Lane #1
Crank

Bowler Ratings

PatternStTwCr
Oily:889
Medium:99.59.5
Dry:543
Sport:777

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

General Ball Info

Coverstock Info
Name:
Pure Explosion Particle Pearl
Type:
Particle Pearl
Box Finish:
nEat
Color:
Heavy Metal
Core Info
Name:
Warped Asymmetrical Symmetric
Type:Asymmetrical
RG:2.493
Total Diff:0.053
Int. Diff:0.007

The Crank is the first release in a while that uses a particle pearl coverstock. Lane #1 has paired this cover with a brand new core shape. The Warped Asymmetrical Symmetric core revs up quickly and provides a lot of flare potential.

Our testers had just a little bit better reaction on our medium pattern than we did on the heavy. The strong coverstock easily tore through the heaviest oil on the lane, while maintaining enough power for a nice move at the breakpoint. Cranker really liked the amount of area he could create with the Crank, no pun intended. He could miss in and the Crank still created enough entry angle to kick the corner and he could throw it as far right as he wanted on this pattern. Tweener’s reaction was not far behind. Even though his feet were not as far left as Cranker’s, his look on the lane was almost identical. Stroker had a good amount of area as well, just not as much as Cranker and Tweener. No one changed the surface on their Crank; they just kept moving left to catch more oil up front as the lane transitioned.

Moving to the slick pattern, Cranker still had the best reaction. Squaring up to the lane a little bit allowed him plenty of area down lane. Stroker had to make sure and get through the shot. When he stopped short with his follow through, the ball did not make the corner. Stroker had a little trouble on the fresh. He just did not have the rotation to get it to turn up quickly enough on the longer pattern. After a few shots, as the lane started to break down, the shot came to him. We did not want to lower the finish any more and risk the Crank burning up.

We had a good reaction on our sport pattern. The Crank has plenty of bite in the oil, without being too violent at the breakpoint. The box finish was best for our sport pattern and should be good for heavier and slicker ones as well.

Performance Ratings

NameValueComments
Torque
(1-10)
6
The last time we saw the Pure Explosion particle pearl coverstock, it was on the Maxxx Curve. This ball revs up quicker and is slightly less angular at the breakpoint.
Length
(1-25)
12
The nEat pad gives the Crank plenty of teeth in the oil. The particle pearl cover still gives it enough length for success on medium type conditions.
Back End
(1-20)
16
The particle in the cover and the rougher box finish do not slow this ball down much at the back end. We saw a good amount of recovery on all our patterns.
Total Hook
(1-100)
53
The Crank will be most useful on conditions on the heavier side of medium. We had success on both our medium and heavy test patterns.

Strengths: The particle pearl coverstock provides a shape we do not get to see often from bowling balls. The ball gets good length, but with much more traction than pearls without particle in them.

Weaknesses: Our lower rev tester had some problems on the heavy pattern when it was fresh. All three testers had trouble on the dry pattern. There are better ball options for both of these conditions from Lane #1.

Overall Summary: The color is eye catching, as is the reaction. Bowlers who want more length than a solid ball and extra movement at the breakpoint will like what they see from the Crank.