Which ball to go with?

[Chow-Chow]

First all, I would like to say hello to everyone. As I am a new member here. :) I wanted to get a new ball (Hopefully by the end of the year). The first ball that I was looking at is the 900 Global (picture on my avatar :D ) The Bounty. The second one is the Brunswick Siege. Any comments would help. Thanks.

[Strike Domination]

Two different animals. Any particular reason these two got your attention? The Bounty is a smooth arcing ball, while the Siege is more angular. Both are heavy oil bowling balls that read the lane well, but give different reactions on the lane.

[Chow-Chow]

Two different animals. Any particular reason these two got your attention? The Bounty is a smooth arcing ball, while the Siege is more angular. Both are heavy oil bowling balls that read the lane well, but give different reactions on the lane.

I wanted to get a pro performance heavy oil ball. Plus, I wanted a ball that will hook and have a strong back end, because I'm more of a stroker, so I will need it.

[gparks]

for me im a medium speed stroker for heavy oil strong backend my next ball will be hammer jigsaw 4 of my buds have one and roll similar to me .the ball hits like a truck on steriods .all of them have had to move four to five boards left on are league house shot,light or heavy on the head the thing finds a way to strike .very tunable as well jigsaw WILL be my next ball,good luck with whatever you decide:)

[Strike Domination]

Out of those two, the Siege will give you a more noticeable change of direction downlane, so that may be what you're looking for. There are a number of heavy oil balls that are similar to that nowadays. There's the Virtual Gravity, Full Swing, Bounty Hunter to name a few. The Bounty would tend to hook earlier and not be as violent on the backend, and there's other balls like that as well. these include the Cell, Maxxx Zone, Dimension, and more.

[Chow-Chow]

Thanks guys for the info. I will try to look at them other balls. I did check on the Jigsaw, but the reviews on it wasn't as great as the others that I've checked.

[JaxBowlingGuy]

with the jigsaw you either love it or hate it.. there really isnt much in between from what i have read..

[screwball633]

For a stroker might I suggest the Columbia300 Bedlam...huge controllable hook for someone who usually doesnt have a lot...not widely used yet but they do roll very well speaking from experience!

[Chow-Chow]

For a stroker might I suggest the Columbia300 Bedlam...huge controllable hook for someone who usually doesnt have a lot...not widely used yet but they do roll very well speaking from experience!

Thanks. I would take a look at that ball.

See sometimes when the lane is too oily. It's hard for me to hit the pocket with my Ebonite Bash. It just won't hook as much as I want it to, and when I try to hook it as much as I can with my hand. It isn't always accurate. Or else I would just have to bowl straighter with the Bash, until I get a medium to heavy oil and with a good hooking and back end ball.

[screwball633]

yea you just need a ball to handle heavier oil with accuracy...seriosuly look into Columbia's Bedlam...great ball!

[Strike Domination]

So you're stepping up from the Bash? Is it the Yellow/Purple one or the Red/Black one? Something like a Siege is going to be a HUGE jump from it. Unless your Bash literally doesn't move at all you could probably get something not quite as strong. In that case you should look at something more like a Storm Furious or Roto Grip Nomad(no polish). The Columbia Bedlam would probably be good as well with no polish, but I don't normally like to suggest pearls for a medium ball.

[Beech]

I had this same problem I wanted the Black Widow Pearl. I'm also a stroker and like to throw the ball fast down the lane and want a STRONG back end. Today i got my Black widow Sting and i would recommend that to you becasue its got a realy good backend and when its in the pocket it hits hard i thought. so ya try looking into that ball.

[Chow-Chow]

So you're stepping up from the Bash? Is it the Yellow/Purple one or the Red/Black one? Something like a Siege is going to be a HUGE jump from it. Unless your Bash literally doesn't move at all you could probably get something not quite as strong. In that case you should look at something more like a Storm Furious or Roto Grip Nomad(no polish). The Columbia Bedlam would probably be good as well with no polish, but I don't normally like to suggest pearls for a medium ball.

Yes, currently I am using the Ebonite Bash. It's the red/black one. The Bash doesn't hardly want to hook at all in oily conditions. It's okay in dry to dry/medium lanes.

[Chow-Chow]

I had this same problem I wanted the Black Widow Pearl. I'm also a stroker and like to throw the ball fast down the lane and want a STRONG back end. Today i got my Black widow Sting and i would recommend that to you becasue its got a realy good backend and when its in the pocket it hits hard i thought. so ya try looking into that ball.

Thanks, I will look into that ball also. Is it true that Hammer balls picks up a lot of oil? Thought I'd heard that somewhere.

[Beech]

Umm ive never had a problem with my hammers and oil, I own 2 hammers, 2 columbias and 1 storm. i mainly throw my hammers tho and never had a problem with oil but you do wipe them down just like you would any other ball.

[Strike Domination]

Okay, I would recommend looking at the Storm Furious and Columbia Noize. Depending on when you'll be making the purchase, the Brunswick Diamondback comes out in November so that's worth taking a look at as well.

[michelle61]

I bowl on a league that starts at 9pm at night, so the lanes are pretty much like the Sahara Desert, very dry. Can you tell me which is a good ball to bowl with, I would guess my style is a stroker. I currently have a Blue Vibe, and a Ebonite tornado, both were suggested to me since I am just starting to throw a hook. My avg. is 127, however lately I have been bowling in the mid to hi 150's. Any suggestions?

[mrbill]

I bowl on a league that starts at 9pm at night, so the lanes are pretty much like the Sahara Desert, very dry. Can you tell me which is a good ball to bowl with, I would guess my style is a stroker. I currently have a Blue Vibe, and a Ebonite tornado, both were suggested to me since I am just starting to throw a hook. My avg. is 127, however lately I have been bowling in the mid to hi 150's. Any suggestions?

Hi Michelle

I'm a stroker as well and I throw a Hammer Jig Saw. It really depends what the balls you have now and what there doing. Do they have finger tips? if you are just starting out you can have your balls sanded with low grit to make them hook more or as high as 4000 grit to have a nice shine and they will hook a little less. You can have them sanded at your bowling centers pro shop for a few dollars any time and see what they do different. I would say don't buy anything new yet unless you really want to:)
And always pick your pro shop guys brains about anything and everything, they just love to talk bowling. Kinda Like all of us!

[Chow-Chow]

Okay, I would recommend looking at the Storm Furious and Columbia Noize. Depending on when you'll be making the purchase, the Brunswick Diamondback comes out in November so that's worth taking a look at as well.

I will take a look at them balls also, thanks. I'm not in a rush to get the new ball. Say by the end of the year etc.

[JaxBowlingGuy]

I bowl on a league that starts at 9pm at night, so the lanes are pretty much like the Sahara Desert, very dry. Can you tell me which is a good ball to bowl with, I would guess my style is a stroker. I currently have a Blue Vibe, and a Ebonite tornado, both were suggested to me since I am just starting to throw a hook. My avg. is 127, however lately I have been bowling in the mid to hi 150's. Any suggestions?

If looking for a good controlable dry lane ball, you could look towards the Storm Natural. Its a old school urethane with some "special juice" added.. it has a new technology weight block.. They are a nice price as well.. If you want to stick with reactive, I would say a Tropical Storm or a weaker drilled Storm Fast. Both are lower end pearls with the Tropical Storm being they "entry level" ball that they produce. I would really look into the Natural though.. Its a solid black ball, so nothing flashy but it works..

[Chow-Chow]

After looking at all them recommended balls and other bowling balls. I really like the Columbia 300 Bedlam and the Storm Hy-Road. Anybody have any comment of these two? The Hy-Road has a perfect scale of 173.8 and the Bedlam has a perfect scale of 161.9 on bowlingball.com. What is the perfect scale rating?

I am a stroker, medium speed.

[Chow-Chow]

Hmm....Or the Hammer Black Window Sting or Storm Second Dimension.

[Strike Domination]

Any of those would be okay, but the Bedlam is the last one I would get for oil. Whatever ball you get, if it comes polished you'll want to have it sanded so it can react more in the oil.

Also the Perfect Scale I think is not very reliable. It's not very accurate for in my opinion. I never know when to trust it.

[Chow-Chow]

Hmm...I want a ball that has a good hook to it with good back end, but is controllable. I don't want one that will most likely over hook most of the time. Plus, I want one that can mostly play in all oil. Like a medium to heavy. The Second Dimension and Black Widow Sting seems to be the ones that I am looking for. I'm not to sure if the Bedlam and Hy-Road are going to give me the hook and back end that I want. They might be too weak. I really like the Brunswick Siege, but I feel it might be too strong for me. I'm more leaning towards the Second Dimension.

[Strike Domination]

The Second Dimension is a good choice. Even sanded a little bit it should have good backend. If you wanted to try a Brunswick ball, I think the Wild Thing is the one you should look at for this purpose. I would also say the look at the Diamondback but it's not released yet so it's too early to tell if it will have the backend you're looking for.

The reason I say to sand the polished stuff is because you will want some traction in the oil, plus it should make the ball hook a little more. Also, polish tends to make a ball a little less controllable.

[Chow-Chow]

Okay, I'm about to get a new bowling ball soon. Say a month or so. I've been doing some hard searching and finally made up my mind to go for a Storm Reign ( unless I change my mind again :D ). Hope this ball ROCKS!

And oh yeah, what's up about the inch of the pin and the way it's drill?

How do I know how many inch pin to get?

I want the ball to go long and have a pretty good back end.

[123seeyah]

dont you wanna consider the Virtual Energy :D

[Chow-Chow]

dont you wanna consider the Virtual Energy :D

I wanted one when it first came out, but since I don't play for a league and the oil pattens that I usually play on is mostly medium to dry lanes. So I won't be using it often, if I get it.

[Strike Domination]

Pin out distance controls your drilling options in order or keep the ball legal for USBC specifications. You'd want a 3-4" pin if you know you're going to drill the ball pin up, less than that and it might be hard to get enough finger weight drilled out without the use of a weight hole depending on top weight. You could also drill the ball pin down with this distance but you might need a weight hole also depending on top weight. 1-2" pins usually limit you to pin down but top weight and exactly where the holes fall is what determines that. 2-3" are a little more forgiving than 1-2" but you still may need a weight hole with pin up drillings, pin next to ring drillings are generally good here. There's no problem with needing a weight hole.

That said, the Reing is skid/snap by nature so even a pin down drilling would give such a reaction.

[mike-boogie]

In my opinion, the rotogrip cell pearl is an awesome ball! Raised my average, and is very forgiving when u throw a not so good shot. Talk to your local pro shop and they can help, and drill to specs.

[pvellenga]

First of all you probably will want to avoid the Brunswick crap.

Now I have a suggestion for you that you might not have seen too much and that is the MOTIV TR2. It is a great oil ball that is predictable and has a great ball motion. I also like the Elite Red Alien but it is an expensive ball but is great in heavy oil. Another ball I like and I have thrown are the Storm Virtual Energy. If you wait a little bit I think the Mutant Cell may be a great choice too!

[Chow-Chow]

I finally purchased the new ball and I'm still waiting for it to arrive. I decided to go and get a Roto Grip Mutant Cell. Was like what the heck. I got a medium oil ball. My as well go for a heavy one, so I went with the Mutant Cell. After I get it and get it drill. I will go and bowl with it and let you guys know what I think.

Still not quite decided on the drilling. I order a 16 lbs and with a 3-4 inch pin. Was thinking of the pin above ring finger drill. Which I think is made for length with back end. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Strike Domination]

In general, that drilling suggests more angularity. Whatever the Pin to PAP is will determine length.

[Chow-Chow]

Got a 3.5-4 inch pin. Pin above ring finger and a little towards the right (I'm right handed). Played a couple of games with it and was trying to get use to it. Found myself playing on medium oil on a house shot. I stay all the way to my left and threw the ball to the middle arrow. Rolled all the way towards the right corner and gutter and the ball just kept coming back to the pocket. Very strong, great back-end and hooking ball. I found myself in love with this ball. I feel that I made a good choice and will recommend this ball to anyone.