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Author Topic: Red Pearl Urethane  (Read 14695 times)

admin

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Red Pearl Urethane
« on: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM »
Ball NPS Score: Not Available
A 3-piece ball, urethane pearl cover.  Great for light oil and spare shooting.  Available weights 10-16.

 

BuddiesProShopcom - Bill

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Re: Red Pearl Urethane
« Reply #1 on: July 08, 2003, 03:04:31 PM »
Lane Conditions: Dry
Typical Conditions: Variety of Shots
Type of Lane: Combination
What part of the lane did you play? Outside First Arrow
Did the ball track out? Slow
Weight of bowling ball: 15
Surface of bowling ball: Factory/Box
Likes: When Straight is great, you can use this ball.
Dislikes:

I laid this out right over the label to use mainly for spares and super dry lane conditions.

The tournament that I was able to use the Sling Blade on the light oil, I was also able to play in the super dry area outside of first arrow. This 3-piece ball isn't going to fit into a lot of bowlers bags, because they will only be able to use it on Super Dry lane conditions. It is a good ball to practice straighter shots and spare shooting. The Red Pearl Hammer gives bowlers a ball between their spare ball and dry lane reactive ball.

If you have any questions, please email me.


--------------------
Thanks
Bill
BuddiesProShop.com
"The Place All Bowlers Shop"
Thanks
Bill
BuddiesProShop.com
"The Place All Bowlers Shop"

D McLaughlin

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Re: Red Pearl Urethane
« Reply #2 on: July 10, 2003, 03:54:27 PM »
Lane Conditions: Dry
Typical Conditions: Variety of Shots
Type of Lane: Combination
What part of the lane did you play? Outside First Arrow
Did the ball track out? No
Weight of bowling ball: 14
Surface of bowling ball: Factory/Box
Likes: Very little actually..reacted like every other 3-piece urethane in the past.
Dislikes: a ho-hum ball at best

Bowlers who remember the original Red Pearl Hammer are going to be sadly disappointed with the Re-release.  One of the main reasons the old RPH was liked so much was that you could play it on the dry stuff, but still hit HARD due to the 2-piece core.  Well....whomever had the idea to remake the RPH should be commended and whomever decided to change the core to 3-piece should have his rear end kicked.  This has to be, in my opinion, the biggest waste of a remake I have seen to date.  Ebonite/Hammer REALLY screwed the pooch on this one.  Hope this helps someone avoid getting soaked on an overpriced 3-piecer.
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On the PBA Show, you saw, I saw, they all saw, NO BUZZSAW.  Go figure!
Darren McLaughlin

vlor

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Re: Red Pearl Urethane
« Reply #3 on: August 18, 2003, 10:15:01 AM »
The posts I`ve read here and on other sites have been pretty negative concerning this ball, so I figure it`s my turn to chime in. J.D. MERILL at the 13th. frame pro shop in Elko Nevada drilled one up for me and asked me to give it a try. It`s true the the ball moves very little, but I found that if the ball is rolled with good side rotation and revs it does hit well enough to carry most pocket hits. I proved this to myself on a sport condition targeting straight up third arrow. I shot 225 from this line and the ball carried the pocket both light and high flush. If I tended to try to swing the ball I ran into real trouble. This is a tighter line than most bowlers are willing to try and a straight free arm swing is essential. I intend to replace my blue dot with this ball and I feel it fit in right next to my XL on short oil house conditions and burnt heads. Oh, I almost forgot, the ball came with 2-3 pin out and is drilled 3 3/8" from PAP with a touch negative side weight. This is the first time I`ve done a review, so I hope I`ve made sense.

NoNeed4Revs

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Re: Red Pearl Urethane
« Reply #4 on: October 05, 2003, 03:27:00 AM »
Picked up this ball to fill the need for an extreme dry lane ball. My blue/gold Scout just wasn't cutting it on some of the shots we have around here, so I thought it might be worth giving urethane a try.

Seeing as I did want some movement, I picked a ball with a short pin. Both the pin and CG are under my ring finger.

I've been impressed right from the start with the way this ball rolls. It may be a basic pancake core, but it still gets up a little bit. Hit is also pretty good for the core design, with the exception of a few flat 10s.

This is a ball I probably won't be able to throw 95% of the time, but it gives me confidence that I'll be able to score next time we're bowling on toasted lanes.
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Proud owner of a 111-111-111 triplicate series. And a Winnie-The-Pooh spare ball.

X-Lnmn

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Re: Red Pearl Urethane
« Reply #5 on: January 28, 2004, 02:54:33 PM »
o o.
......'x
 0  
I have been reading this thread for quite some time now and i have to disagree w/ 90% of the posts in here. Let me explain.

For those who are frustrated with the so called "Big Lick" house patterns this ball will answer there prayers. This ball takes you back to the days of the 32' patterns where your ball only had to make 1 move to get to the pocket.

On 27' - 35' sport patterns i use this ball all the time. On house shots i use it when i just want to work on my game.

True that the 3-piece core is not the greatest and yes sometimes the 10 is hard to kick out, but if your lookin for a ball to kick the 10 out...heh go spend $225.95....

X-Lnmn
--------------------
"Perfect Game Proshop...Tarzana, Ca"

"When in doubt, always blame the Laneman"
Well..thats like your opinion man.......

dizzyfugu

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Re: Red Pearl Urethane
« Reply #6 on: August 10, 2005, 02:03:41 PM »
Oh, a review after some long, long time?

About me:
Style = Stroker/mild Tweener, right-handed
Speed = 13,5-14,5 mph
PAP = 5" & 7/8"^
Axis tilt = 18,7°
Revs = 250-300 RPM at release
For more details, check out my profile, please.

I got this ball almost accidently. I was looking for a (true) dry lane ball and saw it on ebay. Only 5 games to it, 1st drilling... I could not resist... Nobody wanted it... so I got this Urethane beauty for only EUR 5,50,- ($7!)! Deal of the year. Even postage was more expensive than the ball itself.


The ball:
I was not sure what to expect from this ball, since it is my first Urethane ball, does not have a true core and nobody around would have a benchmark ball. A mild reaction, yes, but... how?
Well, consequently, the ball is 1" pin-in. The former owner placed the pin 1" below the ring finger, CG stacked below it. I decided to stick with it since I could use the former thumb hole and only minor span adjustments with the finger holes were necessary.

========
===o=o==
=====*==
=====#==
========
====O===

* = Pin
# = CG

Urethane thumb & silicone finger inserts, no x-hole. Surface is a kind of 1.000 grit polish, but it is not glossy. Maybe Abralon or a high grit compound?


Experiences on short oil:

I tried and played it several times on a fresh and played-down medium 35' THS pattern with Brunswick synth lanes, oiled from 8 to 8 and bone-dry outside boards. It is the driest house around here, with poor lane maintenance and kids' bowling, and I needed the ball as a kind of ultima ratio when any of my reactive equipment burns up in the house league in the evenings.

My experience with it so far is much like Vlor's mentioned in a previous post.

Well, this ball is... funny. It's interesting and even challenging to play when you are used to swing reactives across the lane when there is not much oil and lots of dry outside boards. The Urethane Hammer works fine, better than expected, although it took me some time to get used to it and to adjust my strike shot and spare game: simply because I must play a completely different direct line and angle than usual.

Due to the lack of a core, the Red Pearl Urethane Hammer does not get into rolling or flaring. This is, IMHO, the big and only drawback for this ball. Yet, with the high RG and the mild coverstock, it maintains energy well throughout the back end into the pins, even on scorched conditions.

Without a dynamic core it just keeps spinning on the initial axis and bears only a low-flaring oil track, but with its mild urethane coverstock it still grips better than a polyester and steadily changes direction on its path, depending on your revs, speed and tilt. It is much tamer than even a mild reactive - a Power Groove is a hook monster against it!

The biggest problem (or better: "thing to keep in mind") I found is that this ball will not recover to the pocket like even a weak reactive coverstock ball would do. You cannot rely on recovery on errant swing shots.
In the beginning I used to stand at 27th board with my right shoe tip, laying the ball down at 18-19 and playing over my favorite line across 3rd arrow with a slight swing out to the dry boards. The ball would go dead straight for 38 or 40', rotating, and then start a very smooth curve towards the pins. On the THS pattern, the dry outside boards helped it turn, but when I swung it out a bit too much it would not come back and hit very high. Consequently, in my first test games with this line I left several 1-2-4's or 1-2-4-10's, because the ball did not make it back to the pocket even with maximum revs.

However, I realized that this line only offers a small pocket with not much margin for error for this ball. Strike or split were very close. Therefore, I went further outside, playing 2nd arrow, straight down the 10th board with my normal release and speed. This opened up the pocket much wider, and since then this ball is a steady performer when all the oil is gone.

Straighter is greater with this kind of ball!

Another thing to mind is that you need to have a steady release to use it effectively, since swinging it out and hoping for it to return is not a good strategy. Additionally, you will not create a big entry angle with it. The innate lack of forward roll - unless you play it with an end-over-end roll - will leave you with weak hitting power when you try to make multiple-pin or double wood spares. Here, a reactive, even a mild one, or a ball with some kind of core is IMHO the better choice.

Besides those "special features", the Red Pearl Urethane Hammer's pin impact convinced me positively: the pin action is not much weaker than through a reactive ball or a ball with a true dynamic core. The ball keeps the pins as low as a reactive, not splattering like a polyester ball. As a "side effect", the Red Pearl Urethane Hammer is a loud ball. When it strikes, you will hear it and surely all neighboring lanes will notice, too.


Spare potential:

Finally, as a spare alternative... works fine, but covers more boards than a polyester would do. I break my wrist back completely for spares, and I tested the Red Pearl Urethane Hammer against my Blue Pearl Target Zone.
Typical line for the 10 with polyester: stand at 30 with my right shoe tip, play across 16th board at the arrows and have the ball curve in in parallel to the right gutter to run dead on the 10.
Result: I cannot use the same line 1:1. With the Urethane ball I need to stand with my feet 1 1/2 boards deeper than with the polyester ball, because the Red Pearl Urethane Hammer reads the lane in a wide, controllable curve. Excessive speed might prevent this, but since the ball reaction is very stable, the reaction is O. K.

Alternatives?
Another ball this one must be compared with is Lane #1's XXXL, a polyester ball with a true dynamic core. IMHO it is a dead race between controversial technical philosophies for dry turf: I have seen the XXXL in action, even tested one, but I could not make out a winner. The XXXL rolls... that's its best asset, and this makes it easier to handle, especially when you are used to balls with a skid/roll/hook pattern. But it lacks pin action, does not keep the pins as low as the Urethane coverstock.

Some conclusions:
I am glad I bought this ball. For me it is a valuable addition for the dry, especially at the low price I got it for! This ball already saved my butt in league several times.

Lane utility for tested ball (pattern length vs. oil volume):

|S M L
|h e o
|o d n
|r . g
|t
_______
|X X +| Light volume
|+ 0 0| Medium volume
|0 0 0| Heavy volume

Legend:
X = Best suited with effective control & carry
+ = Fairly suited (works, somehow, but lacks control)
0 = Unsuited (ineffective, either slips or burns up)

The chart concept is borrowed from Storm's 2003 catalogue, modified. Surface prep and drillings may change the results, it is just personal experience with my style

It is difficult for me to give it a rating on a scale, it is rather special. Compared to reactive balls, its performance must be described as "weak" or "limited", but that's not the point. It offers playability on conditions where anything reactive either runs away or burns up. With the drawbacks due to the missing core: a 7 out of 10.

With this in mind I do not consider the Red Pearl Urethane Hammer to be a beginner's ball, even if it is mild. You must have a stable release technique to make use of the coverstock's and ball's non-core attributes. You will also need to have some training with it, because it reacts much different from aggressive, low RG balls. Remember: there is no roll or flare to it, it is best suited for a direct attack at the pins.

It is not a bad ball, it just fills a condition and usage niche, effectively. Consequently, the Red Pearl Urethane Hammer is not a must-have ball for everybody's bag, but a nice addition if anything else fails due to desert conditions.
It is a nice "secret weapon" to take out when condistions call for it, play down-and-in across 2nd arrow, and prevail. Winning without tons of hook – a new concept?! Consider urethane, and surprise your opponents with some "old school" style

I wish there would be a current ball like this - the Red Pearl Urethane Hammer with a true core (the Hammer core from the Blades?), THAT would be a nice dry lanes ball!
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DizzyFugu --- Reporting from Germany
Team "X": http://homepage.mac.com/timlinked/
"All that we see or seem, is but a dream within a dream..." - Edgar Allen Poe
 
Edited on 26.09.2011 at 7:38 AM
DizzyFugu ~ Reporting from Germany

jellybellyy2k

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Re: Red Pearl Urethane
« Reply #7 on: December 24, 2006, 02:53:56 PM »
I bought this ball off ebay for $4.99 it's 16lb drilled lefty I've been out of bowling for ten years and just started back.It's taken me alot of trial and error to combat these synthetic lanes.The THS here is 18 to 20 in. of oil down the middle and dry on the outsides.I have a purple quake,v2 clean,killer instinct pearl,scout reactive not drilled yet.This hammer as old as it is and scracthed up works great on the dry outsides I stand dead center and as long as it gets somewhere between the first and second arrow it puts ten in the pit and sounds like a bomb blast when it hits the pocket.I would get more of the older hammer balls if they would help me like this one has if you find one with a bargain price grab it.

Kerns the bowler

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Re: Red Pearl Urethane
« Reply #8 on: February 21, 2007, 11:19:45 AM »
the drill pattern i do not no pin placement is in the middle of my hand spand on the ball this ball is great on very dry lanes with this ball i have shot 278 and a 279 with this ball

jellybellyy2k

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Re: Red Pearl Urethane
« Reply #9 on: March 19, 2007, 10:54:26 PM »
Just to update the earlier post on wood this ball is wild 243,253,269=765 stood 30 to 32 went across 10 out to 4 baaaaaaaaammmm  cup it spin it let it put them in the pit got to luv it.

dewatkins

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Re: Red Pearl Urethane
« Reply #10 on: April 22, 2009, 04:39:45 PM »
Well let me start off by says I have had this ball for over 15 years now.  It was given to me when a team mate got tired of it, I had the thumb plugged and redrilled used his finger holes and it is still that way today, I used to use it as my primary ball when I first got it.  I have always carried since I got it, it has to have hundreds maybe even a thousands games on it by now.  For the last 10 years or so I just use it for right side spares or when the lanes are messed up.  Like last Sunday the house had a tournament going on all weekend so the lanes had not been stripped they were just ran which cause my reactive to be too over under will I tried one of my Tracks the first games and just could not carry the corner pins (left 4 ten and 2 seven pins) so I changed to my other Track ball and started leaving splits shot 170 and 180 with them so I decided to go the third game with my spare ball and first ball was a little light and left a 5-7 split so I moved one more board right hit second arrow throwing straight to the pocket and ended up shooting a 215 with it.  The only thing I noticed is I have to be on the heavy side to carry strikes with this the first ball that I left the 5-7 with was right in my normal pocket but let it be heavy and it was ten in the pits.