Ball weight and brand - Would you swap?

I have several motiv & lane masters balls, I like the way they roll & hit, compared to other balls I have bowled. My only complaint about lane masters is the surfaces are THAT hard, they are near impossible to resurface by hand, anyways.

I bowled with a rarely used ebonite ball tonight & was impressed, I'm thinking of trying their gear out next time I buy a ball.
 
Eye of the beholder, George, eye of the beholder... ;)

Before I left Storm staff, I used to joke with James McGinty, that the Storm balls were quite cheap compared to yesteryear and that they hooked a ton. Therefore that made them "Cheap Hookers", because they sure smell like 'em!

Some folks love 'em, but they do smell like chemicals. In the height of hayfever season, some of them really set me off in a sneezing fit! And they get funny with age. I had a guy bring a Diablo in. It smelled just like rotting rope on a jetty. Gag! May not be all the ball's fault as he'd been using at Belconnen. At that point in time, every time I put a ball through the Haus Resurfacing Machine from Belconnen, I'd have to change the water immediately, as it smells like somebody vomited in the water bucket the next day otherwise. It's getting better lately, but the previous management really let the joint go to hell.

Still, the worst smelling ball (post rubber balls while being drilled - think burning tyres and cork for that one) has to be the Columbia EPX. Andrew Blissett shoved one under my nose one day and said "What does this smell like?" I curled my nose and said "Something bad!" He replied "I couldn't pick it until I bent down to pick some spuds out of the spud bin and discovered one was rotten down the bottom. Then I realised; That's what that ball smells like!" He was on the money, too!

Eeeuuuww! :p
 
Hmmm... EPX. That brings back some memories.

Not real good ones either. Stained a few shirts working with them.
 
I guess I'm one of those dinosaurs that throw a 16, but I used to throw a 15. Two years ago, my coach moved me up to a 16 to try to slow me down, and keep me from throwing it to the arrows, and it seems to have worked. In all honesty though, the 15 was just to light. As far as having 16's in stock, well I usually have to have them order them for me. Talking about hitting power, I couldn't say if it's better or not, but I would recomend being able to handle the weight of the ball if you're going to throw it. I see to many people trying to throw a 16 that have a hard time just picking it up.

As for the brands I could care less about name, I like to choose a ball that I think will suite me. I currently use Motiv--- Cruel, SR2, and Recon(orange), Roto Grip--- Mars, Mutant Cell, Brunswick---- Ultra Zone, and a plastic, and 900 Global--- lunatic. In the past I've used Ebonite, and Storm, and have nothing against them, they were great balls . I think the bottom line would be knowing what you want the ball to do, and finding one you like to do it. Good luck choosing.
 
Spot on the money.

It's all about finding a matchup for the shot you want to throw and the lane condition you want to use it in! All strategy and personal preferences.

Damm wished i still had my sense of smell. Would be funny after reading about the storm ball smelling stuff lol
 
A lot of people on here are fairly correct in their opinions, but probably the best is finding something that works for you and sticking with it.

Even though I am fortunate enough to be sponsored by Roto Grip, I genuinely believe their entry level range are without doubt the best on the market, especially for a higher rev rate bowler, not to mention everyone is aware of the success of their Cell range over the last couple of years. With the introduction of the Nomad range, their mid range equipment is very stable and more than capable of matching any other ball brand. Having said all that, every brand has their good and bad balls and it is a matter of finding what is most suitable for yourself.

I wouldn't swap what I currently have sponsored or not as I believe that due to the lower release amounts of balls in the range, Roto Grip have very little weakness in their range, I certainly might try other balls that stand out in other brands, but a lot of trial and error goes with that too. And as for using heavier ball weights, it might be worthwhile if we played shorter formats in tournaments, but chugging down 30 odd games even a pound heavier makes life a little harder than it necessarily needs to be, especially on our deserts.
 
I believe the rotogrip brand works a treat. Im currently loaning my 2nd rotogrip from a friend, and with a left handed layout, fingertips that dont fit, and a hardcore tapped thumb hole, it still smashes through the pins like a champ (with a little persuasion).

Also, Michael; your links in your sig dont work mate :p
 
I believe the rotogrip brand works a treat. Im currently loaning my 2nd rotogrip from a friend, and with a left handed layout, fingertips that dont fit, and a hardcore tapped thumb hole, it still smashes through the pins like a champ (with a little persuasion).

Also, Michael; your links in your sig dont work mate :p

Oops, all fixed, lol;)
 
G'Day All,

Thank you to every one for their input. It's been great and to have the best bowlers in the country chip in with advice is a real honour for me.

Before buy my next ball I really need to get my release a little more consistent, then look at some of the PBA footage for similar roll and move from on from there.

Again thanks to every one for their input and hope it has been as useful to others as it has been for me.

Six months back in bowling and the curve of knowledge keep getting bigger.
 
At the moment I only use Storm gear.
When I started bowling again what I did was I went and bought up a few bits and pieces from their older range of gear. What I ended up with was a Too Hot, El Nino & Powercharge.
They are 15lb balls and regardless of their age or whatever, they still hit hard, carry consistently and on the odd occasion a GO-TO ball.

Now at the moment though I am using a Secret Agent & Team Storm Spare. Lately its the only bag Ive been carrying around with me. Those 2 balls are single handedly getting the job done for me in league and at training.


In saying all that though, I am in the process of getting a couple of older Track balls drilled up and they are 14lb. Im looking for something different in the gear that I have. I love the Storm gear, dont get me wrong, but Im searching for something that I could very well be missing that other gear might provide an answer for.

So you can see what I have done. Ive wanted to try out different things and thus have bought second hand gear. Sure it might not react the way it did when it was brand new. It might not carry as consistently as it might have brand new.
What it will do though, is provide me with an indication of whether or not I want to use equipment made by that company, and if the answer is yes, then how successful can I be using some of that companies newer gear?
 
Generally speaking I throw 15lb Storm gear.
Ive stuck with it for most of my bowling career as its just what I had easy access to and I liked it a lot.

I was throwing VBP gear from '07 - '09 and it was ok. The Ogre Pearl and the Bronze Centaur were by far my favourites from that brand.
I reverted back to Storm in mid to late 2009 once Id gotten a job and was able to purchase gear (whether it be second hand or brand new).

Before leaving Australia, I was throwing all Storm with the exception of one ball - Roto Grip's Pure Fuel. I quite liked that ball and would look into some other Roto ball if need be.

Over here in the States Im contemplating trying something Ive never used such as Brunswick, Ebonite or Hammer.
Any suggestions are welcome :)
 
Used a few over the years.

Hammer - good
Track - probably the best one I ever had
Storm - garbage. Only ever had 1 and that will be my last.
Rotogrip - good but wear out fairly quick

Have to agree on the fragrance thing with Storm. I find it stupid to put a fragrance in a bowling ball and would never buy one regardless of the brand. Can't stand them.
 
Novelty of that is cool I think.

Adds a difference to your ball, and if you like it, why not try some others? Guess it makes the storm brand one of a kind?

I know my next ball will probably be Storm, and fragranced, just to see what the fuss is about ;D
 
Hey MRS Storm, what part of VA are you in? I was born and raised in Alexandria just out side of DC, lots of history up there. As for some thing different, you may want to try Motive. One of the easiest revving balls I've thrown is the SR2, the company is new to making balls, but not to bowling, they used to make the cores for Brunswick. They got great balls, and there here to stay.
 
Back
Top Bottom