This ain't your big brother's Night Hawk Pearl of the late 90s. This baby is back with an updated veener ready to cause some Flashing.........Lights! on the lanes.
This very sharp orb came to me with great specs which I layed out with an "assymetric flip" layout. The pin is 1 1/2" from the VAL and 3 3/4" from the PAP. The Mass Bias angle is 65 degrees for my PAP.
Video Review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jj1d5ZuVwtoRather than giving you a dead on breakdown of what I bowled on and where I threw the ball I think it's much more beneficial for me to use my expertise to tell you the strengths, weaknesses, and conditions where this ball would be a major player for you.
This ball comes at a very high gloss, but what you will notice first upon throwing it, is a great read of the midlane and strong revs in that 30-40ft range which most high gloss pearls will tend to overskid. Combine that with my strong layout and you get some SICK backend recovery that rivals some of the other companies proclaimed backend monsters. On fresh patterns, I can't see a style that will not benefit from the skid/rev/STRONG MOVE read of the Nighthawk Pearl. I'd hate to compare it to another company's ball, but think Black Widow Pearl that is much more readable from the start and less sensitive to transition (but I guess that's a good thing huh?).
This ball is also very responsive of what you do to it at the bottom. Hit up on it, watch it skiiiiid to the breakpoint and unleash a sharp change of direction down the lane for those who love to watch the big wheel. For the guys who want strength with no suprises, exit clean and smooth and watch predictable skid/snap shot after shot with the ability to chase the oil in as it goes away. I would advise stronger layouts with this ball to not only see the full potential of this beast, but to also get a great and versatile read on anything from the 37-41ft THS to the medium length PBA Experience patterns. Don't let the name "Nighthawk Pearl" fool you into thinking this is a direct remake. This ball is much stronger than the original and can bump heads with any top shelf pearl on the market reaction wise. It's very rare that I drill a ball and right out of the box on a condition I haven't thrown it on yet I am automatically comfortable with the read, reaction, and adjustments I need to make just after a few shots. That's an added treat from this ball.
My Video Mini-Review will give you a close of glimpse of what I got out of the ball and hopefully you can take what I got out of it and apply it to your own game with the help of your local professional ball driller.
Video Review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jj1d5ZuVwto--------------------
-DJ Marshall...The Twelve In a Row Pro Shop. Hyattsville, MD
