I know some staffers and they are really nice people. However, they are also never going to give a ball from the company they are on staff for a bad review. At least not publicly. They would get fired real quick.
Of course, the same can be said of Bowlers Journal or BTM. I've never read a review in either of those magazines that said this ball is a waste your money. They don't want to cost themselves ad revenue.
As expensive as it is, the best way to know if a ball is any good is to buy it, drill it and throw it yourselves. And I will say, my Primal Fear has been a turd. I'm getting it plugged and redrilled another way to see if it comes to life.