- Prowler

First Impressions
The DV8 Prowler, released in February 2019, brings a technically interesting nuance to the manufacturer's mid-price segment. Visually striking thanks to its high-contrast color combination of black, orange and white, the ball ships out of the box with a Crown Factory Compound finish over a 500 Siaair base. That gives it a noticeable shine, but with more underlying texture than a straight polish. The heart of the ball is the asymmetric Divergent Core. With a 2.491 RG, a 0.044 differential and a moderate intermediate differential of 0.011 (at 15 lbs), this core offers a specific dynamic: it wants to rotate early thanks to the low RG, but the small amount of asymmetry makes it behave almost as controllable as a symmetric ball. The cover is the N-Forcer Plus pearl reactive material. A significant technical upgrade in this line is the integration of DynamiCore technology in the outer core, which optimizes energy transfer at impact with the pins and should improve carry significantly. The combination of a polished pearl surface and a rev-happy but not overly aggressive core points to a versatile skid-flip reaction.
Comparison
Compared directly to the DV8 Turmoil Pearl, which uses a symmetric core, the Prowler generates noticeably more torque at the breakpoint thanks to its asymmetric Divergent Core. Where the Turmoil Pearl often shows a very round and smooth reaction, the Prowler can change direction more quickly as soon as it hits friction. Set against the Hammer Black Widow Gold (one of the best-known asymmetric pearl balls), it is apparent that the Prowler enters the roll phase a bit earlier (lower RG: 2.49 vs. 2.50) and makes a somewhat less drastic change of direction (lower intermediate diff). The Widow Gold is snappier, the Prowler comes across as more stable. Against a Storm Hy-Road, which counts as the symmetric reference, the Prowler creates more flare and covers more boards, without matching the extreme length of the Hy-Road. It sits perfectly between the control of a symmetric ball and the raw power of a large asymmetric like the DV8 Pitbull, but it is considerably cleaner through the heads than the latter.
On the Lanes
The DV8 Prowler is an excellent ball for medium oil patterns and typical house leagues. Its greatest strength lies in the transition phase, when the lane starts to change. The Prowler is often the ideal choice once the benchmark solid (like a DV8 Pitbull or Verge) starts to hook too early or lose energy. Thanks to the compound surface, the Prowler glides effortlessly over heads that have already dried up and uses the Divergent Core to build enough rotation in the midlane so that it doesn't slide past the breakpoint. It responds quickly to friction, yet stays controllable enough not to jump through the pocket unpredictably. The DynamiCore shell makes itself felt especially when the entry angle is a bit flatter; the ball holds energy extremely well through the pin deck. It is less suited to very heavy oil, where it would slide, but on normal to slightly dry lanes it is an all-purpose weapon for opening up angles.