The Wide World of Modern Coverstocks from the Nu Line Excalibur to the Present – May 2009 – No Holes Barred

WHAT’S THE DEAL with all these different coverstocks available these days? A little history, if you will... By now, most of us have thrown a ball with a reactive type coverstock, since the first was introduced in late 1991 (Nu Line Excalibur). This pioneer ball had a pearlized reactive coverstock with limited friction in oil and lots of friction on dry boards (a skid/flip reaction). When matched up properly, we could strike all day long, as long as the fronts and midlane held up and the backends stayed reasonably clean. Solid reactives (Danger Zone) were the next variation, and they were designed to help combat heavier and longer oil, as well as transitional oil carrydown. When matched up properly, we again could strike all day long. The third type of reactive had the Pro Active or Particle coverstock. It was introduced in 1998 and helped bowlers overcome even heavier oil patterns, while blending out wet/dry conditions. The first particle was produced by Brunswick (Pro Zone and Quantum series). An offshoot of this cover came when the manufacturers decided to introduce a pearl additive to the particle reactive base, providing a bit more length and breakpoint angularity. The latest reactive variation is the hybrid, which offers a blend of solid and pearl coverstocks to provide a reaction between the solid and pearl reactives. The Storm Hy-Road is a good example. This month’s two new entries both tested very well and offer bowlers predictability and power. The Motiv GT-1 is an aggressive pearl reactive which will handle heavier volumes with ease. The Lane Masters Buzz Attack is an all-purpose pearlized particle which excelled on anything we threw at it.
Joe Cerar Jr.
Posted with permission from Luby Publishing Inc.