Again, I know I'm late to the party with this. I know there's been some comments on the look of this ball. I actually like the look people would change thier mind about it if they actually saw how it destroys the rack. But I digress.
As with a couple of other balls that I bought around the same time, I had a problem with the ring finger size on this ball, which caused inconsistencies in my release. I took the ball into the pro shop yesterday to get it fixed and now the release consistency is much greater and I can give some real impressions on the ball.
The Perfect Rival attempts to get the midlane read more like the original Rival and the backend more like the Arch Rival. In terms of comparing it to the others in the series, it really falls between the Rival and Arch Rival in terms of length and backend reaction. This particular Perfect Rival has a shorter pin (2 - 2.5") and is laid out with the #4 (Length / Backend) drill on the drill sheet. This ball definitely is earlier than my Arch Rival, which actually has an OTL layout and it definitely has more backend than the original. My take on it so far is that it's a really good ball for league shots, or any shot where there's oil left of the break point. The surface prep is still OOB, which is where it seems to roll best. I've had some pretty big games with this ball already and now that I can get out of it more consistently, I expect to get alot more. I'll post a review on this ball when I've had a chance to throw it on some tougher oil patterns and in some different houses. The jury is still out on this one, but I like what I see so far.
