At the end of 2023, 900 Global introduced something pretty special – the 900 Global Sublime, a bowling ball that got our testers pretty excited. Featuring The Immersed Symmetric A.I. Core and the Reserve Blend 802 Hybrid Cover, the 900 Global Sublime offers a distinctive ball reaction adaptable to various lane conditions. The core incorporates A.I. Core Technology, enabling the manufacturer to reduce the RG and increase differential, resulting in a quicker roll and more even energy distribution, enhancing its striking capabilities, particularly in the light pocket.
A glance at the technical specifications sheet suggests that 900 Global has made significant strides in creating a versatile bowling ball suitable for both straighter and open angles. In this in-depth review of the 900 Global Sublime bowling ball, we will explore whether it has the potential to be one of the best bowling ball for all lane conditions.
Short 900 Global Sublime Review
Don't want to read a full review? Here is a short summary!
The 900 Global Sublime bowling ball impresses with its Immersed Symmetric A.I. Core and Reserve Blend 802 Hybrid Cover, offering adaptability across various lane conditions. While initially touted for heavy oil, our testers found its true strength on medium and typical house shot patterns. With a perfect blend of length and backend motion, the 900 Global Sublime proves to be a versatile benchmark bowling ball. Its Reacta Gloss finish ensures a smooth transition through the front part of the lane, while the core's forgiving nature allows for consistent performance, even on off-target shots. Whether you're a speed-dominant one-hander or a rev-dominant two-hander, the 900 Global Sublime delivers impressive results, making it a solid addition to any bowler's arsenal for house tournaments and league play.
Key Specifications
Coverstock Type: Reactive Hybrid
Coverstock Name: Reserve Blend 802 Hybrid
Core Type: Symmetrical
Core Name: Immersed Symmetric A.I.
Box Finnish:Reacta Gloss
Best For: Medium-Heavy oil
RG: 2.47
Total Diff: 0.056
Intermediate Diff: 0.000
Definitions
Asymmetrical core - Asymmetric bowling ball deliver sharper, more angular motion when meeting friction.
Symmetrical core - Symmetric bowling balls produce a soft, controllable motion.
Radius of gyration (RG) - The higher RG, the more back-end motion a bowling ball will produce, as high RG ball skids more and tends to conserve more power for the further part of the lane.
Total Diff - the difference between low RG (X axis) and high RG (Y axis).
Intermediate Diff - only found in asymmetrical balls, as it is the difference between the high RG (Y axis) and intermediate RG (Z axis).
First impression
Even though the manufacturer claims that the 900 Global Sublime is designed for heavy oil, our testers did not find this ball to possess the strength needed to handle substantial amounts of oil. Despite this, the 900 Global Sublime showcased its true capabilities on medium oil and typical house shot patterns. It exhibited a perfect blend of length and backend motion. The overall ball motion was similar to the Roto Grip Hyped Hybrid, but the 900 Global Sublime proved to be a bit longer and had a stronger backend reaction.
Lane Performance
We passed the shiny new 900 Global Sublime bowling ball to two of our testers - a speed-dominant one-hander and a rev-dominant two-hander. Our aim was to allow the ball to showcase its strengths across various potential lane conditions, so we tested it on heavy and medium sport oil patterns, as well as on a typical house shot pattern (THS).
Following initial shots on the fresh medium oil pattern, the 900 Global Sublime started whispering sweet promises about becoming our speed-dominant one-hander tester's benchmark symmetric bowling ball. The Reacta Gloss did its thing, smoothly cruising through the front part of the lane, and the midlane reaction hit with a punch that had never been seen from a polished ball. It allowed to instantly open up the angles, but as the Reacta Gloss finish wore down after some use, it had less skid-flippy, but more of a continuous motion.
And oh boy, did our speed-dominant one-hander tester love this ball on a typical house shot pattern! He wasn't feeling the Reacta Gloss finish, though, so he applied a 4000 Abralon dulling, resulting in increased mid-lane traction and a more continuous yet still powerful backend motion. 900 Global Sublime practically danced its way through the pins! Moreover, thanks to the A.I. Core Technology, this 900 Global Sublime beauty is forgiving. You can miss a bit to the right, and the low RG and high Diff will still set you up with a sweet entry angle for that light pocket throw.
A rev-dominant two-hander had the most use out of the 900 Global Sublime when added 4000 Abralon grit to the surface on a medium oil pattern. It allowed the ball to be cleaner through the front and to maintain a nice-looking strong backend motion towards the pocket. Due to low speed, our tester had to move left, but the ball arced its way over to the pocket nicely.
Switching to a typical house shot pattern, our rev-dominant two-hander decided to experiment with the Reacta Gloss finish and shifted right. The ideal combination of the 900 Global Sublime's mid-lane read and backend motion allowed our tester to move as far left as possible, widening angles as desired while still consistently hitting the pocket. It was quite remarkable to witness the exceptional performance of this ball in the hands of a two-handed player on a typical house shot pattern.
Even though using rougher grits was not necessary on the oil patterns our testers tried with the 900 Global Sublime, both of them noticed how easily it adapts to changes in surface after using 900 Global Sublime on different sport patterns.
Overall impression
Both of our testers found the to be extremely effective on medium and typical house shot patterns. It displayed an ideal combination of length and backend motion, avoiding the pitfalls of being overly skid-flippy and difficult to control. Impressive scores were achieved on the typical house shot during testing. The Immersed Symmetric A.I. Core and the Reserve Blend 802 Hybrid Cover came together seamlessly, making the 900 Global Sublime a solid benchmark ball to have in your bowling arsenal for both house tournaments and league play.
