Brand or Manufacturer Preference

[J-Dilly]

I have always been partial to Ebonite, but have been somewhat disappointed with their last couple of balls that have been released. The last one I got was the 250K and love it. But I am ready to get a new one with strong hook on the backend and am thinking I should try another brand? Storm, Track, or something else? What's you preference? Any suggestions on balls currently out that? Thanks!

[noeymc]

you gotta understand every strom roto grip are one Brunswick dv8 they have one more company to ebonite and hammer but some company's work together and build there balls in the same factory all balls are pretty much the same its about finding the company that fits ur game for me its roto grip/ hammer i love roto i use hammer on sport shots tho

[Mudpuppy]

I have always been partial to Ebonite as well. I still throw the One. But recently bought a new ball and first time I have ever owned / thrown a Hammer. Great ball. Also won the Brunswick Melee and never owned / thrown Brunswick but it is a great ball as well. The Hammer First Blood has very strong backend but can be too much for a THS. The Brunswick Melee isn't as strong but is very smooth and predictable. Good combo for me.

I hear nothing but good things about Storm and Rotogrip. Those seem to be the balls of choice right now. The new Hammer Deadly Aim is getting great reviews too.

[noeymc]

i would hold off on getting the deadly aim just cuz its a new type of shell no telling if it will die fast i use to roll ebnonite when i was young and even had the mission x when i came back but it didnt fit my game anymore so i gave it to a guy i bowl with

[J-Dilly]

I am leaning towards trying Track. They seem to have solid equipment with a lot of reaction. I throw hard and fast (17-18mph and rev rate 400+), so I need something that will give me some length with that hard break point that is consistent. Guess the only way to find out is to just pick one and try it out. I just want to get a new ball before nationals if I can.

[J Anderson]

you gotta understand every strom roto grip are one Brunswick dv8 they have one more company to ebonite and hammer but some company's work together and build there balls in the same factory all balls are pretty much the same its about finding the company that fits ur game for me its roto grip/ hammer i love roto i use hammer on sport shots tho

I think Ebonite is the parent company for Hammer, Track, and Columbia 300. The other Brunswick brand might be Radical.

[noeymc]

a ball will hook based on the drilling to i have a hammer absolute hook that will hook off the lane with your rev rate and speed i would go anything middle of the road ball to be honest remember the more of the pocket you can see the better chance you have to hit it

[J-Dilly]

I agree with the drilling and I always have mine drilled for max hook. However, I am concerned with consistency and longevity of the ball. Some balls breakdown on the coverstock faster than others and you lose some power, at least I feel like that happens. I could be wrong. I appreciate all the responses on it. I am always hesitant to go get the new ball, bc they all break right out of the box, its after you have bowled your 100th game with it. I want that ball that still moves like it came out of the box. Obviously, you have to take care of it too. I was just curious if people had the same allegiances that I have had or if it was pretty much any ball that works for them

[noeymc]

my roto shatter has over 120 games on it and is still going strong i just resurfaced it

[vdubtx]

I think Ebonite is the parent company for Hammer, Track, and Columbia 300. The other Brunswick brand might be Radical.

Yep. Ebonite is Hammer, C300, Track.

Brunswick is also DV8, Radical.

Storm is Roto-Grip.

[J-Dilly]

I am learning tons about these companies today. I think I am going to go with either the Storm Zero Gravity or the Track Lx16. I really like the stuff I have read about the Track Lx16

[noeymc]

if your going with storm my buddy throws about the same revs and speed as you


715 with 5 opens

with this ball

http://www.bowlingball.com/products/bowling-balls/Storm/6811/Hy-Road.html

that was the first night he threw it he cant even throw a heavy oil ball and he plays deep left his ball speed is around 16-19 rough guessing but his revs are insane somthing for you to look at what ever ball you choose i wish you the best of luck with it =D

[J-Dilly]

I will look into that one as well. Ironically, thats the ball that the Storm website suggested after I plugged in my info, lol. Appreciate the help from all

[Aslan]

I don't think the brand matters much.

That being said, I've been throwing Columbia, Storm, Hammer, and Brunswick recently...and:

- The Columbia ball seemed to last forever. Granted, it's urethane so thats probably why. But I've always thought Columbia has made the higher quality...although maybe not the highest performance.

- I think the Storm balls have the most reactive coverstocks...almost "sticky". But the downside is they tend to pick up more oil, die faster, and "chip" easier.

- Hammer...same as Columbia. Not a ton of performance/reaction but good quality and reliable.

- Brunswick...I think Brunswick does the overall best job at getting quality AND performance.

I haven't had much experience with the newer brands like Motiv or DV8. I'm worried that they might be more "flashy" but with questionable performance and longevity. But...those that love Motiv and DV8 have nothing but good things to say about them.

And I haven't really went the Ebonite nor Track route because those brands tend to be much more expensive than the competition. It seems like every ball on the rack at the same performance level is $20-$60 more when it's stamped with Ebonite or Track. And I haven't heard many people say many positive things about either brand that would justify the price difference. Mainly they tend to get pushed by pro shops that have special deals/affiliations with Ebonite/Track and ignored by pro shops that don't have said arrangement.

I buy primarily based on finding really good deals on older, yet NIB balls. And right now I have:

Columbia- given to me, retired.
Storm- 1st ball, retired.
Hammer- in the bag
Brunswick- in the bag
Columbia & Columbia- in closet, next 2 balls I'll have drilled
900 Global- NIB, undrilled, in closet
Brunswick- NIB, undrilled, in closet
Columbia- NIB, undrilled, in closet
Ebonite- NIB, undrilled, in closet
900 Global- NIB, undrilled, in closet
RotoGrip- NIB, undrilled, in closet

Next Ball? I said I wouldn't buy anymore until I started clearing some space...but I have my eye on a Track ball on discount on one of the sites that I might not be able to resist.

[Blacksox1]

My two most recent purchases; Roto grip Hyper cell and Storm Marvel pearl. A good pro shop operator can make a big difference too !

[GeoLes]

My first ball was a Hammer (Raw Jacked), I purchased a Brunswick C-System Ultimax, but with Brunswick C-System Ultimax. Push it too hard and it does not break enough. Too slow or miss left and it hits high yielding a split.

The best ball I own is Storm Lucid. It seems to perform well regardless of how I try to push down the lane. Even if I hit high, it seems to spin the pins through the rack avoiding a split. I am sure this is not the result of manufacture issues as much as core/cover/technique. My wife also prefers her Storm over her Brunswick bal. I have an old IT Messenger that still performs for me as well.

I am also a road bicyclist and we get a similar question on the cycling forum about which manufacturer makes the best/fastest bike. - Bottom line is that you can't buy speed. Same in bowling, you can't buy pinfall.

(you have to earn it)

[Hammer]

I am partial to Hammer as it shows in my signature. Lately though I have my mind thinking about the Lights Out ball by Storm. It seems like it would be a good fit between my Hammer balls.

[dpatrickv]

Used to be a big Hammer fan but have since switch to DV8. I have been bowling better than I ever have as of the last couple months since I picked up the DV8 Dude. Whether thats exactly the ball or just me being more consistent? Who knows.

[mc_runner]

Since I've started bowling I've thrown Storm and Hammer balls exclusively - and it's been exclusively them because I like the reactions, feel and performance of them so why change a good thing?

I've been wanting to try some others just to see how they work (and I'm working on a more modern release with a lot more revs - summer league experimenting). I do have a Brunswick LT-48 coming in that I'm excited to work out!

[J-Dilly]

I settled on the Track LX 16 - I will see what happens I guess

[hondo]

I agree that many, if not most, bowling balls have a nice reaction with today's technology. That is why I decided on Pyramid Bowling and am very very pleased with the ball reaction and especially the price point.

The owner of the brand, Keith Spear, has put many years of research into the project prior to releasing and it shows. Top quality at great prices. I am sold.
Here is a link to their top performing balls, but make sure to check out the Dark Path and the other price points, including the Rising.

http://www.bowlingball.com/shop/pyramid/bowling-balls/?Attribute_40=Pro+Performance%2810%29

[RobLV1]

I've never used one brand exclusively, but for the past few years I have used mainly Storm and Rotogrip, with an occasional odd brand thrown in. Recently, something very strange has happened: I learned to prefer to play inside lines to outside lines, and everything changed. I noticed that the pot games where I cash are usually the first, fifth and sixth. For the fifth and sixth games, I move inside and play more direct, keeping the ball away from the Dead Zone on the inside. Being that I've gotten so comfortable with this shot, I decided to try some equipment that would allow me to play that shot sooner. Today when I was bowling pot games, someone referred to me as Mr. Brunswick. In a town where Storm and Rotogrip dominates, I brought all Brunswick balls today. I think that the bottom line for me is to use equipment that allows me to be the most effective that I can be in terms of knocking down pins. Whatever you find that lets you do that, USE IT!

[larry mc]

All companies make good stuff and some turds , lately Brunswick has been putting out some really great stuff

[dnhoffman]

I like Storm and Motiv

[RobLV1]

dnhoffman: A strange combination. Why?

[tccstudent]

I am a loyal Storm follower. I just bought a Hammer and am really liking that ball too.

[dnhoffman]

dnhoffman: A strange combination. Why?

Heh, good question.

I've always bowled Storm, not for any particular reason, but really love my Sync and IQ Tour, although they're not laid out right to be a good 1-2 punch. I drilled them for different shots.

I got a Primal Rage test ball from a friend for a really good deal, so I said what the heck and laid it out to compliment the IQ Tour, and it's worked pretty well. That being said, my future equipment will probably be Storm, I really like their equipment.

[dnhoffman]

There a lot of nights on a house shot where I can use that primal rage all night long though, great ball.