[rant mode on}

I guess I'm getting tired of them. At first I thought, "What an excellent alternative: the control of a solid and the breakpoint power of a pearl!" Well, some worked that way and others didn't. OK, fine; not all experiments are always a success.

But then, when I went to look at their websites, in order to see which ball was a solid, which a pearl, which a combination, especially with Columbia and Track, I found I had no idea which ball was supposed to be which solid, pearl or combo. I learned some keys and thought I had the solution. Fine, they make good balls; I can live with this.

Then, my Slate Blue Gargoyle had to go in for modifications: plugging thumb for pitch and span changes. So, I need a temp for a couple of weeks. (Driller is 70 minutes one way and his hours and mine are not so compatible.) I always wanted to try the Columbia Trooper; it has a higher RG than the Slate Blue so I wouldn't have to put the pin way above the fingers to get length. Both are "SUPPOSED" to be pearl urethanes: I use it for spares and for dry lanes. So I pick one up cheap from Buddies. I get it and GUESS WHAT???
 
It's a freaking solid/pearl combination, YET AGAIN!

The website does not seem to say or imply this. I've always gotten the idea it was pearlized urethane. It's purple solid and gold pearl. Not the faintest trace of the least bit of mica for pearlization in the purple WHATSOEVER. Damned urethanes are so hard to get a good polish on anyway. I polish and polish and polish some more. Now, the ball is not bad as a spare ball; it hooks a little less than the Slate Blue. I haven't tried it as a strike ball because I haven't needed to do that. All told, it's not a terrible substitute, BUT THAT'S NOT THE POINT!

I am extremely annoyed because I felt I've been mislead. I HATE THAT.

A manufacturer's website is supposed to inform, not mislead potential buyers.

{rant mode off. Thanks for listening.}