BallReviews

Equipment Boards => Lane #1 => Topic started by: JessN16 on February 17, 2022, 11:55:00 PM

Title: So are we about to get a restart of Lane #1?
Post by: JessN16 on February 17, 2022, 11:55:00 PM
You can go to buylane1.com and purchase new clear-poly diamond spare balls ... there's also a link for jerseys, Secret Sauce and gloves ... there's a landing page on Facebook where all this is linked, so ...

Just wondering if the company is about to try a relaunch. They reference a product delay right now due to shipping issues, so that means the clear balls are being poured overseas. I've wondered lately whether they could partner with Big to help flesh out the product line, or even Motiv for that matter; if they're getting stuff poured in Asia then obviously the made-in-USA thing doesn't matter as much as it once did (and if that's the case, SWAG may want to ring them up).

Just curious whether there are any rumors out there that I haven't heard yet. I always seemed to score well with their stuff and would love to see another nameplate out there in the bowling equipment world, especially once with Lane #1's history and name recognition.
Title: Re: So are we about to get a restart of Lane #1?
Post by: ignitebowling on February 18, 2022, 07:11:30 AM
Not likely. Some time ago an overseas company got permission to do the Diamond clear spare ball. my understanding Richie doesn't have the money or credit with anyone in the US to try and bring back the brand. Big Bowling is struggling to make their own stuff let alone anyone else so I doubt they would waste the materials on a company that cannot pay.

Plenty of diamond like cores over the years by other brands that have dine well. The newest appears to be from DV8 which I may try at some point just because of the diamond like core.

Title: Re: So are we about to get a restart of Lane #1?
Post by: Bowler19525 on February 18, 2022, 08:07:52 AM
I heard an anecdote years ago that all clear poly balls are made in China simply because the facilities to make them in the US don't exist. 

I don't care about Lane#1 balls, but would love to be able to get a new bottle of Secret Sauce.  Best polish I have ever used!
Title: Re: So are we about to get a restart of Lane #1?
Post by: bcw1969 on February 18, 2022, 11:03:06 AM
I did buy A Lane 1 Difference a couple of years back or so---used of course, wasn't going to pay the price they were asking for new one--still paid a bit though...put a drilling I have liked on many of my oilers at the time--a 320 degree hook set drilling and that ball with that drilling was not hockey stick--not a curve-- but when it moved it was liked L shaped, it just went immediately to the right for even this extremely low rev lefty stroker. I really like it on the soup.

Brad
Title: Re: So are we about to get a restart of Lane #1?
Post by: billdozer on February 20, 2022, 12:02:07 PM
Would be nice if the pyramid ball company out of bowling ball dot com just made lane one stuff or bowlersmart hyped it up through one of the manufacturers.

Bowlersmart tried and I think failed resurrecting azo and dynothane.

Only storm coulda done dynothane right.

But I think there are plenty of lane #1 fans out there....Ritchie needs to let someone else take the reigns or something
Title: Re: So are we about to get a restart of Lane #1?
Post by: Adrenaline on February 26, 2022, 08:11:01 PM
Still have my Pink Panther and Pink Panther Pearl.  I still use the Pink from time to time for fun.  I need to clear them both out but I'm sentimental and stubborn.  I don't carry a spare ball, but if I did it would absolutely be the clear diamond.
Title: Re: So are we about to get a restart of Lane #1?
Post by: Gene J Kanak on February 28, 2022, 12:05:28 PM
I was a HUGE Lane 1 fan back in the day when Brunswick poured for them. There was something about those PK18 covers and diamond cores that just matched up really, really well. Sadly, once they no longer went to Brunswick for covers, it seemed like they were never able to fully reclaim the magic they had for a while there (not that there weren't any good balls later). At this point, I think their time has simply past. I'd be shocked to see them back up and producing balls again.
Title: Re: So are we about to get a restart of Lane #1?
Post by: SG17 on February 28, 2022, 04:11:11 PM
I was never a Lane #1; I don't have any burning reasons for that.  I just wasn't drawn to them. 

I would love for there to be another manufacturer of bowling balls that is independent of Brunswick and Storm; but is the Lane #1 name/brand something that has enough equity or value to be worth the effort?
Title: Re: So are we about to get a restart of Lane #1?
Post by: billdozer on February 28, 2022, 05:26:09 PM
Per the last two posts above ... I think lane #1 would outsell 1 or 2 of the magnificent 7 brands. If they were poured by Brunswick

A couple have zero Hype whatsoever with their brand.


Motiv poured lane #1 would be in the same plant as the pk18...that's even more intriguing.

Title: Re: So are we about to get a restart of Lane #1?
Post by: JessN16 on February 28, 2022, 11:53:57 PM
I was never a Lane #1; I don't have any burning reasons for that.  I just wasn't drawn to them. 

I would love for there to be another manufacturer of bowling balls that is independent of Brunswick and Storm; but is the Lane #1 name/brand something that has enough equity or value to be worth the effort?

Probably, but it gets less every day with the passage of time. If someone is going to capitalize on what name recognition remains, it needs to be done in the next 5 years, tops, IMO.

As for the equipment, if you liked strong midlane roll, the equipment was a great matchup. If you wanted go long and then hook out of the building, there were probably better options. It is very true, IMO, that the balls were at their peak when Brunswick was pouring them. Columbia 300 took over from Brunswick, then 900 Global when the San Antonio plant was sold off in the original EBI mergers. There are a handful of balls out of San Antonio that I loved, including the most angular Lane #1 I ever had, the Supernova XP.

Lane #1 had some issues of personality, I think it's fair to say, between ownership and various parties. As for the technical merits of the equipment itself, the original Diamond core did its job, but by now everyone knows there was no real "magic" to it (or any other core, especially anything with a fairly basic shape/configuration). That's not to say it can't perform a role; more than one company has a core with a basic double-right-cone shape as part of its construction, and when the core and cover make for a good marriage, even simple shapes can deliver big results.

The Bomb core, for me, was a different matter entirely, much more hit-or-miss. The big problem here is that Lane #1 basically had the Diamond and the Bomb cores, and everything was more or less a varietal of one of those two shapes. So if you didn't match up to those cores, you were out of luck.

And finally, the other shortcoming of Lane #1 was the lack of development of really unique asymmetrical cores. Most of their first asyms were derived from existing symmetrical cores, either by cutting a piece off one side and affixing it to the other, or that "warped" core that was in the original G-Force balls (and was pretty terrible for me). I think that's when the economy of scale took over, and Lane #1 lacked the funds to do advanced R&D, whereas Storm and the others were already using computers to great effect in core design.

Having said all that, Lane #1 was way ahead of its time in getting real cores into a plastic ball (XXXL Starburst) and urethane (The Liberator) at a time when most companies would only stick a pancake block in anything not made with reactive resin. The result there was even guys who would make fun of Lane #1 relentlessly quietly had XXXLs and Liberators stashed in their bags. The Liberator is a top-five urethane ball of all time.