BallReviews
General Category => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: traderfjp on March 08, 2016, 07:09:45 AM
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Short of plastic and Urethane what is your best dry lane ball. I have an old Desert Heat from Track and was looking for a ball that hooks even less.
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I would suggest a Radical Rack Attack Pearl or a Brunswick Strike King which have a pearl cover that would skid down the lane better when the lanes start to dry out. Another good choice would be the Brunswick Vintage Gold Rhino Pro which would give you a little more reaction down lane.
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Mine is the Radical Rack Attack Solid with a 2 inch pin to pap with cg kicked toward the palm.
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A Motiv tag would be a really good choice
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I have a NIB 15lb Slingshot and a <5 game 15lb Slingshot. Doesn't get much weaker than these on burn. PM me if interested.
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I'm very rev dominate and mostly throw straighter equipment. Having said that I have a Brunswick Strike King, which has great length but is super flippy. My current favorite is a Roto-Grip Loco solid, pretty straight and easy to get length out of.
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Rack Attacks. Predictable and great ball, best bang for your buck out there IMO.
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I have a teammate in one of my scratch leagues with big hand. The house we bowl has a short dry pattern and even his Motiv Ascent was too much. So after some research, I bought him a Storm Ride and it works perfectly. It's a weak reactive cover with a high rg, low diff core. You can still find them for less than $100 shipped.
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The weakest reactive I have ever thrown is the Lane #1 Bullet...actually I use it as my spare ball on those occasions that I need one. Very mild..and there happens to be a 15 pounder on ebay at the moment.
Brad
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None of the balls mentioned will be weaker than a Desert Heat.
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I love my Desert Heart. How about the Sling Shot. I read a lot of good things about that ball. Would it be equall or stronger.
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Slingshot will be close. PK17 vs. Superflex cover with similar cores.
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For me it is the Hooligan Taunt. It has enough of a core to roll and shape up properly, yet unlike most weaker balls it is not sensitive to wet/dry.
I used a slingshot drilled fairly strong for quite a few years and liked it for playing tight to the oil line
My personal opinion is that plastic/urethane anywhere inside of 2 arrow is like begging to leave buckets and weak 10's.
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How about the new Pearl Loco?
Slingshot will be close. PK17 vs. Superflex cover with similar cores.
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I love my Storm Ride.
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I don't have any ball for such condictions. We mostly play on oil patterns with lots of oil.
The Jackal is good for when the oil starts to dry up, since it doesn't hook much in my hands :P
The Scandal and Swerve is probably very bad for when the oil start to get dry. They hooked quite a bit when I tried them yeasterday.
If I ever were to get a ball for light oil, it would be Motiv Ascent (Red/Black). Been drooling over that for awhile. But I don't need a ball for light oil.
If the oil machine at any of the alleys break down, I'll throw a house ball.
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When it's time to get left or play the shim, I throw a Hy-Road Pearl. If it gets toasty enough, I'll throw a Yellow Dot.
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The desert heat will be pretty darn mild... Hard to find something "less.". Would probably need to find one of the early milder reactive from the 90s... Otherwise, it may be difficult to find something.
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I agree. What older balls would you suggest??
The desert heat will be pretty darn mild... Hard to find something "less.". Would probably need to find one of the early milder reactive from the 90s... Otherwise, it may be difficult to find something.
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The Brunswick Power Groove Dry/R was designed to not hook. If you can find one, that ball is weak. The sling shot was weak but even that ball will move on defined friction. I prefer shorter pin to PAP drillings to reduce the ball reaction. Most people go longer pin to pap and pin up to get the ball down the lane.. but that will create asymmetry and the ball will flip off of friction.
There is always Neo tack Control it or powerhouse delayed reaction. Control-it might be sold by someone else now. They both have slip additives in them to reduce the ball reaction and hook.
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I used to have a Coral Triton that fit the bill well. I also had a yellow Sun Storm that I liked.
For me, it was always more about what I could find...
I like looking at 123bowl.com to see the release dates and core strengths.
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I use UFO as my standard polish for my league condition (Chemical X at 4k and UFO polish). Many weeks, I'm into 4th-5th arrow by the second game. I tend to lose carry at this angle (especially with the X)! I looked around for a while and just ordered a Loco Pearl. I'm hoping this is much cleaner down the lane on the toast
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Slingshot will be close. PK17 vs. Superflex cover with similar cores.
I have to agree. as specialist in dry lanes balls, except for the Power Groove Dry/R which is all but unattainable these days, the Slingshot is THE mildest ball I have used in a good 10 years. Relative to every ball mentioned here so far, it has almost no backend. It is still available from many places and especially from EBay. Get anyone except the Red/Pink(purple) one; it uses a stronger coverstock than the PK 17 standard on all the others.
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I agree on the slingshot. I just wish they would have made a slingshot solid.
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I drilled a LT48 with a drilling of 60x5.5x50 that works well.
I also drilled a Strike King with a RICO drilling that works very well when the LT48 is still to much.
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The new storm hot line is coming. "Match and match pearl" assuming great for torched Lanes...original reactor cover.
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I have a 900 Global Cardinal Boost that works great
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Slingshot will be close. PK17 vs. Superflex cover with similar cores.
When you say no backend, do you mean the ball rolls into the pocket instead of overreacting to the backend? Do you have a favorite drilling for burnt lanes?
I have to agree. as specialist in dry lanes balls, except for the Power Groove Dry/R which is all but unattainable these days, the Slingshot is THE mildest ball I have used in a good 10 years. Relative to every ball mentioned here so far, it has almost no backend. It is still available from many places and especially from EBay. Get anyone except the Red/Pink(purple) one; it uses a stronger coverstock than the PK 17 standard on all the others.
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Where do you find a Desert Heat?
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Slingshot will be close. PK17 vs. Superflex cover with similar cores.
I have to agree. as specialist in dry lanes balls, except for the Power Groove Dry/R which is all but unattainable these days, the Slingshot is THE mildest ball I have used in a good 10 years. Relative to every ball mentioned here so far, it has almost no backend. It is still available from many places and especially from EBay. Get anyone except the Red/Pink(purple) one; it uses a stronger coverstock than the PK 17 standard on all the others.
When you say no backend, do you mean the ball rolls into the pocket instead of overreacting to the backend? Do you have a favorite drilling for burnt lanes?
I mean it's very close to a urethane type of backend, compared to a resin-type of backend. Yes, I also mean it does not overreact, also in the same way as a urethane never overreacts.
I have no favorite drilling for this. you CANNOT drill every ball the same. For dry lanes it depends, for me, on how much differential the ball has because that determines the amount of hook and backend (in importance, after the bowler's release and the oil amount). For a ball like the Sllngshot, (and the Tropical Breeze) with their tiny differential, it makes almost no difference how you drill it
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ccrider: I got it on Ebay NIB for a very low price. It's a great ball. Rolls very predictable. I also bought a Slingshot which is on its way. I think the slingshot might be a tad weaker. I drilled my Heat for length and used a 4.5 pin to pap. I figured the ball has such a low differential that drilling it on the stronger side would get whatever flare there is in the ball to show itself. If the outside of the lane is toast it will go high but I can move a little left and I'm back in the driver's seat. The first game in league I shot 288 with it.
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Charlest: I had a Super Natural which was part Urethane and it hooked way to much and was touchy on oil. That was not a good ball for me. Urethane seems to pick up too early. I like reactive for the length and the low differential keeps the ball from jumping off the backend. I may drill the Slingshot with a 2" pin to pap or just drill it like my heat. I don't think it will make a huge difference. 75% of the ball's reaction is core and cover anyway. I have balls with similar drillings and they react totally different. Pin down, pin up, the ball is going to go long regardless and with the weak core it should roll into the pocket. I hope.
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How about the new Pearl Loco?
I haven't seen it thrown but I heard it was a good dry lane ball. It is probably stronger than the Slingshot or Dry Heat. It has a higher differential and 2-3" of flare. A lot of junior bowlers are drilling these up.
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Charlest: I had a Super Natural which was part Urethane and it hooked way to much and was touchy on oil. That was not a good ball for me. Urethane seems to pick up too early. I like reactive for the length and the low differential keeps the ball from jumping off the backend. I may drill the Slingshot with a 2" pin to pap or just drill it like my heat. I don't think it will make a huge difference. 75% of the ball's reaction is core and cover anyway. I have balls with similar drillings and they react totally different. Pin down, pin up, the ball is going to go long regardless and with the weak core it should roll into the pocket. I hope.
I had a SuperNatural; it is not a true urethane, but a urethane/resin blend, and it had a medium strength core. That along with it's polish made it more of a mild resin, if anything. I had resins that handled dry and oil better and were more reliable. I sold mine.
A 2" pin on a Slingshot should make it even more controllable, but will probably force you to play an outside line. But all in all it shouldn't make a big difference. How well it works wll depend on how much dry there is, how much head oil and your release (rev dominant, speed dominant, or matched). If it hooks too much still, you'll need to buy a Blue Hammer and polish it. :)
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Just a note: The lefty two hander on tour that uses nothing but urethane; he has 9 different layouts on pitch black(s). So there are different reactions available with that ball and I assume the new blue one will be similar.
This was said on one of the ESPN broadcasts that he made the show of.
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TX: I think he is so successful with Urethane because of his speed and rev rate. For the average bowler urethane will probably read too soon and then die on the backend. I haven't thrown one so I really am just guessing. I tried my friend's original Blue Hammer and had an amazing reaction playing in the dirt but I only tossed it for one game.
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Trader: You may be correct. Just wanted for everyone to realize that with these new urethane balls, they flare just like reactives, and different layouts may or may not help. Don't just drill them like 80s urethane and then go, "nope" that didn't work; when a different layout could help.
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I have been bringing out my old 300c pearl and throwing it. Gives me a controllable reaction and let's me stay a little further right, but sometimes it has been too early and strong. I have a pitch black that gives me a spotty reaction on these lanes because of inconsistent back ends. Desperate times call for desperate measures so I am giving turtle wax a try on my 300c since I don't have any polish with a slip agent. Royal shine just makes the ball fly on the back ends. Worse case scenario, I will sand the ball back down to get rid of the wax.
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Urethane balls hook early and flatten out on the backend. If you are bowling up first arrow then that is great. If you are on a THS, then you better be damn accurate.
Pearl mid to lower end balls without super tall pins or lower xholes would be the way to go.
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Urethane balls hook early and flatten out on the backend. If you are bowling up first arrow then that is great. If you are on a THS, then you better be damn accurate.
Pearl mid to lower end balls without super tall pins or lower xholes would be the way to go.
Agreed, based on recent experience. I have a pin down IQ pearl and a Black Hammer, drilled 4" from my PAP.
The Black Hammer flares for sure, but must have dry to consistently turn the corner. The reaction is early and smooth. I love it when the lanes are dry enough to use it. The reaction shape is nothing like any resin ball I have thrown. If there is oil in the middle or the backends are inconsistent, and I miss in, the Hammer goes pretty straight.
The pin down IQ pearl is drilled 5 inches from my PAP. I have it at 1000 with polish. It is early and smooth but tends to give me a little tug room if I miss in when there is still oil in the middle or inconsistent backends. The pearl cover is stronger and it shows.
My four ball line up at this point is the Nirvana, Jackal Carnage, IQ Pearl, Black Hammer. I also use a plastic spare ball. The Black Hammer flares some, even if I break my wrist, and I have not had enough time to practice with it using it as a spare ball.
Some day, when I really learn how to bowl, I can see myself using only the urethane ball. You get what you throw with it when using it under less than ideal conditions.
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I have a 16 lb Power Groove Dry/R, single drill, less than 20 games that I'll sell at a reasonable price. If interested, send me a PM. Shortly after I got it I also got a Dynothane Energy, which I've used ever since for dry lanes. -- JohnP
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I would take it but it's too close to a Slingblade in reaction.
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I would take it but it's too close to a Slingblade in reaction.
Do you mean the Brunswick Slingshot, which we've been talking about, or the Hammer Sling Blade (another great light oil ball from the past)?
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I have a 16 lb Power Groove Dry/R, single drill, less than 20 games that I'll sell at a reasonable price. If interested, send me a PM. Shortly after I got it I also got a Dynothane Energy, which I've used ever since for dry lanes. -- JohnP
There was a batch of the DT Energy that they forgot to add the resin to, resulting in a ball that was much weaker than intended. Is yours one of those?
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I have no idea. I bought it on close out from bowlingballs.com. It does hook more than urethane, so I doubt it. If you're interested I'll get the serial number and post it next week. -- JohnP
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Sorry, I have no idea of which s/n belonged to the bad batch.
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I had a Desert Heat that I replaced with a Slingshot. I did added polish with the slip agent in it and seemed to do the trick. The polish gives it a bit more length and takes some of the snap out. It I a about as close as I have found to the Desert Heat.
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I've been averaging about 250 with my Desert Heat but you have to know when to put it away. I shot 279 with it on Monday. I was going to drill my Sling Shot - 60 x 4 x 40. The ball is so weak and has such a small differential that I wanted to put a long and strong drilling on it. Honestly I don't think it will matter much. I also contemplated using a 2" pin to pap or a 5" pin to Pap but decided to go with a much pop that I could get on the back end. The 2" pin to Pap is suppose to be very weak as is a 5" pin to Pap. I just hope I don't get a under/over reaction.
I actually bought a used Sling Shot for my friend who is a lefty. He has a terrible over/under reaction i the house we bowl in. This ball will let him have a look he doesn't have. The ball went long and then made a nice continuous move to the pocket. His carry was pretty good. The proshop guy put a little surface on the ball so the ball would read. I was a little ticked when I first saw that but the ball rolled well for him. I can't wait to get the ball this Saturday to try it out and see how it compares to the Heat.
I had a Desert Heat that I replaced with a Slingshot. I did added polish with the slip agent in it and seemed to do the trick. The polish gives it a bit more length and takes some of the snap out. It I a about as close as I have found to the Desert Heat.
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Bruinskwick Soul mate