BallReviews
Reviews => Columbia 300 => Topic started by: admin on December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM
-
Cut to the chase and throw 'em a curve. Trust our new Detour. It'll lead you in the right direction. You'll get your game going on a new course and keep your budget right on track.
Ball Specifications
Core Technology: Inverted Stair Step Core with Dual Flip Blocks
Core Technology Benefits: Clean through the front with angular backend.
Coverstock: SuperFlex
Coverstock Benefit: Creates good length and strong backend motion on most lane conditions.
Hardness: 75-78
ABC/WIBC Approved: Yes
Track Flare: 3-4
Color: Red/Purple/Black with Neon Yellow Engraving
Hook Rating
Overall Hook: 48
Hook Oil: 21
Hook Dry: 27
-
drilled up my detour last thursday...and let me tell ya you better be pretty firm with this ball because it will eat the backends alive when it gets there....started out 229,279 first two games before starting to throw the ball terrible and then shooting a horrible 148 but i was throwin three different balls that games.....but it has a smooth breakpoint, good roll through the point and like to finish with a lot of energy never had a problem gettin the corner out unless if was self-inflicted on a bad shot so i would have to give this ball a 8.5 out of 10 because it is a pretty good ball...will post later
-
just a quick update shot 783 tonight on a normal 10 to 10 house shot in league was subbing and i go 237, 258, 288 for a nice 783 not bad for within the first 6 games of the ball lets see what it really does when it gets a track on it
-
Drilled this up after a friend drilled his. He told me "Detour" is a very accurate name. Said that the ball got through the heads as cleanly as a plastic ball...he actually thought it was going so clean that it would never make a turn....he thought that 40' into his first shot, this ball is a dud, it doesn't hook....and then all of a sudden....POW! Backend city!
His was glassed up a bit on the spinner in the shop, but I left mine in the box condition, which looks to be about the same surface as the first TiMessenger. Mine did seem to grab the lane a bit more than his did in the heads (anything is greater than zero), which I like, but the backend was no different....POW! Backend city! I put this ball on the rack in league (second shift) after my Alter Ego (read my review) fried the right out. Started off playing 20 and the ball flipped, recovered and carried great. No signs of rollout and no signs of losing power or not having enough guts to turn the corner. Drilled mine with pin @ 5" above and to right of ring finger...CG at 5 1/4 about 3/4 above midline (going by memory here, ball is in my trunk right now).
If you want a nice mid priced ball with a full-priced backend snap, this is the one. If Columbia's intention is ever to phase out the Messenger Ti line, the Detour could assume its position in the line more than adequately, and maybe even better! Geez, I'd hate to think of the damage a TiDetour could do hehehe
--------------------
==========================================
Columbia bowls the world over
http://www.columbia300.com/
Enter FREE Fantasy Pro Bowling and see how well you can pick who makes the TV show each week:
http://www.bowlingfans.com/fantasy
http://www.bowlingfans.com/jeff/
http://www.bowlingfans.com/jeff/ballreactionbasics.html
-
I just got the Detour last Friday and boy was i impressed.
This ball will work on any lane conditions and
will get to the pocket. Its one of the best columbia balls i have ever thrown.
-
ARE U KIDDING!!!!
The ball arrived yesterday from Buddies Pro Shop 15.4 lbs 2" pin with 2 1/2oz of top weight. I'm a very high track bowler so I kept the pin in the safe zone above the ring finger w/1/2oz of side weight. This ball is so easy to control I almost feel like i'm cheating. My span is 5 1/4 throwing 15.5 to 16 mph. letting the ball go on 10 out to about 4 and watch it work...
I threw about 12 frames w/o scoring just to work out my thumb and all but one was a strike.
Can't wait till Thurs. league.
WoW! what a ball
--------------------
"I refuse to tiptoe through life only to slowly arrive at death"
Carl
-
I must say that I Love what Columbia did with this piece. I think they made a mistake but what a great a mistake it is. I got mine with a 3" pin I just drilled it up with the cg in my palm, pin just about next to my ring finger and the MB in the first ring of my track.
This Ball gets down the lane great and the backend reactiion is out of this world!!! Its a nice smooth arc that hits like a ton. The flair I get out fo this ball is great too because it will still cover some boards while its in the oil.
For all those that have been turned off by Columbia in the past, give the Detour a chance, for the money its the best ball I own.
BMM
--------------------
June 3, 2003 First 600 Series(208,258,170)!!!!!!
-
This ball i would put up against anything on the market. Talk about a great rolling, hitting, and well priced ball! Columbia is giving you exactly what they advertised with this one. Strong rolling, and hard arc on the backend. This is also one of the best carrying balls i have thrown in a long time. I have thrown in on the slick, your avg house shot, and dry, and this ball is all around unbelievable. I wouldn't recommend it for too much dry because it is fairly strong on the backend. I drilled my Detour with the pin under my fingers, and the cg kicked out just 1/2 inch. So the numbers would be 5 x 4 1/2. As i said before, throw your favorite layout on this ball and you won't be dissapointed. Thankyou Columbia for the DETOUR!!!
Mike Hardesty
West Texas A & M
-
I am the Asst Mgr of a center and had yet to see the new Detour...until today!
I had a kid show up at the center who was home from school in Ithaca, NY. There aren't too many balls out there that will "turn my head" but this is one of them. When I saw the reaction, I had to go investigate.
The ball was set with stacked lev layout. I have never seen a ball clear the heads this well and just come out with guns blazing on the backend. He offered me a chance to throw the ball. He has very close specs to mine. I threw five or six shots and destroyed the rack on every one. I punched up a BIG BLUE two days ago for some heavier patterns...and today...I ordered my DETOUR. If people would be willing to step down into a mid-range ball and give it a chance, this could be every bit as big as the B/S/P was!
-
Drilled - Pin under bridge,
Cg kicked out, small xHole down
Coverstock - Box condition
One word describes most every Columbia ball, RECOVERY. Drilled the Detour for ABC Nationals, a go long & recover drill pattern. WOW, this ball rolls strong! Easy length thru the fronts, and makes the one of the strongest moves at the breakpoint than any ball Ive ever thrown. Almost too strong a move to be called 'flippy'. It revs the hardest just passed the midlane, handles carrydown easily with almost no sign of squirt. A definite cheater ball. The pattern in Reno is a fairly long pattern. Without having thrown it before, I used it all 9 games. I played inside from 4th to 5th arrow, had recovery from about the 5 board. The carry was incredible (except for 9pins).
Games were:
171-225-169
242-257-225
228-167-300
1984 All Events
The bad games were because I didnt make the correct moves when they broke down. Nothin else in my bag wouldve given me that much room right. Away from Reno, Ive had alot of success on synthetics, because of my ball speed, I havent used this ball on wood (too much friction). Inexpensive ball doesnt mean straight ball, the price tag is as impressive as the ball itself.
-
I picked up this ball because i read the reviews and they were pretty good . the only thing i changed was the coverstock which was a compound finish, shined it up to 2000 grit polish,45 degree layout and it hits like a truck.worth the money. Another great ball from Columbia 300 . Good luck and great bowling take care Jim Argie
-
Bought this ball to compliment my Full Throttle. First thing I would like to say is that this ball has the hardest, most angular backend of any ball that I've seen on the lanes. Here are my specs:
Weight: 15 lbs.
Pin: 3"
Top weight: 3 oz.
Drilling layout: stacked leverage w/ weight hole
Style: Tweener, 15-16 mph, medium revs, 30-90 degree axis of rotation
Condition: House shot, heavy oil synthethic.
Control: 8/10
This ball is a house shot killer. On a forgiving pattern, the move this ball makes is ideal and generates great angle of entry into the pocket. It also clears the heads really well. However, dislikes spotty lanes, carry down, and extreme wet/dry conditions.
Carry: 8.5/10
Hits great on a fresh pattern, but tends to leave some 10's when the lanes start to wear down and the oil pushes to the back of the lane. Still hits hard though, but not quite as hard as say, the Full Throttle.
Hook: 10/10
This is where this ball shines. The Detour is an absolute monster on the back end, giving u lots of room to play on the lane. Wanna play hard and straight? Stay under the ball more and it'll do the work for u. Wanna play the deep inside line? Increase your axis of rotation by rotating around the ball more, and the ball will recover.
Overall: 9.1/10
Great house shot ball for those league nights. Would also work well on a tournament pattern with a fresh backend. I recommend this medium/medium heavy oil ball to everybody. The Superflex coverstock has been proven to be great, and the combination of that with the inverted stair step core makes this ball a great choice for any arsenal.
-
I used this Ball for the second half of the season. I am a 43 yr. old 190+ RH bowler that only bowls on one league per week. I practice 9 to 12 games a week. I rolled my first 300 after 31 years of competitive and sanctioned league bowling with this ball. I find that by changing hand position, the ball becomes very versatile. It is label drilled with the pin in the hand. The pin is roughly 1-1/2" from the CG with 3.0 oz of top. If the lanes are soupy, I can play down-and-in with it between the 4 and 7 boards, left foot on the second arrow. Less oil to Mid condition finds me at 8 to 12 with my feet straddling the middle dot. The ball finishes well in all conditions and rarely rolls out. I highly recommend this ball to all! Thanks, Tim Versellie-Detroit, MI.
-
Rebuilding arsenal and decided to start with this ball as the baseline/middle of the road ball. 15lb, 3 1/2 pin, drilled w/ pin 3 3/8" from PAP (stacked leverage drill) w/ pin even with finger grips.
Great middle of the road ball!! Performs exactly as advertised. On typical house shot, ball really pushes through the heads and midlane well and reads dry transition predictably. Can play the dry bump well with this piece and not have to worry about it overreacting. Be warned though, when it reads dry, it really turns!! Handles inside 'tugs' well and carry with this ball is great. Keeps pins low and really mixes well on light shots. As the lanes break down, I can move inside and still score well, but if there's long oil/carrydown this ball does tend to not make it back sometimes. At that point it's time to pull something else out of the bag. I can usually stay with this ball for an entire shift of league. Overall a great piece of equipment!
-
All I can say is that this ball is very impressive I got it in the specs were 15lbs 4oz 3oz of top with a 4-5 inch pin i drilled this ball up stacked levrage out the box I shoot 745 two weeks later i shoot 256,280,300 for a 836 for my second 300 and my 2nd ever 800 of my carer the 1st one was in feb of 04 the second one was in may 3 months from each other this is one of the best balls i've ever drilled
-
White Bread Review:
2nd Drill: Pin on Axis
1/2pos 1/3.14 finger
Very stable move similar to the Black U-Dot of the olden days but the hit is still strong. Previous Pin on Axis Drills did not create enough drive to carry the corners but this one did, Superflex is great
Review for NON-Complainers and Moderators who do not Ban, please ignore White Bread Review:
Detour??? What kind of name is that??? When I think of a Detour I think CRAP! Now how will I get home...hmmm the Bronx, I'll ask that skantilly clad lady or his colorfully dressed male friend for directions to Long Island...Not a positive image
Any way after some reconstructive jaw surgery and the replacement of a few digits on my typing hand (I can type faster, stronger, better now because they are replaced with bionics I bought from Walmart) I can now write a review for my eh...DETOUR..."stupid name" <whispering>
Drilled Pin on Axis
Stable like my Uncle Jeckyll, he alwasys sent me cookies.
Strong like my Uncle's life partner Mr. Hyde, he was the strong silent type. He sweated profusely and ocassionally drooled, not much for table manners.
I won't be using it much on the THS with this drilling but will definitely be in the Mega Tourney bag.
Life is like a box of chocolates, pristine and perfect to start, when eaten the dark desires appear through caffeine and suger, then diabetes occur and being overweight by eating too much. Finally, you pass out when the alien pops out of your chest! Godiva...ahhhghrhrhhhh <Homer J Simpson type drool>
-
The Columbia Detour was first drilled in our pro shop to replace a Shock Trauma for one of the guys who works with us. We had heard that this ball’s cover stock is very aggressive, so we sanded the out of the box finish down to 1500 and polished it to a fairly high gloss. The ball was 16lbs, top of 2.75 and a pin of 2 ½†out.
This bowler is mostly bowling in leagues and has been having success with the same type of layout for much of the past two seasons. That layout is the pin next to the ring finger, which is about 4 ½†from his axis. There was a need for a small balance hole, which we placed 4†from the grip center on the midline.
This player throws the ball between 17 and 18 mph, has minimal axis tilt and is at about 30-35 degrees of axis rotation.
The first time out with the ball, he lined up very close to where he had been with his Shock Trauma. He was targeting 13 to a break point of 7 or 8 and the carry was automatic. The ball’s track flare measured 4â€. The Detour looked strong right from the first shot, as it just gave the impression it was looking for a place to hook and when it found it, it shredded the rack. As the track area broke down, a move left with the feet and target was enough to keep striking. The bowler observed that the break point of the Detour seemed to be slightly less sharp than the Shock Trauma was but he liked the predictability that provided him.
In the weeks to come, the Detour proved to be a great piece of equipment for lanes that were medium to oily. Dryer heads make the Detour tough to use, even with polish. Dry back ends don’t seem to be a problem for this ball, as it’s move, although strong is not really sharp. Heavier patters shouldn’t be a problem, especially with a dull shell. The carry is as good as anything out there in our opinion, unless you are lined up badly, you won’t be shooting corner pins much with this ball.
We can recommend this ball for anyone who needs more reaction then they currently have with their reactive ball. Anyone who prefers reactive shells but would like something aggressive should look into the Detour.
If you have any questions regarding this review or any other ball, you can e-mail us at proshop@bowlero.com
-
this ball for me on carry down can be the end of it. like this ball with flying back ends or on wood where the oil doesnt really carry down. great ball then. i have to pick and choose the times when to use it. if i get the right combination it can be deadly. have used at many tournments to make a comback. as long as the heads hold and the oil hasnt carried down to the back really bad. this is a great ball. one you definatly want in your arsonal for the right time to come out and make that comback or charge.
-
Best ball I have owned to date! Reads the lanes beautifully and makes a killer move on the backend. Used this ball for almost 8 months now and is still hitting like a tank.
--------------------
P O R K
-
Specs:
15lb 3oz
2.5 inch Pin
2 oz Top Weight
Drilled:
Pin under the ringfinger
CG kicked out 1.5 inches
Xtra hole on my axis
Polished with Reactive Shine
Well since i am starting to build a Columbia Arsenal, i was told by Chad Murphy, Curtis Woods, and Jon Brandon which are all on the Columbia Staff that this ball would be a good fit unber my Bully.
This week on the same day i drilled this ball out i tried it in League. Fresh off the press when i got on the lanes i was very impress. I can see easily the difference between the M80 and the Superflex Coverstock.
The Detour definitely suites its name. Bowled on a Med to Heavy oil pattern.It goes long and really zips on the backend. Even shots i threw that wouldn't usually recover came back and shredded the rack. All night long this ball got better and better. The ball is very versatile too. You can use different hand positions and it still rolls and hits well. I shot 215-237-257 for 709.
I agree with what Curtis Woods and my Pro Shop Driller that the Detour is Columbia's sleeper ball. For a mid price ball it performs like a high end ball.
Keep up the good work Columbia!
--------------------
"Learn to throw a lot of strikes" - Tony Reyes
-
This ball is a big seller in my area, so I decided to see what all the hype was about. Drilled up a 15 pounder pretty much label with the pin just to the right of my ring finger and the CG in the center of the grip shifted maybe a half inch right.
The ball had it's moments, but it never was a great carrying ball for me. It got down the lane well, with a good hard move at the break point. But I'm a tweener, and I always seemed to be right in between of it's comfort zone. I either needed to try and turn the ball more to get an earlier reaction, or I needed to square up and get the ball down the lane better. I tried hitting the ball with a mild Scotch Brite pad, which allowed me to play a bit deeper with the earlier roll, but still could be a 10 pin leaving monster unless everything was just right.
The others who have bought one around here and have had great success with it seem to have lots of hand, or are straight enough to square up and fire it down the lane and let the ball turn over. I guess it just didn't match up for my particular game.
-
Specs:
15.3
2.5 inch pin
3 oz top
Drilled:
6 x 5
Pin above bridge
Xtra hole 6.5 inches from center of span
This ball again is just dominant. It is truely a medium ball. Very easy to predict going down the lane. This layout gives the ball length with a nice reaction in the backend.
I tried it at a wood house with a 10 to 10 shot. 10 to 5 it hooked and outside 5 was ob. It carried everything. The best shot i had was staying in the track. I could go straight or swing a little and it would belie back nicely.
I had my best 5 game set in a mini holiday tournament:
288 - 258 - 213 - 267 - 206 = 1232
I am thinking of getting a third one. Hee he.
Columbia does it again. This ball is a sleeper which not many people know about still.
--------------------
"Learn to throw a lot of strikes" - Tony Reyes
-
Got this one back in April after reading some positive reviews. I drilled it a little strong for my style, which I think was the problem I had from the beginning. I drilled the ball with the pin about 2 inches to the right of my ring finger and cg below. When the ball would read a dry area it would flip hard and roll it's self out hitting weak leaving a lot of 10's and after a few games this ball doesn't like carry down either. I played with the surface first with a heavy coat of polish but still would roll out. I next drilled a large weight hole in the axis to get the ball back to the negetive side. This did help save some of the energy in the ball, but it is still very angular, once it turns, it turns and rolls straight at the pocket, not a constant curve. The reaction is a bit strange as it looks like I'm throwing it straight at an imaginary wall and bouncing it into the pocket, no roll up time to turn, it's that fast, right then a fast straight left, angular no curve. If I were to get another one I wouldn't drill it strong, the cover of this ball is just too jumpy. I do like the ball more since I drilled the weight hole in it, as I was about to sell it before the hole was drilled, but now I can use it on any medium house shot. I give it a 8 out of 10, not the best but gets the job done when the conditions are right.
--------------------
Lane Conditions: 35 ft heavy-med Oil 8-8
Type of Lane: Wood
What part of the lane did I play? Third Arrow out to the 5 board
Recovery? very angular
Ball weight: 15
Surface of bowling ball: Factory / polished
Likes: you can square up with this ball, just line up, hit the dry and watch it go to the pocket
Dislikes: If other people are all playing the same area as you or there is a lot of carry down, the ball will miss the break spot sometimes or get a lot of over/under reaction.
R.J. Ugas
Bowl South Staff
Houma, Lousiana
-
I did not like this ball at all. Put the pin over the fingers and cg just below. Kept box surface on it and absolutely hated the ball. I could not strike with it if you payed me to. I hung ten pin after ten pin. We did not sell many of these and the few people that did drill them don't care for them (not carrying the corner pins). This ball just does not finish hard enough to carry the corners. It was very smooth and had an arcing backend.
Good Luck and Good Bowling,
Michael
-
Drilled a 2nd stacked label no xhole
OOB surface
If you like superflex and you want to replace an older one that is tracked out or you don't like the color anymore then this would be a good replacement. Same old stuff, good hit nice reaction...yawn...excuse me.
Superflex is good stuff, its like comfort food. Occasionally you will try something raw UGH but you will always come back to Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes with gravy and for me Spam and eggs HALLALUYAHH!!! CAN YOU GIVE ME AN AMEN!!!