Layout: 5 x 3-1/2 x 2-1/2
Surface: Box - 2000 Abralon
The new Harsh Reality is a stronger upgrade compared to the original Reality. The Disturbance core is brought back but with utilizing the AI Core Technology which gives this core a lower rg and higher differential. It is paired with the 902 Blend Solid Coverstock. This means stronger overall ball motion and the strongest 900 Global ball to date! I got to test this ball on a 44ft typical house shot and a 42ft heavier oil sport pattern. These are my results:
On the House Pattern, I saw very strong and early ball motion with strong read in the midlane with a more controlled backend motion. The strength of the core and coverstock combination makes its "A" game more up the lane and better in the heavier oil concentration. It's stronger front of the lane read made for a milder backend, so it made more sense for me to try to keep the ball in front of me more for the best results. The Pros of this ball was how well, it read the midlane and continued through the pins. It did not burn out as much as a typical big solid asymmetrical ball. It actually felt a little cleaner than expected. The issues I had was when I got a little faster with my ball speed. The smoother nature of the backend did not allow it to read the lane properly if I overthrew the ball often resulting in a 2-4-5 leave or similar. When I stayed nice and soft at release, the ball had no issues continuing and struck pretty much every shot that hit the pocket. Like most high-end balls, I was able to get about 1.5 games before I needed to clear the fronts better. Ultimately at the end of 2 games, the ball had to be put away due to being too early.
On the 42ft sport pattern, I saw a lot of similar characteristics as the house pattern but with better continuation. The Harsh Reality definitely preferred straighter angles on the lane for best carry percentage, but I was able to open the lane up a little more than the house pattern during the first transition period. The ball reminded me of a stronger and more responsive urethane like ball motion.
Ideally, the Harsh Reality would be best used on fresh lane conditions or a ball up from a urethane ball such as the Zen U or IQ 78U that provides similar motion. Using more surface on the ball can provide and early and smoother motion even more while shining up the coverstock can give a cleaner and slightly more angular motion. Best bowlers to use this ball could be a tournament bowler, a more speed dominant bowler or one with a low rev rate for heavier oil conditions.
