Roto Grip Idol Pearl Bowling Ball

Ball Motion Analysis Video: https://youtu.be/HwowrpOSeNw

My name is Doug Cutler and the ball review I am doing is the Idol Pearl. My first Idol pearl drilling is 45 x 4 1/2 x 70 and the surface is a used 3000 pad. This ball is one of my favorite balls in my bag and is one of my benchmark balls. This ball is really clean thru the mid lane and man it has some back end. This ball is great on any THS and any Medium to Oily Lanes. I have really used this ball when my Idol starts to read to early in the mid and start to leave some weak 7 pins. I have shot 2-300 games with this ball already. This ball has really sold well at work and also the PBA tour guys really like this ball also and have seen it on the shows a lot this year. My Idol and Idol Pearl are a great 1-2 and will bring both of these balls for Nationals. My Idol and Idol Pearl are drilled the same. This is a ball you will definitely will need in your bag if it is not already. I love this ball and will get another one pretty soon. #squadRG #ownit #idolpearl Doug Cutler Storm/Roto Grip Staffer PBA Regional Champion

The Idol Pearl is the pearl release in the HP3 line of bowling balls from Roto Grip. The Idol pearl has excellent shelf appeal with the royal/amethyst color combination of the eTrax/18 pearl cover. The pearl uses the same Ikon core as the solid Idol, which has an Rg of 2.49, and a differential of 0.052, in 15lbs. I drilled the Idol pearl with a 4.5" pin, and 2.5" pin buffer. This layout is only slightly different from the 4.25 x 2.5 Son!Q I will use for comparison. Out of the box, the cover on the Idol had a little more bite to the front of the lane, than I would've expected for a 1500 polished pearl. This cover is strong. Keeping my ball speed a little more firm helped the early traction. Once the Idol got to the break point, it made a very strong move and change of direction. Once I got a few games on the ball, that early read seemed to somewhat disappear. In total, out of the box, the Idol pearl was a similar shape, with more board coverage, than the Son!Q; Son!Q's "big brother" so to speak. Giving away the pocket wasn't an issue to have recovery without any quit in reaction. Using the Idol pearl on medium volume house conditions was almost too angular, and too much ball, pushing me deeper than I really wanted to play. I tried adjusting the cover with a 2000 abralon pad, and this seemed to not change the shape all that much, but give me more traction on higher volumes of oil. I like the Idol Pearl. I will admit that for me personally, I will sooner reach for the SonIQ because it has the same shape, but covers fewer boards, and I see more often medium volume patterns, than the heavier volumes that I would want, to keep the Idol Pearl in my comfort zone. I can use the Idol pearl when I need that shape on higher volumes or real slick oils; or on a lane surface that has less built in traction like pro-anvilane. The Idol pearl isn't a control ball in my opinion, but neither was the Idol. My ball roll gives me bigger backend reaction with these balls, compared to what I see from other bowlers using this core shape. Thank you for taking the time to read my review of the Idol Pearl. Own It!

I am a huge fan of the original IDOL so I had to give the pearl a shot, after a few games I knew it was making it in the bag. The IDOL Pearl has such an unique shape that allows you to play more parts of the lanes, it gets into a roll earlier then any other pearl I have thrown and still finishes strong. For me it is an easy to control pearl ball that doesn't get the skid flip that I get from most pearlized balls and I would pull this out on games 4 and 5 on bigger set blocks maybe earlier depending on the patterns when I need to get a little cleaner through the heads, this ball fits in between my IDOL and Marvel Pearl. Its a must have in the bag!!

The Idol Pearl brings a unique ball roll to the Roto Grip lineup - a pearl symmetric that is rolly, yet can still get around the corner when you need to move further left. As is the case for all shiny ball out of the box, I cracked the surface slightly with a 4000 pad, to smooth out the reaction just a bit. What I got was a ball that can be played straighter on fresh, as long as it isn't heavy oil. The rolly nature of the core helps to control the skid flip nature of the cover, and a nice mixture of the 2 is what contributes to the versatile nature of this ball. It is best at home on medium oil, but can cover medium-heavy down to medium-dry. In comparison to the Halo Pearl, which has the same coverstock, the Idol Pearl is cleaner through the front and is a couple boards less hook overall. Starting with the Halo Pearl and then transitioning to the Idol Pearl has been a good move for me when the Halo Pearl starts to hook a bit too early due to the strength of the core. Mike LeViner

I normally tend to roll big asymmetricals much more than symmetricals. Big asyms just tend to roll better for me. That said, with all of the love the Idol Pearl has been getting, I had to punch it up and see where it ranks in my bag. Well, I can say that after 6 games, this ball has moved into my main bag. I've only used it on the THS in two different houses, but it was pretty amazing for those games. It's really clean through the fronts with a defined breakpoint. I think it could be super sharp, depending on the pattern, but with the THS, there's plenty of friction to the right, but it never really tried to jump early, unless I really rolled it badly. Of my league equipment, this one makes the cut. It's a bit stronger than the HyRoadX (with the same layout), a bit weaker than the Physix, but a lateral move from the Code Black. The shape is very similar to the Code Black, but it's a bit quicker off the spot. I see the Idol Pearl getting a lot of play in the up-coming tournament season, and I look forward to rolling it quite a bit.

Weight: 14 lbs. Pin Length: 4 " Drilling: 35 x 3 1/2 x 20 Pattern Length: 40 ft. Pattern Volume: Medium Pattern Type: THS Right Handed The Idol Pearl has the symmetrical Ikon core weight block in the popular HP3 line, wrapped in the eTrax P 18 pearl cover stock.. The box finish is 1500 grit, polished, but as always, can be changed to suit a variety of lane conditions. It is an attractive Royal Blue color. I have used the Idol Pearl on a 40 ft. kegel house pattern, and several modified house patterns in area tournaments. I tried the Idol Pearl at the box finish and haven't done any surface changes as of yet. I've found it to have a perfect mid range spot in my arsenal. I find it to be a good starting ball on our fresh house pattern before the carry down begins. I can go from the Idol Pearl, right to the Idol once the pattern starts to carry down. The Idol Solid will give me a little earlier start up once the Idol Pearl starts going too long and leaving corners. Being a lower rev player with 14 mph ball speed, I need the stronger motion on the back end to help with carry. I get this motion with the Idol Pearl. I can also go to it once the pattern starts to break down, as I then get the length i need to hold the pocket. The Idol Pearl is part of my every day arsenal right now. For a mid range ball, the Idol Pearl will give you a lot of bang for your buck. Don't leave home without it! Carol Teel Roto Grip Amateur Staff Member

I'm a little late to the game on this one, but for a solid reason. I have a few friends who have been throwing this ball since its release and, like the original Idol, it seems to be a go-to ball in their bags. I waited a while to drill this ball because I simply didn't quite know where I wanted it to fit in my bag. Another symmetrical pearl didn't quite have a home. Since I do 60-70% of my bowling on house patterns, I decided what I really missed was the ball to transition from the burned up track to the ball I usually end the night with. That late game 1 or early game 2 window where I'm not ready to wheel the lane, but I'm tired of weak corners or stubborn 4's that won't trip. I put my favorite 4.5x4x2 layout on the Idol Pearl and what I found was the freedom to play the middle of the lane and open the angles without the crazy sharp, unpredictable snap... or lack thereof. It's a bigger symmetrical core, so it's not going to give up on you. In my opinion, the Idol and Idol pearl together can get you from frame 1 to frame 30 on most house shots. Brian Sumner Storm Amateur Staff

The Idol Peal comes to us with the E-Trax P18 Coverstock with the amazing Ikon Core same as in the original idol . This ball is a beast . A pearl Symmetrical that is really clean through the fronts, and banks on the back end. This ball retains a lot of energy for me and takes it on the pins. Being I high speed high rev player this ball really gives me a good look on a house shot. If you liked the original Daredevil you're going to love this ball it's a Daredevil on steroids.

Thank you for taking some time to read my review, here we go! The Idol pearl has been out for about three months now and I apologize for writing a late review. It features the Ikon Symmetric weight block, the same as inside the OG Idol, and the eTrax-P18 pearl cover which is found on the new Halo Pearl. I'll start by saying how much I enjoyed that cover, for me, a lot of RG releases tend to be a bit early and smooth. That most likely due to my style so, I was very pleased with the amount of down lane motion I got out of Idol Pearl. I typically use a five inch pin up layout to promote forward roll and energy retention on pearl symm bowling balls which has worked out very well as of late. The Idol Pearl has been my ball of choice during league play when the track starts to burn up and I need to start moving my feet left. I really like the easy length and predictable shape I get out of this ball. I was a bit surprised at the control I had from a strong pearl ball. Typically a pearl creates too much angle and weird pin carry. The pairing of the core and cover was a great idea from the crew at RotoGrip. This ball has sold great in the shop and customers have been tossing some big sets with it. It seems to favor lower rev rate players, which is not a surprise to me being that the heavy handed bunch get over/under from most pearl balls. That's what I got, again thank you for reading. If you'd like to see the video, go to Callahan's Performance Bowling on YouTube. Go to your local RotoGrip ProShop and check out the Idols. I am Fred Callahan, we are Callahan's Performance Bowling and we will see you next time.

Roto Grip Idol Pearl The Ikon Core that was in the original Idol changed the way everyone looks at the HP3 line. The low RG symmetrical shape with high differential not only provides plenty of flare throughout the lane, it also provides superb motion down lane and through the pins. The original Idol used a solid cover which was great for controlling and reading the front part of the lane, but the new Idol Pearl is using the eTrax-P18™ Pearl Reactive coverstock and this thing is STRONG. This is the strongest pearlized ball Roto Grip has ever created in the HP3 line. Between the core and cover, this ball is ideal for medium to medium/heavy conditions where there is a little friction. What I notice the most about the Idol Pearl is just how strong of a shape it makes. The cover is a very "grippy" pearl, so it is not as clean as most pearls in either Roto or Storm lines, but man does this ball shape down lane. I am really impressed with the Idol Pearl so far and the cover seems to be fairly versatile for a pearl, because I like it even at 4,000 and 2,000 grit. We cannot stop selling these balls at the pro shop and there seems to be a 300 shot with it every other night in my area. I highly recommend.

Layout: 60 x 4.5 x 30 My PAP: 5" straight over Axis Tilt: Between 3 and 8 degrees High Track Player Intent for this ball/layout: Wanted this ball for the late game blocks once a pattern really started to breakdown to allow me to get left and open up the lane. What I got: Another great ball from the storm/roto family. If you loved the original idol you will love this ball as well. It will be a great ball to transition to when the original idol is hooking to early and you need the same shape but more length. • House Shot: This ball is perfect for the end of league night when the outside part of the lane is fried. The pearlized cover helps the ball float through the heads and come screaming back off the spot down lane. • PBA 42ft Mark Roth pattern: I was able to pull this ball out the last three games of qualifying (8 games) and it helped me control the large amounts of friction in the heads as well as the outside part of the lane. When everything else in my bag was hooking early and having no energy in the pins this ball was my saving grace.

The Idol Peal comes to us with the E-Trax P18 Coverstock with the amazing Ikon Core. Like the Original Idol this one will be a must have in my bag at all tournament times. I am not a big fan of peal balls on house shots. With that being said I tested this ball on my home centers house shot. The Idol Pearl was so fast off the spot for me I had to adjust the surface just a bit. Put it at 3K and a light polish using the Reacta Shine and first game that night I shot 300. I am very excited to have a ball in my bag that is so friendly to change in surface. Just like any other pearl ball this Idol Pearl is very clean through the fronts. Where it steps away from anything close to it would be how much further this ball can push before it starts to see friction.

The Idol Pearl by Roto Grip was one of the first true pearls that I have drilled up since signing with Storm in December. The reason why I waited is that I have never been a fan of pearl equipment for my game, but since I was joining the staff I was like I need to see what this ball has to offer. I forget the total numbers on this ball, but the pin is in the ringer finger in the cg is kicked a little bit. So I tested this ball on a THS and this ball got through the fronts very clean and contained its energy for the back a ton and when that Ikon Core with the eTrax-P18 cover flipped that thing hit like a mack truck hit the pocket. So I went to a Sweeper tournament the following weekend and average 230 plus with this ball in hand and just keep being amazed with the performance of this ball. So get your hands on the IDOL Pearl now especially for tournament time coming up.

IDOL Pearl The E-Trax P18 Pearl Reactive Cover is combined with Ikon Core which is also in the original IDOL. The IDOL Pearl in my opinion is perfect compliment to the original IDOL. I really like the IDOL Solid so I was very excited when this ball was announced. IDOL-Pearl is all I needed to hear and I was sold. Especially considering the IDOL Solid is my favorite benchmark ball on house or sport shots. A pearl ball that isn't sideways in the back part of the lane. To me it's much more responsive in the mid-lane than most pearl bowling balls. The IDOL Pearl is a great Symmetrical ball and a perfect addition to the HP3 line. The IDOL Pearl is a must have! Bowler Info: PAP 4 9/16 x 1 3/16 up; Ball Speed 18mph; Rev Rate 620 RPM #stormnation Keith DeMaine Storm Amateur Staff Connecticut State & County HOF www.stormbowling.com www.rotogrip.com Roto Grip Idol Pearl Ball Review by Keith DeMaine

First of all, I am not a fan of pearls or polish in general but for testing purposes I always throw the balls how they come out of the box. Typically they get hit with a 2000 or 3000 pad very quickly. After about 10 games with it I have to say that I'm pleasantly surprised with the Idol Pearl. This ball reads the middle part of the lane very well for a pearl and still retains energy to create a strong but controllable motion down lane. Compared to my Son!Q, the Idol Pearl is much more continuous whereas my Son!Q was much more forward rolling off the spot. I am coming off of an injury at the moment and I have only bowled on fresh lanes by myself to practice. I am anxious to see how this ball deals with transition. My Layout for this ball is 60 x 5-1/2 x 35. This puts the pin above my bridge and my CG about an inch off of the center line. Favorite Balls at the moment: Code X- 60 x 5 x 70 pin down with a low hole HyRoadX- 60 x 5 x 70 pin down, no hole PhysiX 60 x 5 x 35 Pin up, no hole

The newest addition to the Roto Grip HP3 line is the Idol Pearl. I am a big fan of the solid version of the Idol and the pearl is just as good. I think the Idol Pearl compliments the solid version perfectly. Also, this is the strongest pearl ball I've ever thrown. This is a ball I will be able to throw on several different patterns and have a ton of confidence in as I pull it out of the bag. I've drilled one so far and used one of my standard layouts. It's mapped out as 5 x 4.5 and I took the surface to 3000 by hand. This puts the pin above my bridge and is a cleaner, more angular version of the original Idol. I've been able to use the Idol Pearl on multiple patterns, but they must have volume. Because the Idol Pearl is the strongest pearl I've thrown, it's been a perfect step down from the Idol, but still stronger than the Winner Solid and Match-Up line. The Idol Pearl also fits nicely underneath the asymmetric balls, especially if they run out of gas and you need a quicker response time. If you need a ball that changes direction quicker than your bigger cored, asymmetrical balls, the Idol Pearl is a perfect fit. Go drill one! #SquadRG

The Roto Grip Idol Pearl is Roto Grips newest HP3 line release. The Idol Pearl is covered with the eTrax-P18 pearl stock and is finished at 1500 Grit polish. The Core is the Symmetrical Ikon Core which is also found in the original Idol. I drilled my Idol pearl with the pin and CG stacked below my bridge. This is the same layout I put on my No Rules Pearl. My intention was to replace the No Rules Pearl but after throwing the Idol Pearl, the Idol is a few boards weaker. The pin down reaction really smoothed out the back end reaction on the Idol Pearl. The ball gives me a great look between first arrow and third arrow especially on fresher patterns. Once the lanes start to break down and I have to move in I've found that I start to lose carry or the ball reads too early on the broken down heads and I have a hard time keeping the ball in the pocket. The Idol Pearl is a great compliment to the original Idol. As far as solid/pearl combos, the Idols might be my favorite one.

Idol Pearl 39' House Shot The Idol Pearl is Roto Grip's newest release in the HP3 line, has the Ikon core and the Pearl version of the Hyper Cell Fused coverstock. First of all, the shelf appeal is amazing! When the Solid Idol gets too early then the Idol Pearl will keep you in play without moving a lot. Another great one-two punch! Clean through the fronts with a strong backend finish. For myself, pearls usually don't match up real well, but with the Idol Pearl it was very forgiving and gave me a lot of miss room in and out. I threw the Idol Pearl on a 40' sport pattern with medium volume, bowled several games on this pattern and the Idol Pearl just kept getting better. Making small moves left and feeding the ball right, the Idol Pearl was still getting down the lane with the strong backend motion kicking the ten pin to the middle. Great job Roto Grip!

The Idol Pearl is a wonderful compliment to the Idol. I found that sometimes the Idol was too smooth a ball reaction. When the Idol begins to labor or become too smooth off the end of the pattern. The Idol Pearl will allow you to move your feet a few boards left and get more continuation through the pins. In the past, pearl balls that continue a series have been too sharp off the spot. Not this one. The Idol Pearl has more downlane motion than the Idol, but it's very forward off the spot. In my opinion, the Idol Pearl allows me to control the pocket better than other pearls because of its forwardness off the spot. This ball is a must have in the bag because it's a great benchmark pearl ball!

When i drilled the Idol it was a quick favorite in my bag. So when i heard about the Idol Pearl i was really excited to see what this ball would do. I went with a 4.5 x 35 layout and this ball doesn't disappoint you! I was missing a strong pearl in my bag in the mid range stuff since i stopped using my dare devil. The Idol pearl is a great replacement for that ball. For a pearl it's reads the mid lane very well and off the spot this ball pops hard. If you're looking for a pearl to add in your line up this is a great choice!

Roto Grip Idol Pearl Layout: 4" X 2" X 4" Storm Pin Buffer layout Rev Rate: 300 rpm, 7 degree of axis tilt, 40 degree of axis rotation Testing information: 41 foot THS (medium to light volume) Bowling Center: Fulton Bowling Center Kegel Machine – Brunswick Anvilane The Roto Grip Idol Pearl utilizes the Ikon Core and e-Trax P-18 pearl coverstock. This ball sure does catch your eye with its blue pearl coverstock. It will catch your eye based on the performance as well. With that said, the Roto Grip Idol Pearl was fantastic during testing. The pearl coverstock lets the Idol Pearl get through the heads easily. We did not notice any skate when we tugged it in the oil and plenty of recovery on misses right, which should make this ball usable on a lot of conditions. For a pearl coverstock the Idol Pearl handled the oil very well. I could see us speed challenged players having to put this ball up when the heads burn up. I experienced this one night in league when I had to force the ball down the lane. In reality, having too much motor is not a bad thing. I would describe the Idol Pearl as a more controllable Storm SoniQ. The Idol Pearl will fit between my Idol (2000-grit) and my polished Winner Solid. This is a great addition to the HP3 line and will make a good ball for mid to late in a block. The Idol Pearl will continue where the Idol left off. Visit your local Storm VIP Pro Shop! #Stormnation #SquadRG

This ball compared to the original Roto Grip Idol gets down the lane just a bit further and stores a bit more energy giving it great continuation. For me, on house conditions, I prefer to start out with the Idol Pearl to get the cleanest reaction down lane and switch to my original Idol with a little bit of surface to bite through the carry down as soon as I see the transition. After the carry down is broken down a bit more, I can switch right back to my Pearl and take advantage of the continuation and great carry. For the most part i would recommend this one on medium-dry conditions to start, while the original Idol would be best for a larger quantity of oil with its box surface.

The Idol Pearl is the perfect complement to the Idol in RotoGrip's HP3 line of bowling balls. The Idol Pearl boasts the eTrax-P18 Pearl coverstock that generates tremendous backend force. While the Ikon weight block with its Low RG (2.49) will keep the length under control. The combination of the two is pure poetry in motion... Dynamic mid lane control with devastating power through the pins on the backend! The Idol Pearl fits in when the Idol is just too much too early. From throwing both bowling balls and also the IQ Tour and Winner on a house pattern. There was noticeable differences between all four bowling balls. The IQ Tour was the most readable and controlled. The Idol was stronger and more aggressive. The Winner was the weakest bowling ball in the bunch. No surprise so far. The Idol Pearl actually give me the best look on the medium to dry house pattern. I have a relative low rev rate (300), medium ball speed (15-16mph) and I like to get as close to the friction as possible. So the Idol and IQ Tour was forcing me left because of the early roll and my angles got steep. The overall motion of the IQ Tour and Idol were just too smooth from losing energy too early. The Winner had too much over under because of the RG value being higher... Skid snap reaction is not really good on fresh! The Idol Pearl was the happy medium. The Idol Pearl was not too erratic when I got it to the dry too early and was strong enough when I missed left into the juice. I was pleasantly surprised by the overall performance of the Idol Pearl from start to finish. The carry down and heads vanishing was not a problem for the Idol Pearl. You cannot go wrong with HP3 line of bowling balls from the early rolling Idol to the backend monster of the Idol Pearl. RotoGrip has you covered!

Roto Grip Winner Solid Roto Grip Idol Pearl With the dual release of these two pieces, I thought a dual review may be useful to some. First, the IDOL Pearl Core: Ikon Cover: eTrax-P18 The Idol Pearl is the follow up to the Idol, which I think is the most versatile Roto Grip ball in the lineup. I plan for this to be the strongest Symmetric Pearl in my arsenal. Set it up at 70x4x35, assumed this would be long and angular with my style (400ish revs, 16mph ball speed). First thing I noticed was how smooth the ball is. Still strong, but so smooth and easy to control. Second thing, this ball carries really well for a symmetric ball. I tend to carry better with asymmetric stuff and this ball fights through the pins, a lot like my Physix (my favorite Storm/Roto Grip piece at the moment). I am sure this ball will end up being a favorite of a lot of bowlers. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Second, the Winner Solid Core: Altered Hot Shot Cover: VTC-S18 I set up the Winner solid to cover a light oil/burn spot in my arsenal. I have used the Winner for that to this point and now looking to add a smoother reacting ball. Winner Solid is set up 70x2.5x40 (Winner was set up 70x5x35). Drilled the Winner Solid with a closer pin to pap and higher VAL in hope to smooth out the reaction a little bit. Again, looking for a smoother compliment to the Winner...which has been a great light oil ball for me. Winner Solid is a perfect fit. It gives me the ability to play a few boards right on my normal starting position on a fresh house shot and the option of staying right longer than any other ball in my arsenal. I think the Winner Solid with a short pin to pap, and a little less flare than I am use to, gives me a motion I did not have with any other piece. I highly recommend this ball. Winner Solid and the Winner make a great 1-2 punch on light-med oil.