SUNNY SKIES, BASEBALL AND SKIMPY CLOTHES… boy, do I love summer! These warm days coincide with next season’s new product lines from our game’s major equipment producers. However, the ball manufacturers took it easy on me this month, supplying only two balls for testing. This normally is not the case because the end of June coincides with Bowl Expo, a once-a-year showcase of the industry players. This month, Ebonite International introduces two new additions to its already impressive lineup of balls. Its first offering is the Bash Black/Red, a control specialist designed to handle light-to-medium oil. The other newbie is a Turquoise/Purple Clash, designed for medium volumes but with a more aggressive move in the last 20 feet compared to its predecessor. Next month’s testing won’t be as easy, though, as early indicators point to about a dozen or more new strike-makers. Thank goodness I’m in peak physical condition (yeah, right!) and the bowling centers are air-conditioned.

Ebonite: Bash Black/Red 45 Hook 16.5 Length 13 Breakpoint Shape
Ebonite Bash Black/Red	Core Design: The modified light bulb core boasts an RG of 2.55 and a conservative Diff rating of .025. Testing showed a max of 3” of track flare with the 3.5 and 4.5” layouts. Our 5.5” pin displayed 2” of flare. This symmetric core is slightly tamer than the core found in the original purple pearl Bash.
	Coverstock: Length is the forté of the Big Bang XL reactive coverstock. The coloring is a unassuming red and black. Factory surface is initially sanded with 4000 abralon, then treated with Ebonite’s Powerhouse factory finish. Response time was slow off friction.
Manufacturer’s Intent: Ed Gallagher says, “The new Bash Black/Red is designed to be the longest performance ball that the Ebonite brand will offer this season. This is a result of using the proven Big Bang XL reactive cover and the modified light bulb shape for the core and lowering the differential. This is a great complement to the Ebonite Performance Product Line.”
Test Results: The Bash played up to its potential on our medium and drier patterns, provided the backends stayed clean. Oil carry-down adversely affected the break-point motion and reduced our pin carry. This was most evident for our medium-rev testers. Higher rev players should not experience this deficiency. The overall lane motion was very reminiscent of the Columbia 300 Power Torque from the mid-’90s. This means lots of control at the break-point, with an ability to play closer to the ball track.
When to Use: The Bash can be used on most medium to lighter oil volumes with reasonably clean backends. I emphasize this latter point because, as carry-down increased during testing, our pin carry headed in the opposite direction. Strangely enough, we had a reasonably good look on the 44-foot medium volume pattern… as long as we stayed square to our target line. Naturally, better hand releases on our part were paramount to see a satisfactory carry percentage. We also felt our best carrying angles were from outside the 15-board on all of our test patterns. In a nutshell, the Bash is a very controllable and effective ball which produces good mixing action at the backends with both release and targeting forgiveness when used on lane conditions with stripped backends.

Ebonite Clash Turquoise/Purple 47 Hook 15.5 Length 14.5 Breakpoint Shape
Ebonite Clash Turquoise/Purple	Core Design: The engine is an asymmetric design with very low mass bias strength — .001. This core has an RG of 2.53 and a Diff of .025. This design produced a maximum of 4” of track flare using our 3.5” and 4.5” layouts, with weight holes located 2” below the PA2, on the VAL. This core design revs later and flares less than the core found in the original blue/yellow Clash.
	Coverstock: The veneer surrounding this edition of the Clash is a modified Phazed Bomber reactive formula. The surface is sanded with 4000 abralon; Ebonite’s powerhouse finish is then applied. Response time was moderate off friction.
Manufacturer’s Intent: “The new Clash Turquoise/Purple is designed to offer great shelf appeal while continuing to exceed bowlers’ expectations on performance,” says Ed Gallagher. “We are continuing to use the strong modified Phazed Bomber reactive cover, while utilizing a [modified] low mass bias asymmetric core. The end result is a ball that looks great and performs great as well.”
Test Results: The Clash was a standout performer on our wood lane surface, conditioned with house and two PBA patterns. On wood lanes, we saw more targeting area and release forgiveness than with any other test ball. Pin carry was also exceptional. I surmise this was due to the earlier friction present on wood compared to most synthetics. Our test results on synthetic surfaces were above average only on our 39-foot and shorter patterns. With the Clash’s factory finish, longer patterns caused too late a read and reduced carry. Sanding the surface with 1000 abralon dramatically improved our reactions on patterns at 40 feet or longer.
When to Use: This ball is recommended for use on fresh house conditions and most 39- foot or shorter patterns for optimal results. On such patterns, the Clash allowed us to swing it and bring it, and maintain excellent carry even as oil carried down and the lanes transitioned. The Clash was too strong off friction to square up with our target lines, although a moderate launch angle was needed to create the correct ball path. The ball motion most reminded me of the old Ebonite Apex Adrenaline, but with a tad more length.

Testing Parameters

We visited the United States Bowling Congress’ Testing and Research Lab once again for this month’s ball work-outs. We have appreciated the cooperation of the USBC in doing this, but don’t yet know what happens when the Test Center moves to Arlington. We bowled on a THS (typical house shot) with a 6-to-1 ratio dressed on an AMF HPL synthetic lane surface. We also tested our skills and our test balls on the USBC Open lane condition on Brunswick’s Anvilane synthetic surface. The pattern played a few boards drier than the actual pattern, but was challenging nonetheless. My test staff included Jeff Kashishian of Menomonee Falls, Wis. He is a power tweener with a 330 rev rate, 16.5 mph, 60 degree axis rotation, 15 axis tilt and a 5” fl at PAP. Jeff is an accomplished player with many local titles and honor scores. Those wishing to see how well Jeff chugs it can view the video online in the “Extended Ball Reviews” area of the Bowlers Journal Web site, where you can also find loads of other interesting information, from a link to Phantom Radio, to the latest tournament news and views.