BallReviews

General Category => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: Steven on February 02, 2017, 12:21:28 PM

Title: Strong Pearl Balls
Post by: Steven on February 02, 2017, 12:21:28 PM
Avabob here on the forum has been a long time advocate for using strong Pearls instead of traditional "heavy oilers" for longer oil. Here is one of his recent posts on the subject:

  As for the need for super heavy oil balls I would say 95% are mis used.  So called heavy oilers are totally misused by most bowlers when they try to open up a long pattern.  Better to use a strong cored pearl that will rev up then stay behind it
  You dont need hook to carry,  it is the rev rate that gives you carry on longer patterns.  I always carry a strong solid like the alpha crux but the first thing I do is take it to 4000.  For my game this is the best way to give me strong recovery when iI follow the oil in

 
I've come to appreciate this advice over the past year or two. It actually works! I currently own a handful of best of breed oilers, and except for true longer PBA level oil, the kind of conditions that 99.9% of bowlers do not ever see, I find that strong pearls work really well. In this category, I have the Columbia Swerve FX, Radical Guru Limited, and the new Brunswick True Nirvana. All three have strong asymmetric cores that get the balls into a roll that transition well to down lane friction.

It's advice you might want to consider if you're struggling on this type of condition.
Title: Re: Strong Pearl Balls
Post by: NeverLearn on February 02, 2017, 12:28:35 PM
But, "Steven",
is it the Pearlization of the ball (strength of the coverstock) or the asymmetry of the core (Strong PSA causing an early roll that controls the lack of friction)  that seems to be the "solution"??
Title: Re: Strong Pearl Balls
Post by: northface28 on February 02, 2017, 12:35:20 PM
These big balls (oil balls) tear the fronts up if you touch the finger holes at all, they are best used to calm down the fresh, to the right, or opening up a trough (to bounce off of). Avabob is 100% correct.
Title: Re: Strong Pearl Balls
Post by: Steven on February 02, 2017, 12:37:05 PM
But, "Steven",
is it the Pearlization of the ball (strength of the coverstock) or the asymmetry of the core (Strong PSA causing an early roll that controls the lack of friction)  that seems to be the "solution"??

 
I think it's the combination of the two, not one or the other exclusively. Still, I suspect the strong PSA probably has a slightly more influence.
 
But that's just my opinion based on experiencing the three balls I mentioned vs. my symmetric pearl Motiv Primal Rage.
Title: Re: Strong Pearl Balls
Post by: Impending Doom on February 02, 2017, 01:09:16 PM
I just drilled one of my Incinerates, and at 1500 grit with F90 on it, the only reason I am ever going to use it is to burn a hole to bounce off of. Literally is a sponge. After half a game on one lane, I was able to ball down to a Torch. From Incinerate to Torch in 6 frames. Let that tell you what its purpose is.
Title: Re: Strong Pearl Balls
Post by: CoorZero on February 02, 2017, 03:35:15 PM
But, "Steven",
is it the Pearlization of the ball (strength of the coverstock) or the asymmetry of the core (Strong PSA causing an early roll that controls the lack of friction)  that seems to be the "solution"??

I would say it's the coverstock being cleaner and storing more energy for the end of the long patterns that makes the difference. Strong pearl balls generally won't puke on the backend when it gets out of the oil unlike a lot of the "strongest" oilers. The latter use up their energy too soon and the shape of the shot isn't ideal.

Of course pretty much everything depends on the bowlers themselves but for most who throw a decent ball this is what I see too. There are windows to use the heaviest of oil balls, but they are really small. I shock myself whenever I actually have to get one of mine out.
Title: Re: Strong Pearl Balls
Post by: cheech on February 02, 2017, 04:30:28 PM
the reason you want strong cored pearls on long patterns is because long patterns are usually light oil or medium at best. the strong core gets the ball turning the corner because of the length of oil and the pearl lets the ball clear the fronts better and flip the corner with only 15' or less of backend. i like to use strong pearls at 3000-4000 grit so it have just enough surface on the fresh.

its a very common misconception people have about long patterns. people think they need to take their oilers to charcoal grit because they dont see their ball hooking.
Title: Re: Strong Pearl Balls
Post by: Brandon Riley on February 02, 2017, 06:09:13 PM
Cheech said it perfectly.  The heavy oil tanks will never have enough energy left to corner hard enough to carry from deep inside
Title: Re: Strong Pearl Balls
Post by: six pack on February 04, 2017, 10:31:03 PM
so I took the advice and tried my freak show that I have at 5000 trizact on a flat medium oil shot and it was very good until the line broke down and had to swing a few boards. then it was over/under mayhem. still, 256 ain't bad for a pearl on the fresh and has forced me to rethink my game in some aspect. I step down to my X and squared up and remained  comfortably in the pocket the rest of the night but scored slightly lower.
the problem with the pearl ball was controlling the mids.
Title: Re: Strong Pearl Balls
Post by: avabob on February 05, 2017, 12:53:14 AM
The biggest problem with super strong surfaces on long oil is that  they burn up any hold area that might be available faster than they open up swing area.  Probably my old age is showing here but some of us remember the day when hold area gave us margin of error rather than swing area.  With the return of very long patterns squaring up and plsying more direct works better with pearl than super aggressive solids.  I do prefer asymetricals but it is the low rg aspect that I like the best. 
Title: Re: Strong Pearl Balls
Post by: DP3 on February 05, 2017, 01:54:19 AM
There was a time on tour when the Marvel Pearl was the ball of choice on Shark & Scorpion. I even remember Jeff Carter & Pete Weber being huge advocates for the T-Road Pearl on the breakdown of Shark. I don't like what I see out of my Scandal Pearl on house shots, but any heavy volume sport or PBA pattern it is one of the balls in my bag that will always "give me something" on the backend.  Typical rule of thumb on heavier/longer oil is that you want a ball that has the fastest response to friction so you can get some shape out of the small window that you have to get the ball to turn.
Title: Re: Strong Pearl Balls
Post by: northface28 on February 05, 2017, 04:14:02 AM
The biggest problem with super strong surfaces on long oil is that  they burn up any hold area that might be available faster than they open up swing area.  Probably my old age is showing here but some of us remember the day when hold area gave us margin of error rather than swing area.  With the return of very long patterns squaring up and plsying more direct works better with pearl than super aggressive solids.  I do prefer asymetricals but it is the low rg aspect that I like the best. 

You may be older but that theory still holds true. Play the hold, not the swing.
Title: Re: Strong Pearl Balls
Post by: earlyrolling on February 05, 2017, 06:16:48 AM
 Which pearl coverstock has the fastest response to friction today, out of the big core balls?
Title: Re: Strong Pearl Balls
Post by: BallReviews-Removed0385 on February 05, 2017, 09:32:46 AM
Which pearl coverstock has the fastest response to friction today, out of the big core balls?

I'm afraid you're going to get a myriad of different opinions on this.  If you've had luck with one particular manufacturer then I would look at that one.  Layout will help with this faster response time though.  (I'm in the infancy stages with my True Nirvana, but so far it's been a pretty quick response, even with my mellow hand.)


Title: Re: Strong Pearl Balls
Post by: avabob on February 05, 2017, 11:20:27 AM
Marvel Pearl was really good for me on long patterns.  Another Storm ball I loked on long patterns was the Lucid.
Title: Re: Strong Pearl Balls
Post by: Dave81644 on February 05, 2017, 10:59:00 PM
I have some comments on this ball in the Track section of this site, but the new Track Kinetic is probably the hardest corning ball in the EBI lineup right now, and its a weaker piece, very fast responding cover to friction in my opinion. Seems to work best for me when using on a blended pattern.
the pigment in the colors is what gives this cover/ball, its reaction
certain colors are slower responding and others are the opposite
They don't have a "pearl" or "solid" additive
Its the chemistry of the pigments that determine this
Title: Re: Strong Pearl Balls
Post by: Gid837 on February 06, 2017, 01:45:11 PM
the ebonite Maverick pearl is the strongest pearl ive ever thrown. slightly stronger (to me) than the inception pearl
Title: Re: Strong Pearl Balls
Post by: earlyrolling on February 06, 2017, 10:55:19 PM
the ebonite Maverick pearl is the strongest pearl ive ever thrown. slightly stronger (to me) than the inception pearl

When you say "stronger", you mean the Maverick Pearl reacts faster off of the dry than the Inception Pearl?