“Favorite Benchmark”
A middle of the road benchmark ball from 900 Global.

Drilling

Won’t spend much time on drilling as this will vary and coverstock is 75% of the reaction. I was looking for a smooth, strong rolling reaction. As usual, I suggest to work with your local pro to find what best works for you.

First Impressions
A lot of people asked me if this is a Urethane ball! It most certainly is not!
First impressions was that this ball is extremely smooth, yet strong. It came 2000 abralon Out of Box and that was pretty aggressive for a medium or medium light shot. It felt like you couldn’t push this ball past the breakpoint. It won’t be the favorite ball for those who like to see huge side to side motion. That’s not because it can’t but because it really isn’t meant for that. The rest of us will like this ball very much. I could see this ball being a benchmark ball, telling you when you need more or less.

Price 9/10
This is an affordable ball, sitting in 900 Global’s mid-price line with the Long Shot. That’s very good for a ball that is a benchmark, which has a chance to be pulled out of the bag on any given night.

Core
Symmetric core, a very even and strong rolling reaction. It is not a flippy core at all so don’t expect that kind of reaction. With an RG of 2.486, it is an early revving core. It has a medium differential at .040 which contributes to it’s smoothness.

Cover 8/10
The Favorite has a cover called the S57 reactive. For those not familiar with 900 Global rankings, that’s middle of the road. Their most aggressive cover is an S73 and weakest is S40. They intended the S57 to be middle of the road strength. It comes in 2000 abralon out of box. I would say this is a pretty aggressive ball on Medium or Medium-Light conditions. The ball gives the same read all the time. I had to give it a polish to get a few feet more length on this condition. Then the ball really shined. I also tried extender polish, which makes you move farther outside. That made a huge difference in reaction. The ball went very long, but the core doesn’t like to flip so the backend reaction became very mild. Like many of today’s equipment, it is pretty versatile, but you just have to experiment to understand the reaction you get when changing surfaces. This is a very smooth ball, much smoother than most reactive resin balls on the market. So more length doesn’t necessarily equate to more flip on the backend for this ball.

Reaction 9/10
I have to say I really liked the smoothness of this ball. The biggest thing I noticed was what happened when it hit the “wall”. My usual house is pretty dry outside the 10 board. Most of the equipment I’ve tested noses up if I get out there. The only ball that doesn’t is the Storm Natural. Now, there is a strong reactive that doesn’t nose up! This is a very interesting and unique characteristic for a strong ball. The core has a smoothing affect on the overall ball motion and the cover reads the dry more slowly than typical reactive resin balls. The two combine to make for a complimentary affect on overall ball motion. So rather than doing everything I can to stay away from the “wall”, I can ride the oil line, not fearing the ball will overreact if I miss to the outside.
That kind of forgiveness enables this ball to be a benchmark. You’ll see from the video that it can cover many boards if you choose, but you can also line up going up the boards and get a nice smooth reaction. If it wasn’t a solid black color, many more people would be looking at it. However, I feel like the black cover matches what you would expect from the reaction.
It is a pretty strong ball at the pins and like many balls, when played correctly, it will carry all day. I have to say the light swishers demonstrated how much energy is transferred at the pins. Phenomenal carry on light shots, when you are throwing more up the boards. If you attack the lanes from deep, misses to the outside will not carry well because it will bleed too much energy.

Overall 8.5/10
This is a control ball that many will consider a Favorite after all. You can adjust the cover to the condition you will be bowling on, but regardless of what you do to the cover, the ball will roll very smooth. Smooth, early rolling core and a cover that reacts slowly to dry makes for an extremely readable ball reaction. This ball can easily be a benchmark ball. If you are looking for a big swing, say more than 15 to 8, this is not the ball you are looking for. However, you can be deep with it. You just have to make sure to keep your angles closed a bit more. However, missing outside on a swing will not be good for carry. You can still swing it with forgiveness, just not like a typical skid/flip ball. If you cover less boards, you will really like this ball. It is very forgiving and you can ride the oil line. From there, misses to the inside will hold and misses to the outside will come back, both with fantastic carry. In the video you will see me playing 15 to 8. When I miss to 5 or 6, the ball doesn’t have enough energy to come back. However, I have tested the ball using a more direct line and was even more successful. I will post a second video soon.

Consider this for your Control or Benchmark ball!
I’ve said this about the Storm Furious earlier and you will see in the video the identical lines that I was able to play with both balls.

For a full review and Digitrax analysis, visit my Tamer Bowling Video Ball Reviews. COMING SOON!