The SR300 in a nutshell
Long and snappy ball with unique reactionSurprisingly easy to control for a pearl ball (IS it a pearl ball?)Coverstock seems to be stronger than core's potentialBest suited for fresh medium conditions/THSHigh RG pushes ball well down the lane, but it needs head oil to be handy
Why this ball?
I chose the SR 300 to (hopefully) fill a gap in my 1st choice arsenal for the upcoming season 2006/7 that had been filled by several 2nd or 3rd drill balls before, e. g. a Hammer Vicious Attack, a Trauma and an Eraser Particle Pearl by Storm. The idea was to have a single ball to go between my MoRich Shock & Awe and Sahara, with control and good length when the Shock & Awe would start burning up in the mid lane but still with too much oil for the Sahara to work properly.
I was looking for more length through the ball's design, so I thought a solid reactive ball with a higher RG to retain more energy on late lanes would do the job. From current balls on the market, the SR 300 from Ebonite’s new Gold Performance Series with an RG of 2.58 (for 15 lbs.), a differential of only 0.038 and a low asym. RG diff. of just 0.009, plus the GB 10.7 coverstock from The One, looked like a promising base.
Brunswick’s BVP Nemesis/Wizard with a sheen surface was also a potential option, but since the BVP core never worked well for me in trials, I rejected this option. Additionally, I was (and am) impressed by the Scalien core with the added flip nuggets in the late Xcel balls. Since the SR 300 bears a derivate, I felt positive about this ball’s potential. My good experience so far with Ebonite balls and other users’ comments about its length and back end qualities ensured my decision (without having seen a SR 300 actually thrown, though).
About me:
Style = Stroker/mild Tweener, right-handed
Speed = 14-14,5 mph
PAP = 5" & 7/8"^
Axis tilt = 18,7°
Revs = 250-300 RPM at release
For more details, check out my profile, please.
The ball and its setup:
I got my SR 300 directly from the US through a private import opportunity and had it drilled by Michael Kraemer in Duisburg, Germany. Again, credits and many thanks for drilling support and expertise, as well as to Florian Streppel for his additional service.
My biggest surprise came when I opened the box: the SR 300 is a pearl ball, even though the material is not of the typical shiny, translucent pearl type. Its surface has a rather opaque, mother-of-pearl appearance – and only in the green and blue resin, the black material is (or appears) solid.
From the catalogue pictures as well as from the official ball description, one would never know or guess that this was a pearl ball? Here, Ebonite could IMHO improve information for the customers’ sake – I thought it was a pure solid, just like The One (since the ball is advertised as having "the same" coverstock).
But back to the setup: My SR 300 specimen is 15 lbs. 4 ounces, with 3 ounces top weight before drilling. Pin distance is 2¾”, the CG kicked out ½" towards PAP from the line between pin and MB marker.
With the slight extra length to expect through the pearl additives, higher RG and medium RG differential, the pin was set lower than on my low RG stuff. With the top weight and CG shift to the right, the least complicated position was to simply drill out the pin and place it “in” the ring finger hole, 4½” from my PAP. To take out some nervousness at the breakpoint, the mild MB was not positioned purely stacked, rather at about 80° from PAP, ending up at 2” in a 4 o'clock position from the thumb hole and 3” from PAP.
Due to the CG shift to the right, the CG ended up 1½“ towards PAP from grip center. A 3” deep and 1” wide x-hole was necessary to make the ball legal, placed in the PAP area.
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===o=*=====
===========
======#==x=
===========
====O======
=======+===
* = Pin (in ring finger hole position)
# = CG
+ = MB marker
x = X-Hole above PAP
Actual drilled ball picture
Silicone oval finger inserts and a urethane thumb slug completed the drilling job (all black, looks great). Surface remained OOB: 4.000 grit Abralon, which yields and almost glossy surface without polish and promotes length through the heads without being as nervous as a polished ball when it hits dry ground.
The testing program:
35' long, 6:1 ratio gutter-to-gutter crown pattern:
Knippis Bowling Palace in Oberhausen with a new, 2005 Brunswick AnvilLane surface, and the shot still fresh - even though I guess that the pattern was rather short, somewhere between 32-35' only. Oil was also light, only a total of 14 units.
I tried the SR 300 on the same occasion as my new Slate Blue Gargoyle, but as my first ball out of the bag. My initial attempt was a line across 13th board at the arrows and my right shoe tip on 26th board. But I immediately recognized that the SR 300 would move well once it hit dry ground. So I moved ever deeper, and ended up with a surprisingly deep line standing at 33rd board and playing a wide belly shot across 16th board at the arrows as my target, and still hitting well. Whoa!
The SR 300 was all back end! On the short but fresh lane it moved almost as much as my Shock & Awe, with a similar sharp breakpoint on the 7th board at about 40' down the lane. But it would rev up late(r) and dive into the pocket with emphasis. This was much more overall reaction than I expected, and my first result with it here was a nice 210 Clean Game.
On the fresh shot I recognized quickly that the GB 10.7 coverstock sucks oil very well - after only 3 games I had to switch to a milder ball because I felt that the original line would start to break away. Any oil on the ball surface disappeared quickly, too, so wiping the ball directly after it came out of the ball return was a must.
38' medium to medium-heavy shot, buffed to 40-42', 1994 Brunswick AnvilLane:
My club house and frequent venue for training with a 1994 Brunswick synth surface. Current main oil is 22 units, mostly flat between 12th and 27th board, with a 3 board wide, sharp oil edge when fresh and a buffed outside zone which does not yield much grip close in the gutter proximity. Also has a grippy, clean back end when fresh.
On a fresh shot I found the SR 300 to be most handy while playing in/through the buffed zone - aiming at 13th board at the arrows and standing at 26th board with my right shoe tip, the ball would go very long (45' I guess) and then snap back into the pocket with a short, dedicated and controllable hook. Carry was very good, lots of messengers crossing the deck and wiping out any leftover resistance 
I also tried a deeper shot here (across 3rd arrow), but as long as the ball would go through the higher oil volume in the lane's middle area it would not recover well and its entry angle became too shallow for my game to be effective.
In late games the ball was not that convincing, too. The GB 10.7 coverstock, even as a pearl, has OOB a LOT of grip to offer. More than I expected or asked for! I tried it when the oil was ridden down after a total of 20+ games by mutliple players and lines in training and this was not the ball's home ground. Even though it got through the heads well due to its high RG, the strong coverstock gripped as soon as it hit dry ground and left the ball a bit powerless in the back end. It wanted to rev up, but it seemed to have some brakes on.
Fresh 36' medium crown pattern:
...on 2004 Qubica synth surface, at Treff Bowling in Duisburg. I am not sure about the exact pattern specs, I guess it had some kind of Xmas tree shape beyond the arrows while the heads were oiled from gutter to gutter. Again, I had most success playing across 13th board at the arrows - deeper shots would not recover well. Closer to the gutter I had the ball move in much too early, probably due to the shorter oil.
Despite several attempts I did not get the good and consistent ball reaction as in previous tests. I had a lot of 2-8-10 leaves (3 or 4 in 2 games). So far, this was the only occasion when I felt that the SR 300 would suffer from over/under reactions, scratching the good impression I had so far with this ball. Could have been carrydown, since I pulled out the SR 300 after having made 3 games with my Shock & Awe on a deeper line (Across 3rd arrow) and the SR 300 line crossed the S&A path in the midlane.
Some conclusions:
The SR 300 lived up to my mixed expectations very well. Overall, I rate it very high, and I really like the ball's performance, especially on fresh lanes. I give it a 8.5 out of 10 rating, because it is useable on a wide range of conditions and lines - even though it has a clear limit on the dry and oily side of the lane condition spectrum.
The SR 300 goes very long and is all back end. It goes even longer than my Sahara! With the high RG, it has a lot of energy left when it hits the dry.
But even though you get it far down the lane without problems, the strong coverstock sets limits. You definitively need some head oil for the SR 300. You can battle it down with force and speed, and in this "disciple" it works recognizably better than lower RG balls. But at least some medium oil and 35' of it are IMHO necessary to have fun with the SR 300 and to exploit its great back end potential. Maybe some polish can improve its usability on less/short oil? I'll have try.
The SR300 has a sharp breakpoint, but it is surprisingly easy to control as long as you have enough oil in the lane's front end. So far, it has not been jumpy for me on any condition I tried it, just a little erratic on what I think was carrydown, and long oil is also not a good company for the OOB surface and the high RG core.
I haven't tried a coarser finish yet, but I am in doubt if the ball is suitable for more than medium conditions at all? As long as the backend is clean, the SR 300 will turn the corner. Just bag it when you feel that carrydown occurs or the oil is too thin. A sheen/matte surface will surely tame down the break point - but this ball is not an oil roller.
Overall, the SR 300 is IMHO anything an ambitious league bowler who does not face extreme conditions might ask for. It is OOB best suited for medium conditions with a clean back end, and a great THS choice, even on lighter patterns as long as they are fresh.
Lane utility for tested ball (pattern length vs. oil volume):
|S M L
|h e o
|o d n
|r . g
|t
_______
|0 + +| Light volume
|X X X| Medium volume
|X + 0| Heavy volume
Legend:
X = Best suited with effective control & carry
+ = Fairly suited (works, somehow, but lacks control)
0 = Unsuited (ineffective, either slips or burns up)
The chart concept is borrowed from Storm's 2003 print catalogue. Surface prep and drillings may change the results, it is just personal experience with my style and the reviewed ball
Among the current balls from the major manufacturers the SR 300 appears to me to be a quite unique offer, combining a high end, state-of-the-art coverstock with a medium RG, a medium-low MB asymmetrical core and a medium-low differential. Overall a nice ball concept. Sad thing that came into my mind is that the SR 300 might be (like its "cousin" the No Limit) a bit overshadowed by the One series?
Crankers will love this ball, because you can put revs on it which will be stored well and delivered late. With some polish, the SR 300 should be a tremendous high rev ball on medium to medium-dry conditions. Strokers with lower speeds like me will also benefit from this ball because it saves energy so well and is very stable in the back end. It could also be a good ball choice for down-and-in players - I had most success so far with a straighter shot between 2nd and 3rd arrow instead of bellying it across the lane and back into the pocket.
The SR 300 in action:
8MB video of the SR 300
This is a newly edited version of a formerly posted video, including additional sequences shot from the gutter when the ball had white markers next to the holes. I hope one can tell what the ball is doing, despite my lofting tendency, low resolution and lighting...
Finally... the looks:
A gem. Yes! The SR 300 is a very pretty ball. For some players only performance might count, but the nice and even blend of slightly pearlized green and blue GB 10.7 material with the high contrast opaque black “blotches” are worth an extra notification. IMHO, Ebonite has a very good hand for designing flashy balls in recent times. If there is something to quibble about, it is IMHO the unimaginative name and logo… those could have been taken from a pharmaceutical product? “SR 300”, what is this supposed to mean? A dietary supplement?
Addendum 02/08/07:
With ongoing experience with this ball, I decided to give it a first surface change. The OOB finish was still lasting (very few nicks so far), but I found the 4.000 grit OOB surface to be too aggressive for the later games I wanted to use this ball for, it read the midlane area too early and burnt out.
Judging the coverstock's strength, it was OOB too close to my Shock & Awe which is supposed to be the next stronger pearl ball in my bag.
To find more length and move it "away" from the S&A I wet sanded the ball to 1.000 grit (grey 3M pad) in a 1st step, then hit it with a 2.000 grit Abralon pad from 4 sides and finally applied Brunswick High Gloss polish on 4 sides. By the way, I also re-painted the very narrow engravings (light blue for new looks
) in the course of the surface change because they easily catch and hold dirt.
After some tests in January and February 2007 on light/short and medium patterns, I think I made the right decision. On a short 30' pattern with my former OOB line, the polished ball left stone 10 pins in a row - a sign that the entry angle had changed. As a consequence, I have to line up 1 or 2 boards closer to the gutter now, because the SR300 will now go about 4-5' longer before it breaks. It has become much more suitable for medium to light oil. On oil, the ball slips now almost helplessly, but that's not the condition I wanted this new setup for.
With the polish, the breakpoint shape has become even more dramatic: "SNAP" is the right word, a short, hard and dry move. Carry is also (still) phenomenal, you can really see and hear how well the higher RG core saves energy for the back end. Besides, what's really surprising me is the consistency the SR300 still has, despite the glossy finish. I was expecting some spasmic reactions, but, no, not at all. Sure, it needs some dry boards to cling to. But once it gets hold, it moves very predictably. I guess it is the strong coverstock that grabs well, and the polish reduces the simple need for oil in the heads to an appropriate minimum for late games.
Sweet ball! So - if your SR300 appears to burn up: use some high grit base surface and add polish. It is worth a try!
Addendum July 07:
Finally, I sold my SR300. Not because it was a bad ball, but it had been simply too strong for what I originally wanted it for. The GB10.7 was/is very grippy (no sign of ball death), and I am happy to hear that the piece is now successfully wrecking pins in the southern parts of Germany, adn that my above impressions have been confirmed by the new owner who really likes it for its length and pop at the breakpoint. 
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DizzyFugu - Reporting from Germany
Team "X" website & more about me: http://web.mac.com/timlinked/iWeb/X/Thomas.html
"The Future's So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades" - Pat MacDonald
Edited on 26.09.2011 at 7:32 AM