Hello everyone,
Visually, I was excited about the Source. It's simple and very Gamebreaker-esque. It doesn't draw much attention on the rack like some other balls out there, but many people in the DFW area are talking about it after they've seen it on the lane or thrown it themselves.
My go-to pearl for a long time has been the Innovate, but that ball excels for me more when I have to move right (I am left-handed) and generate a little more arc. The Source allows me to play a little straighter.
We drilled this one 70 x 4.5 x 40 with no extra hole. Out of the box, it definitely made it down the lane and was very angular on the backend. As with other balls that come with the Factory Finish, I needed to make some adjustments and break the polish before it fit my game, since the reaction was inconsistent. I generally throw the ball pretty hard.
Initially, I hit the cover with 4000 Abralon just to break the shine a little. The length still was good, but the backend reaction was a little smoother and more predictable. I liked what I saw, but tried some other things.
My second experiment was with 3000 Abralon. This took away some of the skid in the front and tamed the backend some more, but I felt like it was taking away from the benefits of the pearl cover.
Finally, I decided on 1000 Abralon with some water, followed by some Magic Shine on top. The ball made it through the heads nicely, as it did right out of the box, but the little bit of extra traction under the polish was nice, especially with my higher ball speed. Putting some of the shine back on it was great on the downlane friction.
With a little less skid in the front, and good angle on the back, this ball fits nicely into the arsenal. If I want to stay left, but need a more length than I'd get with the Champion, the Source it the right choice.
This year, my focus has been on experimenting more with cover changes as well as trying to build a complete five-ball arsenal with balls and drillings that clearly complement each other and make the decisions much easier during competition. I definitely feel like the current Ebonite product line, along with a knowledgeable ball driller, have made this happen.
If you're looking for some length in your game and unmatched angle down the lane, the Source is the right choice.