The Idol Goes Pro…
First Impressions
This is the solid Idol we’ve been waiting for. Cleaner then the original Idol while shaping closer to the Idol Pearl.
Our Testers:
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: 14 Pounds
Layout: 65 x 5 x 40
Intent: Medium/long roll with a medium transition at the breakpoint
Jeremy Hilbert (Righty)
Style: cranker
RPM: 440 rpm
PAP: 4 & 3/4 up
Average Speed: 19.5 mph (at release)
Axis tilt: high
Axis rotation: medium
Test Equipment: 14 Pounds
Layout: 50 x 4 x 40
Intent: Medium/long roll with a medium transition at the breakpoint
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: 14 Pounds
Layout: 65 x 4.5 x 35
Intent: Medium roll with a slow transition at the breakpoint
Thanks to Jeff Smith and Pure It Bowling for drilling our equipment.
Buy the Roto Grip Idol Pro at PureItBowling.com.
Thanks to Limerick Bowl in Limerick, PA.
“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: KEGEL Abbey Road: 40ft, 24.2 ml, 3.7:1 ratio
Value
B+
The Idol Pro is a benchmark type ball in the relatively affordable HP3 line.
Specs
The Roto Grip Idol Pro uses the Ikon™ Core (Symmetrical) core inside the eTrax-S19™ solid coverstock.
15 pound = RG of 2.49, diff of .052
14 pound = RG of 2.54, diff of .049
Coverstock finish: 3000 grit sheen
Overall
THS: B+
Sport: B+
The Idol Pro is the 3rd “Idol” installment. Right to the point, this is a cleaner solid version. It’s not only cleaner but snappier downlane. The Idol Pro feels like a solid compliment to the Idol Pearl whereas the Idol felt like a completely different ball. I’m not going to say better or worse but they are different. You can still see the hallmark motion of the core which is a low RG rounded core that is definitely capable of generating very continuous motion downlane in the right cover. It’s clear that the eTrax-S19™ allows the ball to get downlane easier than the nano based MicroTrax-S18™ cover. This cover is finished polished and then scuffed to 3000 out of box. This is what I wind up doing with most factory polished balls anyway. This just allows the ball to better match up and also have a really nice what I call boomy shape downlane. I use that term for shapes like the Marvel Pearl, HyRoad, and even more recently the Ripcord. The Idol Pearl is in that category as well. The ball has that smooth but backendy shape. A few times I thought I lost the ball to the outside and it drove back carrying. With its smooth shape you had some reasonable room in as well. So really, this starts to look like a benchmark ball. It gives you room in and out, just not massively in either direction.
Jeremy was next and you can see how silky this ball looks. This is like an amped up IQ Tour. It’s very readable. The ball keeps Jeremy close to the pocket all the time. He’s got more speed and more revs so still matched. He also has more tilt so it shows off a bit of that smoothness. With that, it felt a bit like he had just a bit less miss room than I. Missing out down lane looked pretty soft coming back in. Missing in will not hold but also doesn’t cross over. Overall still had a pretty good look.
Bryan was next and I would say it looked pretty good for him. He got a nice hard arc. It’s a couple of boards weaker than the Pro-Motion but I think that helped immensely when it came to carry. He didn’t have to quite open up the angles as much so whereas the Pro-Motion meant several corner pins and deflection as he moves to get through the fronts without enough energy for backends, that wasn’t nearly as pronounced with the Idol Pro. Long term, that was the same issue with the OG Idol so the Idol Pro should be more usable for him. It also makes you think, if the Idol Pro had the same surface finish, would it roll identically to the Pro-Motion for Bryan?
Sport Shot
We tested on the 40ft Kegel Abbey Road pattern. I was very deep for me going 21 to 6. I really like the shape but with the amount of energy it was storing I had to give it room. At the same time though, it cleared the fronts in a way that didn’t make it puke covering that many boards. So I can see this working with a bit more volume. It’s a shape I trust.
Bryan was somewhat shocked with what he saw. It was so strong downlane he had to take a huge step left to give it more room. It was almost snappy to the point that he compared it to what he would see with a pearl ball on dry lanes. So that falls in line with what I mentioned which is strong backend.
Finally Jeremy saw the same type of reaction. He had to give it room but the Idol Pro really turns the corner so he had to be sure to open it up a bit and trust it.
Final Thoughts
Why did I start with this is the solid Idol we’ve been looking for? Because for Bryan and I, we found the Idol a jack of many trades, master of none. There was rarely a pattern that the nano infused Idol really could score big for us, even while it looked good. The Idol Pro looks to solve the dilemma for us by offering the medium and lower rev bowlers more backend reaction. When the ball helps you generate more angle, carry should increase. So while the shape is still recognizable, this is much more synced to the Idol Pearl. This is truly a reaction that is complimentary to the pearl. As you saw on tour, the Idol Pearl was extremely popular. Now, you can opt for the Idol Pro instead of putting surface on the Idol Pearl. This one looks really good.