Ball Speed: 18.5 mph
Rev Rate: 400-425 rpm
Axis Tilt: 11 degrees
Axis Rotation: 30-45 degrees
Layout:
50* by 5” by 45*
Purpose:
I really wanted this ball to serve as a more angular counterpart to the Wicked Siege but to be close enough to replace it when the time comes. Although with the same layout, I knew the Nexus Pearl out of the box would be much more responsive and angular off of the spot than the Wicked. Thus, in order to bring the reaction a little closer together, I would scuff with a 4000 grit pad when needed. Also, I know I can always use a 4000 grit pad to help tame the cover ever so slightly for Nationals and other sport shots. Nevertheless, I hoped it could be my ball for when a track area developed and I could be able to move DEEP inside and still get it to come back
On the lanes:
WOW!!! THIS BALL IS FLAT OUT AMAZING! As you can tell by my specs above, with my lower tilt and lower axis rotation, a lot of my scoring problems come from when I have to move in deep yet still send the ball out to the dry. I can make any ball come back to the pocket from such a line but the Nexus Pearl is the best I’ve thrown at turning the corner hard and coming back to the pocket with plenty of authority. It’s the only ball I’ve thrown that seems to only get better the deeper I move in. I’ve thrown this ball for at least 2 dozen games now and I can honestly say that no matter how deep I played and no matter the pattern, I have yet to leave a weak 10 pin with this ball! That’s amazing coming from a guy who has serious carry issues when playing in deep. Not only does it make sure it gets all the way back to the pocket, but I’ve never seen a ball come off my hand from such a deep line and still finish so hard through the back of the pin deck. Yes, I am particularly giddy over the ball reaction my Nexus Pearl gives me! Yet another thing I really love about this ball is that it allows for the exploitation of more area on the lane. Previously, if I used a really strong ball to jump way inside and use the created track from other players, the ball might read the lane before the defined breakpoint, thus defeating the purpose of jumping in for more area. On the same note, if I were to move in and use a ball that gets down lane easily, then the ball will get to the defined breakpoint but might not be able to make it all the way back to the pocket (and might not have enough energy if it did make it back to pocket). The Nexus Pearl is perfect for such and occasion. Even as tougher patterns burn up, I can pull out the Nexus Pearl, jump in deeper, still wheel it out to the breakpoint, and not have to worry about it reading the pattern at the wrong time or not coming back. THAT IS THE NEXUS PEARL’S BREAD AND BUTTER!
When this ball makes its move, nothing can stop it (besides the curtain past the pin deck!). My house shot is only an 8:1 ratio, so you don’t have 20 boards to hit, but you still have a little miss room. I have witnesses that would testify to me playing 4th arrow out to 9, completely missing it at the bottom of the swing, sending wayyyyy wide it out to the 3 board, and it still roaring back to the pocket and slapping the 10 out! I swear that would have been a washout with any other ball on the market today.
I’ll be honest, besides house shots, I haven’t really thrown this ball much on a fresh sport pattern. On such patterns, I prefer to be much straighter throughout the lane for the first game or so. After which, I would use the Nexus Pearl to exploit the track area. So, to me, this ball won’t be the go-to ball on fresh sport patterns, but it’s an absolute must for when they start to burn up. PERFECT FOR THE BURN AT NATIONALS! Fresh House Shot? The Nexus Pearl with decimate it! The other thing I’ll say is that just because this ball has some extra push through the fronts, that doesn’t mean that this is a ball for dry lanes. It still does need some oil. Anything from medium oil and up and it’s golden!
Comparisons:
Overall, I would say that the Nexus Pearl is about 3 boards weaker than the Nexus Solid (with same layout) but that is due to the extra push through the fronts. That being said, the Pearl obviously does have much more backend than the Solid. Both in a strong response and a lot of continuation though the pins. Compared to the Wicked Siege, I would estimate the Nexus Pearl to be 1 board stronger than the Wicked, also with more downlane push and a more angular backend. Side by Side, I have the Nexus Pearl to also be 2-3 boards stronger than the Ulti-Max with even more push through the heads and even faster response to friction. The biggest difference I find is that, on the whole, the Nexus Pearl is more continuous then the Ulti-Max and gets into a heavier roll through the pins.
Conclusion:
JUST GET ONE ALREADY! This ball offers a reaction I’ve never seen before and has given me the ability to exploit the lanes in new ways. House shots and transitioning sport shots have met their match with this ball. If you are going to Nationals, you have to have this ball in your bag for when the track burns up. I already know that mine is going with me to Baton Rouge. This is the ball for you if you are looking for something that you can really move in with and still get to come back with plenty of angle and continuation. I would put this ball up against any ball on the market, but you won’t find a ball that works as well as the Nexus Pearl from deeper inside as the pattern transitions.