Speed: 16.8 MPH
Rev Rate: 425
Axis Tilt: 3deg
Axis Rotation 75 deg
PAP: 6" right 1/8 down
Layout: 50 x 5 1/2" x 45 x-Hole on PAP
I got this ball drilled to take the place of two similar balls that I have in my bag. a 6" Pin low Gamebreaker 2 and a 5 1/2" pin high IQ Tour with about 400 games on it. I laid it out like the IQ Tour and knocked off the box finish to 360/500 Factory Finish polish. I added a small 3/4" diameter hole on my axis, 3" deep to stabilize it through the first 30 feet before flaring.
I don't have very many games on this ball, maybe 5 total but I can see where I'm going to get a lot of use out of it. This ball is very clean through the front. Like plastic ball clean, but when it finds friction it picks up a very strong curvy motion. I threw this ball a lot in a house that has old synthetics and a huge bounce from 8 to the gutter. I was able to fire it to the channel as hard as I wanted, and even if I got it there early, with my higher ball speed I was still able to keep control of the pocket. Compared to my IQ Tour with the same layout, this ball flares about 1" less, which makes it much cleaner through the first 35 feet. It's move off the friction it more defined and my carry percentage was significantly higher than the IQ Tour (with 400+ games) was.
I've been dying for a modern ball that I can play direct with with my high degree of rotation and not have it go sideways off the spot. This is going to fit the "2nd shift/late block" spot in my bag without having to go to a pearl or entry level ball. It's the perfect combination of effortless length and predictable curvy motion on the backend. I did amp up the speed a bit to see what I could get away with and this ball did miss the head pin for a few 7 counts. It wasn't giving me a ton of "correction" on my bad shots due to the low flare layout and the hole on my axis keeping the ball stable for so long before breaking tilt. In shots pulled into the oil however, this ball responded very well since the most of my 3 1/2" of flare that I get out of it comes late down the lane. Misses left off my hand were great because it was more of a flare/turnover/set reaction than looking like I was on line to go high flush, then duck hook last second for a 3-6-10. So in that regard, it was more forgiving missing left than missing right. The ball just isn't strong enough to recover on misses wide.
I can see this ball shining on shorter patterns and when you want to stay right of the two handers and guys throwing surface. Scores in practice mean nothing, but I was able to fire off 12 in a row with every shot dead flush and no doubts about the tenpin going out. That's a testament to the ball's consistency through the transition. It's very hard to throw 12 shots close to each other with today's modern aggressive cover balls and not have to move due to it chewing up the oil line you're riding. I really love how clean it is and responsive it is to hand positions. It was the lighter oil option that I was looking for without having to go to urethane or the high RG/strong cover entry level balls.
This ball is very similar to the read of balls like the Hustle Ink, IQ Tour, and Venom Shock. It takes the "bottom spot" in my bag for now underneath my Mako-Lit Pearl-Rhodman Pearl-Rhodman-Gamebreaker 2. It's a very easy reaction to manage. It goes where you throw it, CLEAN, and makes a responsive move that's predictable and not too aggro.
Versatility - 6/10
Overall Hook - 5/10
Hit/Continuation - 10/10
It's the perfect late block transition ball IMO. If you can find a great deal on this, you will not be disappointed. You will never have to fight this ball reaction.
