When did bowling balls get so ugly?

[Buster76]

As I mentioned in my first post on the site, I am getting back into the sport of bowling after a 20 year absence. I stopped by the pro shop the today to get a new bag and shoes. While there I was checking out some of the balls on the shelf and this begs me to ask when bowling balls got so damn ugly!

I know form follows function, but if the PSO told me one that a couple of the uglier balls in the shop were perfect for my style of play I think I might actually have to think twice about it. Has anyone here flat out refuses to purchase a particular bowling ball, no matter how good the reviews based on how it looks?

[RobLV1]

Form only follow function if you are a Bauhaus nerd who loves old VW Beetles. Buy a bowling ball for what it does, not what it looks like!

[classygranny]

Not sure if I would "refuse". But I might ask if there were options that are quite similar. Then I could pick the option that fits my visual eye if I absolutely couldn't stand the look of a ball.

I've come to dislike the solid color balls as I find it easier to see how the ball is reacting as it travels down the lane if it has a varied color pattern. I'm not partial to green, but two of my balls are mostly green...I got over it.

[Timmyb]

The Hammer Black Widow Dark Legend is by no means a pretty ball. Matter of fact, the only thing cool about it is the spider logo. That being said, it's the baddest thing in the bag right now for me.

If you're picking a ball based on looks, change your sport.

[Buster76]

Buy a bowling ball for what it does, not what it looks like!

But that's exactly what form follows function means........form or appearence is not as important as function.

[Buster76]

The Hammer Black Widow Dark Legend is by no means a pretty ball. Matter of fact, the only thing cool about it is the spider logo. That being said, it's the baddest thing in the bag right now for me.

If you're picking a ball based on looks, change your sport.

I just looked up that ball and it actually one of the better looking modern balls I have seem. It actually looks like it was designed with its core market in mind (an adult male), when so many other balls look like they come staight out of some Japanese anime cartoon.

[Blomer]

Some of the ugliest balls out there look the nicest as they roll down the lane!

[Tony]

Back 20 years ago weren't most balls just solid colors with some sparkles ?

[J Anderson]

But that's exactly what form follows function means........form or appearence is not as important as function.

I always thought the expression meant the form, i.e. shape of an object, was determined by its function.

One of the reasons that balls with random patterns of two or more colors are popular is that it makes it easier to see the transitions from skid to hook to roll. So even if the manufacturer's intent was just to make a ball that looked interesting, the result is actually useful.

[Timmyb]

I just looked up that ball and it actually one of the better looking modern balls I have seem. It actually looks like it was designed with its core market in mind (an adult male), when so many other balls look like they come staight out of some Japanese anime cartoon.


Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.....

[KYDave]

I guess it is whatever you are into for looks. For me I would be hard pressed to buy a brown/gold/tan ball or car. Some of the balls I think are visually better looking than others, but I would go as far to say they are all ugly.
I can't say the No Rules is the most awesome with it's orange/green/black colors, but it's a great ball and is on the neat side if you have some revs. Daredevil is probably the "prettiest" ball I have, altho the black Hammer being all matte black does have a mean look to it.
Overall, what it looks like does catch my eye first. But if it isn't something I am looking for, well it doesn't matter. If the ball is what I'm looking for, but maybe not the best looking I could get over it. However, as an exampl, the Motiv Apex being pink and slime green would have to be a dang awesome ball for me to buy that lol.

[mc_runner]

I won't sacrifice my personal performance because a ball is ugly. In fact, one of the balls I own is something that I personally find really unappealing visually. However, it rolls great, with the reaction I want/need, and has led to some really high games. I'd throw a Diva if it meant the reaction I needed : )

Also as a couple folks said, multiple colors make it a lot easier to see your ball skid, hook, and roll.

[mishatx]

I do wish there was more variance in the looks of high-perfomance balls. You can get a plastic ball in almost any color or style, but when a performance ball has variations, there's typically some difference in the ball, too.

[got_a_300]

I personally have no preference in what the ball looks
like just as long as it does what I'm looking for it to do
on the lanes.

It could be purple, blue, green, red, gold, black, stripes,
blocks, polka dots, whatever just as long as it rolls like
what I want and it strikes a lot. LOL!!!!!!

[foreverincamo]

I love my Brunswick Gold Rhino Pro Vintage for its looks AND function. I can't even think about the yellow Forza or the pink DV8 Diva series. Some balls aren't for me.

[Buster76]

I love my Brunswick Gold Rhino Pro Vintage for its looks AND function. I can't even think about the yellow Forza or the pink DV8 Diva series. Some balls aren't for me.

I actually like the way the Gold Rhino Pro Vintage looks very much. Back in my teens and early 20s I always has a Rhino in my bag. I still use a 20 year old Rhino Pro as my spare ball.

[Buster76]

Also as a couple folks said, multiple colors make it a lot easier to see your ball skid, hook, and roll.

That makes sense.

Fwiw my original post was a little ingest, but you have to admit that if you knew absolutely nothing about bowling and walked into a pro shop, you would see all the gaudy crazy colored balls on the wall and think the sport was dominated by teenage boys.

[AlexNC]

Carry a polyester spare ball in addition to your performance equipment and you can pretty much find anything you would want from a visual perspective. I actually like the limited color options on equipment - seems to me like it makes a ball easier to identify when you see it (on tv or league etc).

[rocky61201]

Some of the ugliest balls out there look the nicest as they roll down the lane!


I concur. No Rules solid isn't pretty but you can see everything that ball does going down the lane.

On my solid colored balls I like to use bright yellow thumb and finger inserts so I can better see what the ball is doing going down the lane.

[fokai73]

A ball is a ball, it's not a chick magnet. The hook and strikes are.......

[fortheloveofbowling]

A ball is a ball, it's not a chick magnet. The hook and strikes are.......

Ahhhhhh..... Bowling Groupie talk. This could signal a turn for the worse or better in this thread. :)

[foreverincamo]

When finger inserts started coming in multiple colors, I always went with something that clashed with the ball so I could watch the ball shape transition. Still do it today when I can. Mostly with single color balls

[LOUVIT]

My Storm Phaze is a "pretty ball"..lol but with the multi colors you can't see the pin rolling. I need to see if my ball is spinning or rolling. On my burgundy Track Heat I can watch the pin all the way down. That's just me because I have times where I spin it instead of a good follow through

[Tony]

I love my Brunswick Gold Rhino Pro Vintage for its looks AND function. I can't even think about the yellow Forza or the pink DV8 Diva series. Some balls aren't for me.

I have a teammate with one of those yellow balls, he loves it, or I should I say he loves all the good scores he's shot with it !

[chip82901]

Most of Storm's products have a visual appeal to them. The Timeless looks stunning, as well as the Sure Lock, Torrent (I dig the blue and green), code black, Phaze II, Street Fight (mine looks awesome with the purple and white). Even the snap lock looks good. Now, I will say, some of the new DV8 balls look cool. The pitbull would look better as a pearl honestly, the vandal destroy looks horrible, all of the diva's look good. Brunswick for the most part has went back to fairly solid color balls, which have a good visual appeal. Does ebonite even exist any more? They have like 3 balls out lol. Track has some great color combinations in their equipment, and they really stand out. C300 has some decent looking balls (both impulse's look good), but everything else is kinda blah. All of RG's stuff is kinda busy, which some of them look cool going down the lane, others not so much. Motiv's stuff gets a bit busy as well, but still looks decent. Hammer is the same way. 900 Global has some good looking 2-color combos. Pyramid's new stuff also has a visual appeal to it. So, for the most part, everything is 50/50. I tend to go for what a ball's performance does, don't really care how it looks lol

[NewToBowling]

Most DV8 balls look good. Storm Snap Lock is one of the best looking ones out there. Hammer balls are meh in terms of looks (Scandal is one example)