Ball SpecsBlueberry #1:
- 16lbs, 2.7oz top, 4.5inch pin-out
- Surface: 1500 polished
- Layout: 0 x 4.5
- Pin on Positive Axis Point (PAP)
- CG 4.5 inches from PAP, 1/2 above grip center
- Small, deep weight hole 1 inch below PAP on VAL
Blueberry #2
- 15lbs, 3oz top, 4 inch pin-out
- Surface: 1500 polished
- Layout: 5.5x4.5
- Pin 5.5 inches from Positive Axis Point (PAP) above fingers
- Cg 4.5 inches from PAP on grip centerline
- Small, deep weight hole on PAP
OverallExcellent "control" (predictable) ball with above average length and backend, useful for taming over-under conditions on medium-light through medium-heavy conditions. Great for under-over conditions with no carrydown or flying back-ends. Have tested both balls on the average house shot, 42 foot flat pattern, ABC nationals (Reno), and PBA patterns A, B, C, E. One of my all-time favorite pieces of equipment.
Heads: Clean through the heads, even the pin-on-pap layout. On dry heads, the ball may make a slight move around the arrows, but not enough to make it unusable.
Length and backend: Above average for both layouts though the second (5.5x4.5) is slightly (maybe 1-2 feet) longer. The ball makes a nice hard arc to the pocket. Very little skid-flip here. Can handle some carrydown, but not as well as other equipment. Neither ball is prone to roll-out, but will blow through the breakpoint on heavy patterns.
Overall Hook: Slightly above average in total boards covered.
Lines played: Wide spectrum: Straight up 2-3 board all the way in to swinging 25 to 10.
Specific condition notes:
1) House shot - Layout #2 is a monster on your typical house shot with clean back ends...can exploit all of the expected hold and recovery provided by the soft shot. Can handle carrydown on lighter or shorter (under 38 feet) patterns, though heavier carrydown can kill the back-end which is already pretty tame. Layout #1 is great to help control overly strong back-ends or when the "wall" is causing your wide shots to overreact and go to the nose with other equipment.
2) 42 foot flat pattern (BTM Tournament at nationals) - Both balls worked ok with more hand and less speed. The blueberry is not a bad choice here as it doesn't overreact at the end of the oil, exaggerating mistakes (the pattern will do that enough for you!)
3) ABC Nationals (Reno 2004) - Used layout #1 all nine games for a total of 45 strikes, loved the length, reaction, and overall hook. Great reaction on the inside shot, no under-over, odd leaves, or unpredictability.
4) PBA Patterns - For me, these work well on A and ok on E with speed, forget the rest. Of course, other's results would vary based on personal delivery and release.
Note on the layoutsI like both layouts, though I find that I use the first (pin-on-pap) more often. The first layout reads the lane sooner and begins to smoothly arc in the mid lane with a tame (but not rolled-out) backend. It is great for controlling harsh under-over conditions and flying back ends. The second layout has a stronger back-end and covers 5-6 more boards, so it is more adaptable to dealing with carry-down, though it doesn't excel in that area compared to other equipment.
Comparisons to Similar EquipmentStorm Razor Wire - The razor wire moves sooner and a bit more angular, but is likely 2-3 boards weaker than a blueberry with a similar layout and specs.
Hammer Reactive Pearl - Longer and stronger, with a much more angular back end than the Blueberry. Likely 5-6 boards stronger than a blueberry with similar layout and specs.
Ebonite V2 Pearl/V2 Sweet - These balls are similar, but the V2 has a slightly sharper breakpoint, and covers about the same amount of boards. The V2 handles carrydown better.
