DV8 Dude Bowling Ball Review | Bowling This Month

DV8

Dude

Bowler Ratings

Pattern	St	Tw	Cr
Oily:	5	5	6
Medium:	9	8.5	8
Dry:	7	7	6
Sport:	6	5	5

(1-10 in order of Stroker (ST), Tweener (TW), Cranker (CR))

General Ball Info

Coverstock Info
Name:	Class 4F
Type:	Reactive Solid
Box Finish:	500 SiaAir / Royal Compound / Royal Shine
Color:	Black / Purple
Core Info
Name:	NA
Type:	Symmetrical
RG:	2.557
Total Diff:	0.040
Int. Diff:	NA

This latest release is the follow up to the very successful Diva for DV8. This time the core has been modified in addition to changing from a pearl coverstock to a solid. The higher RG core does not flare as much as the version in the Diva.

The solid coverstock was very smooth rolling down the lane. That smooth and predictable motion was best on our medium test pattern. Stroker liked the Diva best and also had the best reaction with the Dude on this pattern. He was able to camp outside where the other two testers were and had the most miss room out of the three. He used the smooth rolling reaction to create hold on shots that were yanked and the box finish was just rough enough to not over-react when it saw friction early. Tweener was next on this pattern, but because of his higher ball speed did not have as much recovery as Stroker. Cranker got stuck having to move farther left, deeper into the oil, and had trouble with some over/under from the Dude with the box finish. He was able to add polish to the cover to give him added back end motion which allowed him to go around the lane more. He also had the option of roughing the ball with a 2000 SiaAir pad and playing deeper in the oil, keeping the ball in the oil longer. Both options were good for him on this pattern.

The dry test pattern was up next and all three testers took full advantage of how smooth the Dude was down lane. Even with the added friction, the testers were able to keep the Dude on a more direct line to the pocket.

We needed more surface for the sport and heavy test patterns. At the box finish, we could not create enough hook on either of these pattern. We went with a 1500 SiaAir finish on both of these patterns to give us the extra hook we needed to get to the pocket.

Performance Ratings

Name	Value	Comments
Torque (1-10)	5.5	The Dude provides a smooth shape as it makes its way down the lane. This ball will be a good selection when the back ends are super crisp.
Length (1-25)	14	The Dude’s solid coverstock does not allow it to have as much length as the Diva. This cover takes well to surface changes for bowlers who want to get it going even earlier.
Back End (1-20)	14	The Dude is strongest in the midlane with a smooth controlled motion at the back end. We added polish to the cover to get more back end reaction.
Total Hook (1-100)	48	We found the Dude to cover just about the same amount of boards as the Diva. While it covered the same amount of area, we had this ball much smoother through the entire lane.

Strengths: The Dude offers a very predictable motion through the entire lane. This will help bowlers on over/under THS or conditions with very strong hooking back ends.

Weaknesses: The Dude will struggle at the box finish on heavy conditions. Keep this one on what it was designed for.

Overall Summary: The Dude is the solid counterpart to the Diva. This ball will offer the same amount of hook, while providing a different motion on its way to the pocket.