Chad,
I understand your trepidation with the BK after your prior experiences with this line of equipment; speaking for myself, I've also had some issues with a few of their balls ... BUT looking back at those issues, I've deemed most of those issues to be "match up", layout, or coverstock issues, as opposed to the balls being "duds". Generally speaking, not all balls will work for all bowlers (hence the match up comment) and I've noticed that some roomies love the same ball that others hate ... being that there are SO many variables to consider when choosing a ball, you can wind up eithering loving or hating it.
IF a ball's cover/core combo is a good match to a bowler's style, IF the layout is a good match to said style, IF the cover is "tweaked" to match said style AND the ball is used on the proper conditions to maximize it's potential, then I'm quite sure that a bowler will LOVE it; if you reverse those parameters, then the ball could be considered a "dud".
Now ... what I have determined to this point for MY style and stats(in my profile) and based upon my experiences as well as some trial and error on layouts, the following work best for me on THS:
- TW around 3 oz,
- 2 1/2" to 4" pins,
- cg located right around my midline (on, slight above, or slightly below),
- pins located right around my ring (above, in, right of, or within that area),
- and finally, that I can "tweak" the ball reaction with coverstock adjustments and properly located balance holes to get the reaction that I'm looking for (I get these recommendations directly from Galen at LEGENDS after we chat extensively about the ball after prcticing with it on various conditions).
Regarding the prior threads in reply to your question, they are "shared experiences"(just as Charlest stated) and should be used IN GENERAL and as potential guidelines in your own selction process. WHEN I DOUBT, gather all of the information and variables that you can prior to selecting a ball and consult with someone "in the know" (IE - Galen, Pat or Anne Marie Duggan, etc) make a ball selection and to arrive at a compimentary layout; IF you do your homework, plug in all of the possible info available to you, and get a solid "match up", I'm quite sure that you'll could get a ball that is versatile enough to be satisfied with, and one that only needs a "tweaking" via a surface adjustment and/or a balance hole.
Again ... these comments an thoughts are my own and are based upon my persoanl experiences, what I've read, and what I've learned to date. As always, good luck ... and BOWL WELL !!!
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**** Official "L/LM ball junkie" ****
Man, I LOVE this game; and I love it even more now that I'm using LEGENDS/LaneMasters equipment !!!
"Master the Lanes with Legendary hitting power" !!!
Robb in O'Fallon, IL 62269 (near Scott AFB)
LAYBZZ74@AOL.COM (Email and PayPal addy)