Favorite ball and why?

[BigDawg70]

I'm going to be buying some new equipment before fall leagues start and just thought I'd get some opinions of the newer stuff out there. I've always been a fan of Brunswick and Lane #1 but I'm looking to try something different. So if guys have a favorite ball, I'd like to hear about it.

[BowlingTracker]

I sort of fell in love with ebonite stuff when I got the APEX Intensity several years back.. It was an awsome ball. Still use it occasionally, but it's pretty beat up now.. The BTM review on the Bash and Clash were both rated well on medium oil. (9/9/9). GameBreaker was rated 9/9.5/9 for heavy oil and 7.5/7.5/6.5 for medium. The raid also got high ratings for medium (9/9.5/9).

The only Storm ball I ever really liked was the original Erasor. Though, the Shift is starting to grow on me.. It's finally starting to tame down just a little so it's not as jumpy..

Speaking of BTM reviews.. the Hammer Black Widow Peral got a rating of 9.5/9.5/9.5 for medium oil. From the review, it sounds like this is a pretty good ball..

I'll try to remember to bring this issue with me this week, if you don't have it..

[BigDawg70]

Yeah, I'd like to take a look at it. I had a Black Widow and hated it so I'll probably pass on the pearl version. I really like the Fury so I'm definitely picking up the Fury pearl. Since Brunswick did away with the Radical Inferno, not much in their line interests me. All of Lane #1's stuff seems to limited to balls that hook a ton or plastic. They have nothing in between. I'm seriously looking at the Hammer Toxic or maybe a ball from Roto Grip.

[Fireballer]

I fell in love with Storm bowling balls. I once owned a Storm Sky Bolt (light blue with orange fingertip inserts, 15 pounds) and I currently own a Storm Bolt (green with yellow fingertip inserts, 15 pounds). The Sky Bolt was a favorite of mine and it was that ball that got me scores of 265 and 267.

I retired the ball by donating it to AMF Shady Grove Lanes. It was a good bowling ball and I enjoyed bowling with it.

[litefrozen]

I like my Rotogrip Horizon Solid, excellent ball for me.
I see the Black Widow Pearl mentioned, I don't have one.
But several of the the guys I know have them and I've seen them used, it looks great.
Better I think than the black widow.
I would recommend a Particle pearl of some kind should be in your arsenal arsenal. because you can rough them up for the oil or shine them for the mediums or use for the transititions.

[BigDawg70]

I've thought about a particle pearl ball but I have never been able to throw particle stuff. It seems to burn up really fast and I get flat 10'd to death. Perhaps the pearl part. might be different. Has anyone thrown a Total NV?

[litefrozen]

I have a Storm "PYRO" its a particle pearl I use it when the lanes start breaking down or theres a lower volume/shorter pattern. Retains alot of energy.

Bowlers are getting away from Solid particles alot more now. They need oil and most just dont have it. But the pearl added to a particle makes a diff.!

[Croz304]

I've been using Hammer,exclusively for the last 4 years. My main ball is the Big Blue Hammer. In the 3rd game I usually switch over to the Raw Doom Hammer. I also have the Blade,The Deal,Big Blue Pearl and the Big Blue Spare. I find that Hammer really is an outstanding ball for the money. Just my opinion.

[presence1960]

Re: Total NV

BigDawg,

I haven't thrown a Total NV but one of my teammates purchased one. He bowls on 1 synthetic house and 1 wood house. The wood house tracked up the ball in 21 games. It was so bad I had to resurface the ball for him. I own my own spinner. The resurface restored most of the reaction to the ball, but it is not like it was out of the box.

Out of the box the ball was a monster. But after bowling on the wood it very quickly lost almost all of it's punch, it was hitting the pins like a marshmallow and it's hook potential was greatly reduced.

I can't say if it was because of the wood lanes or that the ball isn't all that it is advertised to be that it very quickly lost it's out of the box performance.

presence1960

[kinkaid7477]

roto grips silverstreak,
it's consistent, great midlane ball,
most importantly, i got my first 300 with it oct 22

[oneiron]

Favorite Ball

You could look at Visionary. The Ogre series is making a lot of news. The ogre pearl is a ball to look at. Buddiesproshop .com has a video of it and it looks as though it can hold it's own with just about any ball. Just my 2 cents.

[presence1960]

congrats kinkaid

congrats on your 300. I just bowled a 299 this past sunday. Left a solid 7 pin. Everyone was more upset than me. I have 5 300s (3 are sanctioned) but have never had a 299. So i accomplished a first this past Sunday. Good luck in your bowling.

presence1960

[2nakiller]

I've been holding out on this thread

But after tonights series (725) I just gotta say that right now, my favorite go to ball is the Roto-Grip SD-73 Classic, to date, I have at least 10 700+ series, a 299 game and it also made me some money at USBC's this year.

what more can can you ask for?

[presence1960]

RE: fav ball

Just some observations. My fav 2 balls ever were the Columbia Cuda C Pearl and the Ebonite Omega.

I went out & shot 6 games tonight. Just for the heck of it I brought two balls from the archives. they are both 10 years old. But they both look like new and have deep serial #'s still. They have a ton of games on them and have never had a complete resurface job. The reasons being I bowl almost exclusively on synthetic lanes and I own my own Jayhawk spinner. I never let my balls get to the point of being tracked up. As soon as I see a track developing I wet sand them.

The 2 balls I used tonight were Brunswick Combat Zone & Storm Fire Tour Edition. The reaction and hitting power of these balls was just as good as my Ebonite Big One and Brunswick Absolute Inferno. I really noticed no difference in hook or power hitting the pins. I was able to play a variety of lines and still score. Here were my scores: 232, 202, 248, 131, 186 & 226. Usually when I practice I don't worry about the score, I try to work on my weaknesses. But I wanted to see if these "older" balls could compare to todays balls.

This makes me wonder about all the "hype" about these new balls out today and the slick advertising that if you don't get a new ball you can't compete in todays game. It makes me wonder if all this "more hook" potential is really necessary. These 2 old balls hooked and hit to my satisfaction. My next move is to start using them in league and see what happens. Comments and experience welcomed.

presence1960

[2nakiller]

Presence, I agree 100% with you, with proper cover maintainence, older balls work just fine, Last Year I picked up a purple Quake on ebay for 5 bucks + shipping, this ball is at least 10 years old, still has great reaction, and works well on the correct condition, another one of my go to balls is a Primal Rage polished, when the lanes start to dry up and all the more agressive balls are out of control, it's nice to pick up something more mild, they still knock the pins down.