Round Holes No Grips Proshop – Ball Review

Ball:  Rotogrip Idol Pro
Layout 1:  1.5”pin to pap, 1” pin buffer
Surface:  Box Finish
Layout 2:  4.5 pin to pap, 1”pin buffer

Lane Condition:  THS medium volume
Tester:  Andrew
Average:  230
Video Links: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0udhcgk5sE&t=18s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82i7Z4u7PIk

Wow!  The new IDOL PRO is very clean for a solid coverstock.  I wasn’t sure what reaction to expect going from the original Idol and Idol Pearl.  The Idol Pro provides clean length and strong down lane motion.  I drilled two of these to test:

Idol Pro 1:  I drilled this one for a very specific lane condition.  I wanted a ball for higher volume, but short sport patterns.  With a short pin, the ball gets into a roll very quickly and controls the response to friction very well.  I will cut the ball to 500/2000 to smooth it out even more.  But, in my testing, I found the ball to be very smooth, controllable and exactly the motion I’ve been missing for those conditions.

Idol Pro 2:  This one is my boomer.  It forces me pretty deep on our fresh house shot…..deeper than I would prefer to start.  It wouldn’t be my first ball out of the ball but I did bowl a tournament recently where the carrydown made carry difficult for my MVP.  I went straight to this Idol Pro and got back to striking.  I have it 2 and 1 stronger than my MVP. 

Overall, this is a great addition to the lineup.  It complements the Idol and Idol Pro very well.  You could build a nice house shot arsenal with the Idol series!

Youtube/Facebook:  Round Holes No Grips Proshop

Andrew Groves
Rotogrip Advisory Staff

Orientation:  Right Handed
Rev Rate:  375 RPM
Speed:  16-17 MPH
PAP:  4 5/8 straight across

Location:  Enterprise Park Lanes, Springfield MO
Pattern:  High Volume THS
Dual Angle:  5 ¼, 4, 4 5/8

The Idol Pro fits right between the Idol and Idol Pearl.  It’s earlier than the Idol Pearl but more backend than the Idol.  It’s a nice clean solid with some backend.  Great benchmark ball.  I could see using this right out of the gate and even later in a block.  It has a perfect combination of smooth vs strength.  The Idol Pro is a great addition the Idol family!

If you love the Idol series so far, you’re going to love the new Idol Pro. The Idol Pro is designed to fit the gap between the original Idol and the Idol Pearl. The Idol Pro is a solid like the original Idol but cleaner through the front part of the lane and more angular down lane.

This ball fits in perfectly with the first transition league bowlers experience. You may start your league night with your typical benchmark ball such as an Idol. Once you get to a certain point of the night, you’ll start noticing your Idol not reacting as much and leaving those corner pins. The Idol Pro is the next step down and will continue to shape down lane.

This ball handles surface very well and can be use on a variety of different patterns when you need something that gives you a little more shape than your typical bench mark ball but still gives you predictability.

Nate Garcia
PBA Regional Champion

Roto Grip’s HP3 line has been one of the most popular lines in bowling in recent years and this release doesn’t disappoint either. I drilled my Idol Pro just like my original Idol and Idol Pearl, 5 x 5 x 3.  After throwing the Idol Pro from some time I quickly realized why I love throwing these balls so much. Compared to the original Idol the pro gives you the same overall ball shape and motion just a touch weaker because of the cover difference. The Idol Pro is much stronger compared to my Idol Pearl. If anyone liked either of these two bowling balls your not going to want to miss out on this ball !

A new HP3 version of the Idol is here. The original Idol has been a sport shot killer and the Idol Pearl is a house shot killer. However, there was a large gap between the two Idols so Roto-Grip has come up with the Idol-Pro to kind of fill that gap between the two. This ball has the eTrax-S19 cover with the Ikon core with a 2.49 RG with a Diff of .052. For this ball I used my favorite layout which is Pin In The Ring which is 52x4-3/16x59 layout.
This ball is great as a house shot killer. It is smooth enough to blend the pattern out when they start to break down and become over/under. However, it is also great for a first ball out of the bag. The original Idol needed heavy oil to keep from burning up where as the the Idol pearl is better when the lanes are starting to break down.
For me this ball is just a great ball overall, it has the strength to be the first ball out of the bag and also when the lanes start to break down and become over/under is still smooth enough to blend the pattern. Again, being a lefty it does not apply to me that often but it does happen on occasion.
Stephen Foley, Roto-Grip/Storm Pro Shop Staff

ROTO GRIP Idol Pro
Cover: eTrax-19 Solid
Core: IKON
Factory finish: 3000 sheen
Flare: 5" plus
Test condition: Mo Pinel designed house pattern - HPL panels - Flex Machine
By taking the highly proven "ROCK STAR" core the IKON and wrapping it with the eTRAX-19 cover with the first ever Sheen finish on a Roto Grip ball, gave a motion and carry off no other ball I have seen in a good bit from Roto Grip. low RG and High Diff on the IKON core allowed me to play in a "safer" part of the oil pattern and not have to worry about early hook like from the Idol or Evolve with out of the box finish. Very hard hitting in and around the pins, less deflection and would probably roll through the back part of the lane for another 10 feet if it wasn't for the lane curtain in the back. Best ball I have used since my accident in 2018 for league and a few tournaments I have bowled in recently. My "go to" ball all the time now.

BALL / BOWLER SPECS

Layout: 50x4.5.40

Surface: factory

PAP: 4.25R, 1U

Rev Rate: 500rpm

Speed: 20mph off hand

COMMENTS

Roto Grip's new Idol Pro is a bit of a departure - two solids at the same time in the HP3 line? Not to worry though... even though this shares the same line name, it feels somewhat different than the Pearl and very different from the OG. It takes the familar Ikon (2.49 / 0.052) symmetrical core from the rest of the line and pairs it with a new cover (eTrax-S19) and a new-to-Roto surface prep (1500+polish+3000, aka "3000 sheen"). This gives a surprising amount of length for a sanded solid and a big boom downlane that feels both very controlled and very powerful - if you look up "turbocharged Hustle Ink" in the dictionary you'll find this ball in the list of definitions, and that's a very very good thing. The range of situations where this ball could be used were astounding. Anything from playing straighter on fresh house shot to lofting 6th arrow on burnt sport patterns and the Idol Pro got the job done with no muss, no fuss, and plenty of carnage at the pin deck. It also paired very very well with my Storm Phaze 2, with the P2 being a bit more rolly and the Idol Pro creating a bit more downlane response and directional change. The Idol Pro is a hugely fun ball to throw and just flat-out gets the job done.

The Idol Pro is a great complement to the Idol and Idol Pearl.

I love my original Idol on heavier oil and longer patterns. I have found that the Idol Pro is a great transition from the Idol when the original Idol starts to burn up and you need to open up your angles. The Idol Pro gets down the lane cleaner and definitely has more angle down lane.

If you are a fan of either the Original Idol, Idol Pearl or both then you definitely need to add the Idol Pro to your bag.