DV8 Turmoil Pearl Bowling Ball Review

DV8 releases the Turmoil series as the first of the next wave of bowling ball releases for the summer session. Both new Turmoils use the new Turmoil Symmetric core, which has a higher RG and lower differential than the Freakshow Symmetric core. The Turmoil Pearl uses the Composite Flip Pearl coverstock at a 500 SiaAir with Crown Factory Compound box finish. This pearlized cover and smoother surface gave this Turmoil lots of length for our testers.

The easy length provided by the Turmoil Pearl matched up best for all three testers on our dry oil pattern, with Tweener having the best reaction. His Turmoil Pearl pushed easily to the right off his hand, landing on 20, crossing the third arrow, and getting out to eight downlane. The compounded cover gave him a little hold on shots that were left of target, while still hooking enough at the end of the pattern to get back to the pocket if he got it a little right. Stroker also had a good look, but he just didn’t have as much room for error as Tweener. He was playing farther right, targeting over the second arrow and crossing the dark range finder on the 10 board downlane. He also saw some push on shots that were cut a little short, but he often saw the 6 pin get lazy and fall into the channel when he got his ball too far right. Cranker had a better reaction than he usually does on this pattern, with his Turmoil Pearl getting good length down the lane before it would start to hook. His higher rev rate didn’t give him the hold left of target the other two testers had, but he could get his ball farther right and still maintain his entry angle through the pins. He was actually playing right of Tweener to get his ball farther outside at the breakpoint. He started his ball around 20, crossed 10 at the arrows, and got it out to five downlane. The more shots that went down the lane, the better all three testers’ reactions became. The carrydown that was created started to give them more miss-room to the left, and it also helped blend out this ball’s reaction to the dry. The box finish was best for all three testers on this condition.

The medium pattern was up next, and Tweener once again had the best reaction with the box finish. He was two boards right with his feet and target at the arrows from where he played the dry pattern, but he kept his line a bit tighter on this pattern, only getting it out to nine at the breakpoint. When he made good shots, the Turmoil Pearl allowed him to get his ball going straighter through the front and still strike. Any misses right would slide through the breakpoint and leave a washout with the box finish. Stroker could get to the pocket rather easily with the box finish, setting his ball down on 13, crossing eight at the arrows, and using the five board as his breakpoint downlane. However, his carry percentage was very low. Any miss was magnified because of the polished pearlized cover. If he got a little fast with his speed, his ball wouldn’t pick up the midlane early enough, causing him to leave a lot of flat 10 pins. Cranker really struggled on the fresh with the box finish. He fished around for quite a while before he could get to pocket with any kind of consistency. His ball was landing on 30, crossing 18 at the arrows on its way to 10 at the breakpoint. Any miss to the right or left would cause his Turmoil Pearl to miss the pocket. He and Stroker both took a 2000 SiaAir pad to their balls to remove the factory compound. This surface change was like putting a whole different ball in their hands. With this duller surface, the lane opened up vastly for both testers. Shots that were leaving the 2/10 or bucket with the box finish were now high flush strikes. Stroker went from leaving the corner on nearly every shot to smacking it out shot after shot. Even with the duller surface, Stroker and Cranker both had more length, more angle at the breakpoint, and less total hook than they had with the Turmoil Solid.

The box finish was not the right option for our fresh sport pattern. All three testers removed the compound with a 2000 SiaAir pad to try to give their balls enough hook to get to the pocket on the fresh. Even with the added surface, the Turmoil Solid, along with other balls in the DV8 line, would be better choices to start. This ball at the box finish was best after the front of the lane had blown up from duller-surfaced balls. After the Turmoil Solid started to lose its carry from burning up early as the pattern dried up, the box-finished Turmoil Pearl became a good option.

Strengths

The Turmoil Pearl can take the front of the lane totally out of play with the length it creates. This allowed us to play straighter up the outside of the lane on our dry test pattern.

Weaknesses

The length this ball creates can cause chaos at the breakpoint. We struggled getting to the pocket the right way on our fresh medium oil pattern with the box finish.

Overall Summary

The Turmoil Pearl is the ball in the new Turmoil series to go to when the front of the lane is making other balls read too early. We liked the box finish when we saw lots of friction on the lane.