About the Ball: 15 lbs, 3 1/2” pin from center of gravity, 3 1/2" x 3" (close to stacked leverage), pin just right of ring finger, CG right and down from grip centerline (thumb positive quadrant), shallow weight hole at positive axis point, static weights: 3/4 oz side,1/4 oz thumb, 1 1/2 oz top weight. Prior to drilling: 15 lbs 2 oz, 3 7/8 oz top weight. Durometer: 75 ‘D’ scale hardness on surface (no mill hole). Medium load Traction Diamond particle solid coverstock, Radius of Gyration: 2.559 (same as Black Pearl and Black Pearl Reactive), Differential RG: 0.055 (same as Black Pearl and Black Pearl Reactive).
My Black Diamond was drilled by Joe at Impact Bowling in Sun City, Arizona.
Characteristics with out-of-the-box factory polish: Not quite skid-flip but excellent length with a strong move at the break point. This is an excellent benchmark ball for me and is first out of the bag on fresh conditions, medium to medium-heavy oil.
In charting my games with the Black Diamond: 79% pocket strikes, 72% in the pocket, 59% strikes. In comparison, over my most recent 453 games with all balls used: 72% pocket strikes, 72% in the pocket, 55% strikes. In other words, I hit the pocket at close to the same rate as I’m accustomed but with better pocket carry. Average with all balls over my most recent 453 games, league and tournament: 211. Average with the Black Diamond, 37 games, league and tournament: 216. To date, the Black Diamond is my best out-of-the-box ball. Highly recommended!
09/28/2009 Update: 300 game tonight with the Black Diamond. This ball continues to excel on medium/heavy to heavy oil. Low maintenance so far. I wipe it off between frames with a micro-fiber cloth and clean it with Lane Masters cleaner and micro-fiber cloth after each set. Hit it with a white pad (1,000-grit) occasionally and the BD continues to act and react like new.
Edited on 1/1/2011 at 10:32 AM