Does brand REALLY matter ???

[dutchlefty]

Hi, i just wonder..i'm new here and have a lot to 'gå på' as we say here.. which means
that i still have a lot to learn / lot of unused potention..so here is my bold question:

Does Ball Brand Really matter???

Aren't they all round, the balls, weigh 15lbs and are drilled for your hand ??

Why should one stick to a particular brand ? I'm asking because that's some of the advices i read here.
Specially to those who have been bowling before and and make a re-entry.

But apart from that...with all the different types of cores, coverstocks, drill-layouts on the market is it possible at all to stick to one particular producer? or are what they produce more or less the same, only under a different name ???

Just curious.. Be Good and Bowl Well..Dutchlefty

[striker12]

well reason why people stick to one brand is because the coverstock and cores could be for them on how the ball reacts like me i have not fully picked a brand yet im still decideing between dv8, track and c300.

also depending on the core the brands make different layouts to get there balls to hook but mostly they are the same cause u cna get the same layout on another brands bal but you probly wont get a beafit out of it as if it was with the brand that you got the layout from.

[jimlc2001]

For me, brand matters very little. I use(d) almost every manufacturer (Storm/Roto Grip, Ebonite/Hammer, Brunswick, Motiv, Track, Columbia) and all work effectively. I like Brunswick right now, but that didn't prevent me from purchasing a Roto Grip Defiant. I say go with whatever compliments your arsenal, whether or not is it made by the same company.

[Vince805]

Brand doesnt really matter to me either. I have ben bowling since i was LITTLE and have owned many balls and different brands, a few rhinos, a few nitros, hammer, columbia, track, Right now own a columbia and its has worked the best for me so far. But now looking for a new ball. Probably won't be columbia lol

[J Anderson]

Hi, i just wonder..i'm new here and have a lot to 'gå på' as we say here.. which means
that i still have a lot to learn / lot of unused potention..so here is my bold question:

Does Ball Brand Really matter???

Aren't they all round, the balls, weigh 15lbs and are drilled for your hand ??

Why should one stick to a particular brand ? I'm asking because that's some of the advices i read here.
Specially to those who have been bowling before and and make a re-entry.

But apart from that...with all the different types of cores, coverstocks, drill-layouts on the market is it possible at all to stick to one particular producer? or are what they produce more or less the same, only under a different name ???

Just curious.. Be Good and Bowl Well..Dutchlefty

Brand matters a bit. A Fiat and a Mercedes are both automobiles and either will get you from one place to another, but they certainly aren't the same. With the exception of one or two novelty ball companies that make only polyester balls, every brand seems to make a full range of balls to cover every possible lane condition. Even when brands are owned by the same company, like Storm and RotoGrip or Ebonite and Track, there are no balls that are exact copies of each other with different names. A particular DV8 model may perform similarly to a Brunswick model, but they use different coverstocks and cores.
For the average bowler who only bowls at one center only two or three balls are necessary - an entry level ball for dry conditions, a higher level ball that matches the usual lane conditions, and maybe a plastic ball for spare shooting. At my local center I could probably do just fine with only a Storm HyRoad, corner pin spares included.

[75lockwood]

I don't think it's brand people care about as much as the reaction of the ball when they look into getting a new one. That being said, a lot of people like to stick with a specific brand due to many reasons such customer service and quality they come to expect from a specific company, and of course there are professional bowlers who stick to a specific brand for one reason - MONEY, many professional bowlers are sponsored and paid by specific company's to promote their equipment.

[Demoman]

In my opinion they do. I bought a storm vivid when it first came out looking to replace my hammer black widow. The storm hooked nicely but did not carry the pin action my hammer did. I waited for the purple taboo to come out and bought it and happy to say it out hooks the vivid and hits the pins as hard as the widow did. With that said I'm not saying a hammer is for you - what I reccomend is researching balls, then go to a pro shop within a alley and have the owner or tech watch you bowl. Listen to his info then make a decision based off your research, how you bowl, and the shops tech reccomendations. All of those things together should point you torwards the right ball and hopefully you end up as happy as me.

[Davec13]

In my opinion they do. I bought a storm vivid when it first came out looking to replace my hammer black widow. The storm hooked nicely but did not carry the pin action my hammer did. I waited for the purple taboo to come out and bought it and happy to say it out hooks the vivid and hits the pins as hard as the widow did. With that said I'm not saying a hammer is for you - what I reccomend is researching balls, then go to a pro shop within a alley and have the owner or tech watch you bowl. Listen to his info then make a decision based off your research, how you bowl, and the shops tech reccomendations. All of those things together should point you torwards the right ball and hopefully you end up as happy as me.

I wouldn't always trust a pro shop to steer you to the "best" ball. Last year when I was looking for DV8 balls I was given tons of crap about it from just about every pro shop I stopped at. In fact only one shop (30 miles away) even stocked DV8 balls. Some companies pay for space and cut better deals to get their product sold ahead of other companies (that air freshener company comes to mind). So if another ball may suit you a bit better and the pro isn't getting an extra cut for that ball which will they recommend?

I'm not truly tied to any one brand per se. I do like DV8 and MoRich though. While I don't care much for the air fresheners which many people like. Now if I won or was given an air freshener I would throw it.

[billf]

For me brand preference comes from how they match up to me and customer service from the manufacturer. Dave is right about the pro shop recommending balls. A real good one won't care as long as they have a new customer. They realize the long term investment. Others just see the dollar sign now and steer people towards what they make the most off of.
I personally had a bad experience with Storm/Roto-Grip customer service wise, not product related. I switched to DV8 and couldn't be happier. The customer service has been outstanding and their balls work exceptionally well for me. Go with whatever ball by any company that meets your needs. Until they are paying your way instead of you paying them, you don't owe them any loyalty.

[Demoman]

I wouldn't always trust a pro shop to steer you to the "best" ball. Last year when I was looking for DV8 balls I was given tons of crap about it from just about every pro shop I stopped at. In fact only one shop (30 miles away) even stocked DV8 balls. Some companies pay for space and cut better deals to get their product sold ahead of other companies (that air freshener company comes to mind). So if another ball may suit you a bit better and the pro isn't getting an extra cut for that ball which will they recommend?

I'm not truly tied to any one brand per se. I do like DV8 and MoRich though. While I don't care much for the air fresheners which many people like. Now if I won or was given an air freshener I would throw it.

I did not say to only go with a pro shop reccomendation - I told him to research first and have a idea first of what he was looking. Sounds like you guys don't have a decent trustworthy pro shop because our local one within the alley has balls to demo from every brand and are very patient with customers needs.

[billf]

Demoman, like any other business, there are great ones and ones that leave something to be desired. Sounds like you have a great one. Be thankful.

[Zothen]

I used to use all Track,now I use Roto Grip(Defiant,beserk & shout) & Brunswick(neXus)because these balls suit my needs. I still use my 508A & 300C when I do sport leagues. For THS Roto Grip are my go to balls.

Zothen

[Demoman]

Demoman, like any other business, there are great ones and ones that leave something to be desired. Sounds like you have a great one. Be thankful.

I'm thankful for my pro shop for sure - the majority of bowlers in this area go to the same place and expect and get the same treatment. I shouldn't have expected it to be like that everywhere but imagine there are shops within alleys in every state and would hope they would at least watch you bowl before spending $200 plus

[billf]

My local alley doesn't even have a pro shop in it. The local pro (?) lives about a mile away and runs the business part time out of his garage.

[Keithalw]

Lol bill the guy that drilled my dv8 does it part time out of his garage lol... Not saying he isnt good I thought he did an awesome job and actually asked the pap when I said I do not know offered to come watch me bowl and figure it out... I am not loyal to any company as of yet but will say that I have a feeling my next ball I purchase will be dv8 most likely . All I can offer is research research and more lol... I know some bowlers that build there arsenal all around one brand and then some of the best in my part will use whatever they think will work at the time. One guy actually bowls hammer rhythm , track 508a, and track something numbered c lol..

[Davec13]

I'm thankful for my pro shop for sure - the majority of bowlers in this area go to the same place and expect and get the same treatment. I shouldn't have expected it to be like that everywhere but imagine there are shops within alleys in every state and would hope they would at least watch you bowl before spending $200 plus

There definitely are good and bad pro shops out there. Finding a good one and sticking by that shop will definitely pay off for you too. Like I said I have seen some really bad ones and wouldn't just recommend someone to buy a ball because of a pro's recommendation.

With the technology available today you really are better off doing online research before you ever step foot into a pro shop and look at the balls. Otherwise just walking in and seeing 50+ balls on a shelf you will be completely overwhelmed.

[GeoLes]

Newbie here, so take it with a TON of salt. In my opinion, brand has some relevance. It is more a matter of personal preferance. So many variables are scattered among diverse brands and models, that there are no hard, fast rules. Individual bowlers develop personal tastes based on their personal experiences and sucesses. I firmly believe that if bowlilng competititon required bowlers to compete with identical balls and Identiacal drillings, bowlers would adapt sucessfully. (granted, some more than others), but bowling is a game of adaptation. Change in approach speed, grip, etc. would overcome any shortcomings the ball has.

[Ball99999]

I've purposely gone for Storm because I want my balls to smell :D

[Hampe]

I personally don't think it matters. All the major brands have put some great balls out there.

[bowl1820]

Some people just seem to match up better with some brands. It's not if one is better than the other.

[bayedup84]

it's like ford or chevy? its all in what you like and works best for you! some are better than others, and some work better than others for different people

[bowl1820]

Aint that a fact there.

[dutchlefty]

Well, lots of interesting and amusing opinions have been posted. Personally speaking, before i bought my first reactive ball i had a crunch on Hammer for no logic or knowlegde based preferances whatsoever.. Cool name, cool balls.. But my first ball became a Columbia 300, on advice of a pro shop. Never regret it. Now i have balls from 4 different manufacturers... ( Storm, RotoGrip, Ebonite(plastic)Though i think i will stick to these in the future.. call it brandloyalty, a (bad) habbit. But i have good experiences with these, my local pro-shop knows the balls he sells (and me) so all together i see no reason to 'experiment' with others. This story could have been different if my first ball had been a Hammer. See where i'm going??

[bayedup84]

yes sir

[billf]

yes sir

Post of no real value and therefore does not qualify as an entry into the ball give away. Not sure if you're trying to win the ball or run your post count up with these useless posts. Either way, these posts waste the time of a lot of people who scrolled through just to see you post something that stupid.

[bowl1820]

Post of no real value and therefore does not qualify as an entry into the ball give away. Not sure if you're trying to win the ball or run your post count up with these useless posts. Either way, these posts waste the time of a lot of people who scrolled through just to see you post something that stupid.

But a post just like that won a ball before.

[eugene02]

But a post just like that won a ball before.

how often can it get.. haha.. if he really would win the ball this time.. i'll be baffled...

[billf]

But a post just like that won a ball before.

SSShh, don't let people know that or we will be over run with "posts of no real content just to win"

[hoppy1605]

If it doesn't smell, why bother!?! lol

[hoppy1605]

now i suck, because i actually read your post which has no relation to bowling and am now wasting more time typing a response to it. As they say on ESPN, "C'mon man"

[Siddy]

To a point a brand does mean something, but only to a point as rest ( to me) is really how well a company can advertise their stuff and how well they can treat their customers. As long as the ball is drilled right and the bowler is good, any ball can be made to look the best even the cheap ones hardly anyone knows about.

Balls are not like cars, we have so many choices to pick from but we cannot go to a dealer and ask to do a few test rolls it with our hand layout (besides a few that can) so we don't know how that fancy new core and coverstock will really work. Nor do we rarely go right to the manufacture themselves, we go to the pro shop or go to a online seller like bowlingballs.com and they make up our minds of whats good. So that kinda cuts my saying that it can be customer care.

So when it really comes down to it. The best brand is the one that has the better word of mouth in the bowling community.

[Greenday]

Post of no real value and therefore does not qualify as an entry into the ball give away. Not sure if you're trying to win the ball or run your post count up with these useless posts. Either way, these posts waste the time of a lot of people who scrolled through just to see you post something that stupid.

There's a ball giveaway? Where can I find details on this?

Anywho, I don't have tons of experience between different brands. For the longest time, I used a Nitro ball from Ebonite. A few months ago I finally got a new ball and got the Storm Frantic (Which I love). Honestly, I'd believe it's more about your personal style and the lane conditions you bowl on. I mean, if you bowl from the outside where it's dry, odds are you don't need a ball that will give you a monster hook through oil. It's key to buy balls based on what you do.

[Doghouse Reilly]

I see everyone using alot of diifeerent balls and doing good. I don't think it matter s much if you use it right.

[bosslady65]

Hi! I have always bowled with Storm balls but I am more of a recreational bowler rather than professional lol! I usually bowl on fun leagues but I may take it more seriously if I find my nitch and up my not so good avg. of 138. I love the scents of the Storm balls but I would definitely like some advice on other ball brands that could improve my game. What brand do you like?

[ryno108]

I've used all brands, and really the only reason to stay with one, is to build an arsenal around it. It's much easier to me to build around a ball with one company as they advertise what will be stronger and weaker.