  Shot my highest series ever with it, an 812. I, however, hated my zone classic.

  The Inferno was drilled with a slightly modified RICO drilling ( pin was just above the centerline ) while the Zone was drilled pin up and MB strong.

  The Inferno was smooth and predictable, while the Zone was too strong and wanted to roll way too early for me.

  Oddly enough, I also had an Impulse Zone drilled at 0 degrees with pin down and I also loved that ball, after a bit of polish.  It was like the original Inferno on steroids.
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You better not compare sym. and asym. cores, rather cores with a high or low mass bias. That's easily confusedm but different things concerning ball reaction - an asymmetrical core does not necessarily have a strong/influential mass bias, and you could even create a mass bias in a symmetrical core if you shift densities and therefore weight around. It is the mass bias or PSA that affects the ball reaction, not truly the core shape (though it helps ).

A high MB ball - something with an asym. RG diff. of 0.015 and more - has a pronounced tendency to migrate its rotational axis towards its stable rolling axis. That's what spin time tells you, if you ever wondered about this data.
A low MB ball also migrates to this PSA, but not so quickly, or quikcly enough that it has a huge impact on the ball's reaction when thinking about the drilling. This migration tendency can, on the other side, be exploited when drilling a strong MB core ball to achieve and/or enhance a certain reaction.

Therefore, if you know exactly what you want, have a stable game and a ball driller who know how to handle such a core, a strong MB piece can be the ticket to some extra punch on the lane.
As a trade-off, you stick with a certain reaction - IMHO strong MB balls are less versatile than low MB core balls. If the condition suits the ball, these things can be hell on wheels. But if it is not so good, well, then you will have a hard time, IMHO.

That said, yes, you will see a difference between a low MB and high MB core ball. While its utility is determined by the coverstock material, the reaction and its shape depend on the core and its setup. A strong MB can help, if you want something certain, and the reaction you see might be more pronounced, or apparently "stronger". remember, though, that in any ball the same forces are at work. What you see down the lane is just how well the imparted energy is saved or used for an effective impact. And it is a complex package of factors that work for or against you, the core is just one bit of it.

Anyway, you will be able to use the ball on the same conditions as a low MB counterpart, the latter might even prove to be useable on a wider range of conditions.

The TF and the SmZ are IMHO a good example, when you look at the comparison chart. The TF is a flippy ball with good length. The SmZ is, on the other side, more rolly, despite its glossier finish. But both are intended for medium conditions - you just get very different basic reactions OOB.
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Edited on 7/15/2008 8:35 AM

Edited on 7/15/2008 10:31 AM