- Complete Bedlam

First Impressions
Released in June 2010, the Columbia 300 Complete Bedlam shows up in a striking mix of purple, blue and red that shimmers attractively thanks to the pearl material. The heart of this ball is the asymmetric Bedlam V2.0 core, which at 15 pounds carries a radius of gyration of 2.53, a substantial differential of 0.055 and an intermediate differential of 0.012. These core numbers point to very high flare potential and an extremely dynamic core migration that strongly supports the ball through its roll phase. The cover is the Full Tilt 5.0 Reactive Pearl. Columbia 300 chose a very elaborate finish for this model, sanded with 500 and 4000 Abralon pads in production and then treated with a special high-gloss polish. This extremely smooth surface is designed precisely to give the ball maximum length through the front part of the lane. The underlying strategy is to conserve rotational energy almost without loss into the last third of the lane, where it should release in a very quick, definite and powerful change of direction.
Comparison Looking at the Columbia 300 Complete Bedlam directly alongside its close relative, the Columbia 300 Total Bedlam, the shift in the series' design philosophy becomes especially clear. Where the Total Bedlam and its duller surface were built for maximum traction in heavy oil and a very early hook, the Complete Bedlam aims at exactly the opposite: effortless glide through the heads combined with an extremely aggressive backend reaction. Using a modern asymmetric pearl ball like the Storm Absolute as a yardstick, it becomes apparent that today's coverstock technologies can generate more chemical friction in oil overall and are therefore more versatile. Even so, both balls pursue a very similar skid-flip concept aimed at late but violent reactions. Compared to a classic symmetric benchmark ball like the Storm Phaze II, known for its arcing and extremely predictable motion down the whole lane, the Complete Bedlam reacts significantly more sensitively to the dry boards at the breakpoint. As soon as the cover finds friction, the core develops a very sharp, strongly angled hook toward the pocket, which makes the overall ball motion look considerably more angular, snappier and more dynamic than the calmer symmetric alternatives.
On the Lanes In practice, the Columbia 300 Complete Bedlam is most at home on freshly oiled but moderate house patterns. Its heavily polished pearl cover lets it glide exceptionally cleanly through the heads, which means it absolutely depends on dry boards in the back third of the lane to build its enormous hook. If you have a high rev rate, this core-and-cover combination lets you play very deep lines and send the ball well outside into the friction, from where it returns reliably and with plenty of energy. If you throw the ball faster or with somewhat fewer revs, you can play it closer to a direct line, provided there is enough friction at the breakpoint to initiate the change of direction. With too much oil on the lane or heavy carrydown, however, the polished surface quickly runs into its physical limits. The result is that the ball can no longer build its optimal entry angle, carry drops off noticeably and corner pins start standing more often. In those cases the ball tends to simply slide out past the breakpoint. Over the course of a long tournament or a league set, once the lanes go through a noticeable transition and the front sections dry up, the Complete Bedlam plays to its real strengths. It easily generates enough length to get through the played-out areas with authority, and still drives into the pocket explosively and with high impact.