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Author Topic: Best Bowling Balls for Dry Lane  (Read 50978 times)

john178

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Best Bowling Balls for Dry Lane
« on: June 21, 2012, 01:10:06 PM »
What are some of the best bowling balls (any brand) for dry lanes ?

I'm a right hander and like to play the track area (15th board to gutter).  My ball speed is generally between 13.5 and 14.5. 
« Last Edit: June 21, 2012, 01:11:46 PM by john178 »

 

Russell

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Re: Best Bowling Balls for Dry Lane
« Reply #16 on: June 22, 2012, 11:33:39 AM »
Let's be honest here...with strip/oil combo machines how often do you REALLY see toast now?  I'm sure it's a rarity, but what...once every 2 or 3 years?  Even if the heads are burned I'll take a bet with my resin stuff.  I'll keep moving left and adding tilt and let you shoot 186 with a double, 6 10 pins and a pocket 8/10.

BallReviews-Removed0385

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Re: Best Bowling Balls for Dry Lane
« Reply #17 on: June 22, 2012, 12:29:43 PM »
Russell,

Once again, I bowl second shift scratch league with a bunch of guys with lots of hand. The oil we start with is gone very fast!  After moving 10-12 boards with my feet and at least 4-6 with my target, I'm ready for something that I can control better.

Not always do I need a pearl urethane, but when I do, it's in my locker. I have lots of tilt, decent revs, and plenty of rotation.  Getting skid is not always the answer.

Every bowler that has a "human" rev rate goes left, left, left, and eventually loses their entry angle. All I am saying is it's really nice to have something DIFFERENT to go to. 

This site is full of guys who make "blanket statements" when they are only speaking from their own experience. That's all.  Blanket statements such as "this type of ball will never work" get under my skin a little.  I've got 10 years in the pro shop business, and I've learned that bowling is something that all different styles can excel in as long as they can repeat shots.

Once again, charlest, you, and the others may be right on target for what you typically see. Maybe your advice suits the masses.  I'm okay with that. Just don't try and tell me what I can or cannot do with what I am bowling on. I've already done it well, and turned some heads doing it.  Thanks for your concern, though.

Urethane Game

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Re: Best Bowling Balls for Dry Lane
« Reply #18 on: June 22, 2012, 01:08:15 PM »
If you're a serious bowler, Urethane is one option in your arsenal and worth trying.  Having said that, Urethane is far too conditional for me these days and not worth carrying around unless you're bowling on beat up wood surfaces where you see high friction from front to back. 

For me, the amount of oil on most conditions is too much to use Urethane especially where the heads are chopped up but there is still oil down lane.

In the past twelve years, I've used Urethane for a whole set maybe three times (excluding the Pete).  I bring my various Urethane pieces for nostalgia purposes mostly and my results are usually disappointing.
« Last Edit: June 22, 2012, 01:13:10 PM by Urethane Game »

MI 2 AZ

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Re: Best Bowling Balls for Dry Lane
« Reply #19 on: June 22, 2012, 01:44:43 PM »
As others have already said, there are different definitions of dry.  When I think dry, I am thinking plastic.

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charlest

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Re: Best Bowling Balls for Dry Lane
« Reply #20 on: June 22, 2012, 07:56:16 PM »
Russell,

....

Once again, charlest, you, and the others may be right on target for what you typically see. Maybe your advice suits the masses.  I'm okay with that. Just don't try and tell me what I can or cannot do with what I am bowling on. I've already done it well, and turned some heads doing it.  Thanks for your concern, though.


Lane,

You know I'm not telling you what to do, and you know what and why I'm suggesting what I did.
"None are so blind as those who will not see."

charlest

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Re: Best Bowling Balls for Dry Lane
« Reply #21 on: June 22, 2012, 07:59:25 PM »
Are we talking "dry" or "complete toast" where the front's are all the way gone? 

This is a key point....

No, of course, we're not talking "toast".
I've bowled (a euphemism, of course) on lanes where plastic rolled out at 35 feet.
That's a condition, where you take the manager and roll his head down the parking lot to show him what a "brickyard" house is.
"None are so blind as those who will not see."

avabob

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Re: Best Bowling Balls for Dry Lane
« Reply #22 on: June 22, 2012, 11:39:53 PM »
Urethane can be very useful, and you don't need to be rev dominant to make good use of urethane.  However it is very conditions specific.  Where urethane works best is when you can use it to stay outside on a short pattern, or very bad surface that is breaking down.  If a shot is simply getting really deep, but there is still decent oil if you get inside fourth arrow, then the best play is a pearl resin ball like a Versa Max or even a Frantic.  You can really make use of a skid snap layout on such a shot because you want strong recovery from playing a lot of head belly.     

swinginwehner

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Re: Best Bowling Balls for Dry Lane
« Reply #23 on: June 25, 2012, 07:40:25 PM »
I am new at this , been bowling for almost 35 yrs. and the best ball I've thrown is
the plastic taboo .
My ball speed is 14 mph rev rate might be 200.
2 inch pin located under bridge and cg kicked out just a little   

batbowler

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Re: Best Bowling Balls for Dry Lane
« Reply #24 on: June 26, 2012, 10:49:19 AM »
I'm still going to get the new Karma urethane!!! Karma core with a new urethane coverstock that was created from the activator base!! The Avalanche urethane pearl used a powerkoil 18 base, of course both without the reactive resin!!! Charlest, you'll probably see a Desperado type reaction!!
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avabob

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Re: Best Bowling Balls for Dry Lane
« Reply #25 on: June 26, 2012, 03:36:01 PM »
Just a couple of added notes.  First as indirectly pointed out, the new urethanes seem a bit different than the urethane we used pre 1992.  For one thing, they soak up oil almost as fast as resin balls.  I have had my natural baked twice, and the pro shop guys were both amazed at how much oil came out.

Also, try using your urethane as a spare ball.  I am a good spare shooter who throws throws a spare ball at everything but double wood spares.  I have improved my spare shooting since going from plastic to urethane.  My kill shot with plastic would sometimes squirt and go dead straight, and other times grab just enough dry to hook on the back end.  It made spares like 3-10 and 3-6-10 very tough.  I find my urethane will make a small early move when I throw my kill shot, but is much more predictable. 

I also won $1000 using the natural at a high roller sweeper last season on fresh oil

trash heap

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Re: Best Bowling Balls for Dry Lane
« Reply #26 on: June 26, 2012, 04:00:50 PM »
Being that the ball speed is around 14 mph, it seems that a urethane coverstock is a good suggestion. 
Talkin' Trash!

kidlost2000

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Re: Best Bowling Balls for Dry Lane
« Reply #27 on: June 26, 2012, 07:25:58 PM »
What are some of the best bowling balls (any brand) for dry lanes ?

I'm a right hander and like to play the track area (15th board to gutter).  My ball speed is generally between 13.5 and 14.5. 

When you say dry are you meaning the ball is starting to hook off your hand or that what your currently throwing is just too aggressive for the line?

If it is hooking off your hand? Ball will not. Friction is friction even for plastic and you will likely have to give up playing this line unless you change the way your throw the ball. Your better option is to move in until you find more head oil and adjust to the shot that way. Your other option is to flatten the ball out. It will still hook off your hand but may be more controllable and still have some decent hitting power to TRY and carry.

If it is just that the equipment your using is hooking too much down lane, or a little sooner then desired, but not hooking off your hand. Simply adjust the surface of some of your current equipment to get a much more desired and usable reaction. You can also adjust your release to help keep the ball from going sideways as quickly on the lighter oil. With the limited information of the conditions everyone can only guess at what your talking about.
…… you can't  add a physics term to a bowling term and expect it to mean something.

john178

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Re: Best Bowling Balls for Dry Lane
« Reply #28 on: June 29, 2012, 09:39:05 PM »
Good information here.  I want to thank everyone for your input.

I know that the Taboo Spare is polyester with the infamous gas mask core.  How does it compare to the Slingshot, Tropical Heat, and some of the Urethane balls mentioned in this post ?
« Last Edit: June 29, 2012, 09:45:37 PM by john178 »

avabob

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Re: Best Bowling Balls for Dry Lane
« Reply #29 on: June 29, 2012, 09:54:07 PM »
Any  polyester shell, regardless of the core, is going to be a little more squirty if it encounters some oil ( even carrydown ).  Even on the driest conditions, there is still some oil here and there.  Unless you have monster revs, neither polyester or urethane is going to hit if you try to hook the lane no matter how dry they are.  Urethane will work best going down the boards and almost rolling out into the pocket.  Plastic works better if you can find a little bit of oil to use for hold area and get the ball to release energy at the back end.