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Author Topic: Thoughts on ball manufacturer quality?  (Read 2194 times)

Curly

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Thoughts on ball manufacturer quality?
« on: March 19, 2018, 11:15:30 PM »
Looking into the thumb hole of my new Motiv, i see a nice air pocket between the core an inner ball material. Bowling dot com offers a disclaimer for every manufacturer... "may have 'normal' surface pitting'. Chipping, air pockets, circular cracks around the finger holes. Balls spontaneously splitting in half. The state of ball manufacturing is absolutely pathetic these days. For what they charge, they really need to get their sh*t together...

 

MI 2 AZ

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Re: Thoughts on ball manufacturer quality?
« Reply #1 on: March 19, 2018, 11:23:05 PM »
I'm biased, but Visionary has good quality control. 

I don't really understand ball production, but an air pocket may be something that could happen to any company.

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HackJandy

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Re: Thoughts on ball manufacturer quality?
« Reply #2 on: March 20, 2018, 02:09:21 AM »
Yep learned my lesson on Visionary when just happen to have a couple of swirls that looked coincidentally like plugged finger holes on my new Warlock and everyone told me me to chill the heck out Visionary is the Mercedes of bowling balls and guess what they were right (egg on my face).  Have a Raven on the way now.  Along with my Crow and Ogre pretty obvious they are built to last.  Only complaint at all is have to be patient sometimes to get a new ball as they often seem to be made to order and can take 2 to 3 weeks.  They do seem to be in a limbo right now though where none of their balls are available directly from Visionary in 15lb but that might because they are finally going to release new balls they have been teasing for awhile.
« Last Edit: March 20, 2018, 02:11:46 AM by HackJandy »
Kind of noob when made this account so take advice with grain of salt.

Luke Rosdahl

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Re: Thoughts on ball manufacturer quality?
« Reply #3 on: March 20, 2018, 07:53:04 AM »
Doesn't have much to do with quality control, has to do with the natural yin and yang of what they're accomplishing.  3 piece balls are more susceptible to cracking than 2 piece are, resin more than urethane or plastic, etc.  Surface pitting is normal period, air pockets shouldn't be but those are very rare, circular cracks around fingerholes are pro shop error, so I don't know where you're going here.  95% of the problems bowling balls have are caused by the people who own them and don't know how to take care of them or pro shop operators who don't know what they're doing.  Let a ball sit too long, core settles, ball cracks, owner fault.  Use too much glue installing inserts, causes the circular cracking, pro shop fault.  Don't bevel holes before installing inserts, chips out/cracks around finger holes, pro shop fault.  I've got a basement full of stuff that's just fine because even if I don't throw a ball for a while, I go down and move it occasionally.  I don't drill stuff within an inch of the pin.  I bevel my fingerholes, and I use exactly two drops of glue to hold the inserts in, don't need more than that.  My stuff doesn't crack or get circular cracks or chip or anything, but "my company" is supposedly the worst when it comes to durability. 

I don't buy it when it comes to other companies either.  "Columbia balls always crack," no they don't, people just don't take care of their stuff and want to blame manufacturing.  The design of modern reactive bowling balls DOES make them more fragile than they used to be, but that's the trade off.  If we want to go back to the 60s and 70s with rubber and urethane balls, you'll never have a problem.  Never heard of a Pitch Black cracking, and those are still available. 
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Juggernaut

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Re: Thoughts on ball manufacturer quality?
« Reply #4 on: March 20, 2018, 10:33:50 AM »
 I classify things like this under the “sh*t happens” rule.

 I’ve had bad balls from top companies, and good balls from little companies.

 Even had some of those “made in China” balls that were actually pretty good stuff.

 You got a “bad” ball with an air pocket in it. Have it warranted for manufacturer defects in workmanship, get something else, and move on.
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HackJandy

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Re: Thoughts on ball manufacturer quality?
« Reply #5 on: March 20, 2018, 11:04:01 AM »
Doesn't have much to do with quality control, has to do with the natural yin and yang of what they're accomplishing.  3 piece balls are more susceptible to cracking than 2 piece are, resin more than urethane or plastic, etc.  Surface pitting is normal period, air pockets shouldn't be but those are very rare, circular cracks around fingerholes are pro shop error, so I don't know where you're going here.  95% of the problems bowling balls have are caused by the people who own them and don't know how to take care of them or pro shop operators who don't know what they're doing.  Let a ball sit too long, core settles, ball cracks, owner fault.  Use too much glue installing inserts, causes the circular cracking, pro shop fault.  Don't bevel holes before installing inserts, chips out/cracks around finger holes, pro shop fault.  I've got a basement full of stuff that's just fine because even if I don't throw a ball for a while, I go down and move it occasionally.  I don't drill stuff within an inch of the pin.  I bevel my fingerholes, and I use exactly two drops of glue to hold the inserts in, don't need more than that.  My stuff doesn't crack or get circular cracks or chip or anything, but "my company" is supposedly the worst when it comes to durability. 

I don't buy it when it comes to other companies either.  "Columbia balls always crack," no they don't, people just don't take care of their stuff and want to blame manufacturing.  The design of modern reactive bowling balls DOES make them more fragile than they used to be, but that's the trade off.  If we want to go back to the 60s and 70s with rubber and urethane balls, you'll never have a problem.  Never heard of a Pitch Black cracking, and those are still available.

Columbia is not the company that comes to mind when I think who cracks the most (in recent times) but leaving it at that (no not Storm either for record).  As for Storm had zero problems with their balls since I bought a total dog crap Shift a decade plus ago.  A total layman's view is due to the advanced chemistry of their balls which can hockey stick on about as much oil as anyone you really have to be sure to maintain your stuff well as you mention and it just happens if you don't Storm balls might see reduced reaction earlier than most.  Honestly been on a ball buying spree the last year or so from every major family and have to say I haven't seen quality problems with any of them (bad driller did cause a small crack in one finger hole).  Even my $40 Pyramid Path plastic ball has been a lot more robust than I was expecting (much more than an old viz-a-ball I have).  The only ball though I have currently with a massive amount of games on it is my BVP Rampage which was a value ball I bought a decade plus ago.  With that powerkoil coverstock its just as strong as the day I bought it.  The Shift and Track Heat (think might have had a Desert Heat at some point as well) I bought around the same time are long destroyed or gone.  The Heat was stolen out of my car and dumped by the thieves in someone's yard so give it the benefit of the doubt when it cracked soon after.  The Shift well if a ball had to crack glad it was that one (the ball that taught me what burning up and rolling out was but didn't realize it at the time, just knew it sucked, Storm redeemed themselves soon after with the Hy-Road though).
« Last Edit: March 20, 2018, 11:23:57 AM by HackJandy »
Kind of noob when made this account so take advice with grain of salt.

Bowler19525

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Re: Thoughts on ball manufacturer quality?
« Reply #6 on: March 21, 2018, 04:14:02 PM »
My EBI stuff has been most disappointing in terms of quality.  I have 20+ balls across multiple manufacturers all drilled by the same PSO.  The bridge on my Track 400ASE, Columbia Antics, and Columbia Swerve have all cracked.  None of the bridges on any of my other balls have cracked (Motiv, Brunswick, Radical, DV8, Elite (made in China), 900G, Lane1, Storm, Roto).

HackJandy

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Re: Thoughts on ball manufacturer quality?
« Reply #7 on: March 21, 2018, 05:04:54 PM »
My EBI stuff has been most disappointing in terms of quality.  I have 20+ balls across multiple manufacturers all drilled by the same PSO.  The bridge on my Track 400ASE, Columbia Antics, and Columbia Swerve have all cracked.  None of the bridges on any of my other balls have cracked (Motiv, Brunswick, Radical, DV8, Elite (made in China), 900G, Lane1, Storm, Roto).

Only have Hammer stuff from modern EBI family and its been good so far. 
Kind of noob when made this account so take advice with grain of salt.