Ball Review Exotic Gem
RG: 2.47 Dif: .053 PSA: 0.016 Cover: MicroTrax Pearl Cover Reacta Gloss Finish
PAP 5 3/8 over 1 5/16 UP, Medium/Ball Speed Rev Rate 255-300 Layout: 4 x 4 x 2

The New Exotic Gem is here. This is the newest asymmetrical pearl in the Roto Grip lineup. The Exotic Gem is strong in the mid lane and early. Due to the pearl cover it’s not as early as the original Gem but earlier than the other asymmetrical in the SPI family. It has a strong down lane motion with strong continuation through the pins. The Exotic Gem reminds me a lot of the Altered Reality in its motion. The Gem is a bit more rollie and angular on the backend. This will be a ball you can play straighter with and move in if you need to and know the ball is going to finish strong. I went pin down on this ball I will drill one pin up and see the difference. The Exotic Gem will be a good choice for those looking for a strong asymmetrically pearl that can fit most play styles. Good Luck and Good Scoring!

Exotic Gem Review by Luke Rosdahl

The Exotic Gem is the latest release in Roto Grip’s HP4 line, and it’s a pearl version of the Gem.  It has the same incredibly strong Defiant LRG core boasting a 2.47 RG, a .053 diff, and a .016 intermediate diff in 15 pounds, and while pearl and hybrid versions of balls in the HP3 and HP4 lines usually get the medium strength and responsive eTrax coverstock, the Exotic gets exotic by featuring the MicroTrax Pearl cover which is the first time it’s been used on a ball stateside.  This makes the Exotic one of the strongest pearl balls on the market, if not THE strongest, and the combination of traction, shape, and torque results in a ball you have to throw to believe. 

I used a 4 ¾ x 3 ½ x 3 ½ layout on it, threw it both with the out of box Reacta Gloss surface and took it to 3000 by hand.  I’m left handed, 17mph speed, and 375 revs, and what I experienced was simply a cleaner and sharper version of the original Gem.  That core creates an unmistakable reaction on the lanes, which is heavy rolling, strong, continuous, and relentless.  The Exotic is a perfect step down from the original Gem, or with a little surface could be the strongest ball in your bag. 

Cover: MICROTRAXâ„¢ Pearl
Core: DEFIANTâ„¢ LRG
Finish: Reacta Gloss
RG: 2.50
Diff: 0.052
Int. Diff: .015

Right-Handed Tweener
Speed: 12-13 mph
Rev Rate: 315
PAP: 4 7/8 Right 3/8 Up

Ball Layout: Pin over Ring 4 1/4 X 4 1/4 X 1 7/8 VLS
                                      50 X 4 1/4 X 30 Dual Angle

The new HP4 release from Roto Grip adds a strong Pearl to the line. The Exotic Gem features the same Defiant LRG core that made the Gem the strongest ball on the market. To move that power into the back part of the lanes they wrapped it with the Pearl Microtrax cover. The combination of Pearl Additive and Nano technology gives this ball a pretty big footprint in the back of the lane.

I tested the Exotic Gem on a fresh house pattern. The league pattern in my home center has high volume and is 43 feet long. This makes it one of the heaviest patterns i've bowled on when fresh. The reason for the copious amount of oil applied here is a lane surface with a lot of early friction. As a result the lane break down most nights is for the front of the lane to open up pretty quickly while the back ends can remain tight much longer, particularly if you're sharing the lane with anyone who throws equipment which pushes the oil down-lane.

My first few shots with the Exotic gem in practice were a bit surprising as I expected it to be jumpy on the fresh pattern. Most shiny balls are really over/under as our pattern is not only long and high volume but also very cliffed. The Exotic gem was suprisingly controlled down-lane. I was able to stick with it the entire first game. It is  still not the ball I would normally choose in that spot simply because of the length of the pattern, I prefer balls which are earlier on the fresh. The exotic Gem is definitely strong enough to use there though, and in a house with less oil out to start i could see it being a great first ball out of the bag.

I really liked what I saw when I moved left with the transition. The exotic gem looked great for me when opening the angle up. It has been much rounder down-lane than I anticipated which smooths the over/under out when throwing it left to right. It still has the teeth to read the spot but using the excessive friction outside the controlled down-lane shape prevents leaving those ugly pin combinations on small misses that I sometimes see with the balls with are very quick off the friction.

This ball works pretty well for rev challenged bowlers to play closer to the friction. It makes an exceptional transition piece off of the original Gem for the same reason. In short there's something of value to every style of bowler in having this ball in their bag.