i tried out all these new balls today on brand new brunswick proanvilane synthetic lanes. a fill shot had been added to the 40' house pattern but the lanes had not been cleaned and it showed.

i first tried the swarm and noticed how easily the length came from the box finish( 400 wetsand and polished ). my best look came from a down and in shot around the 1st arrow with an end over end roll and medium speed. due to the carrydown and the balls finish it was very over/under. at least the fit of the fingerholes and thumbhole was right on.

next, i tried the copperhead. at 500 abralon this ball was too much for a down and in shot. my best look was a slight swing shot, 11 to 8, with a little side turn and medium speed. carry was the only issue here. this was my best look all day.

i then tried the avalanche pearl. with a 4,000 grit abralon finish plus several coats of rough buff and polish this was clearly the wrong ball for the lane condition i was on. despite this, my best look was to "point the ball" slightly at around the 4th board with slower than average ball speed. easy, easy length, but really bit hard the last few feet on the lane.

and lastly, my t-zone performed exactly as hoped. it went straight as an arrow.....no surprise since it's plastic and had been smoothed even further and received several more coats of polish.

thanks to bill smith for the technical stuff and a great fit.

anyone who has read my posts in the past has heard me describe "lane topography". in short, new synthetic lanes are extremely hard and extremely smooth. when you combine this with plastic ball carrydown from open play it can wreck a desired breakpoint. my main goal was to make sure the balls fit properly----and they did. i think i threw the ball well from a physical standpoint but the desired reaction wasn't there. there will be many more chances.

the copperhead and the swarm( purchased from buddiesproshop.com )cost me $193.90. i paid my pro shop man $60 to drill these balls. i bought the avalanche pearl and the t-zone from my pro shop for $136 and this included the drilling. i had to pay for the thumb slugs for these 4 balls( $28 ). i bought the fingergrips from buddies for $1.50 a piece. my pro shop takes my trade-ins and gives me a "credit" on his ability to sell them as used balls. i had previous credit that paid for all my work done. i gave him a fury, rampage, and a power groove reactive for future credit.

i don't see any major gaps. i still have my trusty brunswick bvp mammoth for oilier lanes. any other lane condition i happen to see will be met with changes in speed, angle, or rotation of axis.