At 38 feet, and fairly flat, the back ends are going to boom pretty good out of the gate even on ice oil. As with all flatter, medium to shorter patterns the difficulty is much more in managing the transitions than getting lined up initially.
We are playing on the team pattern in my singles league right now, and regardless of equipment anything outside of 8 board at the break point is a total teaser. You may think you have a good look in practice out there, but you wont get to the 3rd frame without a washout.
Turning to equipment, I have tried a Burgundy Hammer at 4000, an IQ tour solid at 2000, a Viral Solid in box condition, a Pitch Blue at 4000, and an old Cobalt Vibe in box condition. My best look was with the Cobalt Vibe playing between 15 and 17 at the arrows and keeping the break point inside 10 board. I also think the Viral with an earlier rolling layout would be effective if I knocked a bit more shine off the ball. I am going to try my Paradox hybrid at 4000 next week along with the Viral after adjusting the surface.
Another thing that seems to transcend equipment choice is getting good projection with decent ball speed. At 17 mph through the heads I had the slowest speed of anybody who had a decent look. Two or three guys shot pretty good last night playing similar angles to me. None were using much surface
