BALL SPECS
Pin Length: 3.5-4
Starting Top Weight: 2 3/4
Ball Weight: 15.2
DRILL PATTERN
Pin to PAP: 4"
CG to PAP: 4"
X Hole (if there is one):
BOWLER STYLE
Rev Rate:325+
Ball Speed: 15+
PAP/Track: High track .5" left of fingers .75" left of thumb PAP 4 1/4 right by 5/8 up
SURFACE PREP
BALL is OOB
Volume:Medium
Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc):THS on Brunswick Pro AnviLane
BALL REACTION
Length: 7.5/10 Early for a pearl...but not too early
Back End: 7/10 Really strong, not snappy but VERY Strong
Overall Hook: 8/10 Way more than expected. Those with heavy hands plan on moving in.
Midlane Read: For a med high RG core the ball seemed to read or pick up the midlane well.
Breakpoint Shape: For my style I would characterize the reaction as length with strong move. Higher ball speeds and more revs will get a skid/snap look. Slower with less revs will actually see more hook due the balls under rated ability to read friction.
COMMENTS
Likes: I love the colors. League nights it's easy to spot it on the rack and the name garners all kinds of questions. When you come out shooting 265 the first game with it the heckling stops and guys starting asking what it is and where they can get one.
Billed as a piece directed for women I think they will find it hard to control with strong layouts. This is due primarily to the overall strength of the ball going with a weaker layout will make the Jewel much more playable for them.
As it goes for the men, set your ego aside and enjoy the wide range of playability that this piece offers. I consider myself a power-tweener and the Jewel allowed me to get in and wheel it if I wanted or play close to the oil line. Both angles provided adequate angle to the pocket with above average carry. I have a couple other balls in the line up that seemed to "hit harder" but it doesn't matter when how hard it hit's when all ten pins end up in the pit over and over.
I was really surprised at how much ball was there. I don't usually like to throw polished pearls due to excessive length and erratic break points but the Jewel left no question. I think what surprised me the most was that it just kept hooking!
Dislikes: HOOK! I was kind of looking for a ball that I could just play a small swing shot up the boards with. Oh no. Too much ball here. The more the pattern opened up the more the ball hooked. It reads friction really well. The biggest problem with that is the more open the back end of the lane got I had to keep moving further left and I got to a point where I felt the ball would continue to carry. My angles where getting so wide that it wasn't making sense to chance giving scores away to just see a ball hook from coast to coast.
Final Comments:
One of the better balls on the market. Driller friendly, strong core and cover. I also LOVE the color scheme. If it was called something other than a Jewel more men would be throwing it.
Edited on 11/5/2011 at 9:19 AM
