I just threw the Break Pearl for the first time tonight. I will just say, throwing this ball makes me feel, well, naughty!
I was super impressed with this ball's ability to read the lanes for a pearl- usually for me in the house I bowl, pearl cover + fresh oil = skate city. I normally throw dull equipment on a fresh shot in this house.
I was going back and forth between the Bite and the Break Pearl in practice. Both were reacting very nicely, with the line for the Break Pearl being about 3 and 2 right of the line for the Bite. I could have been successful with either option tonight, but after I threw one last shot with the Break Pearl, I decided I would give it a go.
It has been a long time since I started a night with a pearl ball. Normally the reaction is just too squirty for me and I have to wait until the lanes start to burn a little before I can use anything shiny or pearl. Not tonight- the Break pearl reacts very strong for a pearl, and really didn't compare in hook shape to anything I currently own. I would describe it as a late, strong arc. Not too flippy, but still enough to create plenty of angle.
It took me a while to get used to the unique (for me) hook shape. About the closest thing I have had was my Dirty Bomb, but even it usually had to wait until the second or third game at the earliest.
I was on a 230 pace in the first game until I yanked the first shot of the 10th and left a greek church. I had just finally started to string a few strikes, too (was on a turkey), after a little adjustment period to throwing a pearl on a fresh shot. Opened the 10th for 199- blah.
Second game was just filthy. I was destroying the rack and the Break Pearl gave me the feedback I normally don't get from a pearl to tell me what the lanes were doing. I came in a touch light in the 5th and left a 7 pin, and went sheet for 279.
Last game was a clean 216, with several spares being back row single-pin rape jobs. Left an 8, a 9, and a 10 and two 4 pins, and managed to finish with a 694.
The thing I liked was that when the lanes began to transition in the 3rd game, I could tell that they were starting to burn, but the Break Pearl wouldn't get too jumpy and make me pay full price for not guessing right ahead of the transition. Those were the two 4 pins, on high flush shots that I thought were strikes off my hand. I moved in a couple of boards and resumed pounding the pocket, but that was when the back row decided it had had enough.
Overall this ball is money. Period. Get one, even if you usually don't like shiny stuff like me. There are some big scores in this ball once I become better acquainted with it.
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~SprayNpray
-formerly known as SawFreak
-official house hack
