Best Ball Comparison

[Aslan]

Atop the Aslan's Top Ten Bowling Ball Hall of Fame are:

1. Hammer Scandal Pearl
2. Radical Reaxx Pearl
3. Brunswick Fortera Exile
4. Brunswick Melee Jab
5. Brunswick Loaded Revolver

What these 5 balls all have in common is they are:
1. Pearl coverstocks
2. RGs of 2.487-2.512 (low to medium/low)

Barring any complete disasters, the Pyramid Force Pearl will probably end up in the top 3-5 when it gets retired. It's primary difference (compared to the current top 5) is that it has a 2.53 RG...which is probably in the medium to high range...well above the other balls.

Comparison (by the numbers):

Melee Jab (16 games from Late 2015 to Early 2016)
Average: 192-198
High Game: 224
Strike %: 41%
First Ball Average: 8.85

Loaded Revolver (94 games from Late 2015 through 2016)
Average: 181-188
High Game: 257
Strike %: 41%
First Ball Average: 8.76

Reaxx Pearl (95 games from Late 2016 to Mid 2017)
Average: 195-202
High Game: 267 (10-28-2016)
7 /, X, X, X, X, X, X, X, X, 8 /9.
Strike %: 48%
First Ball Average: 8.95
This is the only ball, of the six, that is considered my "first ball". That's one of the reasons I used it so often (compared to the others). It was usually the ball I started with...versus finishing with.

Scandal Pearl (63 games from Late 2016 to Mid 2019)
Average: 192-200
High Game: 267 (4-21-2017)
X, X, X, X, X, X, X, X, 9 /, 9 /9.
Strike %: 48%
First Ball Average: 9.00

Fortera Exile (62 games from Late 2019 to Early 2021)
Average: 184-191
High Game: 247
Strike %: 43%
First Ball Average: 8.76

Force Pearl (Early 2021 to present)
Average: 184-190
High Game: 267 (8-10-2021)
8 /, X, X, X, X, X, X, 9 /, X, XX8.
Strike %: 44%
First Ball Average: 8.82

Oddly enough, my highest games (2 x 268s) were shot with an Ebonite Warning Sign and a Storm Optimus Solid...two balls I wouldn't recommend. The Warning Sign had it's moments, but the Optimus Solid was abysmal.

(Analysis to Follow)

[Aslan]

It's likely that I throw these balls well, all with similar ball specs, because that particular spec matches my speed vs. rev dominant release. That is also likely why Rob M and I would see this list so differently. Rob gave me the Melee Jab because he didn't like it at all. He also warned me that the Fortera Exile was not a highly reviewed ball. It 'may' be...and is actually quite likely...that Rob's speed/rev dominance is very much different than mine...and thus, balls that work well for him are not as likely to work well for me (and vice versa).

One could argue that the Melee Jab and Loaded Revolver got a "bum rap" given they were thrown at a time before I received much of my coaching...where I really saw improvements in my game. The same can be said for the Exile and Force Pearl...that were thrown after I no longer had the same access to quality coaching. The Melee Jab and Loaded Revolver pre-date my more systematic approach to arsenal selection and progression...but generally I started with the Lethal Revolver (very close to also making the list) and the Loaded Revolver was the 3rd ball I'd throw...after lanes had broken down.

The data also illustrates how good the Force Pearl has been. It's the only Pyramid ball I've ever owned. Most of the balls are Brunswick/Radical...with a Hammer thrown in for good measure. When I bought the Pyramid ball, I didn't know what I'd think of it. Many bowlers and PSOs seem to "look down" on the Pyramid products. But, the results have been tremendous. The Force Pearl, more than any other on the list, is visually dominant. Other bowlers see that ball motion on the lane and are taken back by it.

Then there's the "confidence factor"...a self-fullfilling mind game we play with ourselves. When I got out the Scandal Pearl and Force Pearl...I just "felt" like I was going do well. I was more confident and that confidence translated into higher scoring on better shots.

[Aslan]

Sometimes, it's helpful to also look at the balls that didn't work out very well.

At the BOTTOM of Aslan's Top Bowling Ball Hall of Fame rankings are:

24. Columbia300 Encounter
23. Rotogrip Asylum
22. Rotogrip Defiant Edge
21. Track 300A

Comparison (by the numbers):

Track 300A (20 games from Late 2016 to Mid 2017)
Average: 176-183
High Game: 244
Strike %: 38%
First Ball Average: 8.65

Rotogrip Defiant Edge (9 games in late 2016)
Average: 167-178
High Game: 196
Strike %: 37%
First Ball Average: 8.65

Rotogrip Asylum (25 games from Late 2015 to Early 2016)
Average: 179-186
High Game: 235
Strike %: 41%
First Ball Average: 8.76

Columbia300 Encounter (59 games from Late 2014 to Late 2016)
Average: 163-170
High Game: 224
Strike %: 32%
First Ball Average: 8.36

There weren't any across the board similarities in these balls that would indicate there is some type of spec I should avoid. Given both Rotogrip balls I've throw ended up in the bottom 4 does take Rotogrip off my ball selection list.

The Track300A had a very high RG. You could almost throw it as a spare ball. I tried to use it for drier conditions, but those only tended to occur late into tournaments and I didn't count tournament data (only league). I tend to shy away from high RG balls as my ball speed is usually too high to take advantage of them. That being said, the only other super-high-RG ball I've thrown was the Brunswick Slingshot...and that ball was far better and cheaper than the 300A.

I had high hopes for the Defiant Edge. I know a lot of other bowlers had good luck with it. It just never did anything for me. This ball had similar specs to the Thug Life and Aura Mystic...yet wasn't close to the performance. I ended up giving it away.

The Rotogrip Asylum I won on BBoards.com. It also has similar specs to other balls I've thrown better (Ebonite Innovate, Ebonite Warning Sign, Hammer Rhythm)...but it never performed for me. I ended up giving it away.

I will give the Columbia300 Encounter a little bit of a pass...in that I threw this ball just after I started bowling, and before I ever got quality coaching. So, I wouldn't expect big numbers. But, it was an abysmal ball. Unpredictable and hit like a wet noodle.