BallReviews
Equipment Boards => Storm => Topic started by: lefty50 on June 13, 2019, 01:27:36 PM
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I really try to avoid hype, and the original IQ Tour Pearl fell into that category (for me). I just don't see my stroker style working with .029 diff in a pearl! But, I admit I'm dangerously close to the abyss on this one. Since they've admitted this one is a straight re-release of the original, color notwithstanding, are there are strokers who had success with the original? I do remember seeing one senior in our area who seemed to absolutely kill it with the original, but I'd like to hear from others.......
Thanks in advance.
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IQ tour was really one of the first balls to give a controlled look on tougher patterns. Not a ball I liked on house shots, but a ball I could keep in play and give myself a chance when scores were low.
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There were a couple good senior bowlers in my area that liked the original Pearl a lot. They are definitely speed dominate but pretty accurate
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Hmmm. Emerald isn't out until next week, right? How the 90 YO get it already? I don't think I have enough hand either. The comments told to you are exactly what I'm afraid will happen, but after the one guy I saw with the original, like I said, I'm nearing the abyss and may jump in... Pull me back, please........
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When the original IQ Tour Pearl came out, I wanted to get one but my friends told me I didn't have enough hand to roll it; it would go straight and be the most expensive spare ball I ever bought.
Last night, I asked who bought the IQ Tour Emerald and was told that a 90 year local bought it, and was tearing it up with it since Sunday. Ball speed of 14mph and bowls the senior league in the mornings.
I've never rolled one so I have no clue, but I did own a IQ Tour Nano and I really liked it. I sold it because I felt it lost it's Nano and went too long and got too angular. The cover just became too slow for me.
I choose the Astro PhysiX over the IQ Emerald because I really like the core and I have a Marvel Pearl that I feel is sort of similar. I'm not that into Pearl balls so I don't want to make much investment in them. I have 3 of them now and that's enough.
I was going to get an Idol Pearl but thought it might be a little over under for me, so I chose the Astro PhysiX because it's more core dominant. It's just a house shot ball for me and should be fun to bowl with.
Explain to me how a ball is “too long and angular†yet “it was too slow for youâ€.
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He probably meant it was not a fast response core/cover combination for him, so he could have more control/Predictability of the overall ball motion/reaction.
Just my observation.
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I would read something "too long" as too slow also if I'm trying to get an earlier reaction. Sounded logical to me.
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Got it, thanks!
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I have a Marvel Pearl that I feel is sort of similar.
Bingo for me as well. Already have an iq tour, MP and now an iq tour fusion. Feel the MP is the more versatile pearl anyway.
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I really try to avoid hype, and the original IQ Tour Pearl fell into that category (for me). I just don't see my stroker style working with .029 diff in a pearl! But, I admit I'm dangerously close to the abyss on this one. Since they've admitted this one is a straight re-release of the original, color notwithstanding, are there are strokers who had success with the original? I do remember seeing one senior in our area who seemed to absolutely kill it with the original, but I'd like to hear from others.......
Thanks in advance.
I'm not sure I agree with the premise that a given ball won't work with a given style. The lane man usually dictates what works, and what doesn't. Put down a fresh THS Christmas tree pattern with clean back-ends, and just about any ball should work. Even for a bowler with a lower rev rate.
Skid/flip pearls normally don't agree with me, but the original IQ Tour pearl (which I still have) has worked well on a narrow range of conditions. I personally like the ball when I can square up outside with fresh back-ends. Unfortunately, it's not a condition I see very often. Of course, match-up is different for everyone.
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I am going to drill an IQ Tour Emerald because I like my SonIQ. I dull the coverstock on some of my pearl balls to get more midlane and control on the backend. I also have a Marvel Pearl which is always in my bag. Coverstock preparation is key so dull or polish the coverstock to read the lanes correctly for more strikes.
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Still on the fence. Lefty, senior, 14mph ball speed, 225 rev rate.... I'm just not sure I see it being anything but a spare ball, but I just shot my best team series at Nationals in 30 years with, of all things, a Gamebreaker2, so I'm definitely thinking I've been too hooked on oil monsters and need to start thinking in this direction.
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Still on the fence. Lefty, senior, 14mph ball speed, 225 rev rate.... I'm just not sure I see it being anything but a spare ball, but I just shot my best team series at Nationals in 30 years with, of all things, a Gamebreaker2, so I'm definitely thinking I've been too hooked on oil monsters and need to start thinking in this direction.
That's possible. Also the GB2 is a good match for the team pattern this year. Yes you want to match ball to bowler but you also have to match ball to the shot
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I think it can work if you go with a super strong layout, and the low differential of the core gives you the option to go really strong AND get the continuous move through the pins that a 3-4 pin to pap gives you. I drill IQs with a 4" pin, gives me good ring separation and a more continuous move without being too early or crazy.
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I have around ~300 - 325 RPMs, depending on how good I'm throwing it, lol. I've had insane success with lower diff balls using stronger layouts.
I generally use a 3-4.5 inch pin-to-pap on lower diff balls, and use weight holes (or dig to china in those fingers to avoid extra holes) to get that extra oomph you might need. Right now, I'm rocking a 900 Global Truth Tour with a 45* x 4.5 x 65* layout and it's wildly continuous once it gets going! I've had IQ Tours with similar layouts and had great success.
Good luck!
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I do NOT want to hijack my own post... :), but in this no holes era, where do you believe you're getting extra oomph?
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I do NOT want to hijack my own post... :), but in this no holes era, where do you believe you're getting extra oomph?
We got hand bro..... 8)
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I do NOT want to hijack my own post... :), but in this no holes era, where do you believe you're getting extra oomph?
Try getting your thumb out faster.
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Sorry, maybe I read the response wrong, I took it to mean that a little extra weight diff in drilling holes deeper was making a big reaction change... My bad.
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Sorry, maybe I read the response wrong, I took it to mean that a little extra weight diff in drilling holes deeper was making a big reaction change... My bad.
Mo said it do.
:)
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Tonight was the stepladder finals of the PBA50 South Shore Classic. Sammy Ventura climbed the stepladder using only the IQ Emerald. Won 3 games with it playing down and in on the Don Carter pattern until he lost to Brian LeClair. The ball looked good for him.
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I do NOT want to hijack my own post... :), but in this no holes era, where do you believe you're getting extra oomph?
From the pin placement.
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I had the original gold, and never really found a place for it. Didnt see many other low rev guys like myself like it either. However I did watch Duke make it look pretty good in the team finals on Fox this week. Duke has a strokers rev rate, but generates more ball speed which could make a difference. The Emerald is definitely a ball that you need to keep at straighter angles. If you can it could be useful. If not you probably wont like it
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I had the original gold, and never really found a place for it. Didnt see many other low rev guys like myself like it either. However I did watch Duke make it look pretty good in the team finals on Fox this week. Duke has a strokers rev rate, but generates more ball speed which could make a difference. The Emerald is definitely a ball that you need to keep at straighter angles. If you can it could be useful. If not you probably wont like it
Agreed.
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Straighter angles is my A game for sure, and probably my B game as well. I watched Norm throw it and had the same opinion. Would it be nice to try? Sure. Would I bet money on it being a better purchase for me than everything else I want to try? No. I think my original assumption is still correct.
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Straighter angles is my A game for sure, and probably my B game as well. I watched Norm throw it and had the same opinion. Would it be nice to try? Sure. Would I bet money on it being a better purchase for me than everything else I want to try? No. I think my original assumption is still correct.
Don’t overthink it. I have the original. It’s skids in oil and reacts quickly to friction. I found it to be a fun ball to throw up the outside boards on a fresh THS. It’s not a ball I consider versatile across many conditions, but when it works, you’re glad you have it.
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I would be by definition the quintessential "stoker type player"....
I did not like the gold ball and gave up on it early. At the time I wanted max back end out of a shiny pearl and this ball obviously is not that.
Cut to now, the Emerald IQ is the type of reaction I want in my bag - something controllable and not as violent.
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I figure stokers would like this ball the most as it doesn’t make you open up your angles like most traditional pearls.
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See: Norm Duke in PBA league. Once again Northface hits in on the head, the Emerald creates ENOUGH change of direction down lane to create effective shape without driving you deeper on the lane like most shiny balls will. It's great for the heavy hands because it allows them to hit the ball and control it themselves, but it's also great for the lower rev rates because it lets you do what you do best while not forcing you into a catch 22 like other balls will. Either you don't have the punch down lane, or you DO, but you have to move inside to get it down the lane, which negates the punch down lane by creating angle that your game isn't built for.
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I too had the gold and gave up on it. Way to over under on house shots. Now that I think about it, I never really gave it a try on flatter patterns. Of course I had the solid which was good on the flat.
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Just ordered my Emerald today! :)
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See: Norm Duke in PBA league. Once again Northface hits in on the head, the Emerald creates ENOUGH change of direction down lane to create effective shape without driving you deeper on the lane like most shiny balls will. It's great for the heavy hands because it allows them to hit the ball and control it themselves, but it's also great for the lower rev rates because it lets you do what you do best while not forcing you into a catch 22 like other balls will. Either you don't have the punch down lane, or you DO, but you have to move inside to get it down the lane, which negates the punch down lane by creating angle that your game isn't built for.
I've been meaning to come back to this thread for a minute.
This ball has been a beast for me on THS. I've been able to start most nights going pretty straight with fairly closed angles and then moving in and projecting out as the night goes on without losing control or drive.
For someone like myself with a middling rev rate but with accuracy and speed control to make up for it, this ball does not scream off the dry unless I throw it too slow and it will skate a bit if I throw it inside the oil line. With that said, I have not had any over/under issues whatsoever. I'm totally hyped on it.
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I have the Emerald. It is a good ball, but so far I cant find a place where it distinguishes itself compared to my Hero, snd Honey Badger.
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Per BTM, the Emerald is the exact same ball as the Gold, just a different color...
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Luke hit it on the head. Drill iq tours with stronger pins say 4 inch. Nothing more controllable than my iq tour solid with a low pin. Money for tournaments. Even great for league as long as the backend are fresh. Can’t wait to drill an emerald to compliment my original iq tour solid.
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Luke hit it on the head. Drill iq tours with stronger pins say 4 inch. Nothing more controllable than my iq tour solid with a low pin. Money for tournaments. Even great for league as long as the backend are fresh. Can’t wait to drill an emerald to compliment my original iq tour solid.
Ding ding ding!! 👆🏾
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Well I finally drilled my iq tour emerald with a 4 inch pin to pap. This puts the pin under my ring finger stacked. I consider myself a stroker, tweener with 310 rev rate and 14 mph speed. I’m shocked how aggressive this ball is. It hooks 4-5 boards more than my iq tour solid on the house pattern. I left it in oob condition with the factory 1500 grit polished finish. I mean this thing is clean thru the heads then makes a strong midlane move off the spot, I wouldn’t consider it a skid flip reaction because it rolls through the oil without squirting. It has incredible continuation thru the deck with no quit even with an up the back release. This thing really hooks. This will be a good ball for me on heavier volumes or carry down when my benchmark iq tour solid starts leaving weak tens. Most of the reviews say how smooth, controllable the emerald is. So that’s why I’m a little surprised by my ball reaction with it, especially with a low pin arc type drilling. For me it’s a hook monster. Has anyone else found this aggressive reaction with their emerald, or maybe I just got freak one?
.
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Well I finally drilled my iq tour emerald with a 4 inch pin to pap. This puts the pin under my ring finger stacked. I consider myself a stroker, tweener with 310 rev rate and 14 mph speed. I’m shocked how aggressive this ball is. It hooks 4-5 boards more than my iq tour solid on the house pattern. I left it in oob condition with the factory 1500 grit polished finish. I mean this thing is clean thru the heads then makes a strong midlane move off the spot, I wouldn’t consider it a skid flip reaction because it rolls through the oil without squirting. It has incredible continuation thru the deck with no quit even with an up the back release. This thing really hooks. This will be a good ball for me on heavier volumes or carry down when my benchmark iq tour solid starts leaving weak tens. Most of the reviews say how smooth, controllable the emerald is. So that’s why I’m a little surprised by my ball reaction with it, especially with a low pin arc type drilling. For me it’s a hook monster. Has anyone else found this aggressive reaction with their emerald, or maybe I just got freak one?
No, you are not.
Mine is too responsive for me to go up the boards, unless the heads are flooded, because it wants to read the friction early, but hard to get around the corner after transition because the core doesn't flare enough to get it around there from inside angles.
Heavy shots with backends are great. Otherwise, I end up further inside, and something with a little more core strength works better for me.
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Good response juggernaut.. yes mine is definitely too responsive off the dry, spot, certainly more than what I expected from an iq series ball. I know doom and others on this site say the 1500 grit storm polished finish is death. I may experiment with surface adjustments say 4000 wet sand with abralon to calm it down.