Post by: jd1319 on March 16, 2004, 12:32:14 AM
Post by: GendouIkari on March 16, 2004, 03:40:27 PM
I can see that the Dynothane are somehow the same... But instead of Good Year they use DuPont... Lets wait and see what people say about the ABS...
For me I give the dexter SST6 LX 9/10 because nothing is perfect
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Gendou Ikari... Bowl to Win!!!
Post by: agroves on March 16, 2004, 04:35:38 PM
My father-in-law has the 6 lx's, the slide soles will no longer stick to the bottom of the shoe. Dexter is willing to replace them free of charge.
I think both companies are good. I have heard nothing but good about ABS and I have had good luck with Dexter. But I like the fit of my ABS better.
Andrew
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FUFU
"Act like you've been there before"
Post by: bamaster on March 16, 2004, 04:54:58 PM
Dexter copied ABS.
Tony
Post by: WSUstroker on March 16, 2004, 05:08:01 PM
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Dan Chambers
Winona State University Bowling
Post by: nd300 on March 16, 2004, 05:31:01 PM
The ABS shoes handled the approaches well and felt as though I had had them for several months and not new the first night with the adjustment problems you might have with new shoes.
On the other side...................
A good friend has the Dexters and is very happy with them...........
So I guess it probabaly comes down to preference with this question.
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Chris
Post by: Steven on March 16, 2004, 05:31:15 PM
quote:
My SST5s would probably be in excellent shape right now if they had the cool toe cap that the ABS has.
WSUstroker hit on the major differentiating factor with his above statement. When comparing Dexter to ABS, the major obvious difference is the ABS toe cap, which is a great feature for bowlers who tend to quickly wear out the non-slide toe. The irony is that Dexter could probably knock ABS into oblivion if a toe cap was offered on the SST's.
Otherwise, there isn't a huge difference between the respective company offerings. Comfort should be a non-issue; if you can't get a good feel in the Dexters SST 5 or 6 models, there is something physically wrong with your feet. And while ABS continues to expand it's slide options, Dexter still leads in this category.
So my personal feeling is that it comes down to the ABS toe cap. If you tend to quickly wear out this part of the shoe, go with ABS. Otherwise, there doesn't seem to be an overriding reason to move away from Dexter.
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"You want the truth? -- You can't handle the truth! "
Edited on 3/16/2004 6:29 PM
Post by: bamaster on March 16, 2004, 06:17:20 PM
They've had the kangaroos for a long time now. And ABS has more sole/heel options than any Dexter has. ANd it's absolutely about the leather... if you've never worn a pair (or even felt how light/soft the ABS Tour Ultras are) then you need to. Dexter introduced the LX's in response to ABS, without a doubt.
I'm on staff with Dyno-thane and ABS... do your research on Dexters when they introduced the LX's and then come back to me.
Tony
Post by: bamaster on March 16, 2004, 06:26:30 PM
quote:
The irony is that Dexter could probably knock ABS into oblivion if a toe cap was offered on the SST's.
Hmmm... well, the ABS Tour Ultras offer interchangeable solid soles and the cleats as well. No Dexter offers the cleats that I know of. People buy the ABS BECAUSE of the comfort. Maybe the LX's are comparable, I don't know. Are the ABS's worth the extra cost? That's up to the individual.
ABS has within a very short period of time outsold Linds and in some markets outsold Dexter in the premium lines. Dexter will always outsell ABS because they have a huge entry level line.
But make no mistake, ABS is making an impact like no bowling product has done in years. They are far more popular on the PBA Tour and Regionals than Dexter is comfortable with.
Post by: omegabowler on March 16, 2004, 06:39:36 PM
they also have smaller increments to adjust your slide. they are the only reason I keep the dexters.
anyone how as a decent slide know that the gap between the 8 and 10 is HUGE! if you stick on an 8 and switch to a 10, you can ice skate.
Linds were so-so. I will most likely try the ABS because of the toe cap. I had to have my non slide sole repaired once and that is wearing down.
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"deserves got nothing to do with it."
-- William Munny
Post by: jkiser01 on March 16, 2004, 07:01:33 PM
I will never own anything other than ABS Tour Ultra's..
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If they only made a ball that would carry that d*mn 10 pin..
jkiser01
Post by: jd1319 on March 16, 2004, 07:28:39 PM
http://www.bowlingball.com/cgi-bin/store/store.pl?Function=ShowProduct&ProductNumber=absKangaBlack&Type=shoes
thanks for all the opinions, I'm still undecided but the ABS do seem to offer more options, but I'm thinking replacements items for dexter will be easier to find. This is a tougher choice than picking out a ball.
Post by: the prince on March 16, 2004, 07:32:31 PM
Someone pointed out that the ABS do not offer as many slide options as Dexters - they both come with 4 soles and 4 heels, AND the ABS come with a cleat sole (like the Linds exxtras). The ABS also have 4 other heels available, so I'm not sure why there is a perception that the Dexters have more options.
I own the ABS and they are very comfortable, but any shoe should be, I'm sure the Dexters are too. Dexter owners have complained for years that the shoes wear out too fast, I have used the ABS for almost a year and there is not a scratch on them (2 nites week + practice + 2 tournaments a month or so).
Good luck with your shopping!
And to BestHelmanBowler - Goodyear makes better rubber than DuPont? Got any references to back that up? It's a moot point anyway, the Tour Ultras use KEVLAR not RUBBER. What have you got against Dynothane, anyway? Where's all that anger from?
Post by: the prince on March 16, 2004, 07:36:01 PM
Spare parts for ABS are available through many online retailers, and the best thing is that Dynothane is still a small, customer friendly company - you can call them direct and they will tell you where to get the parts or send them to you directly. Try that with Dexters ..............
Post by: pin-chaser on March 16, 2004, 09:03:23 PM
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Getting all the pins I can.
Post by: bamaster on March 16, 2004, 09:14:32 PM
quote:
To me it's well worth the money except for the "rippled" heel that
wore out in 30 games. But a slight modification to the shoe and
I haven't been disappointed yet.
I think you mean the Radial heel. Mine went flat in a few weeks too. The Rippled heel is MUCH better, I've had it on for months and it's barely showing signs of wear. The Rippled heel is very similar to the Dexter rippled heel, which is the only heel I wore when I had Dexters.
See the Spare Parts Page (http://"http://www.dynothane.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=9&Itemid=32") (Click on the Heel Closeups for more detail)
And yes, that's a misprint. ABS is made by ABS in Japan. Dyno-thane has exclusive distribution rights to the US. ABS also makes the Power Supplies Tape (http://"http://www.powersuppliestape.com") (great site, huh? I built it!), which Turbo 2-N-1 Grips is selling.
As for getting replacements, they are available by many online proshops and direct from Dyno-thane. The solid soles are actually rectangle sheets, you cut them to size. The Dexter replacements are pre-cut and as such might be more difficult to find in your size.
Just to clear things up!
Tony
http://www.allBowling.com (For Sale!)
Edited on 3/16/2004 10:09 PM
Post by: tburky on March 16, 2004, 09:33:00 PM
Edited on 3/16/2004 10:28 PM
Post by: Kid Jete on March 16, 2004, 09:47:16 PM
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STORM! DEXTER! CAN'T GO WRONG! THIS IS MY TOURNAMENT!
http://maddox.xmission.com/
Post by: Rock77 on March 16, 2004, 09:59:55 PM
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"I am the most consistent bowler in my house....
I consistently SUCK!!"
Post by: Steven on March 17, 2004, 12:17:26 PM
quote:
Hmmm... well, the ABS Tour Ultras offer interchangeable solid soles and the cleats as well. No Dexter offers the cleats that I know of.
On the solid side, Dexter SST offers 7 soles and 8 heels. ABS offers 4 soles and 4 heels. Therefore, doing some simple math, Dexter offers 56 specific sole/heel combinations, and ABS offers 16. So I feel confident in my assertion that Dexter provides many more basic (and usable) combinations than ABS.
Your wildcard in discussing 'flexibility' is the ABS cleat sole and heel, which provides questionable value at best. Linds certainly bombed out when they introduced the cleat sole option on their high end shoes, largely because they are a pain to use. There is nothing more amusing than being at a tournament in a strange house, and watching a bowler fumble around with cleats, trying to find a slide combination that will work. The bottom line is that if you can't find effective slide with one of Dexter's 56 sole/heel combinations, you have bigger problems to be solved.
quote:
People buy the ABS BECAUSE of the comfort.
That's true, and I was certainly impressed with the comfort of my Ultras. But you have to talk about 'comfort' in context. Most reasonable bowlers would agree that by any standard, Dexters are comfortable. That was certainly Dexter's claim to fame (and few argued this point) before the Ultras were introduced. ABS may take comfort to the level of slippers, but for many bowlers, this is going overboard. Personally, I like a good balance between comfort and support. I know this is a matter of opinion, but I believe Dexter provides a better balance here without overly compromising either aspect.
I still think it comes down to the ABS toe cap.
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"You want the truth? -- You can't handle the truth! "
Edited on 3/17/2004 1:21 PM
Post by: bamaster on March 17, 2004, 12:31:46 PM
quote:
On the solid side, Dexter SST offers 7 soles and 8 heels. ABS offers 5 soles and 4 heels. Therefore, doing some simple math, Dexter offers 56 specific sole/heel combinations, and ABS offers 20. So I feel confident in my assertion that Dexter provides many more basic (and usable) combinations than ABS.
Well, I don't think Dexter had 8 heels. They have the 1, 2, 5, & 7 (leather heel), the other four on their site are just different sizes. And according to Dexter's website the LX's come with:
(SST6 LX - Black Kangaroo (http://"http://www.dextershoe.com/StyleDisplay.asp?style=JB797-1"))
4 interchangeable sliding sols for different slide
4 interchangeable heels for differnent braking control
(Nice spelling, by the way, huh?)
The ABS Tour Ultras offer 4 soles and heels as well, but offer the added cleat sole. ABS has four other heels available including the Adjust-a-Heel, which might be considered 3 in one. Dexter has always made some nice shoes and I'm certain the LX's are great. I actually like the style of them over the ABS.
I've never heard anything bad about Dexter's customer support and Dyno-thane is top notch I can confirm. Each bowler will have a different opinion, the only way to decide is to try them both on yourself.
Tony
http://www.allBowling.com (For Sale!)
Edited on 3/17/2004 1:32 PM
Post by: s1nger1 on March 17, 2004, 01:19:34 PM