Ball NPS Score: Not Available
Factory Finish: 800 grit sanded, then polished with Factory Finish Polish,
Trimax Big Wheel reactive resin;
Color: Burgundy mica pearl;
RG Rating (actual): 2.55 (14-16 lbs.);
Differential (actual): .048 (16 lbs.) .055 (15 lbs.) .066 (14 lbs.);
Mass Bias (BOMB): .012;
Flare Potential: high;
Length: scale 1 to 10 (early to late) with factory finish: 6.1;
Back End: scale 1 to 12 (least to most): 12;
Overall Hook: scale 1 to 25 (least to most) dull/shiny: 23 dull/14.5 shiny;
Hook Style: medium length, strong breakpoint and back end hook;
Best Lane Condition: light to medium oil.

Comparing this ball to the MatrixII, it definately covers more boards.  There is a noticeable difference in the back-end reaction as well.  My MatrixIII is layed out in a 5X5 type drilling and produces excellent results on heavier oil.  Unfortunately, I don't run in to that type of condition very often in league, however it will come in handy in tournament play.  Surface preparation is very important to note.  I wet sanded it with 800 even though it came out of the box with a factory shine.  It just seems to go longer down the lane after I sand it myself, it also produces a stronger back-end as well.  This ball also hits noticeably harder than the MatrixI or MatrixII.  Great ball that will always be in my main arsenal.

Just received this ball and got to tell you that this ball makes even me

look good. Drilled this ball with the 41/2 pin to pap ( pin under ring

finger)and bomb at 12:00. This ball gets down the lane with ease and has

all the power you could ever want to make that hard turn back to the pocket.

If you are a tweener like me and have med. ball speed, high track and

average rotation, then this is the type of ball that will help you

open up a lane on a med. to heavy oiled blocked house shot. Not used

to getting messengers like me? Could not believe the messengers I got on the

not so perfect pocket shots. Keep up the good work ebonite.

Ebonite has done a very good job with this ball matching cover to weight block specs, such as core torque, RG, and differential.  This ball uses it's energy in a very strong controlled way.  I think you will see this ball around for a while, the only concern I have about this one is the cover.  I think that like a lot of Ebonite's covers that they work very very well when they are new, but after around 100 games they lose a lot of their characteristics.  I hope i'm wrong, we'll see.

I got this 15lb with a 3 inch pin and top weight of 2 3/4 oz.  I laid this ball out 4X4 (pap is 4-3/4*1/16UP)and took this ball out to try on a typical wall shot that was oiled to 32 ft and buffed to 35 with fresh backends and I was very suprised with the reaction that I got. This ball went forever for me because of my faster ball speed.  When I passed this ball around to a friend who doesn't throw the ball as hard as I do the ball reacted exactly as it was supposed to.(Good Length Hard Flip)  So if you have faster ball speed I would stay away from this ball if not, you will enjoy this ball reaction              

We have had a great deal of success with the entire Matrix series and this ball has continued that trend.

  We used two different layouts for two different styles to gather information for this review.  The first ball was a pin 4 1/2" out and 3 oz top wt.  We left the ball in it's box condition.  This ball was for our best power player who throws 18.5-19 mph.  He was looking for something to go fairly long with a verty sharp break.  We put the pin over teh fingers and the c.g. at 0.  The test lanes were actually tournament conditions at our home house, synthetic lanes oiles 35 ft with clean back ends.  There was a slight build up of oil towards the center of the lane but we don't have a number ot units.  Initilally the  ball reaction was exactly what we were looking for, great length with a sharp reaction and extraordinary carry.  As the lanes transtioned and we tried to move in the ball speed was too fast to maintain the same flip.  It's not legal to scuff the shell of the ball during sanctioned competition so we waited for the next squad to begin.  We wet sanded the shell (with the track) to 400 grit and tested it again.  This shell allowed us to create length in the oil with a strong but slightly less angular back end reaction.  The bowler was still very pleased with the reaction and a few days later shot 299 in the Tuesday All Star Classic League in Detriot.

  The second ball was a 3" pin out with 2.75 top.  We layed this ball out with the 'flip' leverage which we have used so often in the past.  The pin is placed 3 3/8" from the p.a.p. and 1 3/8" from the v.a.l.  The c.g. is placed close to the p.a.p. at 1 1/8"  The extra hole placement varies depending upon how much the ball flares, for this ball the extra hole was 1 1/4" drilled 3" deep and was placed 1 1/2" past the p.a.p.  The shell was wet sanded to 1500 grit and polished to a high gloss using Finesse It.  Our tester for this ball is a stroker with 18-21 revs and 17 mph speed.  While this ball hasn't been used for a 299 (yet) it is still dynamite.  Although the shell was polished, it started it's move earlier than the first ball due to a little less speed and much more flare.  The ball handled most any condition we tested it on.  We did have problems when there wasn't enough oil in the heads or when ther was too mch oil in the back end.

  This is an excellent ball for a wide range of styles and conditions.  This review is being posted in May of 2001 and we have learned that the Matrix series is being discontinued.  We have been extememly happy with all six balls in the series.  If you have the opportunity to purchase one of these balls at a discontinued price so yourself a favor and spend the money.

  If you have any questions regarding this or any other of our reviews, e-mail us at: proshop@bowlero.com

Bowler:lefty, stroker, 0-60 axis rotation depending on shot needed, speed 17-17.5 at arrows,
Ball: 15lb 1oz, 2.5" pin, 3.2 top


I was able to buy this ball on a ebay closeout from bowlingball.com in May. I had it drilled 4.5X4 with the bomb placed in my track.(1p.m. for lefties). Pin was just under my ring finger. Have tried this ball on many different shots, it is my 1st ball out of the bag know. It clears the heads quite nicely with good revs and then goes into a nice heavy roll. It reacts well to adjustments and was able to change hook-shape with different hand positions.
This ball gives good control with a pretty hard back-end. Best conditions for me are med-oily heads with stripped backends especially longer patterns. 38ft+
Would recommend for all mediums. If your a cranker be careful this ball does flare quite a lot. Good luck and Good Bowling to all.

LHT