BallReviews
General Category => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: L3nn0n on December 03, 2014, 10:31:42 AM
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Yesterday I saw one of my teammates using one of those and when I asked him about his experience with the Turbo grips he told me that for him it makes a big difference since he started using them, having the same feel in all his equipment instead of getting used to the new feel when you switch balls. The thing is, I just bought two bowling balls (Sigma Sting and Tribal fire) and I was wondering about using the turbo grips on my new equipment. Any thoughts? Are they good? Is it the same as the usual thumb hole? It is supposed that when you drill a ball the thumb hole is the same in every ball isn't it? So what's the difference?
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Two real advantages. You get the same feel from ball to ball. You also have the ability to switch grips if your thumb swells or shrinks. I finally had them installed about a year ago and I could never go back now. My thumb usually shrinks as I bowl, but there are times when it swells before (usually after playing ball or using tools like a screwdriver - or even from bowling a lot over a short period of time). In the past, fiddling with tape was the only answer for the former problem. Being screwed was the answer for the latter problem, unless having slugs made bigger to allow for swelling. That means lots of tape.
I'm still working with my switch grip slugs to get the perfect set ups for each case, but it is way better than before.
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The thumbhole in every ball feels identical since the same thumbhole is used in each ball. If you change balls frequently, it is helpful. Also for me, I know my thumb is larger when I bowl in the morning or midday vs. the evening. I can switch to a larger thumb if needed. That way I don't need to open up a thumbhole I like just for one tournament. I switched to interchangeable thumbholes a few years ago and I am very happy I did.
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I use the Vise equivalent of the Turbo Switch Grip(both are pretty much the same). If you have and use multiple balls in league, tournaments etc, do yourself a big favor and make the change.
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But....
If you track high and roll over your thumb hole, I wouldn't advice it. I track over my thumb hole, balls flare over my thumb. I have a ball with a 4x4x2 layout (pin high) and even that, the flare goes over my thumb.
I even changed my spare game in order to use my spare ball less. I only use my spare ball for single right side pins and a few multi right side leaves. I got tired of having my thumb hole fixed or spare ball replaced.
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You will hear different stories from different people, but I greatly prefer the Vise IT to the Turbo Switch. The Turbo is MUCH simpler to install, but people have issues with them constantly. There is a lot more material and the fixes are more expensive. I can't remember the last time I had to fix an issue with the IT system, and 95% of the time it can be fixed with glue in 30 seconds. Has to be properly installed though, I have an extra 5 or 6 steps to make sure it gets in there right.
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There's also zero way I could ever go back, and I just have a round thumbhole. Once you get the bevel and the tape fit just right, it's hard to exactly replicate that no matter how easy or simple it is. Process or procedure you can copy, FEEL can't be copied.
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I use Turbo Switch Grips, have had no problems or regrets.
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Which is odd because I've heard other shop guys say they have constant problems with the IT and none with the Turbo. Most failures with these systems seem to be caused by improper installation, but I've had to replace so many Turbo's that have mechanically failed that it's unreal. They've been built better recently though, it's been a few months since I've had to do much. I do spend a lot of time prying stuff out that's gotten jammed between the ball sleeve and the ball. Slug gets stuck in there and won't come out, but can't get the stuff out between the sleeve and the ball unless the slug comes out.
I use Turbo Switch Grips, have had no problems or regrets.
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I have been using Turbo Switch Grips exclusively for a few years now and at this point, will continue for years to come (unless something better comes out one day). I tried various methods with slugs, molded thumbs, plain white and black tape, and now use TIERED TAPED in the Switch Grip. I have 2 grips, one fitted and one a little looser. There is no way I would use the tiered tape in multiple balls without the switch grip, thats just too much work.
The good thing about this for me is that my 17 year old son and I have the same span, so all we have to do is change out the switch grip and finger grips (his is a little smaller) and we can interchange balls. He just scored a hardly used CRUX from me.
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Thank y'all for your help and great respones. I thought that that technology was exclusive from Turbo, I didn't know about Vise IT so I will go with my pro shop guy tomorrow to see what does he have available. I've been having some issues when I switch balls by the second or third game and it usually takes me about two to three frames to get used to the ball, which I didn't like, so this looks like something that will be helpful to me.
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Probably a bit late, and maybe the consumer has already made his choice on interchangeable thumb assemblies. I have the ability to use both Turbo and Exactacator/VISE, since I have some players who are on contracts with either company.
What I like about interchangeable thumb assemblies is not only have similar feels from ball to ball (core densities and drilling technique play a role with this), but the ability to provide the player with different "feels" to change his/her ball roll.
For example, I have a player who will use a certain oval thumb insert to promote forward roll, while he has other round hole insert to make it easier for him to raise his tilt and/or axis rotation. The options are plentiful when using interchangeable thumb assemblies.
Finally, when you use an interchangeable thumb assembly, I need to note that installing these things can be tricky. Drilling a hole too fast one day, hitting a really dense part of a core, or using a different IT/Switch Grip bit can cause an insert to "click" in differently from ball to ball. Therefore, technician skill and consistency are key here. :)
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What is in bold is almost verbatim to what my shop said (I'm blessed to have a great shop) when I was pondering making the change, with the exception of the failures. He did say that the few that do fail mostly are related to improper installation and that they're very well built now. He also noted the IT was actually substantially more involved w/installation.
Which is odd because I've heard other shop guys say they have constant problems with the IT and none with the Turbo. Most failures with these systems seem to be caused by improper installation, but I've had to replace so many Turbo's that have mechanically failed that it's unreal. They've been built better recently though, it's been a few months since I've had to do much. I do spend a lot of time prying stuff out that's gotten jammed between the ball sleeve and the ball. Slug gets stuck in there and won't come out, but can't get the stuff out between the sleeve and the ball unless the slug comes out.
I use Turbo Switch Grips, have had no problems or regrets.
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I am a Turbo Extreme Dealer and have been for about 8 years now. As for their switch grip products, I personally do not use them but have a few customers that swear by them. The only negative that I have experienced and I pass on to my customers that use them is get two sets. If the tabs break off and you are at a tournament the only real fix at the time would be to glue thumb in until you can get back to pro shop to have another slug made.
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I resisted getting Switch Grips for years, because of the failures I had heard about. I finally broke down and got them. I was told also, the contruction was much better now. Now that I have them, I could never go back to bowling without them. I found the biggest difference was in my Spare ball. I throw straight w/ Plastic at almost every spare. Started that when bowling some PBA regionals and some sport pattern leagues. Having that same feel in my Spare ball is immeasurable.
But, with that, I do have a small warning. Make sure you go to a reputable shop, as others have stated, most failures today trace back to improper set-up. The other thing to watch for is if you are planning on moving. I have moved around quite a bit for my job. In my last relocation, I ran into a problem. The driller I went to, who was recommended to me by a an old friend, said he could drill my ball with switch grips. But is drillbit was set at a different depth than my previous driller's was (or maybe one was sharper, there are a number of reasons why this might occur) even though they are supposed to be standard. But, since I was a "new" customer, he didn't want to change the depth of his drillbit,because then he might not be able to get it back to where it was for all his oid customers who he has drilled for in the past. He made me a new thumb slug, but the feel just isn't the same as my other one, so the ball is useless to me at this point. I haven't had the time to go to another driller and get them to correct it yet. So just be aware that this might be an issue as well. But overall, I don't think you can go wrong with either the IT or Switch Grips, and you will love it once you make the change, I think.
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I used Switch Grips for years, and then converted over to IT a few years back. I can live with either, but my preference is the Vise IT system. If installed properly, it's just a better designed solution.
In any case, most bowlers who try interchangeables won't go back. Especially if you own a large number of balls.
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I used Switch Grips for years, and then converted over to IT a few years back. I can live with either, but my preference is the Vise IT system. If installed properly, it's just a better designed solution.
In any case, most bowlers who try interchangeables won't go back. Especially if you own a large number of balls.
By large number of balls, are 4 balls enough to go and try interchangeables? 5 including my spare ball.
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I used Switch Grips for years, and then converted over to IT a few years back. I can live with either, but my preference is the Vise IT system. If installed properly, it's just a better designed solution.
In any case, most bowlers who try interchangeables won't go back. Especially if you own a large number of balls.
By large number of balls, are 4 balls enough to go and try interchangeables? 5 including my spare ball.
I am considering using one of the systems soon also. But I don't think I would use it in my spare ball. I worry about the added damage from throwing the ball harder and flatter plus it would get annoying changing it after every first ball just to throw the spare, especially since I have been sucking lately.
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No reason to have it in a plastic ball. I usually recommend people just slug their plastic ball.
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No reason to have it in a plastic ball. I usually recommend people just slug their plastic ball.
I use IT in my spare ball for the same reason I use the system in my primary balls. I deal with thumb swelling/contraction issues. I want the same comfort and confidence in every ball I throw.
I will say that interchangeables in plastic seem to crack out faster than regular thumb slugs. At least that's been my experience.
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No reason to have it in a plastic ball. I usually recommend people just slug their plastic ball.
I use IT in my spare ball for the same reason I use the system in my primary balls. I deal with thumb swelling/contraction issues. I want the same comfort and confidence in every ball I throw.
I will say that interchangeables in plastic seem to crack out faster than regular thumb slugs. At least that's been my experience.
As do I Steven. I have not had any issues with them cracking out in my spare ball though. I use my spare ball more than anyone I know, so it has a ton of games on it.
Here is the real advantage of using an interchangeable thumb in your spare ball; if you bowl a lot of tournaments, you always have a backup or at least an extra back up. The interchangeable can and do fail at times. I've see them get stuck in a ball and I've had the wall part of the thumb slug crack. If you have a spare set, which most of use probably do then no problem. But I'm comfortable knowing that if it comes to a need for an extra one, I can use the one in my spare ball to fall back on.
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As do I Steven. I have not had any issues with them cracking out in my spare ball though. I use my spare ball more than anyone I know, so it has a ton of games on it.
You get around the ball more than I do on spares. I'm guessing you don't clip either the fingers or thumb. I come up more straight up the back, and I clip the thumb hole. With the interchangeables, it seems to crack faster than when I just used thumb slugs. Maybe it's just failing memory due to age. :)
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I use the IT system in spare ball as well. I have not had any cracking issues.
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No possibility of anything failing in a spare ball if the interchangeable isn't in there. HOWEVER I definitely wouldn't talk anyone out of it if they wanted to do it. If that's the feel they like and are after, that's perfectly fine with me. I'm just saying I wouldn't necessarily recommend it if they're on the fence. Most people I DO end up doing that for end up getting a slug specifically for the spare ball because they get tired of putting it in and taking it out (I know I never get tired of that though ;)), so at the end of the day what they've really done is spent twice as much or more to achieve the same thing they would have if they'd have just slugged it to begin with.
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I only have Turbo Switch Grips in my striking equipment, spare ball is a standard thumb insert.
I have plenty good enough feel with it as is so it poses no problem. My main line of reasoning is that I don't feel like changing the thumb for every spare (as I use it for all spares that do not have a sleeper), I could only imagine how annoying that would be at certain times ( >:( :P).
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No possibility of anything failing in a spare ball if the interchangeable isn't in there. HOWEVER I definitely wouldn't talk anyone out of it if they wanted to do it. If that's the feel they like and are after, that's perfectly fine with me. I'm just saying I wouldn't necessarily recommend it if they're on the fence. Most people I DO end up doing that for end up getting a slug specifically for the spare ball because they get tired of putting it in and taking it out (I know I never get tired of that though ;) ), so at the end of the day what they've really done is spent twice as much or more to achieve the same thing they would have if they'd have just slugged it to begin with.
I do have an IT slug specifically for the spare ball. With the number of spares I throw at, especially in my sport league, it would be annoying beyond any reason to constantly switch one slug between two balls. And, in the remote chance one slug gets damaged (hasn't happened with the IT yet), I have another I can switch to where I'm perfectly comfortable with the feel. It's cheap insurance.
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I have an IT insert for my spare ball as well. It works for me. It is very annoying when people change the insert to shoot a spare.
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since my spare ball is a natural pearl i have my IT installed. i like a different feel in my spare ball anyway so i pretty much have one of my extra slugs in there permanently then when i want to use it as a strike ball i just switch the slugs. no issues of cracking parts or part failure yet after about 4 years
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Thanks so much for all your reaponses! I'm still undecided... My thumb is usually the same through all night, no swells or shrinks for me, so, is there any other advantage of having the interchangeable system? Because usually when you drill a thumb hole it has to has the same feeling from one ball to another, isn't it? And i have other concern, the price. How much is the difference between a regular drill and the one with the interchangeable ones? And one final concern... I have a guy who has been drilling my stuff since I started, great guy, he is my friend now, but he doesn't have the tools/kit to put the interchangeable system to my balls, there is another pro shop who can make it, but I'm afraid that once my friend finds out he is gonna be offended or something, do you know what I mean? Also my friend gives me a good discount every time I go with him... Is it worth all the hassle to get the interchangeable system? I have three new balls (arctic sniper, sigma sting and tribal fire) and I don't want to drill them until I'm 100% sure.
Thanks!
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I'm still undecided... My thumb is usually the same through all night, no swells or shrinks for me, so, is there any other advantage of having the interchangeable system? Because usually when you drill a thumb hole it has to has the same feeling from one ball to another, isn't it?
OK, so you don't have to deal with swelling/shrinking. You're fortunate, and you've just eliminated one major reason for an interchangeable.
If your thumb holes are drilled without modification (no manual opening up of the hole, scraping for pseudo-ovaling, etc), then your existing holes probably feel about the same, and you've eliminated the other major reason for an interchangeable.
In the nutshell, if the above two factors are true, it's probably not worth the hassle, expense, and the probability of pissing off your existing driller who can't do the work.
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I'm still undecided... My thumb is usually the same through all night, no swells or shrinks for me, so, is there any other advantage of having the interchangeable system? Because usually when you drill a thumb hole it has to has the same feeling from one ball to another, isn't it?
OK, so you don't have to deal with swelling/shrinking. You're fortunate, and you've just eliminated one reason for an interchangeable.
If your thumb holes are drilled without modification (no manual opening up of the hole, scraping for pseudo-ovaling, etc), your existing holes probably feel about the same, and you've eliminated the other major reason for an interchangeable.
In the nutshell, if the above two factors are true, it's probably not worth the hassle, expense, and the probability of pissing off your existing driller who can't do the work.
Yeah! I guess I'm a lucky guy since my thumb is usually the same, sometimes my fingers are the ones that swells at the end of the week (I bowl 3 times a week) and only for the last couple of games or so.
What do you mean by drilled without modification? All my balls are drilled round thumbhole, except for one that has the oval thumbhole (which I don't like) so I guess that's what you mean by "without modification" right?
Also, how much is the difference between a regular drilling and the one with the interchangeable one?
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I came into this conversation late, but I would like to add a comment. I use Switch Grips in all of my balls. I drill in a shop and our customers are primarily 60/40 Turbo over Vice IT. You must be careful when installing either. If you get a pitch wrong or anything else, you can screw it up. I have a couple of different size inside slugs, because my thumb swells some in the summer and during long tournaments. The beauty is that if I have to fiddle with the thumb by adding or removing tape, I only have to do it once. When I switch balls, I do not have to worry about adjusting tape. The new tabs in the Turbo Switch Grips are very strong and I have not had any issues with any of them breaking. My only real problem with the Vice IT, is that the top ring has a tendency to come unglued. Two balls is enough to use the interchangeable thumbs, if you change balls during a set. I have seen no more cracking with switch Grips than I have with slugs.
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i personally use the Vise ITs and they do feel exactly like regular slugs. no wiggle at all. in the past the ITs were superior to the switch grips but the current generation is basically a different version of the same thing. both systems are great. solid with no wiggle, its really a matter of personal or brand preference. i would never go back to regular slugs for the simple fact that i only have to maintain and tape 1 thumb instead of 6 or 8. i just switch the thumbs of the balls im switching and im good to go. no getting used to a new thumb as part of a ball change.
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Can someone tell me the price difference when you add the interchangeable thumb to your drilling cost????
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I have two thumb inserts drilled and each was $20.
It is $15 for the inner sleeve per ball.
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I have two thumb inserts drilled and each was $20.
It is $15 for the inner sleeve per ball.
So it's $35 per ball with all included plus the drilling, right?
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I have two thumb inserts drilled and each was $20.
It is $15 for the inner sleeve per ball.
So it's $35 per ball with all included plus the drilling, right?
For the first one. Every ball I buy now only needs the $15 inner sleeve. After spending the $40 on two thumbs...I don't have to buy anymore of those (unless I want more).
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I have two thumb inserts drilled and each was $20.
It is $15 for the inner sleeve per ball.
So it's $35 per ball with all included plus the drilling, right?
For the first one. Every ball I buy now only needs the $15 inner sleeve. After spending the $40 on two thumbs...I don't have to buy anymore of those (unless I want more).
Got you! Thanks so much and sorry for being a little slow to understand ;D