I probably own the mother of all pro-pin balls: A Paradigm with an 11.5-inch pin measured from the CG. It's been the star attraction of The Gathering now for a couple of years. (g)
I also have a "normal" Paradigm. Both balls are drilled with the pin over the bridge or ring and the MB at 4 o'clock from the thumb hole about an inch down. Both have weight holes in roughly the same place (thumb-positive quadrant down the VAL) although the one in the pro-pin ball is bigger so as to make the ball statically legal.
Do these balls roll the same? Not even close.
The normal Paradigm rolls like most of the reviews say it should -- i.e., typical Storm long and strong, saving a lot for the backend, and producing great carry.
The pro-pin Paradigm is done hooking before it can even get out of the mids. You can easily see the difference with the naked eye as the ball migrates from one axis to the other. It has very little backend, but is a monster in the mids and gives me a weapon in my arsenal that I can't get out of any standard ball.
For that reason, my pro-pin ball is limited in the lines it can play, but I seem to be able to play those lines across a wider range of conditions. I was going up 5 on Shark with this ball when most everyone else was still trying to play the pattern the way it was "supposed" to be played (i.e, deep inside). But when I go to a THS, my scoring potential doesn't really go up that much, because I can't really take advantage of a wall.
Verdict: Pro-pin balls definitely have their uses, and mine goes with me to every tournament I play. But they don't necessarily roll the same. Despite the fact that I have two balls with almost identical pin-to-PAP distances, surface preps and weight holes, they have two completely different looks. That either means the CG placement makes a difference, the ball is mismarked, or there's something else going on no one has figured out yet. Whatever you ascribe it to, it means you're getting kind of a grab bag when you buy pro-pin. You might get something that works or you might get a turd.
Jess
