Let me introduce our new partner Haley’s Pro Shop. A big thank you to Jeff Miller and Ron Hoppe. Don’t forget to check out Haley’s Pro Shop for world class drilling and coaching!

First Impressions
The HB Extreme Pearl is a smooth clean pearl, very easy to throw. It’s almost a baby No Rules Pearl.

Tamer Elbaga (Lefty)
Style: Tweener
RPM: 375 rpm
PAP: 5 & 3/8 up
Average Speed: 18.5 mph (at release)
Axis tilt: low
Axis rotation: medium/high
Test Equipment: 15 Pounds
Layout: 45 x 4.75 x 45

Sean Jensen (Righty)
Style: Power player
RPM: 475 rpm
PAP: 5 1/2 & 1/4 up
Average Speed: 18.5 mph (at release)
Axis tilt: low
Axis rotation: medium
Test Equipment: 14 Pounds
Layout: 60 x 5 x 40

Bryan Hoffman (Righty)
Style: Higher Tilt Stroker
RPM: 280 rpm
PAP: 4 1/4 & 1/8 down
Average Speed: 17.5 mph (at release)
Axis tilt: high
Axis rotation: medium
Test Equipment: 15 Pounds
Layout: 65 x 4.5 x 35
Intent: Medium roll with a slow transition at the breakpoint

“Keep in mind that coverstock accounts for 70% of ball reaction, but the core creates the dynamic shape of the reaction. Your driller will alter the shape to suit your game.”

Test Pattern:
THS: 40ft, 23ml
Sport: 2019 Scorpion 42ft, 30.55 ml, 2.12:1 ratio

Use Case
The Extreme Pearl is going to be pretty versatile. It can be used in lighter to medium volumes where you will see a bit more angle downlane or medium to high where the ball will appear clean but still smooth and controllable from more direct trajectories.

Specs
The 900 Global Honey Badger Extreme Pearl uses the 3-Piece Grapnel Asymmetric Core inside the S74R Pearl Coverstock coverstock.

15 pound = RG of 2.54, diff of .053, mb of .011
14 pound = RG of 2.56, diff of .050, mb of .011
Coverstock finish: 1500 grit polished

Overall
First, this ball has a really long name… Anyway, what do we have. Since I called it a baby No Rules Pearl, you might be able to guess what we have. Our pattern is medium heavy and so I start pretty direct and stay fairly direct. It was very easy to strike. Why? It got downlane without overreacting to outside friction, even while being direct. I start 11 to 8 and I’m really happy there. It’s nice and smooth while still being a pearl. This is a big advantage as that is hard to come by sometimes. I kept edging in slowly but the main thing on this slicker house shot is I have to make parallel moves. I can’t keep making 2 and 1 moves. Opening the angles meant the ball isn’t coming back. There isn’t bounce on this house shot from the outside. I said the same about the Extreme Solid but this was way easier to use for me because the clean cover didn’t force me in to where it can’t make the angle and allowed me to play pretty direct to take advantage of the punch it offers. If you have a drier house shot, you will see more reaction to friction but this makes this ball a pretty versatile piece.

Bryan is next. If you saw the Extreme Solid video, you’ll know how much he enjoyed that one. Well he enjoyed the Extreme Pearl just as much. It’s cleaner and about 2 and 1 weaker. Otherwise, he had an identical look. Meaning he could play direct up the boards. He doesn’t need to belly it and when he can be that direct, he tends to strike a lot because he can get the ball to go through the pins well and he is consistent. The ball is very arcy but this one is maybe a couple of feet longer which gives it a touch more shape at the end of the pattern than the Extreme Solid. Nevertheless Bryan is pointing this ball and so rather than say 10 to 10 where he had + or – a board on either side, this is maybe 9 to 9 or even 9 to 10. This is not the case where the pearl is cleaner and much more angular than the solid version. It’s just a little less ball, plain and simple.

Sport Shot
Coming soon…

Final Thoughts
I called the 900 Global Honey Badger Extreme Pearl a baby No Rules Pearl. Basically it’s a smooth controllable pearl asym. Yes it’s less ball. But for Bryan and I, being able to play more direct really synced up. We didn’t have to open our angles and for our rev rate that helped our carry. And we didn’t have to worry about the pearl being sideways off the end of the pattern. It reacts evenly to what you see so more friction will make it more aggressive incrementally. The bottom line is you’ll want to see some friction but this is the type of motion that tends to give bowlers options on both house and sport shots when matched to the right volume and length.