Pearl bowling balls outsell everything on the market every year. Most league bowlers get sold on that hockey stick style motion, and some of them know how to actually use it. That has led to manufacturers releasing a whole bunch of pearl options, some of which are great, and some that kind of stink. But if you’re one of those folks looking for that ball to go to when you have to get in and swing the ball, you don’t want to waste your money on a dud of a pearl option.
SO, if you’re ready to add another shiny option to your arsenal, here’s what I believe are the 5 best pearl bowling ball options to start off 2024.
1. iQ Tour Ruby Powered by the symmetrical C3 centripetal control core and wrapped in the tried and true R2S pearl cover, this one is essentially a re-release of the original iQ tour pearl which was released in 2012, but clearly has seen some updates with this new option. It’s the weakest of the 5 pieces on our list, but don’t let that fool you. This one is great in all different parts of the lane and across pretty much every throwing style in the game. Those that have seen struggles with it are most often a simple surface adjustment away from liking it. If you are looking for a reliable and easy to go to pearl option, its hard to beat this symmetrical option from Storm.
2. Trouble Maker Pearl The troublemaker pearl is a strong, symmetrical option that has a unique and powerful shape. Even though it’s shiny, it’s best used when there’s a higher volume of oil and you can keep your angles in front of you as the core rolls heavy off the spot and through the pins. The closest comparison to it on the market today would be the roto grip duo, but I think it’s actually better than that one as even though its strong and forward off the spot, it’s continuation through the pins was better than the duo. Bowlers of many styles would appreciate adding the troublemaker pearl to their arsenal, but those with lower tilt in their game are sure to love it as it balances standing up off the spot with blending out the midlane really well, and suits that specific roll in a fantastic way.
3. Motiv Crimson Jackal If you ask me, this is the first really good shiny jackal which is surprising as it’s been a very successful line for Motiv, but the gold and mythic jackals as well as the jackal flash didn’t perform all that well. With this all new Crimson Jackal though, gone are the days of woe for their premier line as this one is great all over the lane and on a variety of conditions. Even though it is asymmetric, the Crimson does great from the deep inside part of the lane by blending out the hook spot, but still continuing through the pins. Many shiny asyms simply can’t do both, so having that level of control and power from the top tier of Motiv means this would be a great addition to almost any arsenal.
4. Violent Collision The performance of the Violent Collision from DV8 is undeniable, and as the strongest overall piece on this list, it does an amazing job in many different parts of the lane. It can be played up the gutter and from inside 5th arrow and pretty much anywhere in between as long as you know how to use it best. It’s not exceptionally clean through the front part of the lane, so you either have to be willing to move inside or be able to spin it through the front to see sustained performance out of it, but if you can do that, there’s pretty much no limit to what this ball can do. Bowlers with a lot of axis rotation would really appreciate adding this one to their arsenal as it is able to translate their side roll into a very usable shape off the spot and through the pins.
5. Attention star It does a great job of combining all the characteristics I like to see out of a pearl asym in being clean through the fronts, torquey in the midlane and continuous off the spot. Many bowling balls today are designed with this same intent, but this one from Roto Grip has the best blend in my opinion. Rev dominant and low rev players alike will appreciate adding this one to their arsenal, but those with a higher ball speed will take a very good liking to this one as even though it’s quite clean, it doesn’t like to blow past the spot so long as you’re in the right part of the lane. The Attention star handles surface changes well, but the box finish with a simple strong layout will be great for bowlers of all skill levels.
Comments will be approved before showing up.
