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Author Topic: Icon  (Read 20415 times)

admin

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Icon
« on: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM »
Ball NPS Score: 100.00
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What's in a name? If you're talking about the new Columbia 300® IconTM , there's plenty. For starters, it delivers unprecedented versatility in oil. Introducing our new MuscleTM coverstock which provides strong hook with continuous backend motion when sanded and aggressive skid/flip reaction when polished. In other words, it like two balls in one. So whether you want power and hook in heavy oil, or superior backend reaction on medium lane conditions, this is your ball. The new Columbia 300 Icon - performance at its peak. It's the name everyone will remember - especially your competition.



Color: Sky/Purple/Brick

Coverstock:Particle

Finish: Polished

Core: 2-piece

RG: 2.544

Dif: .038

 

Trackguy300

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Re: Icon
« Reply #1 on: June 29, 2002, 11:59:56 PM »
Well I just had a chance to throw this baby tonight.  A friend of
mine had just drilled it and had still not yet thrown it.  The condition
I was on was not great.  Heads and midlane were very choppy, had not been done for 2 days and there was a ton of carry down.  I began throwing my Eraser, Heat 2 and Pearl pulse.  None of these balls would turn the corner and they all tried to pick up a roll too soon.  Then I pulled out the Icon. This ball is in a world of its own.  It was left in box condition(Compound finnish) and was drilled with the pin above the ring finger, and CG kicked out one inch.  It cleared the heads like most plastic balls, picked up a good, even roll in the mid lane, and just unleased its "muscle" on the back end.  I went from trying to carry dead 10's to watching the ball hit flush leaving solid 9's.  I think this is one of the few balls I will splurge on and buy as soon as they come out.  If the cover stock really is as tuneable as Columbia says, then I feel they really might have the next generation particle in the new Muscle cover stock.  Well thats just my two cents, but I can't wait to see more of this ball.

Jeff Mop

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Re: Icon
« Reply #2 on: June 30, 2002, 10:45:15 PM »
I was very much looking forward to throwing this Columbia release.

I drilled it up with the pin slightly left of directly over the ring finger.  That puts the pin at 5 1/2 inches.  The CG is at 5 inches, with a slight bit of finger weight and positive side (not enough to make a difference in reaction).  I left the coverstock at its out of the box finish, which is a shined up 600 grit.

For starters, the ball is very aggressive, and even more so, incredibly powerful.  I had no problem playing any place on the lane from the 5th arrow out.  The box surface is a bit too aggressive to play further in than that without leaing the 10 pin, however at 600 grit, any ball is like that.  One day I will take it to 1000 and shine it up to see how much that changes things.

I put a good amount of speed and revolutions on tha ball and the reaction on the backend was an incredible strong flip-roll.  It's almost like a Zone that actually gets down the lane before hooking.  The one thing that I noticed almost immediately, and really stood out, is that the less you try to rev the ball, the harder the ball H.I.T.S.  While standing left and throwing right produced great results, I think I might have shattered some pins while playing straight up the boards and laying off the release a little.  This ball might be the best stroker ball since the Danger Zone, probably even better.  The good part is that crankers will like it a whole lot as well.

I bowled a 9-pin no-tap tournament today and shot 790 (granted it was no-tap, but it would have been higher if the stupid synthetic approaches weren't like ice).  I hit the pocket over and over and didn't leave my first 9-count until the 8th frame of the second game.  Before that I was 14 for my first 14 on carrying pocket hits.  The final game I threw a 300 game with only 4 9-counts as opposed to 8 "real" strikes. Only had six 9-counts for the entire 3 games.

This ball shreds racks.  There is no other way to put it that gets the point across so well.  The fact that it hits so well when you throw it straighter can only help my bowling as I won't be so inclined to hook the ball more than I should need to, and I can be a more accurate player while not sacrificing any hitting power.

I can't think of any bowler who can't fit THE ICON somewhere in their arsenal.

--------------------

- JP

This is not a signature.  It's true, it's true.

BowlPro

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Re: Icon
« Reply #3 on: July 03, 2002, 10:45:19 AM »
Columbia wants you to "Make a Name" for itself!
with the New Muscle Cover Stock!

The New Columbia ICON comes to us with the "Promotion" of a
"Dual Coverstock" The Best of Both Worlds! (Reactive Resin) and (Particle) all in one!

They put their new Coverstock on an "Old" or should I say "Tried and Proven" weight block design that comes to us from the (Rock-On,Game Pearl,Wicked.)

The "Dense Polymer Core" is a powerful core! So there was some good thinking on Columbia's part to use this one first!

The New Muscle Coverstock is supposed to work like a "Reactive" ball when shinned up! Skid/Flip type of hook reaction! and like a "Particle" ball when
slightly dull, Strong ARC hook style and also bite threw heavy oil!

We took our test ball and drilled it "Label Leverage" (3-1/2 X 4) Drilling
and No Balance hole. we left this ball box finish which comes to us slightly
shined. (Compound finish)as per the columbia AD sheet.
(Side Note) Some of these balls may come with a "sheened" finish depending on the MFG process quality! We opened three boxes and found two balls sheened and one shinny.(Compound Finish)

We got Our ICON on a fresh pair of lanes oiled in a typical league house pattern and from the first roll of this ball, we were able to cut threw the oil and find a excellent read and reaction on the lanes!

Strong Hook! Not Snappy! more controlled! with "TREMENDOUS" Hitting power! I expected a great hit from this weight block and it was there!

We continued to roll (3)three games and found this ball to stay in play with
small adjustments and moves. Being that I was the Only one on this pair of lanes that were freshly dressed, I found that even out of the box, this ball
is strong enough for most bowlers to conquer those Medium to Oil lane conditons!

Just to see if I could Get the "Best of Both Worlds" from this new coverstock,
I went to the ball spinner and applied some "Black Magic" to see if I could get some Skid/Flip out of this ball! I went back to the same fresh lanes I just
finished three games on earlier and WoW! there was a difference!

I was able to actually get this ball farther down the lane and then watch it
make a "Strong" and "Sharper" turn at the break point! With my "tweener" release I was impressed at the difference I was able to get! I still would not call it a true "Skid/Snap" in my hands but those of you with "Stronger Releases" will get more! But Over all, a Strong Ball for just about anyone!

The Hit and Carry actually improved as this ball was throwing pins everywhere! No Problem here with hitting power! This ball has it!!!!
(By shinning this ball alittle more it retained more energy for the hit!)

After an excellent game of "Out and Back" I wanted to see if I could get the "Other side of the world" with this ball slightly dull.(Particle Style Traction)

I went back to the ball spinner and applied a 600 grit sand to My ICON
(as recommended by Columbia) in their Promotional AD.

Back to the Fresh lanes and again this ball "Flexed its MUSCLE"!
This ball showed tremendous traction threw the oil and provided me with a "Strong" ARC style of hook! I could get this ball out and still get it to
ARC back with no problem. The Hitting power seemed to decrease somewhat in that this ball was bleeding some of its energy getting down the lane.
But compared to most other "Particle Balls" this ball was still hitting Good!

In the Dull State this ball will require "ALOT" of Oil! to work well!
But, I think overall Columbia has a Powerful Ball here!
Those of you who want to get the Best of Both Worlds? Then the ICON is
your Ball! Keep in mind Shell adjustment is still very important here!
And when it comes to drilling this ball, go ahead and use your favorite pattern. But those of you with alot of hand, (Cranker Types) Keep the drilling simple!

We will Recommend this ball to all bowlers and to our customers!

BowlPro
www.discount-proshop.com

 

Bowlpro

RandyO

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Re: Icon
« Reply #4 on: July 19, 2002, 03:48:42 PM »
I can sum up this ball in two words: OOOOOOHHHH BABY!!!
I've been looking for something to fit between my Arc & my Spirit, and I think I've found it. Since I wanted to do a good comparison, I drilled this Icon as close to the Arc & Spirit as possible. The Arc and Spirit are both drilled 5x5, with neither having a weight hole. The Icon is drilled 5x5, but being a 4" pin out it needed a hole to take it back to neutral. Ball reaction? Just great. Very predictable. I left it with the lightly polished factory finish, and in this mode it played about a board deeper than my polished Spirit, but not as deep as my Reaction ARC. On a fresh house shot, I could play either the Spirit or Icon with similar results, but where the Icon starts to shine is when the oil carrys down a bit. At that point it became more useful and more predictable than the Spirit. I had good carry. Every ball that I released cleanly was a strike. I had a few shots where I hung just a bit clearing the thumbhole and turned a bit too quickly, and a few of those left weak tens, but that's not the ball's fault. I carried light, flush, tripped a 4, even had a few energetic messengers. Normally, my messengers are more like UPS trucks - they kind of roll up slowly and just drop the package off at your door. Mine rarely fly around - but today there were a few.
As soon as I finish shaping that thumbhole to perfection - look out! This ball is a keeper!!

After about 6 games, there  are no signs of the dreaded "Muscle Atrophy".

Charlie Lacy

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Re: Icon
« Reply #5 on: July 24, 2002, 11:54:40 AM »
Columbias new muscle coverstock is a winner. ICON from
Columbia was left shined 4x4 drill and used on AMF synthetic
with medium track and heavy oil in the middle and the ball
goes long and flips. Second ICON R&D from distributor left
1000 grit scotchbrite and drilled 3 3/8 x 3 3/8 was used
on AMF synthetic with heavy middle oil and dry outsides;
ball can be sent from inside as far outside as you want
and still recover with explosive power; in fact I shot 300
the 6th game on this condition in league with the ICON. I
don't beleive I've ever had a ball that recovers that strong
and doesn't lose power.

thegame

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Re: Icon
« Reply #6 on: August 02, 2002, 02:40:55 PM »
I ordered an ICON at 15 lbs. and had it drilled 4 x 4 to give an earlier rolling path with a smoother arc.  My first game of practice was before a Thursday night league, and they had just oiled, so the ball wasn't moving much (this house has been using quite a bit of oil on the outsides lately), so I took it in to have it dulled up a bit, as Columbia says the Muscle coverstock is very versatile.  They weren't kidding, it was like a totally different ball.  It definitely grabbed the lane harder, and when this ball hits the pins, they don't have a chance.  The ICON carries off hits great, and even when you think you may have sent it out wider than you wanted to, the ball still finds a way to the pocket and H.I.T.S.  The other thing I noticed about this ball is that I've never seen a ball pick up speed so fast after it turns the corner.  After the ICON makes it's break, it finds another gear and heads for the pocket.  I'm very pleased with this ball, and if the Muscle coverstock holds up, I may get another one, and drill it to go longer.

cursedinvt

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Re: Icon
« Reply #7 on: August 12, 2002, 02:19:20 PM »
Much like thegame had reviewed, this ball didn't move alot on the heavy oil out of the box.  I had drilled it up 3.5 x 4 and left it in the box condition.  I took it on the lanes that had a good 10 or more games on them and this thing just lay the pins in its wake.  I then took it out for the summer league, long heavy oil and it nearly went straight.  I took it to the back dulled it down on the resurfacer.  I brought it back and i wouldn't have known it was the same ball if i hadn't let it off my hand, this ball when down my mark, and took a strong arcing left turn, struck-out the last six frames.  I can't wait to take it to some lighter oil patterns because although it hits good when dull, it really shows muscle with the "out of the box" finish.  9 out of 10 dull/10 out of 10 {currently} shine.

PolishHammer

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Re: Icon
« Reply #8 on: August 14, 2002, 08:59:49 AM »
Tried the Icon last night, and this review is probably going to sound like a broken record.  Drilled it up stacked leverage (I'm a tweener with med speed, med revs)The shot I bowled on is long heavy oil. They oil it twice a day, so I was on a fresh shot for the early shift.  Out of box, this ball did nothing but skid.  Took it back into the shop and had the cover taken down a little bit.  Huge difference.  Strong arc to the pocket and impressive carry.  After the surface tweak 26 strikes out of the last 32 frames. The ball was nice on the fresh but more impressive after some carrydown.  Slight adjustment to the right and back to striking. Only hope this coverstock holds up better than previous Columbia particles
Polish Hammer

RandyO

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Re: Icon
« Reply #9 on: August 16, 2002, 06:43:55 PM »
I’ve had my original Icon for a couple of weeks, and I decided to get another one. The original one was drilled with the pin and CG stacked just barely to the right of the ring finger. I threw it for about a dozen or so games with the original factory shine, and liked the reaction – BUT – it wasn’t a big enough difference with my Spirit in the three houses I used it to warrant carrying both in the same bag. Sooo – I cut down some of the shine using my can of turtle-wax rubbing compound. I prefer the reaction with this slightly-dulled finish. It still gets through the heads OK but has a touch more bite in the back. I could break out the sandpaper and turn it into a premier “oil-ball”, but I already have a couple of Reaction Arcs, so I don’t need to fill that niche.
   The new ICON was an experiment. I love my Faball Berry Razor, and I’ve been wanting to find a PBA legal replacement – something to go real long but still have some serious hit at the pins. I think the Razor is around a 2.59 or 2.6 RG ball, and I figured that drilling up a 2.544 Icon right over the bridge would give me a ball with an effective RG of around 2.58. Not perfect but close enough. I drilled up a 16# Icon with a 5” pin. This one was laid out 6-5/8 x 6-1/4, which place the pin just a fraction of an inch left of my centerline, and about 1-1/2” above the fingers. I threw it in league today and a few practice games afterwards, and it looks like it’s going to work out just the way I wanted. It goes looong and arcs easily into the pocket. The Razor is about a foot longer, but the Icon will probably be even better when the carry-down would force the Razor back into the bag. With this drilling, I will be limited to shots right of the 15 board, but it is going to be a great addition to my arsenal.
   For those of you who were following the 7x5 thread in the Columbia forum, with this 6-5/8 x 6-1/4 layout, I am still 1” away from the thumbhole on the first oil ring. No danger either of hitting a finger hole. I think a 7x5 would have worked for me, or even a 7x6. However, the reaction is so mellow now that going into the “negative” region would be counter-productive. It would be akin to neutering a million dollar race-horse.

Train Wreck

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Re: Icon
« Reply #10 on: August 16, 2002, 10:25:35 PM »
I drilled out an Icon two weeks ago.  I drilled the Icon label leverage and left it in box condition.  1st review is on the sport shot pattern.  This ball covered more ground than any of my other equipment.  It hit's harder than the ARC, thank god, and really turns the corner on the stripped back end.  I was able to play 20-10 and shot 807 for 4 games.  We oiled to 32' and then buffed to 37'.  2nd review is on the house pattern.  The house shot is oiled to 35' buffed to 40' with three units of oil from 1-5.  This ball had hold in the middle, but of course overreacted on the gutters which were to dry.  Even when swinging to the gutter, the ball gave me over/under.  I am a power stroker with a 3/4 track.  I was able to play 25-10 and the ball hit like a tank.  I shot 717.  This is a great ball for the stroker or tweener.  Those of us that don't put alot of hand in the ball the Icon will make the difference between weak 10's and strikes.  Go pick one up today!

JeffJR

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Re: Icon
« Reply #11 on: August 19, 2002, 07:38:41 PM »
Wonderful ball.  I drilled this 4 X 4 with an 8 inch hole and it goes long and really moves on the back end.  The things that has amazed me about this ball is how is throws pins around and carries.  First night out in league I shot a 300 with it.  That isn't the amazing part because 300 isn't too hard.  The cool thing was that I did it a a bowling center famous for corner pins.  But, with this new ICON I had no problems getting the 10's out!
  I recomend this ball to anyone who is looking for that extra edge.

JOE FALCO

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Re: Icon
« Reply #12 on: August 26, 2002, 08:09:45 PM »
The last 5 or 6 balls I've bought in the past 6 months was through MIKE CIMBA, the Pro at NESBITS' LANES in PA. Although I've never met the guy, I've found him to be the most honest and knowledgeable Pro I've ever delt with.

I've had the ICON for a week and I've put about 40 games on it. The first 10 practice games I threw the ball was doing wonders, everytime I was close to the pockets .. the pins would fall. Stayed after the league throwing 10 practice games and it continued to amaze me.

Then I went to a league with the ICON and fell on my face. I was ready to give up on the ball. I couldn't get it to react the same way everytime I threw it.

Today I pulled it out for another league. The ball rolled beautiful .. hit like a Sherman Tank and recovered .. no matter how badly I threw it. Shot 659 and was very happy. Bowled 8 more games after the league and each game was over 200 with the ball blowing the pins away.

Excellent ball. Must tell you that I chose this ball only because I was so satisfied with the SPIRIT. Seems like COLUMBIA is on to SOMETHING!

RIP Thongprincess/Sawbones!

scott christian

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Re: Icon
« Reply #13 on: August 27, 2002, 03:27:36 PM »
nice ball.
i drilled sort of a leverage. pin a little down and out from the ring finger with the cg kicked slightly towards pap and below the midline
tried it out of the box first and for me(a tweener with spin in the fronts), it was squirty on wood lanes with new oil(dont exactly know what kind. heavier viscosicty).
i took the polish off with 1000 wet sand and wow what a difference.
the ball is alot of ball when slightly dulled. revs in the midlane and has no problems with recovery.

i then took it to a synthetic house with the same oil. a week earlier i had a hard getting a rev to hook on.
this time the lanes were a bit drier(i had learned they shortened the oil that day).
i moved into the 4th arrow and had no problems getting the ball down the lanes and recovering. still had plenty of hit left.

 i then took my hand out of the ball and moved all the way to the right and noticed that the ball was very versital to releases as well as surfaces.
again, no problem getting this 1 through the heads and still had hold and room right.
i then took it to another league on wood lanes and when the carry down got to my rev, this ball stood up and read the lanes like a champ.
cant wait to get it on more oil.

just to sum it up, great ball that can fit any style with any surface.

Pinbuster

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Re: Icon
« Reply #14 on: August 30, 2002, 11:45:53 AM »
I am a right handed 3/4 roller. Axis is 5 3/4 right 3 /16 up. Ball speed 18+ in heads, 16+ at pins. I get a lot of hand in the ball but do not normally cover a lot of boards.

My league average range from 215 to 225. I generally like to cover as few boards as possible.

Ball was used wood lanes. A tappered block with about 20 units in the middle to 3 outside ran to 24 feet and buffed to 35.

I had this ball drilled up on 8/21/02. Ball specs where 16lb 0 oz  with a 3 ½ " pin and 4 ¼ oz of top weight. I left it in the box condition (the compound finish) and drilled it with a label shift. The pin is a 2 o'clock 3 1/2 " from my PAP and the CG is 4 ½ " from the PAP. A small balance hole was needed and I ended up with ½ oz positive side and 5/8 oz of finger.

I first threw about 20 balls trying the ball out a fresh league condition. The ball did not hook as much as I expected. It did seem to rev up earlier than my other Columbia equipment but it still had a lot of length. I then used it later that same night in my 5 person scratch league. There were no early leagues that night so it was bowled on a fresh condition. While the ball still did not hook a lot I had a reasonable shot and reaction, stayed clean the first game and shot 219. This house is notorious for how fast the lanes breakdown and I had moved quite a bit during the first game. As the lanes dried out the ball began to shine. In the second game I started with the front 10 leaving a solid 8 on the 11th for 289. The third game I was clean again but 5 ten pins broke up strikes and shot 219 again.

I used the ball again this week in the same league but this time the lanes had been bowled on during the first shift. Again the ball seems to rev up earlier than my other Columbia equipment but doesn't seem to generate early hook. My mechanics were not nearly as good but still had a good reaction and shot 640 for the night.

Conclusions at this point is that at least out of the box this is not a big boomer of a ball in the hook department. It does seem to get into an earlier roll without early hook. With the early roll it seems to recover better from shots that are wide of target than some of my other equipment. Carry percentage has been good and the ball hits hard (sometimes to hard showing little respect to the pins).