Switch grips

[teke527]

Who has used a switch grip thumb slug? Are they a useful item to consider if alternating between different balls? What are your pros and cons with the system?

[Stormed1]

I have the Vise IT in all but 3 of my balls. I've been using it for close to 10 years with no problems over the last 8 or so years. They had some issues with the original piece which went in the ball but corrected the design flaw quickly. One advantage is that you get the same feel ball to ball.Because of the shape of my thumb it used to take a couple weeks of "tweeking" the hole for a good feel. Now i'm comfortable right off the press. I just put a Turbo in one of my balls to try but can't give you any feedback on it yet. The oneadvantage to the IT is that there are 3 sizes of slug available where with the Turbo you only have one size

[teke527]

Have you ever experienced any issue with a ball having damage succumb to it because of the switch slugs? A friend of mine who uses the permanent slugs and who works at a pro shop explained there's a higher risk of ball damage with the switch slugs. I too have an odd shaped thumb in my opinion, my knuckle is wider than the base. Do you still have to utilize thumb tape at all with your slugs or do you have the science of it down to a "T" where that's not an issue for you? Should I invest the money in getting them installed?

[LyalC52]

I have Turbo Switch Grips in all my balls right now. I have 4 inserts, 3 are all the same pitch (one i I use 90% of the time, one slightly smaller for cold days, and one larger that has tape when my thumb is fat) and one insert with a little more reverse pitch when I play the extreme up the outside line

I did run across a potential pitfall. I purchased my latest ball from a different Pro Shop on a whim. Their stops were slightly different than the Pro Shop who did all my other balls. So when the insert was put in, it was about a 1/16" high. The arrogant bastard PSO wanted to cut down all my inserts, claiming that its not a big deal that on all my other balls the inserts would sit a little low inside the ball. I asked him to drill out the sleeve, drill the hole a 1/16" deeper and install a new sleeve. He refused to do so, saying I was being too picky. So I payed the ***, took the ball to my original PSO, and in about 10 minutes had the sleeve drilled out and a matching one installed.

Will all that said, take a look at Ultimate inserts new thumb system. They've addressed that issue with a flange that after install is cut off by a plug cutter.

I used to fight with my thumb holes before adding the switch grips. I'm very happy with them.

[teke527]

Thanks for the info, I might have to talk to my pro shop tech about them.

[ep1977]

I use VISE IT's in all my balls except my plastic spare ball. I love it because once you get the thumb just the way you want it it doesn't matter if you switch balls to keep that feel. I have them in different sizes as well so when I sell I just go to the larger thumb with no issues.

[teke527]

***UPDATE***
So I purchased the Turbo system, that's what my PSO had. Got it fitted and drilled and I finally feel like I'm not going to have an issue holding the ball any longer. I get a consistent release and no longer have to grip my ball if I don't want to. I'm sure if I didn't get the switch grips that I could still obtain the same result, because this PSO really cares about what you want and your feel in the ball. I appreciate all the insight with all of your systems used.

[Tony]

I haven't done it yet but bowl with many guys that have the interchangeable grips, in all that I only know one guy who tried them and hates them, I think it's because he is just an ornery guy who hates everything.....
Good luck with them !

[teke527]

I feel you on that one. I asked a friend who works in a PS about his feelings with them and he said not to do it because of the risk of them damaging the ball or trying to make the PSO more money.

[Blomer]

I recently switched to Switch Grips from a normal slug. I have 5 balls drilled with it on ncluding spare ball. Ever since the change I have bowled better. My thumbs changes like crazy. I have two sets of three different sizes. Did th S so f one broke I had a back up as well as having one for strike ball and spare ball so I wouldn't need to switch back and forth between balls.

[Tony]

I recently switched to Switch Grips from a normal slug. I have 5 balls drilled with it on ncluding spare ball. Ever since the change I have bowled better. My thumbs changes like crazy. I have two sets of three different sizes. Did th S so f one broke I had a back up as well as having one for strike ball and spare ball so I wouldn't need to switch back and forth between balls.

For a bowler who has issues with thumb swelling the grips sound like a great idea, one of the guys I bowl with is considering them just for that reason, instead of adding and taking out tape all the time he could setup a series of 2 or 3 different sizes to quickly switch between instead of screwing around with tape all night. I on the other hand have very little problem with swelling and when I add tape and get the fit where I like it I can leave it alone for weeks.