The backends at my friday night league are really snapping this year. Although I am doing very well my weakest ball is an original X-Factor(pin left of ring,cg just a little left, and rad just below thumb) that I have sanded 4000 abralon and polished with Ebonite extender. The ball is really snapping at the end, much more than I'm used to. Was thinking of picking up something weaker like a T-Road pearl or a Rapid Fire Pearl. Does one hit better than the other?

I would take your X-Factor and dull it down a bit...a sanded surface will make the ball bleed off a little more energy going down the lane and not hook off of the spot so hard.

If you really want to get a new ball I might look at a Solid Street Rod...it will give you a nice push and not over-react on at the end.
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-Chris: DJ's Pro Shop : Auburn, MA

I think it all depends on how your lanes are hooking, actually.  Find out from your lane guy if they've lowered the overall volume of the pattern or if they've started double stripping the backends.  

If the overall volume has been lowered, it can seem like they're hooking more at the end, so going with a ball with surface will achieve the opposite reaction for you.  It's going to use TOO much energy and hit like an ebonite ball
at the pins.  If that's the case then I stick with my original suggestion of a weak pearl.

If they're now double stripping the backends (which would boggle my mind because who double strips house patterns?) then a solid with some surface would work just fine.
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2009 PBA East/Central region.




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