The 900 Global Sublime will always hold a special place in my heart because it is the bowling ball that I threw my first 300 game with. Some people may call it a benchmark ball but I just call it my “go to” ball. The Sublime is really controllable and it takes on a nice and smooth banana shape to the pocket. The shape that the sublime takes when thrown properly works very well for me visually and it has cemented itself as one of my favorite bowling balls. The Sublime features a hybrid cover stock with a Reacta gloss finish and a new AI core. Most people would probably classify the Sublime as a weaker but extremely smooth bowling ball. The ball is responsive when it hits the dry but it is not overly angular. I think the sublime is very versatile and can be used in most situations. I have had success with this ball on a fresh house shot, during transition, and when the lane has broken down completely. The only time that I have really struggled when using this ball is when there is a significant amount of oil that has been pushed down lane causing the ball to slide further and hook less. At my home bowling alley there is a league that plays directly before us and my team is pretty much stuck with whatever damage the team before us has done to the lanes. Not complaining as the game of bowling is all about adjustments and it makes me better when I figure out how to overcome these challenges. In order to combat the lack of responsivness that I get from my Sublime on nights such as these I decided to apply 1000 grit surface onto my ball knocking off the Reacta gloss and creating a dull surface that begins to hook much earlier. As I said before the sublime is so versitlie. When surface is applied it maintains its smooth Banana shaped movement but it reads the lane earlier and gets me many strikes. The Sublime with 1000 grit surface has proved to be a house shot killer providing me with miss room and huge carry. If I enter the pocket a bit light you can almost guarantee a mixer strike. The Sublime with surface has also proven to dominate sport patterns as well. Just a few days ago my home bowling alley hosted a tournament on the “Beaten path V2” oil pattern. Adding some surface to my Sublime gave me a large leg up on my competition. I used this ball for all 4 games and was able to put together a strong 675 series on the sport shot oil pattern. The Sublime helped me place 5th in this event and I was able to cash in the event. The Sublime with surface provided me with the look that I needed to succeed. All in all the sublime can be used to play straight angles or swing the lane with a more slow and controlled ball motion. If you have good speed control and a decent rev rate this is the benchmark ball for you. Sadly the Sublime was recently discontinued by the manufacturer which means that they are no longer making the ball but, you still have an opportunity to order this ball online for the reasonable price of $110. There is another “Sublime Focus” from 900 Global that was recently released which I believe is the solid version of this bowling ball. Lastly, I would like it to be known that the original sublime is one of my favorite bowling balls and I would recommend it to almost anyone. I currently have two of the original sublimes in my personal arsenal one of my Sublimes is a 14 pound classic sublime with a box finish coverstock and the other is a 15 pound sublime with a 1000 grit sanded finish which you will see me throw in the video attached below this review. I have a great deal of confidence bowling with this ball due to its constancy, versatility and smooth shape.
Overall Score: A- (54/60)
Hook potential (with surface) – 9/10
Backend reaction (with surface) – Smooth and predictable may over hook if thrown too far inside 9/10
Versatility – you can use this ball with or without surface on sport shots and house shots 10/10
Predictability – 9/10
Carry & pin action – Light hits still strike ball has good mixing power 9/10
Forgiveness (with surface) – 8/10
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