About me:
Right handed. 16lb. Power tweener. About 17mph. Higher rev rate. PAP: 5.25” level. Exacticated thumb (slug) and oval grips.
Layout/Finish:
Couldn’t get too creative. This particular ball has about a 2” pin and 3.2 oz of top weight. The pin is almost directly underneath the ring finger with the CG kicked out (for you dual angle folks, it’s about 40x4.25x60). We didn’t need a weight hole to make it legal; it was right at 1oz of positive after drilling, but we put one about an inch below the PAP. It now has about a 1/2 ounce. Box finish.
On the lane:
This ball is strong off the break point, but still controllable. The length is slightly longer than average, and the mid-lane read is average. It pretty much rolls exactly like what I imagined a Hybrid Particle would roll like (this is my first), but cleaner thru the front. This ball gets into a roll quickly at the end of the pattern, in part due to the layout, but it does not overreact. It’s also very versatile. On medium to medium-heavy, it rolls and carries great from farther right (right of 12), and when it dries out I can move in with this ball (left of 20) and it still rolls and carries great. A lot of balls do one or the other well, this one does both for me.
The Judgement for me is very forgiving, at least on the THSs I have thrown it on. It still rolls over and drives thru the pins when I miss left and it pushes long… and the recovery when missing right is surprising. The only time I’ve noticed any loss in hitting power from this ball is in carry down (but then again, what ball doesn’t?). I’ve read other reviews that say adding some surface or taking down the polish will help with carry down, but it rolls so good otherwise that I hate to mess with it, and it’s nothing a tweak in wrist position or entry angle won’t fix.
So far the box finish has been great on medium conditions. Even with the polish, it still hooks quite a bit on heavier volume and longer patterns, so long as there is at least a little friction to the outside or at the end of the pattern. I’ve read that surface will help it chew thru oil, but again, it rolls so good for me out of the box I don’t want to mess with it. However, if you’re looking for an oil chewing hook monster, you may not get that with the box finish with the Judgement… its preferred niche so far has been medium. (Keep in mind, I have hand and like to stay in the puddle in the middle. If you like to play closer to the oil line and bump the dry, you’ll probably see a lot more reaction quicker than I do)
Dislikes:
I have 2 minor dislikes about this ball, neither of which are a big deal. The first is actually a good thing. The ball does exactly what you tell it to do. It’s very predictable and very controllable. It’s very forgiving with area, but it rolls however you release it. It hasn't been the kind of ball that will make a bad release look good, but so long as it comes off your hand close to the way you intended, it’s very forgiving area-wise. The second; since it is strong off the break point, it sometimes appears that it is burning up and rolling out. However, the ball does not lose hitting power like you would typically see in a ball that burned up too early (like when you force an aggressive ball on a very dry lane). This ball clears the heads well and reads strong but doesn’t overreact, so it still has a lot of energy left when it makes its strong move at the end of the pattern. What you get is a ball that sometimes looks like it rolled out but hits like it didn’t.
Summary:
I would definitely recommend this ball to anyone looking for a benchmark, versatile, medium-but-still-strong performance ball. This ball should be good for any type of player on a lot of different patterns and conditions.
Michael York
Lord Field / Lane Masters
Amateur Staff (A1)
www.lordfield.comwww.lane-masters.comwww.lfbowling.com"Changing Bowling, One Bowler At A Time"
