When should you retire a ball?

[bbgamer884]

I have had a ball for 5 years now and it has been my go to ball for years. The number of games on it is uncountable, and yet every time I have gotten it surfaced and rejuvenated, it still has yet to perform. It just feels like it had lost the will to hook. Should I put it to rest?

[Mike White]

I have had a ball for 5 years now and it has been my go to ball for years. The number of games on it is uncountable, and yet every time I have gotten it surfaced and rejuvenated, it still has yet to perform. It just feels like it had lost the will to hook. Should I put it to rest?

Does the ball have a good 401k?

[Mudpuppy]

Does the ball have a good 401k?

lol, too funny Mike

[bdtrob300]

I usually buy into the hype of the next greatest ball in the world. General rule around my house is when I get a new piece drilled up, one of my old ones has to go or the wife gets salty...lol

[tccstudent]

I usually buy into the hype of the next greatest ball in the world. General rule around my house is when I get a new piece drilled up, one of my old ones has to go or the wife gets salty...lol

Replace the wife then you can keep your old equipment

[circlecity]

Goodwill takes bowling balls correct? I'm guessing they do since they have some for sale online.

[austin]

If its a lane masters ball then just about never.

[swingset]

I'm still throwing a 10+ year old Ebonite Stinger that is as strong as the day I bought it.

There's no hard fast rule or lifespan, when they don't work for ya anymore, stop throwing them.

[Aslan]

I'll change balls when I win one on bowling boards.com.

So, never.

[Markb]

when it becomes cracked or damaged enough to cause it to break apart, or if you have changed the surface so much that the usbc stamp and s/n are no longer visible (is you use it for any sanctioned league tournaments). besides that as long as you keep up on your maint it should last a long time.

it really bugs me when I see people with bridges broken up/cratered/huge chips missing.

[bowl1820]

I have had a ball for 5 years now and it has been my go to ball for years. The number of games on it is uncountable, and yet every time I have gotten it surfaced and rejuvenated, it still has yet to perform. It just feels like it had lost the will to hook. Should I put it to rest?

When should you retire a ball?

When you no longer have or can find a use for it.

[tccstudent]

The first time you roll the ball and it doesnt strike trash it. So what if you go through 15 balls a night its only money.

[Aslan]

The first time you roll the ball and it doesnt strike trash it. So what if you go through 15 balls a night its only money.

Well, first you should try other balls when you don't strike...but maybe have a system where if you go from ball to ball and never strike...then get rid of the entire ARSEnal and create a new one.

[Blacksox1]

Anytime is a good time. Gives a good reason to get some new equipment.

[mike_thomas93]

Hmm I never thought about that. I remember when I was bowling on my high school team, I threw a Columbia Backyard Bully and a Brunswick Avalanche, and that was back from 2009-2011. Of course at that point I knew nothing about equipment and how old they were. And they worked very well for me. At that point I eventually gave them to my coach since I started getting new equipment some 2 years ago.

[mike_thomas93]

Started buying a bunch of Brunswick stuff some 2 years ago, like the Nexus line balls and versamax and maxxed-out. But ever since I changed my style, I gave all those up since they were all drilled full-roller, and I ended up getting out of that style.

[DLP]

My Cyclone has anywhere from 5-7 sets of holes that have been drilled and plugged as the ball was passed between the hubby and I.

It was his - he didn't like it.
It passed to me - I couldn't throw it at the time (I was throwing 12 and it was 14).
It went back to him - he still didn't like it.
I took it back when I moved to throwing LH.

It got retired last Friday :)

[Aslan]

When I tell you to.

[noeymc]

my bridge was cracked

[classygranny]

Just got back from being at the pro shop for de-oiling my Roto Grip. Part of the conversation entailed the fact that if you de-oil every 50-75 games then the 4th time the ball needs de-oiling you should consider replacement, or the next time for sure.

Interesting fact that Mike was sharing with me, is that the oil is absorbed into the cover stock and because the covers are so thin, the oil then begins to seep into the inner portion. So, if you cut a used ball in half, then you would see the oil seepage look like ant tracks. Once you de-oil the ball, then the ant track is just a void. After so many de-oils, and so many voids, the ball won't react the same.

[bowl1820]

Just got back from being at the pro shop for de-oiling my Roto Grip. Part of the conversation entailed the fact that if you de-oil every 50-75 games then the 4th time the ball needs de-oiling you should consider replacement, or the next time for sure.

Interesting fact that Mike was sharing with me, is that the oil is absorbed into the cover stock and because the covers are so thin, the oil then begins to seep into the inner portion. So, if you cut a used ball in half, then you would see the oil seepage look like ant tracks. Once you de-oil the ball, then the ant track is just a void. After so many de-oils, and so many voids, the ball won't react the same.

Okay that's a new one, when you de-oil a ball it leaves voids in the filler where the oil was.

I think it's unlikely that the oil is eating into the ball like a termite or dissolving parts of the filler to create voids.

[RobLV1]

Personally, I think that de-oiling a ball every 50-75 games is pretty excessive, especially if you clean your equipment after each outing. I tend to take mine and put them out in the desert heat once a year, and have not seen a loss of reaction for several years now. As for the little voids where the oily worms were in your bowling balls, I've never heard of this before, and personally, think it's nonsense. Just my opinion.

[classygranny]

Well, I guess to each his own belief. I have no reason to doubt Mike as he drills on the tour, is a ball rep, and has seen the manufacturer cut the ball in half to display what happens in the testing. Also, he never, ever over sales - to anyone. In fact, he tried to revive my old Brunswick Revolver - but it never reacted well afterwards, so when I rebuilt my arsenal he deducted that cost from my new balls. And we all know, they make their living on the labor.

As far as 50-75 games...depending on the ball, I will attest to needing that. I clean my balls after each session - before they go in the bag to go home. Yesterday, he revived my Defiant Soul, that had about 60 games on it, and it took about 2 hours and you should have seen how much oil came out.

[bowl1820]

Well, I guess to each his own belief. I have no reason to doubt Mike as he drills on the tour, is a ball rep, and has seen the manufacturer cut the ball in half to display what happens in the testing. Also, he never, ever over sales - to anyone. In fact, he tried to revive my old Brunswick Revolver - but it never reacted well afterwards, so when I rebuilt my arsenal he deducted that cost from my new balls. And we all know, they make their living on the labor.

As far as 50-75 games...depending on the ball, I will attest to needing that. I clean my balls after each session - before they go in the bag to go home. Yesterday, he revived my Defiant Soul, that had about 60 games on it, and it took about 2 hours and you should have seen how much oil came out.

Next time you go back to the pro-shop ask what manufacturer did the testing that showed that the oil left voids in the ball and when.

If a manufacturer did testing that showed oil removal caused voids in the ball, that would have been a big thing. You'd have seen that on every bowling forum there is by now.

Now if they cut one in half and it showed the oil had seeped down into the filler, I could see that happening the balls are porous.

[Aslan]

I think there is a miscommunication.

The ball rep probably said that the ball is porous, down to the core, and that after removing oil, with the ball cut in half, you can sort of see the pores/tunnels. The oil only fills the pores/tunnels, it can't "cause" them. Thats chemically impossible.

I towel between shots, wash with alcohol/simple green after each series/day, and de-oil using a food dehydrator (22-32 minutes) every 60 or so games.

I don't know; like many things in bowling, I think we worry about things that are probably only a minor influence on our performance (at lower levels). Balls, arsenals, specs, drilling, oil in the balls, etc…is just all so insignificant compared to release, timing, and accuracy. It's like the Korean kids putting racing mufflers on their Honda Civics. It's still a Honda Civic….it just makes a more annoying sound than before.

[RobLV1]

I don't know; like many things in bowling, I think we worry about things that are probably only a minor influence on our performance (at lower levels). Balls, arsenals, specs, drilling, oil in the balls, etc…is just all so insignificant compared to release, timing, and accuracy. It's like the Korean kids putting racing mufflers on their Honda Civics. It's still a Honda Civic….it just makes a more annoying sound than before.

LOL! Great analogy. How are you bowling?

[Aslan]

LOL! Great analogy. How are you bowling?

I don't want to derail this exciting discussion on ball retirement...but I did post an update yesterday here: http://www.bowlingboards.com/threads/15116-Aslan-s-Scores-(of-the-non-lady-kind)?highlight=aslan%27s

Just as a "teaser"...midway through practice I was cursing your name...but by the end of practice I was praising your wisdom.

[Hammer]

You should retire a ball when you throw it down the alley and your finger grips fly out and then your ball cracks in half when it hits the pins.
Or when it goes down the alley and the cover stock flies off and just your ball's core hits the pins. If you get a strike when that happens then just keep the core and throw that. You won't have finger holes so you will have to hold the core by the pin. Or after you surface your ball and de-oiled it so much that it is the size of a 16" softball instead of a 16lb bowling ball.