Got mine last week. It is on the website. Look for Big Time T.J. promo tomorrow.

Yeah seen that last Friday, had heard some rumblings about them bringing back the Big Time Core. I know this was a favorite of TJ's.

Seems like a lot of resurgence of older cores and/or coverstocks with upgrades to match the stuff of today. It seems to me that Ebonite knows people like their older stuff and their is still a market for it.

how does it compare to the GB2?

My understanding gets down the lane farther and just a continous motion, so proabably a step down at least from the GB2. The two staffer I know that have one love the reaction, both say gets thru the heads nice and controlled reaction on back. Now both these guys throw 17 mph and not a lot of revs so ones controlled could be someone else's snap. Might have to get some more hands on them to get a true read..

This season’s menu have given me a lot of options and a nice progression as the lanes change.

On a house shot, I like to start with the Honor, move to the Game Breaker 2 as the lanes tighten up, switch to the Energy Source when I need more length but angle on the backend, and finally, the Salute.

The 500 /1000 Abralon with Power House Factory Finish didn’t need any adjusting.

It gives me a bit more length than the Energy Source and is a little weaker on the back end. This one is drilled 65 x 3 3/8 x 60 with an extra hole.

As I’ve said in other reviews, when I bowl on Sport or PBA oil patterns, I usually prefer to go with smoother surfaces to help manage the reactions better. Oils and patterns tend to hold up longer, so I haven’t had to use the Salute as much at these events, especially with less traffic.

I do see this ball as a likely option at a tournament like the USBC Open Championships, where we bowl six games on the same pair of lanes. By the time we got to the last game of singles in 2014, I needed much more length and controllable amount of backend. The Salute isn’t jerky at all for me at all.

Matt Cannizzaro
Ebonite Regional Staff