Hey everybody, I haven't been this excited over a ball in a very long time. That ball is....shocker:
Black Powergroove Particle.
Out of box, I noticed it said Particle and not Proactive like the older models, just thought I'd share that. But while reading up on it I noticed it had the cover to one of the best first generation particles ever, the Navy Quantum. With core specs from the Power Groove line and the cover strength, this could easily sell as a higher mid-premium price ball.
My box specs were 1 1/2" pin, 2.6oz topweight. I'm a little speed dominant(about 17.5 off the hand, 320 RPMS) so I opted for a stronger layout. I went with a 3 1/2" pin to PAP placement with a weighthole on the PAP since the ball has such a high RG. What this ball gives me on a THS is a quick float through the heads with no sign of early burn(I also went 2000 abralon on the cover) and around 35-40ft this baby gets that motor going, revving up extremely strong for a suprisingly angular movement out of a medium load particle ball. My first 2 practice games with it were a less than stellar 208 and 195, but once the lights came on for league play, 248(with the back
, 279(with the first 3, weak 7 pin, sheet), 257(first 5, 4 pin, 9 pin, and a X9/ in the tenth) for a 784 with 2 opens the first game.
I have never been able to use a ball like this an entire league session, especially in the house I was subbing in where transition comes lightning quick and often unpredictable for about 4-5 frames. The Powergroove Particle kept me lined up in the zone while only moving my feet 4 boards left the entire night. There wasn't a single shot that I buried and did not get rewarded from. The way the ball drives through the hole made the corners almost obsolete for me in 2 different centers. The next night out with the ball gave me another consistant 728 set so 8 games in I'm nearly at 245 avg with this ball. I also got to throw about 20-25 shots on the USBC Tournament condition and this ball worked wonders on it from inside 4th arrow. The USBC condition usually plays with the backends flying, but if you're using a cover that is too strong it'll puke and you'll leave washouts. While the cover is very strong on this ball, the combination of the high R.G. gives you that extra push up front while opening up a bigger window at the breakpoint than shiny reactives and low load particles. If I was bowling the USBC this year I would definately advise having something like this in your bag.
The low price of this ball is worth the cover alone and it's definately a different look from any brunswick I've seen. I was just getting turned away from the Big B due to not seeing enough variety in reactions with their present lines, but I think with some serious experimentation with the Groove and BVP series, I might be able to find the few niche reactions with a cover option different than Activator. I just think the groove label and boring color have a few people turned off by it. When the new colorful version comes out at Expo, it should turn some heads and I plan on picking up another. I would advise anyone looking for something a bit different to definately try this ball, or the Groove series with stronger layouts.
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-DP3
Respect the Game
