I'm hesitant to post a review on this ball after only one evening of trying it out, but I do have some interesting comparative data about it that some readers might find interesting, so here goes.
I got the Depth Charge to be part of a one-two punch with my Diesel Particle Pearl--my most frequently used ball. Both are very low RG, high differential particle pearls--a type of ball that I like. I had them drilled the same, with a drilling that I use with success on a variety of conditions. I did this so that I could use surface adjustments to set them up differently for the lane conditions, and so they wouldn't end up acting like the same ball.
The drilling is pin under ring finger, which for me is 4 inches from PAP. The CG is swung out so that the MB ends up 1 inch inside my VAL. This is the same drilling as the Diesel Particle Pearl. Both balls have about a 2 inch pin. Because the Depth Charge came with slightly higher top weight, it needed a weight hole, something I was able to avoid with the Diesel. I had the smallest weight hole drilled so that I would have the option of enlarging it if I wanted it for reaction purposes. The weight hole is on VAL, about 3-4 inches below PAP and is 5/8" in diameter and about 2 inches deep--a pretty small weight hole.
To get the closest idea possible how the two balls compared, I did the same surface prep on the Depth Charge that I do on my Diesel. That prep is to do all six sides of the ball with Ebonite Powerhouse Quicksand for a 1200 finish. After that, I go over the entire ball lightly with a 50-50 mix of Renew-It and Hook-It. The Renew-It portion of that mix adds a little shine, so the ball ends up somewhere between 1200 and 1500, but closer to 1200. The Depth Charge ended up noticeably duller than the 1500 finish it comes with out of the box.
I did a fresh prep on the Diesel so that both balls ended up freshly prepped and looked exactly the same in terms of dullness/shine.
I went to my "home" center before my last night of league on Friday in time to practice 4 games. This is a wood house with brickyard heads and a THS with oil from 10 to 10 and dry outside that except for a quickly developing OB near the breakpoint. Oil length (I'm told) is 41 feet, which seems about right. The amount of oil here is usually squarely in the medium range and deteriorates to light pretty fast, especially in the heads where it disappears into the gaps between the boards.
I threw the Diesel for about 6 frames to get lined up see what the more familiar ball would do. Unfortunately, the lanes were even drier than usual and I had to start off as far left as I usually end up near the end of the night. Conditions were such that I would typically not even be using my Diesel, but I figured that what I was mostly after was a comparison between these two balls. I found a usable line with the Diesel, and finally I pulled out the Depth Charge and tried it on the same line.
The Diesel is all about mid-lane control, and starts to rev up and turn a bit even in the mid-lane before making a strong, but controlled arc to the pocket. The Depth Charge skidded well past the point where the Diesel started it's move, and finally made as violent a move to the pocket as I have ever seen on a ball thrown by me.
I should note here that I tend to like mid-lane control, and more of an arc move to the pocket, so I tend to avoid balls that are reputed to be flippy. For that reason, it shouldn't necessarily be construed that this is a flippy ball by anyone else's standards, but the suddeness of it's direction change sure surprised ME!
After about a game-and-a-half, it was clear that the Depth Charge--even with the surface duller than out-of-the-box--has no trouble getting down lane even on a lane condition that was well on the lighter side of medium. This ball saves all of it's energy for the back. I was actually quite surprised at the difference between the two balls. The Depth Charge was giving me more angle into the pocket than I've ever gotten before. This was not necessarily a good thing. I left some of the so-called "designer spares" that I usually don't see except for when they are left by the anchor man on my Friday team--a cranker.
The back ends of the lanes, which are typically okay but not usually crispy dry, were drier than usual. I got the impression that the Depth Charge might benefit from a bit of carrydown to tame the violence of it's move, but I didn't have the luxury of being able to test that idea.
I had some time left, so I decided to test the Depth Charge against my Inferno. The Inferno has it's pin north-east of the ring finger, about a leverage (3 3/8) location. It's CG is swung well out and it has a substantial weight hole on VAL in thumb positive quadrant. The Inferno is at a 2000 surface, polished. Compared to the Depth Charge, the Inferno revved up at about the same place, and began it's turn actually a bit sooner, but had nowhere near the backend move of the Depth Charge. Compared to the Depth Charge, the Inferno looked like a "control" ball. If I didn't know better, I would have guessed the Inferno was the particle pearl and the Depth Charge the pearl resin. I've never gotten such a sharp move out of any kind of particle ball, or any other kind of ball for that matter.
When league started, it was quickly obvious that none of the aforementioned balls would suit, and I used my Sling Blade most of the night. I even tried my Sonic X Solid, but the lanes weren't quite that dry.
I hope to post an updated review of the Depth Charge in the future. These initial results left me a bit confused. I hope this review is of some use to any of it's readers, but bear in mind that this was one test run, and it was on a condition clearly not optimal for this ball. It is safe to say, however, that the Depth Charge will get down the lane with plenty of energy left for the back. Early burn will not be a problem for this ball. If you were thinking of getting one and putting a "length" drilling into it, I'd consider waiting until you have the opportunity to see it in action on the conditions you plan to bowl on, and perhaps seeking out some reputable advice.
Shiv
P.S. Note to anyone who checks my other reviews: My Diesel Particle review is for the solid. I never posted a review for the Diesel Particle Pearl because by the time it became my favorite ball it was out of production.
--------------------
Forever let us hold our banner high
