Best option to promote length

[NewToBowling]

Ok, new Haywire ball drilled pin up. For the short time I've had to bowl with it the ball still reads too early with its OOB 2000 grit sanded finish. The PSO mentioned many people have been polishing the ball.

Just wanted to see what people's opinion of either polishing the ball or sanding it up to 4000 grit.

Which one will last longer and which one will make the ball retain energy and not read the lane so soon or are they equal.

[larry mc]

do both

[dnhoffman]

1) Sanding and polish are not equal
2) The surface grit depends on what type of polish you use - they're all different and give a comparably different grit of finish. Plus, how you polish/burn it in, and how you sand leading up to that point can affect the final surface in various ways.
3) Last longer? Well, polished coverstocks will soak less oil, so if by last longer you mean which one will need to be re-done less, then polish. But it's still good to use a polish/cleaner every 10 games or so to touch it up.

I would recommend first sanding to 4000 to see if it gives you the length you want.

How you sand leading up to the polish can change how the ball reads the mid lane, or how it ultimately flips - if 4k sanded doesn't give you the length you want, I'd go 500/1000/2000 -> polish with something that finishes at least around 3500 (this will hopefully give you a laser surface scan equivalent somewhere around 4-5k).

Oh also - this can be completely different or wrong depending on what type of oil pattern is being laid out on your lanes, if you're looking at a stone street/long THS type of pattern then you can probably go straight to polish for better results IMO, but i'm also kind of stupid, so there's that...

[NewToBowling]

Yeah I bowl on THS shots only for now

[Blomer]

My Haywire is pin down and love it. A little extra oil on the lanes and cuts straight through it.

[LyalC52]

My Haywire is pin down and love it. A little extra oil on the lanes and cuts straight through it.

I did pin down too and CG kicked way out, worked great on a long flat sport shot

If I were to use one on a THS, i would go pin up and polish

[fokai73]

Not all polishes are created equal. Knowing which polish has grit and which polish have "slip" or no grit in them.

Finding the right ball surface to match, or achieve what you are looking for takes time. We can give you ideas, but ultimately its your style, your revs, speed, axis tilt, ect... And lane condition are big parts to finding the right match.

For example, I bowl with a guy who has the same reactive ball with similar layout. Well, close to it. He preps his ball with 1/2/4 k pads. I use 2k, 4K, 5k, and UFO polish. This polish is grit-less, and has a slip agent it it. Also, We both play the track.

I prefer UFO cause it gives me the length and also not the hard reaction off the spot - still makes the ball manageable (smooth and controllable) with the flying backends.

Good luck, once you find that match, it's lights out!!

[NewToBowling]

What is UFO?

[Amyers]

Try it at 4k first. I don't like polishing the ball unless I have to. If 4k doesn't work then try 1k or 2k with polish. Unlike some of the others here I don't like using polishes that have a slip agent in them. Seems pointless to me to have a high performance ball and then neuter it. I prefer Storm Reacta Shine or Power house factory polish. If these don't work it's the wrong ball for the conditions and save it for a night when the machine puts out a heavier pattern or your bowling in a tournament or something. Just because you can make a ball work on a specific condition doesn't always mean that it's the best choice.

[scottymoney]

This is a good example of why having an effective arsenal is worth it. The Haywire is built to read early and for heavier oil. Not knowing where you are playing I am going to assume you are playing around 10 at the arrows as most people are. So yes changing surface is fine, but just having another ball that has a different surface makes more sense. What happens that one night you need more surface?

The next thing to look at is where you are playing. On a normal THS there is a wall around the 10 board and then a mountain of oil in the middle. So by using that same ball I would suggest moving in and finding the oil you need which will then get the ball to go longer. This is just my suggestion as you didn't mention where you are playing. What I find a lot of the times is that people think they need their ball to do something else but really changing their lane play can create what they need also.

[bowl1820]

What is UFO?

That's referring to Valentino Bowling's UFO Extender. It's a polish with a slip agent in it.

http://www.valentinobowling.com/products.html

[Jessiewoodard57]

NTB, I had the very same problem with my haywire out of the box. It was suggested on the forum I give it more surface so I took it to 4000 and it still wasn't reacting well to our house shot so I took it to 3000 and polished it with storm react a Shine and I am very pleased with it now. It originally was hitting like a marshmallow and now it hits more like a tank. Hope that helps. I might add its become the first ball out of the bag for me.

[Jessiewoodard57]

Just because you can make a ball work on a specific condition doesn't always mean that it's the best choice.

I agree with Aymers here I have had to retire the Haywire a night or two and when I do I turn to my 2 Fast an older Storm ball that has settled in as my benchmark ball.

[NewToBowling]

NTB, I had the very same problem with my haywire out of the box. It was suggested on the forum I give it more surface so I took it to 4000 and it still wasn't reacting well to our house shot so I took it to 3000 and polished it with storm react a Shine and I am very pleased with it now. It originally was hitting like a marshmallow and now it hits more like a tank. Hope that helps. I might add its become the first ball out of the bag for me.

Good to know. I might follow the same approach

[NewToBowling]

I agree with Aymers here I have had to retire the Haywire a night or two and when I do I turn to my 2 Fast an older Storm ball that has settled in as my benchmark ball.

I have three balls and a spare. My benchmark and ball I'm most comfortable with is my 900 Global Respect. It is rated as higher hook potential but I guess it's worn down a bit and has very smooth controllable action. Works very well at my house. My Unhinged gets used some too but just like the feel of my Respect.

I guess I got the Haywire just to get a new ball. Will work with it but for now it will not be first out of the bag. That belongs to the Respect.

[NewToBowling]

Part of the reason is it looks like the ball is burning up energy way too early. Sometimes it hits the pins with a wimper. And I played 2 open games yesterday and never left so many 8 pins. Perfect pocket shot and 8 pins left standing.

[scottymoney]

Hook potential rating in itself is a made up thing. It is a way of giving a ball a number to justify the cost. Case and point, there is no universal hook potential rating for the industry, although I would find it funny if there was one.

Learning the characteristics of different bowling balls and which respond to friction faster and slower will help you make a better decision. Some things to take into account are RG, coverstock material, and coverstock finish. You can only really change 1 of these, yes you can change a balls RG based on how it is drilled but that is not easily adjusted. The finish can be easily adjusted, but you must also take into account the material in which the cover is made of. Pearls have a faster response to friction, while solids react slower to friction.

Sorry for the rant but there are a lot of factors that go into how and where balls hook. Without knowing these factors a "Low hook potential ball" can actually look like it is hooking more than a "high rated hook potential ball".

[Jessiewoodard57]

Scottymoney... Interesting you would bring this point up. I recently bought a 14# Storm Joyride to replace my 13# Ride. Using the same release on the same lane conditions my JoyRide will cross more boards returning to the pocket the any of my other higher end balls. When that first happened it shocked me. I originally bought it for drier lane conditions but have found myself using it more often and on more lane conditions then I ever figured.

[scottymoney]

Jessie I am going to guess you play on drier lanes but from your signature I see you bowl in a wheel chair? Do you tend to be low speed and rev dominant? Or possibly a lot of axis rotation?

What some people see (they call it "hook") is just a lot of side rotation, when it gets to the dry it ends up going left really quick (like it was kicked) because the direction of the ball is set to go left. This is why most uneducated bowlers think they are hooking the ball a ton. Side rotation has its place and can be used in certain situations but adjusting is much tougher.

A smooth ball reaction with forward roll is best and easier to adjust to the changing lane conditions. I see it every week as I can adjust to the lane as the "old guard side rotation" guys who toss it on the 10 board struggle. They may have a big game but it is always followed by a 140.

[RobLV1]

I think that this might be a good place to start a little bit of a ball review. First of all, it is important to understand that every reactive ball hooks the same amount, depending on the release of the bowler. This is based on the amount of hook being measured in terms of the angle of the change of direction at the point where the ball hooks. If you base your "definition" of hook on the number of boards covered, you need to understand that the amount of boards covered is directly proportionate to how soon the ball hooks, not how much it hooks. Here's the rub: once the ball starts to hook, it has started down the road that will eventually lead to reaching it's maximum energy (roll), and the subsequent loss of energy if it rolls too soon.

With this being said, there are only four factors in any bowling ball that affects how it reacts to the lanes: the core, the layout, the cover material, and the surface texture. That's it. There is no magic involved. Let's take a look at each of these factors.

Core: There are two types of cores in most "strike" balls: symmetrical or asymmetrical. For the most part, symmetrical cores give you a smoother, more controllable reaction, while asymmetrical cores transition more quickly, giving you the impression of a more pronounced hooking motion. There are two numbers that are generally associated with cores, the low RG and the Differential (Diff). The low RG is an actual measurement that gives you an indication of how much a particular ball will resist rolling. The lower the low RG (2.47 is the lowest that is currently allowed by the USBC), the easier the ball will roll, resulting in an earlier motion and a heightened risk of passing maximum power before reaching the pins. The Diff. is the difference between the low RG and the high RG and it is indicative of how quickly the ball transitions. The maximum Diff. allowed by the USBC is 0.060. Contrary to popular belief, the fact that a ball with a higher Diff. will show more flare, this does not mean that it hooks more.

Layout: The layout is nothing more than an indication of where the core is placed in relation to the Positive Axis Point (PAP) of the bowler. The position of the core in relation to the PAP determines the actual low RG and Diff. numbers of the drilled ball. The numbers that are supplied by the manufacturer are for the ball before it is drilled. The layout is not magic, and should be used to "fine tune" a ball's reaction. If you want a ball that "goes long and snaps," buy one that is designed to do that. Don't expect your PSO to take a ball that is designed to roll early and magically drill it to go long and snap; it's not going to happen.

Cover Material: The three types of cover materials are solids, pearls, and hybrids (a mixture of the two). How much of the perceived differences between the three is the direct result of the surface preparation remains to be seen.

Surface: The surface preparation of a bowling ball is by far the easiest to manipulate, and should be utilized as such. The Out of Box Finish (OOB) that comes on the bowling ball is nothing more than the manufacturer's best guess as to what surface will work for the largest number of bowlers. There is nothing sacred about it.

Comments? Questions?

[fokai73]

yes, if you have a high end ball and use it on light to dry conditions which is not meant for that ball, then using polish to make go long, is not a good option to last. UFO polish and alike don't last long on the balls surface, and you're wasting your time and money.

I bowl second shift broken down conditions and I use my bench mark ball, or medium/light oil ball. I've used "slip" agent polishes like ufo for a long time on mid to entry level balls, including plastic. I bowl on low volume medium to long length, but my low tilt and medium axis rotation - even with my 18.5 mph balls speed, my equipment reads too early and deflections are plenty.

Not everyone like to use polish, or use polish the wrong way on the wrong ball type. But, once bowlers know the importance of surface adjustments, layouts, lane conditions, reading ball motion, and pin action. it'll be beneficial to that bowler.

It's crazy to see how I use $60-$90 dollar balls while the other guys are using $150-$230 balls and bring more than 3 strike balls to leagues and get lost. They plug and redrill, then buy another NIB.... this for several years now at the same house with similar THS patterns....