IT SEEMS as if the ball seeds planted in March and April have really produced a bumper crop. We have 15 - that's right, 15 - new balls to cover this month. Brunswick, BTV, Faball and Storm have one apiece, Dyno-Thane has a twosome, and Columbia has a trio. A full sextet from Ebonite arrived too late for anything but a light tech skinny. If your favorite manufacturer wasn't on this list, wait a few weeks; more new ones are waiting in the wings.

Brunswick: Attitude 3
Let's just say this wild-looking purple and silver 'Tude draws attention, not only from looks but also from performance. The 12- to 16-pound Attitude 3 uses three-part "Guts" compound cores in four-component construction. The mushroom-shaped core is upright (compared to the 'Tude 2), with a single-density main core and a dense nugget in the bottom of the head of the mushroom. A lighter-density outer core allows for dynamic integrity in 12- to 16-pound weights. This ball has a lower Rg core than the 'Tude 1 or 2, with a higher flare/hook potential. The Attitude 3 can be drilled with the enclosed layouts or in any two-piece manner. The bright silver-deep purple mixed surface is the "Edge" reactive cover stock from Brunswick. This cover can be sanded or polished as needed, but the box polish handles all types of "house" oil quite well.

Thanks to Kip and Chad for a pair of 15-pound Attitude 3 balls to play with. We label-drilled the 3-inch pin-out ball (pin at leverage/Cg at grip center) and were very impressed with the ball in the first two late-shift league games. With any trace of head oil, the 'Tude 3 delivers excellent length, a big flip on the back end, and hard hit and mix. As with most aggressive balls, the heavy-rollin' 'Tude 3 proved to be too much during the third game when the heads turned to carpet. The 3 seems to be a little cleaner through the heads, with better recovery and back end than the 1 or 2.

The 4 1/2-inch pin out 'Tude 3 was given a flip-leverage drill for our left-handed compadre, Mr. Beach, and other folks who use the easy side of the lane (easy 'cause there ain't a bunch of righties over there burning up the shot). Our left-handed friend really likes the way his 'Tude 1 plays: pretty good length and a smooth backend with a tight alignment. The 'Tude 3 gave him anything left of the third arrow on the right. All users of the 'Tude 3 (on both sides of the approach) commented on how the ball allows you to really swing the shot (even if you're just showin' off), or firm up and pop it up the boards for a sharp, quick snap. Either way, this ball blasts the pins. The only drawback to this medium/heavy-oil ball is the early roll/hook on dry heads. If you can keep movin' in to catch some oil, keep on throwin' it. This 'Tude just raised the ante on performance with an attitude.

BTV: Quantum Leap Black Sanded
This Black Q-Ball (with neon red/orange/yellow logos and red pin) is the economy Quantum that has been floating in the rumor mill for the last six months. How about a $200 Quantum with outstanding performance characteristics? A dull reactive (most are sanded 600 or higher when box-dull) will hook on house conditions. This one is box-sanded at 320 grit, so ya better believe it'll hook now on a house shot.

The two-part core (12- to 16-pounds) uses the dense mushroom core like the Forest Quantum, with a light outer core wrap to offer a really low Rg core with medium/high differential for big flare and backend.

Thanks again to Kip and Chad for a pair of 15-pound Leaps to use. We label-drilled one (with big holes for the big boys) and went leverage pin, Cg and balance hole with "universal" grip. This one went from the drill press to a tight (second day, no-strip fresh oil) league shot. A few practice shots told us this ball doesn't need a 320 sand for even a tight house shot. Left ditch to 10 board is just a little wider than we feel comfortable with. A quick pass on the spinner with Ultimate Quik Kut took out almost all of the sand lines and gave a nice shine. Now we could move over and swing the ball 5-7 boards with a strong hook and smash hit; it even sends messengers. Later in the evening, as the 10 reactives on the pair made the head oil go bye-bye, we only moved a couple of boards left and firmed up. The cover helps keep the ball on line and the core allows the ball to turn the corner with authority.

We brought the other Leap out a couple of nights later on a fresh strip shot and had some crankers and strokers throw it. After missing the head-pin radically to the left for a few shots, for the most part they all chuckled and said, "No way!" A finer sand (600) and polish application made for happier campers all around. The crankers were going coast-to-coast with big backend and explosive hit, while a couple of the strokers figured how to spank up the back of the ball and let the lane suck the ball to the hole.

The box finish on the Quantum Leap is unique with the 320 sand; this finish generates very early roll and hook. The tip sheet in the box will take you easily step-by-step to get a handle on length and flip.

Columbia: Super Beast Titanium
This one was a late arrival last month with tech skinny only. With its coming late, it had gotten a pretty fair amount of play in the last month. Thanks to Dale and Dave at Columbia for the 15-pound Super Beast Titanium. The label drill put the pin under the ring finger. The addition of the Titanium core to the Beast core made us think this lower Rg ball might roll up too early. Wrong! While the ball does rev up quicker than a Super Beast, it nearly matches length, with a sharper hook and a crisper hit. We first used this one on a late-shift dry condition, and were pleased with the length, heavy roll on the back of the mid-lane, sharp snap and hard hit. The heavy hitters fell in love over this one for late-shift conditions. The ball clears drier heads really well and retains plenty of juice for a big pop on the back end. On heavy head oil and tight back ends, the Boss/Tour Boss are better choices. Give the Super Beast Titanium some back ends and watch'er rip.

Columbia: Tour Boss Pearl
This deep red pearl ball (with yellow/gold logos) comes with SuperFlex resin cover and a factory polish. The SuperFlex cover allows the Tour Pearl to go cleaner through the heads and hook a couple of boards sharper than the Blue Tour Boss. The TiCor system is borrowed from the Tour Boss with one change. The energy block on the bottom of the core has been enlarged to give this medium Rg ball a slightly higher Rg differential for more flare and hook potential. Use two-piece drills (or follow the box drill instructions for condition reaction) for 12- to 16-pound balls, and drill 10- and 11-pound balls in a three-piece manner. The polished pearl SuperFlex cover sands or polishes easily for bowlers' needs.

We label-drilled the 3-inch pin-out 15-pound comp, which put the pin outside the ring finger, and went to play. This core/cover combo delivers as promised; the Pearl Tour goes 3-4 feet longer than a Tour Boss and about three boards stronger on the big end. The Tour Boss Pearl played well on everything from tight lanes to any kind of head oil. As the lanes dry up, you just open up the lane. Scorched heads were the ball's downfall. Even the heavy hitters couldn't force this one to the break point. We guess that's what Super Beasts are for. If you need more length than the Boss/Pearl Boss or Tour Boss, check out the Tour Boss Pearl.

Columbia: Special Edition C/Beast/Reactive This new Special Edition Beast Borrows a core design from the Cuda/C with a purple pearl Flexcel cover. Hmmm, a big motor (core) for power and smaller tires (cover) for more control. This should be a strong ball for heavy hitters or strokers on tough wet/dry or lighter oil patterns. Two-piece drills can be used on the 14- to 16-pound C/Beast/SE. We had the spec sheet by deadline, so we'll have more skinny next month.

Dyno-Thane: Concept Xxtra Swirl
Thanks to Ron Wood at Dyno-Thane for a 15-pound Xxtra Swirl for use this month. As stated last month, the core in this one is straight from the Concept Xxtra. We really liked the Xxtra on a broad variety of league conditions; the ball was fairly clean and smooth. The Xxtra Swirl with Dyno-Thane's SH2+ reactive Swirled cover is even cleaner through the heads and stronger on the backend. The cover, combined with the medium Rg/Rg differential core, offers great length and a strong, smooth backend even on drier conditions. Fresh strip or wet/dry patterns are no problem for the Swirl. On fresh head oil with tight backends, the ball was a tad weak, so we borrowed a page from Wayne Webb's book and lightly scuffed the ball with a burgundy Scotch Brite pad. This made a big difference all around. The Swirl was much stronger on tight back ends, rolled heavier on head oil, and was still a smooth, strong-hooking ball on dry backends. The scuffed surface gave the strokers area on all conditions, while the crankers still preferred the polish for any kind of head oil with backends. The Concept Xxtra Swirl might well be the workhorse ball if you only want to carry one ball to league. This one plays a big variety of conditions pretty well. There are better choices for toast and the STP open, but the Swirl comes about as close as anything to being an all-around ball.

Dyno-Thane: Special Efx Pearl
With surface, the Special Efx is a strong ball for medium to heavy oil. But even with a polish, the ball had a tendency to roll up early on drier heads. At some point during a shift, dry heads become a reality. The Special Efx Pearl does not have that characteristic. The pearl SH2+ cover is a satin finish out of the box Ð not sanded, not polished. This finish allows the bowler or pro shop operator to easily apply the desired surface for conditions. This medium Rg/Rg differential ball uses Dyno-Thane's Bell Curve core from the Special Efx with a high-density flip block on top.

Thanks to Ron at D/T for a 15-pound, 2-inch pin-out Pearl to drill and use. This one rolls up a little earlier than the Xxtra Swirl and delivers 3-4 more boards on the backend. For the most part, the satin finish was fine with fresh head oil, but was way early with soft hit on drier conditions. We glossed this one up, and for these old bones and the crankers, the ball would squirt pretty easily. Again, the light Scotch Brite to just haze the surface made the Pearl very playable on all but the scorched heads and flyin' back ends.

On tight oil, just tighten up and let it roll for a strong finish. You say ya got a fresh wet/dry? Firm up and give the ball some room. On lighter oiled heads, move in and let 'er fly. The Pearl Efx clears any head oil cleanly, and the ball does get back with pin-punishing hit. The Special Efx Pearl is a strong ball, but it does not have a radical tendency to get squirty on oil or hook at your feet on drier patterns. This is another D/T product which is very versatile and forgiving on a variety of conditions. Work the surface heavily (sand or polish) for a condition-specific ball, or apply a light polish, then move with the shot and cover almost anything that comes at you.