In today’s episode, I’d like to share with you my favorite pearl symmetric balls for this bowling season. This is an interesting and varied group of balls with pretty different ball reactions. Again, this is my personal favorites, my opinion.
Honorable Mentions
The Motiv Rogue Blade is one for me that just sits outside the top 5 but is still a great ball for me. It really reminds me a lot of being Motiv’s Gamebreaker 3. It’s a reliable benchmark type ball with good traction but still good downlane motion.
#5 Ebonite Affinity
The Affinity is a step down type ball when the lanes start to break down. It is not necessarily one where I can open up the angles massively with it but it’s angular enough. It’s pretty close to one of my all-time favorites, the Phenom Pearl. I will say I left that off because it’s been discontinued for a while but the Affinity offers the same cover as the Phenom Pearl with an extremely similar core that just has a higher RG. Bottom line is when the pattern is lighter or broken down and I can still use this ball to go relatively direct, it’s killer.
#4 Roto Grip Wreckem
This is getting into stellar status for me. This is a skid/flip ball down monster. I have it drilled pin down which slows the transition down just enough to make it a touch more usable while still having monster down lane reaction. When the lanes start to breakdown and I want to open up my angles, this is just about the best ball I have or close to best. Super predictable in that it always made the big move.
#3 Roto Grip Winner
If the Wreckem is a skid/flip monster, this is a close second if not tied. This is very similar in usability for me as the Wreckem. They are really close in my opinion. But man the way this ball comes off the spot and drives through the pins for me, I love it. I really enjoy throwing this ball.
#2 Roto Grip Idol Pearl
Are you seeing a theme yet? Roto Grip has its 3rd ball in my top 5. I love this ball. This is not the same type of ball reaction as the Wreckem and Winner. This one is a heavier rolling mid-level ball. It’s clean and gets down lane fairly easily. It starts rolling and then comes off the spot really strong. Compared to the other 2 balls that feel very fast, almost sharp off the end of the pattern, the Idol Pearl feels like it comes on strong. So it’s predictable, doesn’t have to be as right to left for me, but certainly can be. Very versatile and that’s its advantage over the other 2.
#1 Storm Marvel Pearl
Finally we are at my #1. This one gives a master class. For me, Storm/Roto Grip dominate this list and that’s because they have a chemistry in their covers that no one is able to quite replicate. This one is much closer to the Idol Pearl than the Wreckem or Winner. This is the ultimate ball in terms of versatility. I am hard-pressed to find a much more versatile ball period. I can use this ball on so many conditions. It takes to surface changes amazingly well. I can use it on sport or house conditions. The Marvel Pearl is as close to being a unicorn as there is in bowling balls. So much so that it is one of the very, very few balls that I have stashed away.
There you have it, my favorite pearl symmetric balls. These are some really good balls that I very much enjoy. Let me know what YOU think. Thanks for watching. If you like what we do, don’t forget to subscribe and join us on patreon!