Ball stats

[GrandLeo]

Hi all,

Just curious as to which stats people look at when selecting a new ball. Some (like me) look at the pictures (because we have now idea about cg's, rg, diffs, hook potentials ... blah de blah de blah). How reliable are these pictures?? Take these pictures for example (hope they come out all right)
The stats are similar (to me anyways, as I said I do not undestand them) but the pictures drastically differ!

Obviously these stats really do matter and one day I will try to work out what all these things mean, but, in the mean time.
dou you look at the pictures, the rg/differential, the hook/length/breakpointflare combos or the standard desciptions (eg this ball is best suited for medium/heavy oil)

The $1000 Leo

 

[GrandLeo]

obviously the pictures didn't come out! how do you link pictures????

the links are below :
Brunswick
Ebonite

 

[Samael]

They are usually like the pictures indicate, i have seen a few exceptions when balls have arrived with weird swirl patterns though, surposedly something to do with resin bleeding, i dont know how much i believe of that though ( i think they were probably just blems ).

They usually discard balls which fail QA testing after manufacturing, sometimes proshops might get them for displays, they might use them in training, or they might sell them at a discounted price. So what you are looking at in terms of pictures is pretty much what you get.

Dont buy a ball on the look, if you dont know what the different ball specifics relate to and what effect they have, speak to a proshop operator/coach/ball driller and have them help select a ball for you.

As for what i look at, colours dont really bother me, usually read a few reviews and see what layouts they are using, see what pin range they come in, and have a look at rg before looking at the drilling sheet.

 

[*'TOPHER*]

sameal i think you will find he was talking about the lane diagrams that show how the ball reacts not the picture of the ball its self

 

[da_cowman]

The lane diagrams, which is what I assume your talking about, are a guide. Definatly nothing more. They give a very rough description of length compared to the other balls from the company, and to overall hook potential, again, compared to other balls from that company. They are remotely useful if you have the other balls on the guide, drill them the same way and leave them in original box condition.
To start with you need to know what you want the ball to do, especially compared to your other gear. If your looking for a ball to get more length then the ball your using now. Find a pearl ball similar to your current ball. If you are already throwing a pearl ball, then look for a ball from the lower lines. Eg, if you are throwing the Xcel Pearl from Ebonite but want more length, try a V2 Sweet or something in the V2 Line. Or if you want something to hook a bit more then the Xcel Pearl, then try a Xcel Particle, or the Xxcel. Something with a Solid coverstock to get a bit more hook out of the ball.
Pearls get the most length, then Reactives, and your Particles hook the earliest.
While I'm not a big Ebonite fan, I highly recommend going to their technical tips section and reading up on the PAP, CG, RG etc etc. This further understanding of your equipment is usually the best thing in making the right decision for your next ball. Especially when they can cost anywhere up to $450 bucks. Not a decision to be taken lightly.

Hope this helps, and more importantly... made sense.

Later Da Cowman!

 

[Samael]

sameal i think you will find he was talking about the lane diagrams that show how the ball reacts not the picture of the ball its self

It doesnt matter, my comment still stands

If you dont know what the different ball specifics relate to and what effect they have, speak to a proshop operator/coach/ball driller and have them help select a ball for you.

I wouldnt give any credibility to diagrams predicting ball reaction (other than as da_cowman said) because releases and shots vary so much that they can range from a good indication to wildly inaccurate.