How long should a new ball last?

[Hammer]

I have a Raw Hammer Anger ball that I bought new in about 2007. I get it de-oiled and I keep a surface of 2000 grit unpolished on it because that surface works great with my release. I just had the 2000 surface put on it recently because it just seem to lose it's punch to the pocket. I can stand on board 30 with the arch of my slide foot and hit a break point between boards 6 and 12. Sometimes I lose one at the release and the ball goes out to the 3 board and still comes back to the pocket. I can have a straight wrist hold on that ball and it still comes back hard to the pocket. So even though it is old it is still working like it did when it was new. As a matter of fact it works better because I have a good release these days and when I throw in a light grip I can't believe the action of it sometimes crossing over the the Brooklyn side with ease.

My other ball it the Blue Hammer urethane ball. I keep a 2000 grit unpolished surface on this ball and I can use it for spares or my strike ball depending on the lanes on league night. I bought this ball in the early 2000s. Both still seem to do what I want them to do. I have been tempted to buy a new ball every now and then but these two keep plugging away. So I was wondering when does a ball wear out? I guess it would depend on how often you bowl and maybe what kind of revs and speed you have. So, what do you guys think?

I like using the finger grips in both of them. I make sure I change those every so often. I spray them down with oil remover after I bowl also.

[bowl1820]

For the most part it all depends on the ball type, conditions and your ball maintenance practices, it could last for 100's of games (and many do).

An even if the performance falls off for the conditions you originally bought it for, That just means it could be used for other conditions. So pretty much it would always have a use.

[Blomer]

Seems like you take care of it, so should last a while.

[Phonetek]

I think after so many games the reactive balls just loose that snap at the back end that they had new. Proper maintenance helps preserve it longer but not forever. As Bowl said, they could be used for other conditions. If I understand him correctly, for example a heavy oil ball that looses it's snap on heavy oil could still be used on medium oil and probably have as much snap as a regular medium oil reactive ball and so on. I doubt it would ever die bad enough to have it be useless.

If I wasn't dropping weight I probably wouldn't retire my 20yr old AMF ball. I recently made it 3000 surface and yeah it lost some of it's snap but works just fine on medium dry and still hits like a freight train. That said I didn't know then about using a ball oven and hot water baths to get oil out of it then like I do now. It was a rare practice back then. So most of it's life I used a little alcohol on a towel now and then and called it done. It's probably plugged with 20 yr old oil tighter than a champagne cork. It still has a lot of games left in it and I still shoot great with it. My game don't depend on a huge snap although it's nice to have. It's days of playing in the puddles are over.

[TCJ]

Honestly, they last as long as I want them. When I purchase a new bowling ball, it often has a little more reaction than I want. Once it has become saturated with oil (I never clean them) it tames the reaction down to how I want it. I tend to bowl better as my equipment ages. Why get the oil removed?