I am trying to fill two spots in my bag with one ball.  Which urethane ball would be best to be used as a super dry lane ball and a spare ball?  I know there are solid, pearl, and hybrid urethanes. Which version could be made the tamest and smoothest by polishing or any other method?  Would a low RG drilling (short pin to PAP) be best to avoid any possible down lane flip?

Recommendations on ball, cover prep, and layout please.

I believe one can't make such a recommendation without knowing whether
1. You're a cranker, tweener or stroker AND
2. You're speed dominant, matched revs/speed, or rev dominant.

All 9 variations have different needs. Some are different enough not to overlap.

I am a tweener & rev dominant. My best urethane driest lanes strike ball is the Blue Hammer (but I already have an original Desperado). My best urethane spare ball would be the Mix pearl (but I still prefer a plastic spare ball).

Specific to your answer, I've used my Burgundy Hammer as a spare ball and one to use on drier lane conditions. The ball, which I purchased in 1995, was drilled straight-up, but I've since had a weight hole drilled to allow it to pick up a little sooner. According to a Facebook conversation I had with Bill Hall, who designed the Blue Hammer, he told me the RG on the ball (Burgundy Hammer) was 2.52 and the differential was about an .020.

You can always put some shine on a urethane ball, which would enable it to skid farther down the lane. This was a common thing done back in the day, say, with the Columbia U-Dot: dull finish (first ball), shiny finish (spare ball).

You could take a polyester ball and scuff it and get a better reaction than a urethane...most urethane will 'hook' early and burn up in the back part of the lane...not an optimum reaction

Do you think a polyester with a core might be a better choice than a urethane with a weak core or pancake?  I hadn't thought of that until you mentioned polyester.

Quote from: charlest on October 01, 2014, 07:51:34 PM

Quote from: J_w73 on October 01, 2014, 06:11:35 PM

I am trying to fill two spots in my bag with one ball.  Which urethane ball would be best to be used as a super dry lane ball and a spare ball?  I know there are solid, pearl, and hybrid urethanes. Which version could be made the tamest and smoothest by polishing or any other method?  Would a low RG drilling (short pin to PAP) be best to avoid any possible down lane flip?

Recommendations on ball, cover prep, and layout please.

I believe one can't make such a recommendation without knowing whether
1. You're a cranker, tweener or stroker AND
2. You're speed dominant, matched revs/speed, or rev dominant.

All 9 variations have different needs. Some are different enough not to overlap.

I am a tweener & rev dominant. My best urethane driest lanes strike ball is the Blue Hammer (but I already have an original Desperado). My best urethane spare ball would be the Mix pearl (but I still prefer a plastic spare ball).

I'm pretty matched as far as rev/speed....375 revs, 18-19 mph off my hand. 

I had a Blue/Black Polar Ice (a hybrid) as  spare ball for a while. Overall, because I face medium-light to light oil, and I am rev dominant, it just hooked too much for me.I returned to my polyester/plastic ball, but I sanded it to 4000 grit for more consistency.

Because you are rev/speed matched, a urethane could be a good spare ball for you. If you can modify your release for 10 pins and similar, you could possibly use a ball like the Blue Hammer (real dynamic but very weak core) or the SuperNatural (stronger core but weaker surface than the BH) for true dry lane strike ball and for a spare ball. A SuperNatural has more length and much more backend than the Blue Hammer, but I found the Blue Hammer harder hitting (FOR ME).

You can leverage the core and put a hole at 6.75" to increase the flare but if there is enough friction and you're bowking on synthetics a polyester will react well...it will allow you to close down your angles easier and still get some movement down lane

I first posted using a Burgundy Hammer as a spare ball option (that I've used shooting pot games). I also use a Brunswick Slingshot (pin/down) as a spare ball option (on sport compliant/flat patterns).

The key to all this is the definition of dry. Everyone has different views when they think the lanes are dry.