Storm Match Up Black Pearl Bowling Ball

MATCH UP BRB: 45 X 3 1/2 X 40 - 14lbs. REACTOR HYBRID COVERSTOCK - 1500 GRIT POLISHED - CLOSER TO 4" FLARE LANE INFORMATION: 42FT THS ON HPL INSTALLED IN EARLY 2000'S Since returning to bowling since my accident 15 months ago, I drilled out "weaker" balls due to rebuilding my speed and arsenal to 14lbs, I though the Match Up BRB would be a great ball to be my new benchmark ball. Comparing it to the past Match Ups, The ball was less over under then the original Match Up for me on the fresh but just as predictable when and as the pattern broke down. Better ball for slower ball speed people that are matched with their rev rate. I felt more comfortable using the ball inside of 15 at the arrows, and breakpoint about 5-6 board and keeping the ball speed around 13.7 TO 14.2... Great ball for mid performance ball for the money...

The Match Up Black Pearl is an updated version of the Match Up pearl but with a 2000 grit Abralon finish. The core numbers of the Stinger 2.0 are 2.57 rg and 0.035 diff in 15lb balls. The Match Up Black Pearl has a cool pearl black color, just as the name would suggest. The Reactor cover of the Black Pearl is cleaner through the front of the lane then most of today's current highly porous, strong cover stocks, even with the 2000 grit finish. I drilled the Black Pearl the same as my Match Up, 5.25 x 5.25 x 2. The Match Up has more length compared to the earlier reading sanded Black Pearl. The Black Pearl covers about the same amount of boards and has similar hook shapes as the Match Up, but on higher volume oil patterns, and more viscous oils. The Black Pearl is more of a medium oil ball, that still saves energy for lighter oiled lanes that you need to get in, and still get recovery from the ball. I have also polished the Black Pearl, and get a closer reaction to the orange/silver/black, but with a little more rounded shape through the backend. The Black Pearl is a good budget ball for league bowlers not wanting to break the bank, and still get some decent hook on medium conditions. The Black Pearl will also work well for tournament conditions that has the Match Up pearl pushing too long and not slowing down enough to generate roll through the pins . If you feel the need to replace your aging Match Up pearl or never drilled one in the first place, the Match Up Black pearl will fit right in. Thank you for taking the time to read my review of the Match Up from Storm, the Bowler's company.

The MatchUp Pearl is the latest edition to the MatchUp Line. It's a pearl but, it's sanded....so, it is the smoothest MatchUP that I've rolled. I drilled it pin up, which is my go to symmetric layout and it reacted like I assumed it would. Honestly, it's a weird release for me...I didn't love the Match or MatchUp line. They are not bad bowling balls but, I just didn't have a spot for them. The MatchUp Hybrid was my favorite one by far, I made a video on that ball and it was fun to roll. The "pearl" just doesn't fit anywhere...it's too early to stay in the track and the cover is too lazy to move in. Just my opinion but, if you have to drastically change surfaces on a ball to get a comfortable look, it's not the right ball for me. I have to mention that I did not get a ton of reps with this ball, maybe on shorter, lighter and/or sport patterns it would be stellar. Maybe I don't get around it enough...probably. It smells really good, so there is that. If you need something smooth and stable for lighter conditions, go grab one and let me know how wrong I am. Thank you for reading. #stormnation

BALL SPECS Pin Length: 3- 4 Starting Top Weight: 2.8 oz Ball Weight: 15 DRILL PATTERN Pin buffer 3 inches Pin under the ring BOWLER STYLE: RH - Stroker Rev Rate: 380-420 Ball Speed: 15-16 PAP/Track: PAP: 5 13/16" and 1/2" up SURFACE PREP Box Finish: 2000 Abrilon BALL MOTION The match up black pearl. Reactor Pearl gives clean length, but still blends out the pattern with its matte finish. COMMENTS I bought this ball to fit in on the lower end of my arsenal. To straighten my angles. I drilled it pin down so it still picks up the roll when I get a little firmer with my speed. This ball works really great on an over under house pattern and lets me stay right longer. Mike Sipple Storm/Roto Grip/Amateur Staff www.stormbowling.com www.rotogrip.com

The Storm Match Up Black Pearl is the new addition to the Hot line at Storm. I have found the Match series for me were just okay and they did their job on the lanes. But the Black Pearl is the best one yet out of the Match Up series. With the low end Storm releases I tend to drill them with strong pins. So laid mine out 4.5x4.5x4.5 pin down. I also applied Storm step 2 on the ball. My first impressions were real good on how smooth and controllable the Black pearl is. I'm a big fan of black coverstocks. The Black Pearl with the Reactor pearl cover fits the core real well. This ball will be great for the wet/dry lane conditions as it does blend out the lane. Even with the storm step 2 on the ball the Black Pearl still was able to read midlane real well to take that over under reaction that I usually get with the low end balls. This is the best Match up in the line in my opinion. Storm Pro Shop Staff Brian Watson Speed - 16-17 Tilt - 17 RPM - 400 PAP - 3 5/8 up 1 1/4

About Me: Right handed, I'd call myself a weak cranker. Average speed about 16mph. 8* axis tilt, 66* axis rotation, rev rate is right about 400. The Storm Match Up Black Pearl ***Stinger 2.0 Core*** ***2000-grit Reactor Pearl coverstock*** The Storm Match Up Black Pearl was the first ball added to my arsenal since going exclusively Storm/Roto Grip. Set up with one of my go to layouts, 65x5x40. The plan for this ball is to be my workhorse for my wood lane house that plays a bit dry, with snappy back ends. So far, it is exactly what I am looking for. Ball is very smooth, especially for a pearl. I expect it will be a nice piece for later into tournament blocks and ligher patterns I run into. I am very happy with this as the first piece of my new Storm/Roto Grip arsenal. #StormNation

The Match Up Black Pearl is Storm's new Hot line bowling ball. It has the Reactor Pearl cover at 2000 grit out of the box. The goal of this cover and surface on the Match Up is to provide a moderately aggressive cover that provides clean length while blending out the pattern. The core here is the Stinger 2.0 which is designed to offer more flare and hook than the original version on the Match. I loved my original Match so I expect a lot from this upgraded version. I went with a 60 x 4 x 45 pin up on my Match Up Black Pearl. On our 46 foot high volume typically wet dry house pattern, this ball was super early and highly susceptible to flat 10s. I had a feeling it was due to the pretty aggressive 2000 box surface. I was hopeful with a few shots, that super early motion would calm a bit and it did. In fact, I started to see exactly what this ball is meant to do - blend out a pattern. Shots in the oil hooked and shots right too quick didn't overreact. It provides such a good read it is actually becoming a benchmark type piece or me. I can't wait to see what this does as league season kicks up. It could be a house-pattern killer! Normally, the hot line is useful for high rev or low ball speed bowlers that need help getting the ball down the lane. I feel like the upgrades in cover and core with this Match Up will open the market up to a much wider range of bowlers/styles. Chris Freeland Storm Amateur Staff www.stormbowling.com www.rotogrip.com Bowler Info: PAP 4 5/16 x 1/4 up, Speed 16-17 mph, Rev Rate 400

Over the last couple years, I've seen so many lower priced point balls go down the lane everywhere. I've noticed how much stronger some of the 'weaker' balls have gotten and it really is true. About ten years ago, I don't ever remember drilling some of the smaller cored balls because they never went through the pins the right way. Now, the Hustles and Match Ups of the world are great pieces to have in the bag. I needed a clean ball for friction that wasn't going to go sideways at the end of the pattern. The Match Up Black Pearl is perfect. It comes out of the box with a good amount of surface on it, but it still flies through the front of the lane and has a bit of a slower response time. I think it's perfect for when lanes get wet/dry and you need something to smooth it out. I put a pretty basic layout on it: 5 x 4 with box surface. It's a very smooth, clean ball that fits below my Phaze 2 and Intense Fire, but above my Hustle Ink. Go drill one, I think you'll be impressed! #StormNation

Match Up Black Pearl The Match up Black Pearl is the newest Hot line bowling ball for Storm Bowling products. It features the same Stinger 2.0 core that is in the other Match Ups but the Black Pearl has a dull Reactor pearl cover stock. The first thing I noticed after throwing the Black Pearl was that even though it has a pearlized cover stock, it is a very early rolling ball. Storm released this ball with a 2000 grit finish. The Black Pearl easily hooks earlier than any of the other Match Ups in the current line. I think this ball is great on most house shots where you need a little bit of blending from left to right. So if you bowl on a medium to dry house pattern and are looking for a smooth and predictable motion, the Black Pearl is right for you.

Storm Match Up Black Pearl Review Review: LANE CONDITION Lane Type: Wood Length: 41ft Volume: 21ml Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc): THS COMMENTS The Match Up Black Pearl is Storms newest Hot Line release. The Black Pearl has the Stinger 2.0 Core and is covered with the Reactor Cover stock that is finished at 2000 grit sanded. I drilled my Black Pearl with my favorite and most used layout. The pin is to the right of my ring finger giving me a 3.5 inch pin to pap distance with the CG stacked below the pin. I chose this layout because it gives me the most backend control. My goal with this ball was to stay straighter on medium oiled lanes. With the Black Pearl being a pearl, the sanded finish really gives me a controlled round shape down lane that makes it very easy to read and adjust. Out of the box the Black Pearl is very strong. The ball is much stronger than I was expecting. If there isn't enough head oil the ball burns up its energy real early giving it a weak hit through the pins. I think with a little polish the Black Pearl would do great on break down but if you prefer the box finish then I recommend using it on fresh patterns with low to medium volume of oil.

My stats: 16.5 mph ball speed, 285-315 rev rate, up the back type release with a high track. To summarize, medium speed - forward roll type of release with moderate revs. I put the MATCH UP BLACK PEARL at 50 x 4.375 x 30. This layout ended up with close to 2 oz of side weight which now doesn't require a weight hole as of August 1, 2018. I have used my MATCH UP BLACK PEARL on many house and some on longer sport conditions. On the longer sport, it was not enough ball in box finish. It took a few games to get it to read enough to carry the corners. With that being said, this is not the pattern the ball was designed for. I got it on some sport that was in the 39-41 foot range and more reaction. It let me keep closed angles compared to other stronger pieces in my bag like the RG HALO, SURE FIRE, and INTENSE FIRE. It was also weaker than my IQ TOUR which is expected since we are talking a much weaker coverstock than R2S. Compared to other piece in my bag and progression: This is going to be on some sport where I need early enough read to miss downlane hang but not over reaction off the friction in the back. I throw an IQ TOUR a lot on shorter patterns and when it starts to check early or really ping tens, the MATCH UP BLACK PEARL is going to be in play big time. I also may add a RG HOT CELL to my tournament arsenal. I can imagine the MATCH UP BLACK PEARL will be in play before I progress to the HOT CELL. I think that straigher/tweener players may pass on this one, at least for general house conditions. Avid tournament players should put this in the bag as a ball up option from urethane. Heavy handed players will like this one as it will lay off for them in the back but get rolling strong enough to merit putting in play.

This ball has been great for me on a variety of conditions. Definitely a must have in your bag for both tourneys and league. Fits in the genre of the Hustle Ink and IQ Tour type for my game with this one being the most tame. Fresh house shot allows me to play right and stay right with minimal big moves. In tourney play I can pull this out when they start drying up and gradually move left, not giving up the pocket with a tame back end motion while everyone else without one is battling the friction. A very special ball indeed!

The Match Up Black Pearl is the newest release in Storm's Hot Line of bowling balls. The combination of the Reactor Pearl shell and the Stinger 2.0 core creates a blend of control with aggression. I was surprised by how much and how early the Match Up Black Pearl hooked out of the box. The out of the box finish is 2000 grit. The surface created a smooth and controllable mid lane motion but was a little lacking on recovery down lane. I believe what cause this motion was that I was only able to bowl on breakdown and nothing that was fresh. The Match Up Black Pearl just lost too much energy in the front part of the lane. Now if you were bowling on a normal condition the 2000 grit surface would be perfect. To liven up the reaction I just polished it with Reacta Shine. Instantly the Match Up Black Pearl was gliding through the chopped up, dry and not conditioned heads and ripping on the backend. The Match Up Black Pearl is far more aggressive in the mid lane than the Match Up Black Yellow Royal or the Match Up Black Orange Silver. The layout I used was 4X4X2 with an extra hole down at 6 inches. I believe the numbers for dual angle is 50X4X30 or somewhere around that. The layout was based off my pap (5 5/8 over ¾ up), Rev Rate (approx. 300) and my ball speed is medium (15 to 16mph). The Match Black Pearl will be in my tournament bag for those shorter patterns with over hooking backend. The power and control is a huge bonus with the Match Up Black Pearl! The Match Up Black Pearl will be a great bowling ball for those that do not want to spend a lot but want performance!

Orientation: Right Handed Rev Rate: 375 RPM Speed: 16-17 MPH PAP: 4 5/8 straight across Location: Enterprise Park Lanes, Springfield MO Pattern: High Volume THS Layout: 45, 4 ¾ , 70 The Match Up Black Pearl is a great ball for me. I haven't been a huge fan of the Match Up series because they're too clean for me. The Match Up Black Pearl catches just enough midlane that I can use it on a lot more conditions. If I find a pattern that's pretty dry right out of the gate on the fresh, I can actually use this ball. It's also really good on the transition on most patterns. The Match Up Black Pearl is a great value and a lot more versatility than previous Match Ups.

The New Match Up Black Pearl comes out of the box sanded with a 2000 grit factory finish. This Match Up is the earliest and the smoothest in the Match Up Line. A simple comparison could be to the Hustle HYB. This ball reads the midlane well because of the amount of surface it comes out of the box with. I love the heavy consistent roll this ball gives me. I look forward to using this piece on the heavier volume patterns where I can stay close to the track and trust that this ball will keep me out of trouble. The cover stock is a pearl overstock, however the cover retains surface very well and isn't as snappy on the back end as previous Match Ups. The consistency of this ball off the breakpoint is something every bowler looks for in a bowling ball. The New Match Up Black Pearl reads the lane sooner than the Match Up Hybrid. Although this comparison is between a Hybrid Coverstock and a Pearl Coverstock, the box surface makes the Black Pearl about 2-3 boards stronger overall. I would recommend this Match Up Black Pearl for players who are looking to get the most bang for their buck. Players with higher rev rates or slower ball speed might want to polish this ball a tiny bit to get it to push slightly further down the lane since the surface makes it roll earlier. This Match Up Black Pearl will also be great for players who tend to see over under with the lower end balls. It's a much more even ball motion then I've experienced with the other Match Ups.

The Match Up Black Pearl was a real surprise for me, I didn't like the original Match Up Pearl, and had fairly low expectations but the Black Pearl is nothing like the original for me. First of all, the out of box 2000 grit finish makes it stronger, earlier, and smoother, but it feels more like a Thunder line ball than a Hot line ball. If they'd made a sanded pearl version of the Torrent or Rocket Ship, this ball is what I would have expected to get. It's very controllable, very readable, and predictable. For a full and detailed review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrSYjmdcf04

The Match Up Black Pearl features the same specs found in the original match up pearl, but with a few key differences. The ball comes out of the box with a 2000 grit finish, and is almost solid black. When compared to the rest of the line, this ball is much earlier and rounder overall because of the lower grit finish. For anyone that is a fan of the Rotogrip IDOL, the motion I see out of the Match Up Black Pearl is almost a carbon copy from an arrow farther right. I see myself using the Match Up Black Pearl first out of the bag in league, or changing the surface to 2000 + Polish and using it at the end of a long Tournament block. Be sure to order your own for the June 15th release! #StormNation Review video: https://youtu.be/8sDRCMmMOgU

For those light to medium oiled conditions or lanes in transition the new Match Up Pearl will be a great option to have in your hands. Don't let the Match Up Pearl confuse you with it's abralon finish (2000) as beneath that finish is a pearl coverstock that will get the ball clean through the fronts yet provide a smooth motion in the mid-lane. I tested this ball on pretty beat up conditions as there was a lot of open play prior. I had to get pretty far left and throw it to the dry; roughly board 7 as my break point. For a low end ball the Match Up Pearl hooks. This is in part to its sanded (matte) finish. This ball will be good on the light to medium light fresher conditions or lanes transitioning when your symmetrical solid and sanded bowling balls are too aggressive for the lane conditions. The Match Up Pearl will help blend out the pattern with its 2000 grit finish and mitigate that over/under reaction.

I'v had the chance to drill up all four balls in the Match Up line and Storm hit a home run with this ball. It's a really great ball when you like what you see from your IQ Solid but need a little bit less in your hand. For the price point you can't beat this ball. Compared to the Match Up solid this ball reads faster and you can play more angels with this ball. A ball to add to your bag for the new season.

Since joining the #StormNation I have been focusing on the bigger balls. Since it's the summertime I am getting my bag fully stocked for the upcoming season. I am a player that can stay in bigger balls longer, but even that will not hold up 100% of the time. What I really like about this ball is how well the mid lane is read due to the surface of the ball. My "A-Game" is when I can see the ball rolly and this is a big rolling ball. I can still stay near the track even when guys are balling down and jumping a zone or two left of me. This ball reminds me of the Torrent which is another favorite of mine. Do not miss out on getting this one as this ball has much more bang for the price point. Go get the new Storm Match Up Black Pearl and Bowl up a STORM! BOWLER STYLE: RH - Stroker Rev Rate: 320 - 350 Ball Speed: 15-16 PAP: 4 7/8 right 5/8 up. Storm - Roto Grip - VISE - Logo Infusion Staff Member Brian Hirsch

I drilled this ball up and i fell in love. this ball reminds me of the Torrent, it out performs its price range.

Storm Match Up Black Pearl Layout: Pin 4.5 inches and below the ring finger, with a weight hole below mid-line Rev Rate: 300 rpm Testing information: 41 foot THS (medium to light volume) Bowling Center: Fulton Bowling Center Kegel Machine – Brunswick Anvilane Ready.Aim.Fire – the Match Up Black Pearl is here. This ball is ready to make an impact. The combination of the Reactor Pearl Coverstock, the Stinger 2.0 core, and the 2000 Matte finish is a good match. I know there are a lot of bowlers just like me that like to see a solid color ball going down the lane so the Match Up Black Pearl will fit your eye. I drilled this ball with a pin down layout with a low weight hole. The rings on the track flare were relatively tight and the bow-tie was at the top left edge of my middle finger. The total flare was about 4 inches. We compared the Match Up Black Pearl to the Match Up Hybrid (a very under rated ball in its own right) and my all time favorite, the Hy-Road. I could stand and play very similar lines with both Match Ups, but the Hybrid was more angular. The difference in layouts could have been part of the reason. The Match Up Black Pearl definitely had a different motion though, which was expected and a good thing. The pearl coverstock of the Match Up Black Pearl created some hold area to the left and the matte finish helped blend out the motion at the end of the pattern without losing a strong motion on my misses to the right. My Hy-Road was one and one right of the Match Up Black Pearl and more angular also. In my opinion, a THS is not when the Match Up Black Pearl is going to shine. I can see myself using this ball when I need a ball to roll up a little sooner to create a better angle to the pocket. The Match Up Black Pearl will also be useful when the back-end of the pattern is critical. This is another great value ball by Storm. The Match Up Black Pearl provides a good amount of hook and hitting power for the price. #Stormnation