BallReviews
General Category => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: lilpossum1 on August 11, 2016, 10:05:40 PM
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I'm guessing there will be radio silence on this, but is there really any difference between the two, or does the plastic cover stock cover that up?
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A big difference is the weight. Tzone offers 9 and 10 weight blocks. A 9 and a 10 do not split nearly as often as people think. I use a 9 and a 10 and only get a couple splits a night. These splits are comparable to 14 pound splits.
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I'd say pick which core rolls for you better?
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I have never thrown anything with the gas mask core or the I core. Is there a quick comparison of the two cores? And are there any more strong cored plastic balls? My pitch black is proving to possibly be too strong for my leagues this year due to certain changes in league and my mechanics.
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You need to watch the larger cores for dead center splits. I used to have a larger core and kept on leaving big ears. A core that is just as big can be just as bad as a core that is too small. I think the tzone beats both balls. Your big ear shots from your larger core are corners pin spares for the TZone.
It is the highest selling plastic on bowling.com
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The Widow core seems flippier from my observation. I'd go Widow Spare since that core is more proven. Even with surface, it will definitely hook less than the Pitch Black you have. Enjoy!
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I have never thrown anything with the gas mask core or the I core. Is there a quick comparison of the two cores? And are there any more strong cored plastic balls? My pitch black is proving to possibly be too strong for my leagues this year due to certain changes in league and my mechanics.
I feel the widow is a skid flip style core where as the I block is more midlane. You bowl up the boards straight up and want a ball u can use on torched Lanes, go track spare+
If you are a deeper bowler who opens up the shot and is more comfortable swinging the ball... even though you probably can't with the widow plastic, I'd pick that one.
I feel the spare plus just has a touch more midlane with the core...
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Besides u don't wanna leave any dog eared spares!!!!
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I think I will order in the widow spare! Thank you! One last question. I know hammer is coming along well with cover stock longevity due to carbon fiber. Have they done anything on the polyester side to make them tougher? My pro shop is of the opinion that plastic balls have a 100% crack rate
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My Hammer plastic spare ball with the Carbon Fiber cover ended up cracking around the thumb hole, just as all my other plastic balls eventually did. The Hammer warranty does not cover this.
I finally got fed up and bought a Storm Mix. It's highly polished urethane, and reacts almost like plastic on most conditions. I've yet to throw on a condition where I couldn't successfully use it for throwing straight at spares. After several hundred games, there are no signs of cracking. The bottom line is that uretane is much tougher than plastic, especially if you clip or roll over holes.
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Steven +1
I have had plastic (TZone & WD), plastic with core (Taboo spare). Got rid of all of them, due to cracking. Bought a Mix which work as good or better than any plastic I have thrown. And it is near impossible to do any real damage to it. From my view it is the way to go for a spare ball that you will have for many many years to come.
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Interesting. You say the mix reacts a lot like plastic? Should I consider that to go under my pitch black instead of the widow spare? Or would I potentially benefit from the stronger core?
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lilpossum1
My Mix (Urethane with no core, just a puck for top weight) rolls straight and true for me as did plastic. The Widow and Track spare have a weight block like my old Taboo spare ball (Gas Mask) which had a fairly decent hook when trying to use it for spares. I use to miss a lot of ten pins with the Taboo spare. No longer have that problem with the Mix.
The only use I found for the Taboo spare was on super and I mean super dry lanes, which I rarely found myself bowling on.
For me a Pitch Black and the Mix would be my choice, but for yourself you may elect a different option such as the Widow spare.
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My experience with the Taboo Spare has been almost identical to what Bowlaholic described. For spares, the Taboo wants to sometimes hook when I don't want it to. I started chopping 3-10s and other combinations I usually converted without too much trouble. As a strike ball, I almost never see conditions where it's usable.
On paper, plastic with a real core sounds useful, but it hasn't worked well for me.
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I have an old xxxl lane one with a strong core. It was always very limited but on todays higher volume slick oils it is worthless except for spare shooting. Urethane with a strong core and 4000 surface is about as weak as I can go and then only on house shots and short sport patterns.
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I have a Storm Mix as well for spares and love it. No issues with cracking as of yet. I've bowled on some pretty toasty lanes over the summer and it's never once tried to hook at a spare. It just rolls nice and straight.
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Threw plastic last night for my spares. Going to plug it and try to get a little more life out of it since it is busting out around the thumb. Then when I take a road trip to the pro shop I trust the most, I'll probably pick up a mix. Thanks for the help!
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That new green and white Mix looks pretty good. I'll have to order one once my plastic spare ball bites the dust.
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Loved my taboo spare for the dry old wood lanes I was on. shot 803 with it.
sadly - as mentioned above, it cracked.
the old lanes shut down and I didnt need it any more
have a Black Hammer urethane like other have stated above for the dry
use a Hammerflage spare ball and it has held up for 2-3 seasons so far
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRPkrdUvpgY
kinda interesting how they make them
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That green and white does look amazing! I thought I didn't care about what one I got until I saw it lol
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Interesting. You say the mix reacts a lot like plastic? Should I consider that to go under my pitch black instead of the widow spare? Or would I potentially benefit from the stronger core?
I have two MIX spare balls 14 and 12 both drilled straight up.
The synthetic lanes I bowl on are so dry that I use the 14# for a strike ball and 12 for 10 pins. I throw the 14 over the 12-14 board to gradually hook into the pocket.
My White Dots hook more.
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This is a good question..... coincidentally 2 was ago I decided on these 2 and purchased the black widow spare for a strike ball (can't keep reactive on the left side of the lane right now). To me, if you changed the surface of both drilled the same (pin up for me) the bws pushes slightly farther down with a slightly more angular move, where as the track spare+ (Padarox core). Is rollover and more forward/archy smoother on the back, and a board or 2 less hook.
Please keep in mind that I purchased this as a STRIKE BALL, and NOT as a spare ball, I still believe even comparing them going straight that they both will go straight (oob) but the bws will still wanna move a little more at the end (unless you have total control, or are speed dominant). Just my .002