Roto Grip Halo Pearl Ball Review

Layout: 45 degrees x 4 1/2" x 70 degrees

Weight hole: Not required

Surface: 1500 grit polished

What I wanted from this ball: My Intense Fire that I used for more than the first half of the year had tired out, and I was curious to see if the Halo Pearl might be a good upgrade for it. I know I could simply just drill another Intense Fire, and I may still do that. But I wanted to take the Roto Grip equivalent for a spin to get a feel for their new technology.

What I ended up with in this ball: There's definite differences between the Intense Fire and the Halo Pearl. While these products are both made by Storm Products, and they're both polished high mass bias asymmetric core balls, they're very different in my opinion. The Intense Fire was a smoother motion as shiny asymmetric balls go. The Halo Pearl is much more "whippy," and really corners off of the dry with much more definition. That also means it doesn't blend the lane condition quite as well, and seems to be a bit more condition specific. Where you gain backend motion (increased entry angle making for better pin action), you lose control at times with the Halo Pearl.

The colors are also a bit flashier to my eye, which I tend to not prefer. If every ball could be solid black that would be just fine for my particular bowling game. The Halo Pearl seems to be one of those "fun to throw" balls. When the lanes are on the easy side and you can send it at the gutter, this ball is probably going to give you the maximum reward.