- Insignia Dominion

First Impressions
Released in December 2012, the Seismic Insignia Dominion represents an interesting combination of established core technology and a novel material blend for the outer shell. Visually, the bowling ball comes in a high-contrast red and black color combination that is easy to track down the lane during the ball's travel. Inside works the Insignia Asymmetric Core, an asymmetric core that Seismic had already used successfully in the Epicenter model. At a standard weight of 15 pounds, this core shows a radius of gyration of 2.508. That figure places the ball in the medium to low range and favors a moderately early roll before the ball reaches the end of the oil pattern. The differential is 0.045, paired with an intermediate differential of 0.015. These specs point to solid flare potential and noticeable asymmetry without the ball being laid out to be uncontrollable or extremely aggressive. The surface of the Insignia Dominion is something special within the manufacturer's product line. It is a hybrid reactive cover that combines two already existing shell materials: the LNC cover from the Solaris Blackout model and the LNS cover from the Euphoria. Out of the box, the surface comes with a 4000 Abralon finish. That means the ball leaves the factory neither highly polished nor extremely dull. This preparation should ensure that the ball builds enough traction in the midlane while at the same time retaining enough energy for the later direction change.
Comparison
Compared directly to other models on the market, the ball motion of the Seismic Insignia Dominion can be classified quite well. Taking the Storm Phaze II as a reference for a classic benchmark ball, the Insignia Dominion shows a slightly longer skid phase through the heads. This is primarily due to the hybrid cover and the finer 4000 Abralon finish, while the Storm Phaze II grabs earlier thanks to its very strong solid cover and generates an overall rounder, smoother motion. The Insignia Dominion instead uses the pearl content in its cover to react a bit more defined and angular to the dry areas in the back third of the lane. Comparing it in-house with the Seismic Epicenter, which uses exactly the same asymmetric core, the Dominion offers altered length and a somewhat sharper reaction at the breakpoint thanks to its hybrid shell, whereas the Epicenter reacts earlier and more heavily to the oil. Against balls with a pure pearl cover, such as the Storm Hy-Road Pearl, the Insignia Dominion shows noticeably more stability in the midlane. It does not react as extremely sensitively to early friction and is therefore more predictable to play. The ball thus fits precisely into the gap between very strong solid balls for heavy oil and pure pearl balls for heavily dried-up lanes.
On the Lanes
The Seismic Insignia Dominion was designed primarily for medium lane conditions, but with slight surface adjustments it can also be used on other patterns. Thanks to the asymmetric core structure and the balanced hybrid cover, it offers a reactive yet controllable motion that should suit a wide range of player types. If you throw the ball fast, you can use the 4000 Abralon surface to create exactly the right amount of traction so the ball changes direction in time and drives stably into the pocket. At the same time, if you have a moderate rev rate you benefit from the asymmetric shaping of the core, which actively helps define the hook on the backend. On fresh oil patterns with medium volume, the ball skids cleanly through the heads and uses the midlane to set up its final path to the pins. When the lanes begin to change over the course of a tournament or league session and transition sets in, the hybrid shell shows its true strengths. It reacts predictably to the newly developing friction without becoming too erratic or jumpy on the backend. The moderate differential always keeps the direction change controllable and prevents unexpected movement across several boards. The asymmetric core should also provide solid carry on less than perfect hits, since it transports the built-up rotational energy efficiently through the pins. If the lane is extremely dry, however, the ball could lose energy too early. In such cases, switching to weaker equipment is advisable. All in all, the Insignia Dominion positions itself as a very versatile ball.