Summary: My two catchphrases for it are "tweener heaven" and "baby Game". Controllable hard arc, earlier and stronger than the specs indicate. Great complement to the Ti Messenger Pearl. Everyone I've talked to that got it in a high RG drilling wants another one in a hook/stop; I certainly do.
I'm moving my equipment one ball at a time to 15 # and started with my mildest resin. I had a Scout/R in 16 and wanted to upgrade, so I initially tried a Too Hot. Short story, 3 drillings in 2 different Too Hots flare over the fingers. We screwed around with various layouts and weight hole tweaks for 3 months with no joy. There's just something about me and this core with the pin anywhere near the ring.
My pro shop suggested a Spirit. First drilling worked great. The problem is, the two are not directly comparable. I'm told that Spirit is actually a light load particle, but I can find nothing to confirm that statement.
Ball specs: 15#3, 2 3/4 top, 2" pinout. 5 1/2 x 5 1/2, pin in the ring finger, mass bias in the track. Final static weights are: 1/4 side, 5/8 finger, 1 1/8 top. This is a good drilling, and it fits into my arsenal better than I'd planned. For a little wetter shot, I have a strong hunch that a 4 x 2 could work well and I plan to try that later.
Here's a lesson in specs versus experience. For a 15# Spirit, you see an RG of 2.590 (vs. 2.582 for Too Hot) and a diff of .030 (same as a Scout/R). Letting it follow its nature, you get it in a high-RG drilling. For a little extra length, maybe you drill the pin in the ring. You think this is going to be super long ball with a bit of flip, maybe something for dry lanes to the lightest oil. Even though it's not a Superflex pearl, right or wrong, you worry it may be touchy at the breakpoint.
And you'd be absolutely wrong on every count. Spirit is a midlane-reading ball. It is just a bit longer than a Ti Messenger Pearl, not as long as a Scout, not nearly as long as a Too Hot. So far, it has proven tough to throw through the breakpoint.
The backend is a strong driving arc. Summerfield referred to one ball's backend as "a patient veer", and that's the idea here as well. You could probably build flippier layout but I don't think you could make it much longer without a lot of polish. What it really reminds me of is a baby Game, transposed about 8 boards.
It is emphatically not a dry lanes ball and while it can handle a bit of dry, it doesn't get through the heads quite as well as a pearlized resin. My experience is that you have to be ready to hit it with some polish the minute the track starts to dull or it will want to start up too early. I loved it on second-day backends, but got some over/under on third-day as the shot burned up after several hours of open play.
Hits really, really good, again like a baby Game. I get a great reaction out of it, especially from deeper outside lines. Because you aren't burning up the energy to swing it 5 - 6 boards into the dry, the carry is a actually a wash between Spirit and the more powerful Ti Messenger Pearl.
Who will like it: My opinion is that Spirit is tweener heaven on a league shot or wet/dry. A great balance of strength and control for this style. There's that mythical phrase "control ball": what I mean specifically is that it was easy to get and stay lined up with it and to maintain a consistent breakpoint, it responds predictably to different releases and index and pinkie positions, and it doesn't jump on the dry.
I think the bowler who likes the particle-type arc but needs a milder coverstock will also like it a lot.
Spirit adds a lot of value to an arsenal that already contains a Ti Messenger Pearl. It's a great complement to the TiMP, with minimal condition overlap and a very different look. My current 4-ball is Amulet (CG in palm), Spirit (MB in track), TiMP (4 x 4) or TFlash (4 1/2 x 3) depending on the heads and backends, and Game (4 1/2 x 3), and there's almost no overlap at all. Someone that uses plastic for their spare ball would want to fill the gap on the low end.
Who will not like it: To the low-rev guy, it's going to be just another dry lanes choice. Bullred pointed this out, saying that Spirit is for the "league bowler that doesn't need a whole lot of help to move the ball".
What it's for: League shot on light to lighter medium conditions. Sits perfectly below what you'd throw a Ti Messenger Pearl on.
What it's not for: fried or much above a light medium condition. The only real weakness I've seen is that, strangely enough, it's the worst thing to over/under that I own.
Overall rating: 9.
Versatility: 8. Higher-rev styles on a variety of league shots. I think it really shines in the hands of a tweener/power tweener type. Not much there for the stroker. Once you get one in a length drilling, you'll want one in an early roll as well.
I'm torn here. There are a lot of pros and cons in balance in this rating. I wound up knocking off a point because no matter what the design goal was, it's what I call a 'baby bear' ball - the style and conditions can't be too hot or too cold.
Control: 9. Lots of things to commend it.
Hit & Carry: 9. A very efficient piece of equipment. A good-hitting ball, about like a Game.
