The ball: 15 pounds, 2.5-inch pin, 3 oz. top
The drill: Pin under ring, CG 1.5 inches out towards VAL, MB about 2 inches away from the thumb at 4:30. Works out to a 3 x 2.5 x 4.5 drill for me. Surface tested in two preps (box, then at 2000 Abralon plus polish)
Me: PAP 4 over 3/8 up, tweener revs, good speed, good circumference coverage
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Bought this ball used without much game traffic, and coverted it to fit me simply by redrilling the thumb hole.
I first tested it in box finish and had one of the most unique experiences with a ball that I can remember. There was no big backend in the ball, on any condition. It much preferred to be played with a lot of forward roll rather than tilting it over and trying to loop it. And the more oil, the better -- on anything lighter than absolute medium, the ball would grab too quickly and burn up.
But increasing the speed to throw it "through" the condition wouldn't work. The ball did not have much recovery downlane. However, it made up for it by being an impressive ball in the oil, and it displayed great drive through the pins and good carry even from tight angles.
Given that I wasn't seeing many medium to medium-heavy conditions, however, I decided to test it at 2000 Abralon plus Track Clean & Polish. Shining this ball up really makes its looks come through this is one of the most attractive coverstocks I can remember in recent years.
The polish also gave the ball a little angularity downlane, allowing it to clear the heads better and begin its move to the pocket later. It's still a midlane monster, though not a ton of move in the very backend but it does have a last-second kick that is impressive.
Overall carry is just average, and even with the polish this ball doesn't seem to care for a lot of tilt with my style. It prefers to play up the boards, but when it finds a zone, it just kills it.
This ball is plenty strong enough to still be used on today's conditions, and the surface has proved easily changeable. Here's my overall take:
Positives: Cover easily tunable, good carry from inside angles, thrives in oil, attractive looks for those who care about that sort of thing.
Negatives: Not a backend boomer, doesn't like anything below medium-light no matter what the surface, carry anywhere other than inside is questionable
Summary: A good ball for oilier leagues and for sport shots given its penchant for playing direct, but might be an arsenal ball rather than a benchmark ball for most.
Jess
