I drilled up one of each of these on Monday and tested them on a short and long version of our house pattern. They were also used on our normal length house pattern, which had been applied three times since the last stripping and had a good deal of carrydown (hey, it's summertime!) The short pattern was 34', the long was 42', and the house pattern was 40'. The long pattern was applied at twice the volume of our normal house pattern. I can't tell you what the volume ends up being because we use a machine with different density wicks, but the normal house gets nearly every ball through the heads and early mids with ease. All three balls were tested in box condition.
Ok, for the good stuff-
Resurgence: Pin 5.5" from my PAP (over ring), CG basically stacked under in the positive thumb quadrant. Small balance hole (31/32" bit, 2" deep) on my VAL 2" below my PAP.
This ball was best on the long pattern, especially as carry-down started to occur. It reads the midlane so strongly, it really appears to hook before it's out of the buff area of the pattern. With that being said, it doesn't appear to roll out on the backend, and it still has good angularity. It is not close to a skid-flip reaction, but it is a moderately strong breakpoint that allows for continuation through the pins. There were shots where I thought the ball would burn up and plaque a 10, but it snapped most of them out with ease.
The Resurgence was also very good on the medium pattern with LOTS of carrydown. It was strong enough to fight through the carrydown and deliver a predictable roll with impressive power at the pins. It probably hit as hard on this pattern despite having less entry angle because it was conserving more energy at the (longer) breakpoint. It was one continuous arc from the arrows to the pins.
There was no logical reason to throw this ball more than once on the short pattern. Way too much ball! Keep it on long and heavy stuff and you'll love it.
Rival- Pin 4.75" from my PAP (under ring), CG swung slightly right into my positive thumb quadrant, but no need for a balance hole. With statics of 3/4oz side and 3/4oz thumb, a balance hole might be added in the future.
This ball cleared the heads easily on the medium and long patterns. The breakpoint was stronger than the Resurgence on the long pattern, giving it nearly the same amount of total hook since it was hooking less in the first 45' and more in the last 15'. It is definitely more responsive off of friction than the Resurgence, due to the fact that it doesn't exhibit the early roll and raw power of the Resurgence in the buff area of the patterns.
I thought it was better on the medium pattern than the longer. With its more angular breakpoint, it was able to get around the carrydown. The carry power was very impressive on both patterns. I'm thinking of taking it from 4000 down to 2000 to tame the breakpoint slightly. At first impression, it reminded me of one of my favorite balls of all time, the V2 Pearl, but with more overall hook.
As with the Resurgence, there was no pressing need to throw the Rival on the 34' pattern.
Jazz: Pin 4.5" from my PAP (under ring), CG swung slightly to the right, placing it on my horizontal midline. No need for a balance hole, but it will probably get one for use on Cheetah! Statics were 7/8oz side...so there's plenty of room for a hole.
I hope serious bowlers don't overlook this ball. It wasn't an option on the longer pattern, and it was only decent on the medium/carrydown pattern from the track area....but, it was nothing short of amazing on the 34' pattern. My estimated specs (which I'll put in my profile) are 15-16MPH, moderate revs and tilt. The Jazz cleared the heads easily, seemed to go an extra 3-4' after leaving the pattern, and then displayed a strong, nearly skid-flip breakpoint motion that led to incredible entry angle (for me; I'd think Tommy Jones would call it "weak").
Let me repeat: On 34', the Jazz was a monster. If you're looking for something to combat extremely short, or lower-volume, or beat-up wood, this could be THE ball for you. On tons of volume and length, the Resurgence is an extremely good matchup. On med-heavy lengths and volumes, the Rival is excellent. I'm hoping that the Wrath High Flush will fit the bill for a med-light powerhouse. So far, Columbia 300 has the start of a very good arsenal.
Future plans: I have another Resurgence and Rival on the way. Resurgence will be pin-under, Rival pin-over. I'm going to try the Jazz at 2000 abralon on something close to Cheetah.
If there's anything I can help you guys with, feel free to post away or message me. I'll try to get back to you guys as soon as I can, but for the forseeable future, due to the responsibilites of owning a bowling center and restaurant, I will be on at night only (10-11PM Eastern most nights), and there will be nights where I won't be on at all.
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Jeff Voght
Proud member of Columbia 300's Regional Staff
Owner, Iroquois Lanes and Restaurant
PBA Eastern Region Member
