BallReviews
General Category => Online Proshops => Topic started by: Brickguy221 on May 29, 2012, 10:28:47 AM
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Has anyone ever ordered balls from Buddies Pro Shop and had Buddies drill it for them before shipping the ball?
If so, how was their drilling accuracy in terms of span and pitches?
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I can't speak for other online sites, but as far as Buddies goes they are spot on in all aspects.
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I just received a hell raiser revenge from them on Friday, and bowled in a tournament Saturday. The drilling was PERFECT! I would let them do it again, WITH OUT A DOUBT. I hope this helps, the don
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Has anyone ever ordered balls from Buddies Pro Shop and had Buddies drill it for them before shipping the ball?
If so, how was their drilling accuracy in terms of span and pitches?
I have not done it myself, but I have seen many posts complimenting Buddies on drilling their balls correctly.
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I've had Chris drill a couple balls for me at Buddies. Both times, they have been spot on. They do great work. Nothing like having a new ball show up in the mail and it actually fits!
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I had 6 balls drilled by Buddies and every single one of them was drilled exactly the same as far as span and pitch. Buddies has been spot on and now I will only have Buddies drill my stuff. I am a BIG fan of Buddies when it comes to drilling.
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Thanks to all that replied. The only balls I have ever had drilled on line were drilled by Doug Sterner whom did a super accurate job with the span and pitches and one ball drilled by Carl Herd which was off 1/16 on span.
My pro shop closed at the end of 2011, so I am looking at my options of trying Buddies or going to another shop in my area.
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If you have a reputable Pro Shop in your local area, I would use them. Online Pro Shops are driving the local Pro Shops out of business and before long, there will be very few local ones. Thus the reason why the majority of ball companies are setting the lower ceiling that a ball can be sold for. If your local Pro Shop has a bad reputation and can't determine the difference between a 3/4 roller and full roller or has no idea on finding axis point for example then yes, by all means utilize a reputable online shop.
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If you have a reputable Pro Shop in your local area, I would use them. Online Pro Shops are driving the local Pro Shops out of business and before long, there will be very few local ones. Thus the reason why the majority of ball companies are setting the lower ceiling that a ball can be sold for. If your local Pro Shop has a bad reputation and can't determine the difference between a 3/4 roller and full roller or has no idea on finding axis point for example then yes, by all means utilize a reputable online shop.
100% in agreement
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You probably can find a local reputable pro shop. However, from my research in my local area in a 30 mile radius, you will be paying an arm and a leg for the ball including grips as they are passing along their loss of income from online pro shops to their customers. With that being said, people are driven by their local shops to go online. Plus online shops that I am aware of are regular pro shops too. Most online shops will not drill a ball without having the customer send another ball to them to copy specs or if they have their actual specs will check with the customer to see how current the information is with their PAP to make sure they can provide the best possible service. I have used a local shop for over 20 years. However, when my shop closed for about 5 months I searched and searched to find a shop I would be comfortable with. I found only 1 but passed on them. I then looked online. I had purchased a lot of blank equipment from Tekneek and decided to have a ball drilled by him. I couldn't be happier with the service and his personability. He also had the same prices for drilling with grips as my local shop that I went to did. I know this can be debated over and over as someone will always have an opinion on this subject. So, the online shop is driving the prices of the local shops higher but then the local shops are losing as well to as they don't see a lot of business other than their loyals from past because of this. From the looks of it, both are killing each other in some way.
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Track I disagree....
Many local shops cost more because they are offering something you can't get online....in person expertise about your local conditions....the ability to watch you throw balls live.
You get what you pay for....sure the online guys can hit lines....in all honesty a monkey can do that....but how well can someone really know your game from another state?
If the online shops were doing the same job....they wouldn't be as cheap. I'm not bashing them...I know those guys are extremely good and knowledgable...but they are not paying for the same time with you that someone in person would spend.
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Russell-
As I stated, this can be debated over and over as everyone has their opinion. If you know all of your specs and not just your span, you would be able to get as close to the same service than going with your local shop. Watching someone live for a few shots is going to help the pro shop operator suggest what as well as think they know your game from that? Most people already know what ball they are looking for for the conditions they will encounter. Most online shops that I know of will contact you, discuss what you are looking for, make suggestions for drilling and also may suggest something different based on this. Local conditions? with the way centers are now, the 'local condition' can be different on a daily basis. If the online shops were doing the same job they wouldn't be so cheap? Again, just because their prices are less doesn't mean they aren't doing the same job.
I know you are not bashing them at all. And it does sound like I am bashing local pro shops. I can accept that mainly because of 2 things. Cost & Warranty. If I get a ball directly from a manufacturer, I go to a local shop, you are looking between $75-$95 in drilling a blank ball with grips. Basically, this forces you into buying the ball directly from the pro shop because after you look at the cost of drilling and the cost of the ball from the manufacturer, you will break even or pay more depending on the ball. What I mean by this is if I buy a Vivid, the cost will be about the same. It may save me $5. If I buy a Frantic, I would be paying more. If you pay an arm and a leg for drilling and say you have a cracking issue(around the drilling), the shops will tell you sorry, we can't help you. you didn't buy the ball from us. Or, we can plug it for you and charge you to fix it.
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Thanks to all that replied to my post.
Your input is greatly appreciated. ... Again, many thanks.
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Track... we sell most HP models for $200...Fitted and drilled...
So please tell me exactly HOW this is ripping people off...
Most online prices for HP balls are about $159-$164...UNDRILLED...
I think you are way off base and way out of line with your B.S. about
pro shops overcharging people...
Wild guess...You probably work for an online site...
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Russell-
As I stated, this can be debated over and over as everyone has their opinion. If you know all of your specs and not just your span, you would be able to get as close to the same service than going with your local shop.I disagree>>>holes always need to be adjusted after drilling... Watching someone live for a few shots is going to help the pro shop operator suggest what as well as think they know your game from that? Most people already know what ball they are looking for for the conditions they will encounter. Most online shops that I know of will contact you, discuss what you are looking for, make suggestions for drilling and also may suggest something different based on this. Local conditions? with the way centers are now, the 'local condition' can be different on a daily basis. If the online shops were doing the same job they wouldn't be so cheap? Again, just because their prices are less doesn't mean they aren't doing the same job.
I know you are not bashing them at all. And it does sound like I am bashing local pro shops. I can accept that mainly because of 2 things. Cost & Warranty. If I get a ball directly from a manufacturer, I go to a local shop, you are looking between $75-$95 in drilling a blank ball with grips. <<<< THIS IS WAY OUT OF LINE...MORE LIKE $60.00 Basically, this forces you into buying the ball directly from the pro shop because after you look at the cost of drilling and the cost of the ball from the manufacturer, you will break even or pay more depending on the ball. What I mean by this is if I buy a Vivid, the cost will be about the same. It may save me $5. If I buy a Frantic, I would be paying more. If you pay an arm and a leg for drilling and say you have a cracking issue(around the drilling), the shops will tell you sorry, we can't help you. you didn't buy the ball from us. Or, we can plug it for you and charge you to fix it.
you didn't, so return it from where you bought it...
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For warranty issue you can go through the online vendor or direct through the manufacture. But that out you at paying shipping for sending the ball off. So there are advantages to each depending on your situation.
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I see a lot of "our local pro shop went out of business" posts on ball reviews. My .02! I live in a population of 65k with approximately 1000 members. As a pro shop owner, doing it for a living is not an option, it is more if a hobby. Bowlers constantly complain about prices but don't understand overhead (rent, insurance, taxes, theft of small items, ext). Buy a me ball through Buddies (not slamming Buddies, just using as a reference) and they charge $5-$8 for surface adjustment for brand new ball. I offer first surface change free, then any polishing or abralon changes are $4 after. Like mention by previous poster, holes need adjusting. Why should I sand and bevel holes on a ball I did not drill and not charge. If a ball cracks within a year of purchase, if bought through me, I have not turned a customer away in 14 years. They get a replacement on the spot unless not in stock. Buy on online and good luck!!!! You have to wait to determine if it will be replaced then have to wait to receive ball in the mail.
I will back local pro shops 100%. Don't cry though when you need an insert replaced, your thumb slug chips, or you would like a surface adjustment and your local pro shops lights are out and an "Sorry, out of business" sign is hanging on the door.
Not trying to cause arguments, but I see and live with the effects of online pro shops.
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I buy my balls from my local shop. I find the service I receive far outweighs the couple of bucks I might save by buying online.
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if the proshops do their job like they are suppose to. they get my support. but when i walk into a proshop(and im well known) and i get a "what the hell do you want" because they are so lazy and dont wanna do the work..i wont support them!
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I patronize my local shop and have never bought a ball online, nor do I intend to (though some day I may be forced to).
Am very fussy about the fit of my ball and no amount of money saved from buying online would make up for the aggravation/inconvenience of needing some fine tuning or more on a ball that was purchased online.
What DO you do if you need a just a minor adjustment, like beveling or change of surface or opening up of the thumb or finger holes? Do you ship it back to the seller and wait, or take it to your local pro-shop and ask them to fix for you? To me that would be very tacky.
And yet that seems to be what many are doing these days.
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I have a proshop relatively close that does great work. However, they refuse to do any swtich grip (turbo or vise) work. I've dealt with Buddies for years and know Chris very well. They get my fit and everything else I need perfectly.
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Just curious... how did you get that perfect fit the first time?
Or was the online pro-shop able to measure your span, etc., over the internet?
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I sent in a ball. Had them measure and do a thumb mold. I have never had a thumb feel different ever since. I bought a bunch of molds and converted all of my slugs to molds. Now, every single ball I own feels exactly the same. Perfect. I have ordered several new balls from Buddies and everyone comes right out of the box ready to roll. No tweaking necessary. Best money I have ever spent. One more thing I love about the thumb mold. No giant, deep hole in the ball.
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"I sent in a ball."
Who drilled the ball you sent in for the online shop to copy?
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Chris Forry and Chad (dont know his last name) took my orders. I am not sure who actually punched the holes.
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Maybe I'm misunderstanding you or visa versa.
My point is that someone had to have drilled a ball or measured your hand 's specs in person ----unless you have the skill/knowledge to do it yourself.
Even if you already had a ball that was drilled a long time ago, some in-person human must have drilled it. And if we all patronize the online shops exclusively, and the local pro shops go out of business, where would those wanting to have their first ball drilled go for that?
Not trying to be sarcastic or antagonistic. I have so many balls that I can certainly afford to send one to an online shop to be copied. But what if I did not have them? How would I get my hand measured, etc.?
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if the proshops do their job like they are suppose to. they get my support. but when i walk into a proshop(and im well known) and i get a "what the hell do you want" because they are so lazy and dont wanna do the work..i wont support them!
Idk why, but i dont believe anything you just wrote.
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Neptune, I get your point. I guess if someone didnt have their measurements and there were no pro shops around it would suck. They would have to drive to wherever to get fitted but once they did have their measurements they could buy on line, save money and have the ball ready to go right out of box. For those that want to patronize local shops please feel free to do so. Personally, I will continue to use Buddies. Not only do I save money but the fit is always perfect.
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One question I always have, is when I hear the fit is always perfect. How do you know its perfect ? Is it because it feels like your other equipment ? Is your other equipment fit correct ? Is your span too long or too short ? Can you get a better feel with differect pitches ? If you fit is incorrect to start off with (even though you think it is fine), every ball you get will be incorrect because you have no one to check it for you.
Now I am not saying that everyone that buys online has a bad grip, but my point is how do you really know unless a "Real" person checks it for you.
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if the proshops do their job like they are suppose to. they get my support. but when i walk into a proshop(and im well known) and i get a "what the hell do you want" because they are so lazy and dont wanna do the work..i wont support them!
Idk why, but i dont believe anything you just wrote.
Then why dont you come to melbourne, florida and find out for yourself, or better yet. Call Brunswick Harbour Lanes in melbourne,florida. better yet heres the number 3212422695 and ask them for an absolute honest opinion on the proshop. Better yet ask for a guy named Denny and tell him i sent you and that you dont believe how horrible the proshop is as i have stated. Then ask him if its true the proshop in which all they do is drill bowling balls, drilled a BRAND NEW bowling ball upside down. Pin in ring and cg 4 inches ABOVE the fingers. and then instead of replacing the ball, they offered to plug and redrill a ball with ZERO games on it. Or about the time they mis-drilled a bowling ball by an inch and their way of fixing the ball was to throw a thumb slug in the ball and drill the correct hole with a thumb slug in the ball. Now make that phone call big boy, otherwise shut your mouth.
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Has anyone ever ordered balls from Buddies Pro Shop and had Buddies drill it for them before shipping the ball?
If so, how was their drilling accuracy in terms of span and pitches?
Buddies has drilled up several balls for me over the past few years and I have been very happy with all of them. I e-mailed them my specs (had drilling specs from my former driller before I moved out of that state). I can't say enough positive things about Chris and everyone there. They are good people.
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if the proshops do their job like they are suppose to. they get my support. but when i walk into a proshop(and im well known) and i get a "what the hell do you want" because they are so lazy and dont wanna do the work..i wont support them!
Idk why, but i dont believe anything you just wrote.
Then why dont you come to melbourne, florida and find out for yourself, or better yet. Call Brunswick Harbour Lanes in melbourne,florida. better yet heres the number 3212422695 and ask them for an absolute honest opinion on the proshop. Better yet ask for a guy named Denny and tell him i sent you and that you dont believe how horrible the proshop is as i have stated. Then ask him if its true the proshop in which all they do is drill bowling balls, drilled a BRAND NEW bowling ball upside down. Pin in ring and cg 4 inches ABOVE the fingers. and then instead of replacing the ball, they offered to plug and redrill a ball with ZERO games on it. Or about the time they mis-drilled a bowling ball by an inch and their way of fixing the ball was to throw a thumb slug in the ball and drill the correct hole with a thumb slug in the ball. Now make that phone call big boy, otherwise shut your mouth.
WOW...that escalated quickly....
I believe you even less after reading that childish tirade. I bet the guy that runs the shop took some money from you pot bowling and now you have an axe to grind. I just find it hard to swallow that someone could go through the trouble of opening a shop and not know where a CG is. Especially in South Florida where there are TONS of quality pro shops.
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Russell,
You could be right, however, little story. Back in the 90's. I was the weekend guy at Northrock Lanes, in Wichita well before Billy Murphy took it over. I was learning how to drill and was practicing on old balls, my stuff etc. But I'm sure I screwed up a few balls "as I learned". Anyway. One Sat, one of the regional pba guys brings in a ball looking for Tom (the owner) to drill it as he did all his stuff. I told him he was out of town at a tournament. He wanted some unique drill. I told him I was new at this, and had been trained at what he wanted but never actually drilled it. He could come back or take his chances. He wisely came back later.
People have to learn to drill. And people screw it up. I have had guys that drill my stuff on a regular basis miss my stuff by 1/4 inch or drill it right handed (I'm a lefty).
When you are a one man shop, you can get distracted. So you hire some help.
And in this age of dual angle and other modern drill patterns, if you have some new guy learning to drill, they screw up. It is possible. Not every pro shop has sent their guys to proper training.
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Does Chris drill most of the balls at Buddies or does anyone know? As soon as I am able to bowl again when ever that is, I am considering getting a ball drilled at Buddies, but being very sensitive to span and pitches, I would want the better person to drill my ball.
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Does Chris drill most of the balls at Buddies or does anyone know? As soon as I am able to bowl again when ever that is, I am considering getting a ball drilled at Buddies, but being very sensitive to span and pitches, I would want the better person to drill my ball.
Chris has drilled every one of mine.
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Everyone understands that span and pitches can be drilled by a monkey right?
What you're paying for is knowledge...expertise....analyzing your grip...understanding your game and ball motion.
I had a guy come in my shop last night wanting a Marvel Pearl...said he read online and it was suggested on a forum.....after talking him into watching him bowl I noticed his ball speed was about 14.5 or 15, high axis rotation and low tilt. He was throwing an Ebonite Signals and wanted a ball to go further down the lane to let him move right.....
Anyone care to guess which ball I DIDN'T suggest?....had he bought a Marvel Pearl and had it punched by an online shop the span and pitches would have probably been spot on....but the ball would have hooked every board as much as his Signals, if not a little more....
Stop reading message boards and trusting people in other states to analyze something that takes human eyes to do. Sure this place is a great place to get some general knowledge, but if you want to actually get something in REAL LIFE...go to a REAL LIFE human being.
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+1 Randy!
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Russel, I undersstand that you have a pro shop and that is your bread and butter. I respect that. But if someone knows what they want, knows their span, wants to save a few bucks and wants to use an on line proshop like buddies that can give the bowler what he wants then I do not see the need for that bowler to have to spend time and money in a local shop with a real person. Sure there are bowlers out there that need assistance and suggestions from a real person or surface changes or oil extraction. That is what local proshops are for. I like on line shops like buddies because I order a ball, It comes to my home already drilled. (No tweaking ever needed) I put it in my bag and its done. No driving to order from a local shop, waiting for the ball to come in, driving back to the proshop to wait in line to pick up the ball.
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Russel, I undersstand that you have a pro shop and that is your bread and butter. I respect that. But if someone knows what they want, knows their span, wants to save a few bucks and wants to use an on line proshop like buddies that can give the bowler what he wants then I do not see the need for that bowler to have to spend time and money in a local shop with a real person. Sure there are bowlers out there that need assistance and suggestions from a real person or surface changes or oil extraction. That is what local proshops are for. I like on line shops like buddies because I order a ball, It comes to my home already drilled. (No tweaking ever needed) I put it in my bag and its done. No driving to order from a local shop, waiting for the ball to come in, driving back to the proshop to wait in line to pick up the ball.
+1
I'd like to add that the closest shop to me are knowledgeable indeed. But like T-Bone said, it helps to already know what you want. furthermore, the shop that it takes me fifty minutes to drive to doesn't do VISE IT and refuse to have any part in it. So, I go to someone else who does...
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Buddies has 3 or 4 people drilling. I doubt if anyone knows who is really drilling the ball.
I am not saying this is a bad thing, but do you realy think Forry is drilling every ball he sells ?
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I would venture the ratio of those that truly KNOW what they need and those that THINK they know what they need is pretty low. I have read enough on these boards from know-it-alls that don't know jack giving advice. I am not saying this about you guys, that would be unfair. I'm just saying there are tons of people that read reviews and some stuff by Mo and think they are ball motion experts.
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Buddies has 3 or 4 people drilling. I doubt if anyone knows who is really drilling the ball.
I am not saying this is a bad thing, but do you realy think Forry is drilling every ball he sells ?
unless they have a press upstairs, yes Chris and Tim drill every ball that is ordered