The Elevate is the second hybrid offering from Ebonite this season. The Warning Sign came at a sanded box finish, while the Elevate comes with 2000 Abralon and Powerhouse Factory Finish polish. Even though Ebonite skipped the final two Abralon pads before applying the polish, the Elevate glides through the lane as easily as we have ever seen.

With this much length, the medium test pattern was the perfect fit for this new mid-range offering. The V5 core used in the Game Changer revs up quickly enough to keep the Elevate from skidding off the pin deck. Directly out of the box, we saw almost too much length. It was easy for all three testers to throw the ball through the breakpoint. We thought about changing the surface, but continued to use it before attempting to graph our shots. After a few shots, the box finish became broken in and the ball started making a bigger move at the back end. The length pushed the ball through the track area and it saved its motion for the recovery at the back end. Because of the length before it hooked, Cranker had to get this one to the friction to get it to carry consistently. This had his breakpoint further right than the other two testers.

The dry pattern gave the testers their next best look. The length pushed the ball easily down the lane without forcing all three testers too far left. We raised the underlying grit with a 4000 Abralon pad and reapplied the Factory Finish polish. This adjustment gave the Elevate even more length and allowed all the testers to play the same part of the lane as they did on the medium pattern.

Moving to the heavy test pattern, all three testers used a 1000 Abralon pad on their Elevate to get the added traction on this longer pattern. In addition to the surface adjustment, all were playing an arrow further right with their target.

The length of the Elevate allowed all the testers to stay straighter through the front of the lane on the sport pattern. This allowed us to come at the pocket much more directly, which Stroker and Cranker really enjoyed.

Strengths: The length of the Elevate is the largest asset. The low RG core keeps it from going too long and the length is a major benefit for players with slow ball speed and higher rev rates.

Weaknesses: Out of the box some bowlers might see too much skid from this new coverstock. There are a few easy solutions to this issue; simply keep throwing the ball. This broke the shell down and it really came to life. Other bowlers might want to take an older, higher grit Abralon pad and lightly sand the ball by hand.

Overall Summary: The Elevate combines a proven core with a brand new coverstock. Bowlers can expect easy length and strong movement in the back end.