LANE CONDITION

Length:  Kegel Bourbon Street, Stone Street, High Street

Volume:  Medium

Type:  Modified THS


Diva Pearl drilled 45x4x45 (pin 1 o'clock from my ring finger) as a step down from my Terror with the identical layout which just matches up perfectly at my home centre for the first 2 games of league.  I cut the surface down to 3000 to match the Terror and am impressed at how well the balls complimented each other.  The Diva Pearl is longer through the front, but gets into a nice roll in the middle of the lane with a strong hard arcing move on the backend. 
I have used the Diva Pearl on fresh lanes and had no problem hitting the pocket, but my carry was a bit suspect.  The ball was pushing a little too long down the lane, and a bit sharp in the back.  For optimal carry on fresh lanes I recommend trying the original Diva which will grip the midlane a little harder and be a couple boards stronger.  Once the lanes begin to dry out, reach into your bag and grab the Diva Pearl which will clear the heads much easier while also providing a little more pop in the backend.  This ball offers an above average response to friction that can easily be manipulated with hand position changes and blends the lane out very well after a couple games of play.
In comparison, the Dude is a little cleaner through the front with a softer move off the back of the pattern.  I like the Dude for camping in the track and staying parallel, while the Diva Pearl gives me the option of having a ball that I can manipulate with my hand as I chase the oil left. 


COMMENTS

Likes:  A pinch earlier than my Dude but flares more and gives me a little more angle to move left to open up the lane as the shot breaks down.  This is a ball that is wonderful for chasing the shot towards centre of the lane during the middle of a block.

Dislikes:   Squeeky clean back ends and heavy oil.  But for that I have pin down, stronger balls like my Diva and Ruckus Feud.


PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS

The color scheme for the new Diva Pearl is definitely one that will grab attention. The bright neon pink and silver mix look great on the shelf and going down the lane, and the performance reflects that.

I drilled mine 70 by 4 3/4 x 40. I wanted this ball to be a compliment to my Dude in terms of reaction shape. When I am throwing my Dude, which is my benchmark ball, and I start to see some weak 10s creeping up on me, i can pull out the Diva Pearl and the ball will save enough energy to make a big move in the back to kick out the corners.

On a second shift house pattern, this ball is going to be the ticket. It will get through the choppy fronts from all the traffic, and drive through the pins like none other.

When the lanes are fresh, the super-clean cover on the Diva Pearl can almost be too clean. This is why I suggest using this ball on medium-lower volume patterns. To use on a fresher lane condition, I recommend breaking the shine with a 2000 Abralon pad, and this will make the ball pick up fast enough, yet still maintain the strong backend.

I agree the color scheme is really on point with this ball. It will grab anyone's attention on the other side of the house. I really enjoyed the diva but when the lanes started to get alittle crisp I had nothig to switch to before, until now. I drilled this ball with the pin over my ring finger stacked. This ball has all the length you want out of it but she is gonna turn on you when she needs to. She is so clean through the front part of the lane and she looks like she is gonna hook up,but she goes alittle further and turns up and just punishes the pins. I personally like the shape that this ball creates. If you want to play straight go ahead,you want to see a 5 board swing have at it, get even deeper she is gonna peel off the spot. This is a very versatile ball. And will not leave you disappointed. This would most likely be your first ball out of your bag it's that good. The diva line just got that much better.

DV8 Diva Pearl
Bowler stats:
Right Hand
Avg 300 rev rate
Ball speed: 17 mph at breakpoint from CATS program at Kegel Training Center
PAP: 4 5/16 RT, 7/16 up
Axis Rotation: 5-20 degrees
Axis Tilt: 0-20 degrees

DV8 Diva Pearl 40x3x70 Pin Under
P3 Motion Hole
OOB Surface

Ball Comparison:
Marauder Madness 35x3.25x80 Pin under P3 Motion hole (500, 2000 Surface)

LANE CONDITONS

#1: Typical House Shot for 5-man League (41ft), Oil: Kegel Defense
Note: On this house pattern, the oil has a tendency to carry down during league play.
On fresh oil I begin the night with my Marauder Madness playing my target 8 board @ 17ft with my breakpoint around 5 board @ 42 ft. It gives me a good look early in the night with small moves left (1-0 left, 2-1 left) but during the night the carry down makes the Madness go a little longer than I like. I drilled the Diva Pearl to get a similar ball motion because I wanted something to complement the Madness. Throwing it for the first time in league I did not know what to expect out of the Dive Pearl. After a couple of shots I ended up moving another 1 and 1 left from where my Madness would not finished, pulled my break point about 2 feet towards me and found the reaction I was looking for. Ball was very clean thru the heads and because the oil had been pushed down a bit I found a small fraction area for the Diva Pearl to make its move. With the drilling it made more of angular movement towards the pocket with plenty of energy to get excellent carry rather than the skip flip it was intended to do. With the backend reaction the ball produced, I was able to play the rest of the night (roughly about a game and half) in the area of the lane I like to play. continuous motion thru the pins and carry, it is a ball I recommend for people that want to open up the lane especially for low rev rate bowlers.

#2: Typical House Shot for Friday Morning 3-man Senior League (42ft) ), Oil: Kegel Ice:
Because of the difference in lane oil and maintenance I played the Diva Pearl around more up the boards because of the cleaner backend, I starting around 8 board @ 17ft with my breakpoint around 5 board @ 42 ft. The Diva Pearl got thru the heads and maintained its energy down lane. When the ball cleared the pattern, even with clean back ends, it maintained it angular motion thru the pocket with excellent carry. As the morning continued and the lanes experienced a breakout, I made moves of 1 and 0 left, 2 and 1 left and finally a 1 and 1 left to keep the ball in the same breakpoint area and continued to get great ball motion to the pocket and still have carry. 

Compared to my Marauder Madness with similar layout this ball is about 2 boards stronger, compliments the Madness very well, as it gets thru the heads cleaner with a better backend reaction, especially on the carry down condition, and yet still keeps it energy for pin carry.
Compared to the original Diva which reads the lanes a little earlier (about 2-3 feet), this ball and layout go a little longer down the lane but still moves very well to the pocket.

I believe the Diva Pearl can not only compliment the original Dive but the Marauder Madness as well if you have confidence with your drilling layouts being similar on both balls.

This is another great ball from DV8.

Mike DeVore
Senior PBA Regional Member

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer and not of Brunswick Corporation.

Bowler style:
   Rev rate: 280-300
   Speed: 16-16.5 mph
   PAP: 5" right, 1/4" up

Layout:
   80 x 4 x 25
  X hole: n/a

Surface:
   Out of box

Comments:
   I love this ball! It doesn't even see the first 40 feet of the lane for me. The additive package on this ball is the same as the genius, LT48 and it is amazing, the way the ball just glides right through the first part of the lane.
  This layout with this cover stock for me produces superior length with controlled backend, it misses the beginning but doesn't jump off the spot at the end for me, which is a huge benefit because I can keep the entry angle I need through the pins without leaving the flat ten pins.
  This ball is a must when completing an arsenal. Even with the great length this ball works well on oil as well. I used this on the 2013 open championship team pattern and the ball was a great choice after practice was over, it allowed me to not have to move to deep too quickly.