Pretty much every ball today starts with a reactive resin cover. There can be one or more additives to it to affect the way it reacts. Pearlization (finely ground mica) will stiffen the coverstock, giving less in contact with the lane, and thus giving length and less reaction in oil (pearl reactives are almost always polished, enhancing that). "Solid" means "not pearl".
Particles (glass or silicate beads, except possibly Legends' Diamond particle, I'm not sure what that is) are like studs on snow tires (not an original analogy). They provide more bite in oil and smooth out the reaction off the dry. Heavier loads increase that effect, lighter loads are closer to ordinary reactives. A particle coverstock can be pearl or solid by adding (or not) the pearlization.
In general, for a given coverstock, you have pearl reactives with the most length and backend, then solid reactives and particle pearls (they can be very similar), then solid particles as the earliest and smoothest. Generally. That's also the (very rough) order in oil handling, from least to most.
As far as durability goes, it depends on the manufacturer, the type of particles used, and the oil conditions. Some early particles were soft, hollow glass beads. When they broke apart and wore smooth, the reaction was gone. Resurfacing was tough because sanding tended to wear them down as well. Others were harder, sharper, and more durable, and so they lasted longer. Most particles today are pretty long-lived, and will last almost as long as their non-particle counterparts. Further, pretty much every manufacturer has some kind of "long-lasting" reactive base (Soaker, Activator, M80, Reactor, most Legends/Lanemasters covers), and so durability isn't a major issue. The balls last longer than most people want to throw them (they get new-ball-itis first).
SH
