Got the ECHO drilled up. This ball not only LOOKS great, but the performance is just as good as the looks promise it to be.
My pap is 4 1/8> 1/2^, and I drilled the ECHO 5 X 4 with the pin up (which gives it a smaller VAL angle). Actually ended up with about a 40(VAL angle) X 5(pin to pap) X 60(drilling angle) for those who prefer the dual angle measurements.
The first thing I want to say is CLEAN. This ball is very clean through the fronts, with little sign of checking up early. At the factory finish, which is very bright/shiny, getting the ball through the fronts presented little problem, even when the heads began to dry after a couple of games.
The ECHO, with this longer pin to pap drilling and lower val angle, reads the breakpoint pretty hard. Time after time, I watched it as it smoothly floated through the fronts, yet was still aggressive enough at the breakpoint to not "blow through" it, but read it very well. Ball turned the corner well, and was PLENTY strong off the turn. Several times I was wondering if it would make it back, but that wondering soon came to an end. I found I could trust this ball to continually make the turn AND hit well.
Not many corner pins left with this one. Left 3 tenpins all night, and one was with the ESPIONAGE (which I will also review). Had more messenger strikes than I've had in a while, and the ball seemed to move the pins around low with good mixing action.
All in all, if you are looking for a GREAT looking ball that clears the fronts well, reads the breakpoint on a THS, turns the corner pretty hard, and moves the pins around in a way that seems to help the carry, I believe the ECHO would make a really good addition to anyones arsenal.
