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Author Topic: Informal Visionary ball reviews and notes  (Read 13405 times)

BowlingForDonuts

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Informal Visionary ball reviews and notes
« on: November 21, 2018, 01:24:46 PM »
Now that Visionary is no more (semi official I guess) I wanted to make a thread where people can post about their experiences with different Visionary pieces without having to go do a formal review.  Really have fallen in love with their stuff and sad to see them go but their stuff lasts forever and will be viable for many years to come so don't mind turning new people to Visionary or talking with old Visionary die hards.  Been trying to keep my post count down with this account but its been pretty dead on here lately and now I have a bit of a Visionary arsenal don't mind talking about what I see from their balls on modern lanes with modern oil (only corporate synthetics in my area for most part).
« Last Edit: November 21, 2018, 03:25:32 PM by BowlingForDonuts »
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BowlingForDonuts

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Re: Informal Visionary ball reviews and notes
« Reply #31 on: March 22, 2019, 06:08:17 PM »
Finally got around to punching up the NIB Gladiator SE Pearl I picked up for the dry house I am bowling in.  Decided to go with a nearly 6" pin to pap, pin up drilling.  All I can say is wow is this ball mild for a reactive and perfect for short oil and burn.  I bowled like hammered dog shit today (mental game not there) but ball was trying its darnest to help me.  Unlike my Avalanche Pearl this ball has no surprises on the back end.  Overall its even a little weaker than my Purple Hammer but much later and a bit more off the spot (though not a whole lot to be honest).  I think it might even be weaker than my Scout but I drilled it with maximum side weight (also 16 vs 15) so not apples to apples.  Great ball to use when can't use many other reactives.  A true dry lane control ball reactive.

« Last Edit: March 22, 2019, 10:09:54 PM by BowlingForDonuts »
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gsback

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Re: Informal Visionary ball reviews and notes
« Reply #32 on: June 10, 2019, 06:07:46 AM »
The Classic was/is a good control ball that I believe was made for a travelling league.  See link:  http://www.tcba1.com/html/home.htm

I don't know what lane conditions they bowled on but The Classic was a good medium ball that took surface changes well.

Balls that I liked as benchmark balls were the old Blue Warlock and the Blue Sparkle Gryphon.  When I first joined the Visionary Test Staff program, I wanted to buy multiple balls of the same type and put different layouts on them so I could figure out what would be best for me.  I bought three of the Blue Warlocks and to save money, two of them were blems. 

What I found out was that the two blems were the ones I liked best.  I think it was because of the phasing that they hooked more than the non-blem one.  I don't remember the layouts now other than one of the blems was a 2 inch Pin to PAP layout that I later re-plugged to something like a 4 inch Pin to PAP layout.

I still use one of the Blue Warlocks on a semi-regular basis whenever I am working on an issue because I know what the reaction of that ball should look like if I release it correctly. 

 
If I remember correctly, the Classic was made specifically for the TCBA Members.  I don't think it was made for the lane conditions though.  I'd have to ask Jason. 

Conditions for the league were not like a typical house shot, though it did vary from lane to lane.  I bowled in the league probably 10 years or so ago and was where I met Jason as Visionary sponsored the league.

We bowled 2 3 game sets on the lanes.  So the conditions were usually very oil as there was no re-oil between sets.  Some alleys had issues by the 2nd set and some didn't.  Lots of fun though, will say that!
www.visionarybowling.com - Accept no substitute for the very best there is!!

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MI 2 AZ

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Re: Informal Visionary ball reviews and notes
« Reply #33 on: June 10, 2019, 01:28:59 PM »
The Classic was/is a good control ball that I believe was made for a travelling league.  See link:  http://www.tcba1.com/html/home.htm

I don't know what lane conditions they bowled on but The Classic was a good medium ball that took surface changes well.

Balls that I liked as benchmark balls were the old Blue Warlock and the Blue Sparkle Gryphon.  When I first joined the Visionary Test Staff program, I wanted to buy multiple balls of the same type and put different layouts on them so I could figure out what would be best for me.  I bought three of the Blue Warlocks and to save money, two of them were blems. 

What I found out was that the two blems were the ones I liked best.  I think it was because of the phasing that they hooked more than the non-blem one.  I don't remember the layouts now other than one of the blems was a 2 inch Pin to PAP layout that I later re-plugged to something like a 4 inch Pin to PAP layout.

I still use one of the Blue Warlocks on a semi-regular basis whenever I am working on an issue because I know what the reaction of that ball should look like if I release it correctly. 

 
If I remember correctly, the Classic was made specifically for the TCBA Members.  I don't think it was made for the lane conditions though.  I'd have to ask Jason. 

Conditions for the league were not like a typical house shot, though it did vary from lane to lane.  I bowled in the league probably 10 years or so ago and was where I met Jason as Visionary sponsored the league.

We bowled 2 3 game sets on the lanes.  So the conditions were usually very oil as there was no re-oil between sets.  Some alleys had issues by the 2nd set and some didn't.  Lots of fun though, will say that!

I thought The Classic was made for sale to members of that league only at first, then it later became available for others.  If you do talk to Jason, ask him to verify that.

Vary from lane to lane or house to house?  If they were using different oil patterns on each lane, that would be a tough league and I wish I had lived close enough to bowl in one like that.



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gsback

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Re: Informal Visionary ball reviews and notes
« Reply #34 on: July 05, 2019, 12:54:24 PM »

I thought The Classic was made for sale to members of that league only at first, then it later became available for others.  If you do talk to Jason, ask him to verify that.

Vary from lane to lane or house to house?  If they were using different oil patterns on each lane, that would be a tough league and I wish I had lived close enough to bowl in one like that.

It was.  After a point in time, as you mentioned, they opened up the sales to outside.  But it was specifically made for the TCBA.

The lane conditions just weren't the same.  We went to some houses where oil was through the pin deck and sometime double oiled.  Then we'd go to a house where the 2nd set your lofting the ball just to keep it right of headpin.  It was a challenging shot to say the least.
www.visionarybowling.com - Accept no substitute for the very best there is!!

Best line I've heard about politics....
REMEMBER....POLITICIANS AND DIAPERS SHOULD BE CHANGED OFTEN AND FOR THE SAME REASON!!

BowlingForDonuts

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Re: Informal Visionary ball reviews and notes
« Reply #35 on: July 05, 2019, 01:40:04 PM »
That 16# Classic I mentioned is free to a good home if someone pays shipping (have some other 16# Visionary balls available to good home as well, see for sale section).  Ball has a couple of drills but is fully plugged (PSO did a darn good job plugging) and ready to be drilled.  Rolled great few times I threw it.
« Last Edit: July 05, 2019, 02:35:48 PM by BowlingForDonuts »
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