New to bowling looking for good spare ball

[RyanP]

Hello everyone,

Brand new to the site and have recently picked up bowling within the last 3 weeks. Looking to be a pretty serious bowler. I knew if I wanted to be good at bowling I would have to get my own ball. So I went out and purchases the Hammer Black Widow Legend and I am liking it so far. My average game is about a 160-175. I am right-handed, and I throw a 16 pound ball. So now as to why I am actually posting this, I am looking for a good ball that I can throw straight with minimal to no curve to pick up spares with. I have no certain brand that I enjoy over another. Though I do have to say I have enjoyed Hammer so far.

Thanks in advance,

RyanP

[Amyers]

Any plastic or low end urethane ball will work. Some prefer urethane some plastic I prefer plastic myself as I can still get a decent amount of hook out urethane. If looking at plastic the only real difference between balls is if it has a full core or not. If you plan to use your spare ball as a strike ball on really dry conditions you may want to spend the extra money for a full cored ball if not don't bother just pick something that you like the color on. Full cored balls are Hammer Taboo Spare would be a good option Urethane Motiv Artic Sniper if you just plan on using it exclusively for spares save the money and buy a White Dot or Maxim

[RyanP]

Thanks so much Amyers. I do plan on getting a third ball in the arsenal a few months down the road to hook on more dry lanes. But do you think that is a good idea? Or more of a waste of money than anything? Again thanks so much for your response!

[Amyers]

Ryan it really depends on a few things and what is important to you. It depends on how well your shot holds up during league play and how dry your lanes get during your practice sessions. Another factor is how comfortable you are moving your feet. Some people prefer to adjust balls rather than move farther inside. I'm pretty comfortable moving in so I very rarely have to change balls during league play I also tend to play farther inside from the beginning so my line tends to last longer than those guys who play 2nd arrow out. Usually if I change balls it's more to get a different look than I've run out of room.

Practice also plays a role how dry do your lanes get for practice. One of the houses I bowl in doesn't put out much during the week and if I come in on Thursdays to practice I have to throw my plastic I might be able to use a very weak reactive I don't know but it's just practice so it doesn't really bother me much.

My advice is to really get comfortable with your first ball and get used to playing different lines with it before adding another ball to the mix unless your really just struggling in the third game of you league sets.

[Aslan]

Spare ball doesn't matter. As long as it fits your hand...and is round...all a spare ball has to do is go straight.

I've been 'tempted' by the advertising just like anyone else...kinda want to get that Motiv Arctic Sniper....but at the end of the day why pay twice as much for a ball that does the same thing as a polyester Pyramid ball or Columbia WD or Brunswick TZone or Ebonite Maxim??

For my current 16lb arsenal...I bought a undrilled 16lb Brunswick Guardian Glow-in-the Dark House ball for like $50 drilled...something like that. It works just fine (when I make my shots). For my 15lb arsenal, I found a plugged Ebonite Maxim at the local pro shop...guy charged me $35 to drill it...now I have a spare ball for 16lbs and a spare ball for 15lbs. And unless I throw them into the pin setter trying to pick up a corner pin (which has happened)...I'll probably never need to spend money on a spare ball ever again...other than $5 here and there to polish it up nice from time to time.

[FireCapt782]

https://www.bowlingball.com/products/bowling-balls/pyramid/11552/path-blacksilver-new-color.html

Just ordered this one.

[dnhoffman]

A Storm Mix would be my suggestion. Priced well, urethane, good ball.

[dnhoffman]

I forgot to add, buy the urethane (like the Mix) instead of a polyester/plastic ball because the urethane will last you much, much longer with normal wear and use.

[got_a_300]

Here is another plastic ball that has a good full core in it
a Hammer True Blood (http://www.bowlingball.com/products/bowling-balls/hammer/10776/true-blood.html) it has the full Hammer First Blood (http://www.bowlingball.com/products/bowling-balls/hammer/10699/first-blood.html)
core in it only difference is it has a plastic shell on it and
it's about half the price of the First Blood.

[Aslan]

I forgot to add, buy the urethane (like the Mix) instead of a polyester/plastic ball because the urethane will last you much, much longer with normal wear and use.

Yeah...because plastic is so fragile. I mean, bowling centers probably replace their plastic house balls at LEAST once....every 15 years. And, yeah....spending $49 every 15 years...thats a bank breaker. You might want to put a quarter in a jar every month just so you're prepared for that eventual expense.

[epiepenburg]

Yeah...because plastic is so fragile. I mean, bowling centers probably replace their plastic house balls at LEAST once....every 15 years. And, yeah....spending $49 every 15 years...thats a bank breaker. You might want to put a quarter in a jar every month just so you're prepared for that eventual expense.

I agree, my DV8 plastic spare ball has been thrown since October, my single pin spare speed is close to 20mph. The ball looked like the day it came home from the pro shop, until I sanded the cover a bit for a little more bite. I felt the ball was sliding a bit when throwing at corner pins.

[dnhoffman]

I agree, my DV8 plastic spare ball has been thrown since October.


4 whole months, wow.

Aslan - why not ask "why do you say that it doesn't last?" instead of being such an arrogant know-it-all?

if you put finger tip grips in your balls, then they will eventually crack on plastic, much sooner than urethane.

But hey, keep on ... knowing everything.

[epiepenburg]

4 whole months, wow.

2-3 nights a week, every week.....1 of those nights would be practice of anywhere from 4 to 6 games.

[RobLV1]

"if you put finger tip grips in your balls, then they will eventually crack on plastic, much sooner than urethane."

I've used a total of 3 plastic spare balls in the last 5 years, and I bowl a lot. One cracked around the finger grips, and two cracked around the thumb slug. Not too bad, I'd say, for balls that each had over 1500 games on them. For an average cost of $50 each, that's about a third of a cent per game. Pretty good investment, if you ask me.

[bowl1820]

if you put finger tip grips in your balls, then they will eventually crack on plastic, much sooner than urethane.


Plastic isn't really anymore likely to crack any sooner with fingertip grips in it than any other ball.

I've had the same Whitedot for years now, it's only got one little spider crack around a fingerhole after all this time.

Just make sure the holes are beveled, the bridge is at least a 1/4" wide and don't go crazy with the super glue. If you replace grips make sure to rebevel the holes if needed.

A lot of plastic's crack around the holes because they are being rolled over the holes (cause they are being rolled straight) it's a lot of extra beating around the holes.

[larry mc]

plastic seem 2 crack alot , i would go with 1 of the new hammer spare balls , they look cool and have a 3 year warranty

[Aslan]

plastic seem 2 crack alot , i would go with 1 of the new hammer spare balls , they look cool and have a 3 year warranty

That was borderline spam. Not true spam…but like a minor league spam.


Aslan - why not ask "why do you say that it doesn't last?" instead of being such an arrogant know-it-all?

But hey, keep on ... knowing everything.
I thought that was our "thing"? I just figured if thats how you respond to most of my posts…it was "our thing".

As to my comment about plastic…I'll just say that I retract it because after looking into it…I think most centers use urethane for house balls…and that "may" be because they last longer without cracking than plastic. Not saying it DOES…I'd need to have physical testing done or at least investigate it further or poll some centers/pro shops/ball manufacturers. BUT…my point was that house balls last a long time…taking the most abuse…and they were plastic. Actually, some are (like the house ball I have) but many are in fact urethane.

[Fil]

plastic seem 2 crack alot , i would go with 1 of the new hammer spare balls , they look cool and have a 3 year warranty

The hammer spare balls are a plastic. They just have a plastic coated over the image so the picture on the ball looks the same longer

[dnhoffman]

Hilarious stuff in here. Real knee-slapping genius.

But seriously though... buy a urethane spare ball - you spend $10 more for something that is much higher quality and will last you infinitely longer

[Amyers]

The big worry for me with urethane is hook. Heck I hook my plastic a little I'm not sure if I would want to add to that

[J Anderson]

I have a number of friends who shoot all their spares with what ever ball they are using on the first shot. Some are quite good at it, even corner pins. Others are less consistent in making good spare shots.

Personally I use a Storm Mix for most of my spares when bowling right handed. Left handed I'm pretty confident that I can throw my HyRoad straight enough to pick up the 7 pin, that I haven't bothered with a spare ball.

When I look at the specs on a Hammer Taboo Spare, I wonder why on earth some one would put a dynamic core in a plastic ball and advertize it as a "spare ball". I would think that combination would make throwing it straight more difficult.

[Aslan]

When I look at the specs on a Hammer Taboo Spare, I wonder why on earth some one would put a dynamic core in a plastic ball and advertize it as a "spare ball". I would think that combination would make throwing it straight more difficult.

I've never understood that either.

Listen, people are gonna swear by it because it has a little hammer stamped on it. Nobody wants to hear that ther $99 ball is the same as a $47 Pyramid Path just with a different logo. So…get whatever. All that matters is what it smells like.

[bowl1820]

When I look at the specs on a Hammer Taboo Spare, I wonder why on earth some one would put a dynamic core in a plastic ball and advertize it as a "spare ball". I would think that combination would make throwing it straight more difficult.

They have to advertize it as a "Spare" ball, if they just said it was a polyester (plastic) ball meant for short oil / dry lanes. Which in the ad is basically what they say it's for, beside being a "Spare ball" option.


"Taboo Spare
Hammer’s COOLEST spare ball yet… the Taboo Spare!

More aggressive than the rest, because of its Black Widow Core wrapped with a polished polyester coverstock, this ball not only gives Taboo fans a new spare ball option, but it may be a lifesaver on super short oil conditions."


The word "weak" would flash before everyone's eyes and they wouldn't sell any.

Because balls perceived as weak don't sell.

Would that combination make throwing it straight more difficult? It could, depending on the bowler and the conditions.

I had the "Clear Wolf" it had a strong Asymmetrical core, but I could pick a 10 pin up with it okay and I wasn't throwing a rocket like guys today.

[SRB57]

I recently got the roto grip own it red spare ball. It goes straight as advertised and looks cool to. Steve

[white_rabbitt]

I would love the Roto Grip Own It but just can't get myself to pay that much for a spare ball...unless someone can tell me why it's straight is better than a $45 ball's straight?

[Sourtower]

I would love the Roto Grip Own It but just can't get myself to pay that much for a spare ball...unless someone can tell me why it's straight is better than a $45 ball's straight?

I agree. For the most part my arsenal is all Hammer. I just couldn't find a good reason to spend more than $55 (drilled) for a ball that I plan on throwing at 10 pins. Even though I love the look of the Hammer Tough spare balls, I paid about half for my Columbia White Dot.

[Captain Internet]

When I was shopping for a spare ball I ended up having a choice between a Motiv Arctic Sniper for about 125 drilled, or my PSO had a old used plastic ball from the 90's for I think 50 drilled. I ended up going with the Sniper solely because I really like the way it looks. I did have a minor issue with it though. When I first bought it, I didn't keep up with the maintenance to well, so as the polish wore and soaked up the oil, it actually started developing a hook. I'm left handed and throw most of my left handed spares over the first arrow from the left, so I ended up missing a lot of 7's. 5 minutes in the storm surface factory polish setting fixed that right up though.

[nomad1721]

I just use a plastic ball for spares. Took a while to find one since i throw 16lbs.

[Ryan1700]

I have the TZone and it has worked pretty well. Actually bowled a 201 with it the other night. I just wanted to see if I could. I was more nervous on the last ball of that game than during league play! Haha

[Jaescrub]

I just use a plastic ball for spares. Took a while to find one since i throw 16lbs.
Ain't that the truth my local pro shop keeps zero 16lb equipment in stock! It sucks when I know I have to order everything from him or online just to get a ball I want.

[Jessiewoodard57]

When I look at the specs on a Hammer Taboo Spare, I wonder why on earth some one would put a dynamic core in a plastic ball and advertize it as a "spare ball". I would think that combination would make throwing it straight more difficult.

I have the Hammer Taboo Spare ball and I love it as a spare ball on oil and on very dry lanes I use it as a strike ball. I bought mine off EBay 55 dollars free shipping NIB