Ebonite Mission $250K Bowling Ball Review

This latest Ebonite release adds to the already successful line of Mission bowling balls. The name alone is a tribute to the success the ball has achieved on the PBA tour. The Mission $250K offers enough traction to handle oily conditions, but not so much that it can’t work on medium conditions as well. The ability of the Mission $250K to handle decent volumes of oil is just one part of its overall reaction. The added back end movement can be attributed to the new XL 1300 Reactive coverstock. The Mission 1.0 core in the $250K has just the slightest change of RG and differential compared to past Missions in Ebonite’s high performance category.

The Mission $250K was given its highest ratings on the long and oily test pattern. This pattern allowed all three testers to play in their comfort zones for a longer period of time. Each tester could see the $250K rev up strongly in the midlane and even with the sanded finish, the XL1300 cover still stored plenty of energy for a big back end move.

The medium test pattern found all testers playing about an arrow deeper than they were on the oily test pattern. On the medium pattern, we found the Mission $250K to make a much stronger move at both the breakpoint and back end than on the longer oil pattern.

The shorter pattern allows for more friction down lane, giving the $250K more time and more recovery room for shots thrown away from the pocket. Those who bowl exclusively on medium type conditions may choose to stay away from skid/flip type layouts, as the $250K is strong enough down lane by itself. The breakpoint reaction and back end movement will be too much for most on drier lane conditions. Those who would like to try the $250K on dry patterns will need to put a good coat of polish on it in order to create the necessary length. All three testers did this and still only saw mediocre results on this short, dry pattern.

Moving to the sport pattern we found ourselves able to open up the lane more than usual with the Mission $250K. The sanded 3000 Abralon finish was still abrasive enough to give all three testers recovery on shots that were leaked a little further right. Keeping the angles in the front of the lane tight allowed us to take full advantage of the back end recovery the Mission $250K offers.

Strengths

The same versatility we liked in the original Mission, combined with the stronger back end movement of the Mission 2.0 makes the Mission $250K the best of the previous releases wrapped into one ball.

Weaknesses

The Mission $250K will struggle on short and dry conditions. The breakpoint will be too hard to handle on these types of conditions. Those who wish to use this ball on drier conditions will need to have a polished finish.

Overall Summary

The Mission $250K is the latest improvement to the Mission line of bowling balls. The $250K will never lack recovery at the back end. If anything, it might be too much when back ends are crisp. The $250K is a great choice if you’ve missed either of the first two Mission offerings or a great complementary addition for players already using them.