Post by: Bjaardker on June 16, 2003, 08:09:30 PM
It seemed that last season EVERYONE was throwing the Apex Adrenaline. However I've noticed that I see very few of them now days.
A teammate of mine cussed at his quite a bit saying it had lost it's pop after only 50 games or so. He cleans his equipment after everysession with storm's reacta-clean, so I know it's been well taken care of. Now I'm in the market for a fairly strong particle ball & he says I can have his Adrenaline for free. However with money being tight I dont want to end up paying for a plug & redrill on a "dead" ball, or one that is going to be dead soon.
So my question is.... where did all the Adrenalines go & do they really die that quick?
Post by: Jeffrevs on June 17, 2003, 11:24:05 AM
Here's how I look at it........
If money is tight,....don't bother with something you're not 100% sure of. Spend the money wisely and get exactly what you want...then it won't be wasted...yes ?
--------------------
JEFF
Jeff -what I am: Revs -what I want!
Post by: Bjaardker on June 17, 2003, 12:01:24 PM
That's why I'm posting here. If the Adrenaline has a fairly long life, it would be the exact kind of ball I'm looking for, and I can't beat the initial cost of the ball (read: FREE).
However if people have found that the Adrenaline does indeed die off earlier than expected, then I would save my $40 for plug & re-drill & keep looking for a particle solution.
Really at this point I cant afford much more than $50 including plug & drill, so my options are EXTREMELY limited. I've just found that with every outing I'm wishing more & more that I had a particle option in my bag.
Post by: Steven on June 17, 2003, 12:18:42 PM
Maybe it's true and I don't want to totally discount the observation, but 50 games is not a lot of mileage on a ball -- any ball. Unless he's totally tracked the thing out by throwing it on a brickyard, the conclusion doesn't make sense. I've read the same type of statements posted about the Apex Intensity, and I can say with certainty that after owning two of them, they do not die after 50 games.
If it's free, I would personally take the chance on the Adrenaline. Give it a hot water bath and a minor resurface/polish, and the ball should be good to go.
Post by: LuckyLefty on June 17, 2003, 12:25:38 PM
REgards,
Luckylefty
Thanks!!!!!
Let me know!!!
Post by: Bjaardker on June 17, 2003, 12:31:32 PM
My only other concern was that he had the ball resurfaced using wet sandpaper. I know of reports that say that sandpaper is too hard & grinds off / smooths out the particles in some balls. That's why I was going to resurface with a light touch of a burgandy, then green, then light gray scotchbrite.
As I think about it, even if the ball has lost some "oomf" I might still pick it up from him & use it for up the boards on a flood, where my resins just aren't making the turn. I would think the mere fact it's a particle would help give it a bit of a move.
Post by: Bjaardker on June 17, 2003, 12:35:21 PM
I'm guessing he'll probably want $40-50 for it. Not that it isn't worth it considering the amazing condition it's in.
Back to my original point, has anyone else noticed that these balls have virtually disappeared from the racks? I hardly ever see anyone throwing one, whereas 8-9 months ago it seemed EVERYONE had one.
Post by: Steven on June 17, 2003, 01:09:42 PM
It sometimes upsets people when I say this, but I consider balls in the Apex line to be IQ balls, so if you don't have success with them, it says more about your game than the ball itself. The only thing I would suggest is to stay away from leverage drillings in the Apex line (label, stacked), and go more with a CG out type pattern. The cores in the Apex promote a real flippy reaction when drilled overly aggressive, so be careful here.
As to why you don't see more Adrenalines around, I can't answer that. I can make an observation about the disappearance (i.e. turnover) of aggressive balls in general. Most bowler who buy high-end equipment really aren't at a level to use the stuff effectively, and quickly become disenchanted when the balls do not produce magic. So they blame lack of results on the ball and move onto the next "magic bullet" of the month.
In general, unless a bowler is in the 210+ average range and knows how to use equipment as a tool instead of a solution, he/she should not be allowed to buy these monsters. But that will never happen.
Post by: Jeffrevs on June 17, 2003, 01:59:02 PM
quote:
It sometimes upsets people when I say this, but I consider balls in the Apex line to be IQ balls, so if you don't have success with them, it says more about your game than the ball itself.
Not that this upsets me whatsoever, however, coming from you Steven, I find it quite funny. You are such an intelligent person, yet you throw a statement out that is very "blinders" oriented.
So you 're saying it's impossible for the Apex balls NOT to fit with someones game ??
--------------------
JEFF
Jeff -what I am: Revs -what I want!
Post by: OLI on June 17, 2003, 02:33:54 PM
Get the ball. Use what means you want to get the oil out and keep good care of it. The cover stocks on some of the Ebonite equipment soak up a lot of oil. When the reaction seems to go away, just repeat the process and get the oil out.
--------------------
OLI - USAF Retired and Pro Shop Operator
Post by: Steven on June 17, 2003, 02:41:50 PM
So I don't believe I made any statements with 'blinders' on here. To answer your following statement specifically:
quote:
So you 're saying it's impossible for the Apex balls NOT to fit with someones game ??
The answer is "YES" if
1) The bowler has reached 'high-end' bowler level competency.
2) The Apex is prepared (drill/cover) appropriate to the bowler in question.
3) The Apex is used on the right target condition.
Now the same thing can be said for just about any high performance piece of equipment, but the answer doesn't change just because the ball is an Apex.
For what it's worth, I use my Apex very little -- not because I don't enjoy throwing it, but because I generally don't see the fresh conditions necessary for the ball to be used effectively. In the past 6 months, I've used the ball exactly 2 times (both tournament settings), and netted several hundred dollars because of the match to the condition.
Previously, every time I pulled the ball out for league, I ended up regretting the decision. Maybe not the first game, but as soon as the lanes began to go south. But I understood that the problem was my own poor choice for the condition, and not the ball itself.
However, too many bowlers blame the ball, and you know the rest of the story
Post by: Jeffrevs on June 17, 2003, 02:47:31 PM
my blinders comment was meant as you making a generic statement so to speak, but ...not anymore, you explained it perfectly....thanks!
--------------------
JEFF
Jeff -what I am: Revs -what I want!
Post by: Bjaardker on June 17, 2003, 03:11:56 PM
After my experience with my Apex Aggression I would WHOLLY agree with you.
It took a while, but I did finally find the right condition & release for the ball. But it just didn't work outside of those parameters.
I expect to use the Adrenaline in a similar way. I've just found myself needing a particle ball as of late & from what I've seen of the Adrenaline it will fill that niche.
Otherwise my Voodoo is a great all around ball & my Igniter lights up fresh mediums & some drier patterns.
Edited on 6/17/2003 3:15 PM
Post by: Next Level PS on June 17, 2003, 03:33:43 PM
--------------------
www.bowlritelanes.com
Post by: Steven on June 17, 2003, 03:42:10 PM
But again, this doesn't diminish the value of a ball like the Apex. Like poker, you have "to know when to hold them, and when to fold them".
Post by: C-G ProShop-Carl on June 17, 2003, 04:31:46 PM
I would try the Adrenaline if I were you. Resurface it using Scotchbrite pads. Put the surace to 600 grit and use Track Clean n Sheen on it and it will look and act like brand new.
As far as why you don't see them. I stopped throwing mine because I just bought new equipment. Same as my friend, he wanted to try and Inferno. Bowlers will always try new equipment. Atleast most of use will. That is why you do not see as many people using them.
Post by: Bjaardker on June 17, 2003, 04:36:20 PM
quote:
With only 3-4 league games, who needs the irritation of knowing that you'll probably have to make a ball change (at some point) to stay in the pocket? That's what you get when you use an extremely oil sensitive ball like the Apex in league.
Bowling in my league is a little different.
We're a second shift league after a sport pattern league.
No one knows what you'll end up with on any given night. That's why I wanted the apex in my bag.
Most of th nights I can get down the lane nicely with the Voodoo. But after having it redrilled to roll a little stronger I'm missing a "control" ball. I just hope that the Adrenaline isn't so extremely release sensitive like the Aggression was. Then again, I dont plan on having such an aggressive leverged drill like I had on the Aggression.
Post by: Steven on June 17, 2003, 06:34:45 PM
The reason I ask is that the sport shot league I was going to bowl in last fall was canceled because they didn't feel there was enough time to complete all the procedures and still get the league done on time.
Post by: Bjaardker on June 17, 2003, 07:06:52 PM
The league before wasn't actually sanctioned as a sport league
The shot began as a pure sport shot, but changed as the season went on.
The story behind it was that they were complaining about having too many 300's the year before, so the management & the league decided to start out the season bowling on a sport pattern from the foundation300 website.
Then the complaining started about the condition being too tough, so finally we ended up with a pattern in the same shape, but with a little bit larger ratio.
On a separate note, if any of you know of a sport league other than the 2 on the sportbowling.com website (both are already full for next year) in the Milwaukee area, please let me know.
Post by: Brickguy221 on June 17, 2003, 10:05:04 PM
Post by: TyLytle on June 17, 2003, 10:21:37 PM
Hey brickguy... that X-Factor you sold me is still out hooking my other X-Factor. I hardly ever use the one I had 1st. THANKS!!!!! HEHE
Ty
Post by: Brickguy221 on June 17, 2003, 10:51:24 PM
Post by: TyLytle on June 17, 2003, 10:56:35 PM
Ty
Post by: LuckyLefty on June 18, 2003, 07:39:42 AM
What type of great league shots are you guys seeing?
Mmmm, mmmmm!
REgards,
Luckylefty
Post by: charlest on June 18, 2003, 09:18:55 AM
quote:
Bjaardker: I'm curious about the sport shot league you mentioned. Do you know how long they take to measure the oil for ABC compliance before league starts?
The reason I ask is that the sport shot league I was going to bowl in last fall was canceled because they didn't feel there was enough time to complete all the procedures and still get the league done on time.
- Steven
Steven,
I am currently in an ABC sport sanctioned SPort League. They use a tape machine to measure the oil pattern every night before they oil all the lanes. We just finished out 3rd night. We are supposed to start bowling 4 games at 8 PM.
The first night we started at 10:15 PM.
The 2nd night we started at 9:20 PM.
This past Monday night we started at 8:10 PM.
The first 2 nights were agony; the tape machine wouldn't read the tape.
The ABC man gets there at 7 PM with the lane man to do the readings.
The 2nd night the ABC man got there at 5 PM , then the lane machine broke down and they had to send out for a replacement part from another house 30 minutes away!
FYI everyone's average is down about 30 pins.
I had to dig out my old Blue Dot to make spares.
I am having the time of my life .... so far.
Post by: bowl868 on June 18, 2003, 11:29:25 AM
We bowled after a 5pm league, the lane man would get on the lanes (12 lanes) at 6:10-6:15, strip and re-oil, two other guys did the lane reading. We were always on the lanes by 7ish.
Here is some added Sport condition thoughts: We bowl at an old wood house and the shot was just too hard to keep 48 guys in the league
. The outsides didn't play and the heads dried up no matter how many units. For the three years I was in the top 10 in average with 200, 194, and 193. Only one man above 200 in average this past season. The first year as a test league the shot was dry, the last two years it was oily. I have less hand and like playing straighter, and I didn't match up as nicely with the oil. I would have like to go back to the drier shot, but the majority didn't want to be forced to use older balls, harder reactive pearls etc. So, the Sport shot got voted out and we are going with a middle road 4:1 or 5:1 type ratio, so it's not a league shot shootout. I'm sad to see the sport shot go, I enjoyed the challenge, but it would be a shame to see the league be forced to fewer bowlers or just die. Overall a frustrating situation. We'll see how it pans out in September. My 2 cents.
Post by: Strider on June 19, 2003, 01:33:55 AM
quote:
It acted strong, but I never knew whether it would hit.
Sounds like the Matrix Dominator that I had.
--------------------
Strider
Penn State Proud
Teamwork is a lot of people doing what I say.
Post by: sheppy335 on June 19, 2003, 03:00:52 PM
i have used a Apex Adrenaline all year and use it sometimes twice a week and it hasn't lost bit of kick for me. Now i do take great care of my Equipment, clean after bowling, then clean at home before bowling and the put in either dishwasher or in hot water tub every 2 months to pull all oil out of cover. But mine hook like a train. the only ball to die on my was the original Apex and that was my fault for not properly cleaning it like it needed got that ball before I understand it took Maintenance to keep a ball like that hooking. even then it took more then 50 games for the ball to die! i used it for almost two years before i noticed a performance drop and even then with the use a o dishwasher and hot water i was able to bring it back to life for a few weeks at a time! i would get the free adrenaline and redrill it. Bowl to win!
Post by: Charles on June 23, 2003, 01:23:15 PM