Looking to get a new ball...need some help

[Timmytomma]

Hey everybody, I'm new to the boards and relatively new to bowling as a whole. I'm mostly just a recreational bowler and with bowling fairly infrequently I can carry about a 120-130 average. I've never really had my own ball before (I use hand me downs from my dad because we have similar sized hands). I usually throw anywhere from 12-14 ish mph and I currently use a really old Hammer that my dad got from a neighbor a long while back and had it redrilled (fingertip) I'm also pretty sure its made of urethane, but again, I don't know all that much about it. Anyways, I'm about to graduate college, and I'd like to take bowling up as a more serious hobby. I want to get a decent ball that isn't too expensive that will help improve my game but won't be too hard for me to control. I was just wondering if anybody had any suggestions for me. Most of the places I go to are medium to heavy oil.

Thank you so much in advance for your help, jumping into bowling ball reviews with somewhat limited knowledge can be kind of intimidating, and this site seems to be very helpful.

-Tim

[ormond pro shop]

Tim,
There are so many choices you want to start off with a ball the will give you roll in the front and a smooth backend motion. The advanced performance balls are great Rising Star-Brunswick Damage are just a few any of these would work. If you need any help let me know Ormond@bowlingball.com my name is Mike I am the Pro Shop Manager.

[Mykenk]

Both Storm and Brunswick have great lower-end stuff that will give you a much better look than you're currently getting, and won't cost you an arm or a leg. Being a storm guy, I'd recommend something like a Tropical Breeze, or if you want something to hook a little more, a Tropical Heat. I've also heard lots of good things about the Brunswick Slingshots and Ebonite Cyclones. Basically, at that level of performance, I just don't see a lot to differentiate the different manufacturers...

[rickla1]

Track 300t will hit harder than any ball said above I promise you

[striker12]

well if you are a beginenr bowler you shoudl start off with a entry lvl bowling ball dont jsut jump to a high end bowling bll cause yourlearning corve will be off so bad cause if you go to a high end bowling ball you have to learn alot about the controll soo i recomend for a first bowling all a freeze it has nice carry on it going down the lane and works good for beginner and older bowlers i have got a few bowling balls and i jsut recently bought the freeze and it has done pritty good for me and it will be a perfect starting ball cause hen u can learn how to hook a ball properly and once u can get that freeze to move abit then u cna updrage to a mid porformance ball then once your ready a high end ball soo its your choise to go with what ever ball you want but im jsut syaing go with a entry lvl bowling ball...



as rickla1 says the 300t is a entry lvl bowling ball too soo there lots of chocies for bowling ballls it jsut comes down to you to pick it and how you want to learn with which company

[Stormed1]

All of the manufacturers make excellent entry level balls. Most of them use cores or covers that only a couple years ago were on their high performance balls. You can't go wrong with any of them so in some ways it comes down to what's your favorite color, In entry level equipment you have the 900Global Hooks, Brunswick Slingshot, Columbia Freeze,Ebonite Cyclone, Hammer Vibe, Roto-Grip Rising and Shooting Stars, Tropical Breeze and Tropical Heat from Storm. Also as mentioned above the 300 series balls from Track. I would recomend speaking with your local pro shop as to which would work best for you

[striker12]

yeah stormed got msot of the balls right but the rising star and shooting star are not entry lvl balls they are mid performance soo if you are going to get one of those then u should get a entry lvl ball at same time any on of the onethe stormed sead other then these 2 and u will see your game improvingand once it has then u can get the rising star or shooting star too give u alittle more moveon the backend

[DaveAyotte]

...but it is within his price range. He can have it polished, and/or drilled with the pin over the CG to get it to roll longer and straighter if that is the ball he likes. It's more common than the roto grip grenade - and therefore, more than likely easier to find. Timmy - there is no 'right' answer to your question, you're just going to get a lot of opinions. See what is available at your local shop, and like it was mentioned before - see what they recommend.

[striker12]

dave has a good point but remember one thing the proshop will tell you a good ball but it also comes down to what u think you want and if they tell you a ball but you dont know anything baout it ask for the specs and they can tell you or show you and tell you about it

[Timmytomma]

Thanks for all the help...I talked to Dave (my proshop manager) and upon seeing me throw, he actually recommended an ebonite lanebreaker that was on closeout, I love it and in 2 weeks my average has gone up 20 pins and I throw a much more consistent ball. Now I'm just working on sanding out the rougher edges of my game. I'm really liking this site, though its giving me a lot of information.

[striker12]

hey nice job and yes this site dose have alot of of info on it and u can get alot of help from everyone thats on here and the lanebreak is a good ball never threw it down my self but i have seen people throw it down

[kev3inp]

My wife and I both have Lanebreakers. She prefers her Slingshot, currently, but my Lanebreaker is my benchmark ball. When it gets a little beat up and has a lowered reaction I resurface it, and it comes right back. It was new when I got it, wonder if I can find another on a deal. :)

[Timmytomma]

I was thinking of getting a solid ball to complement it but yeah I really like it. I got a great deal too :)

[Timmytomma]

also, how often do you resurface/ clean it and how do you go about doing it. The last ball I had was really beat up and from '95 so I never really did maintenance on it.

[bowl1820]

also, how often do you resurface/ clean it and how do you go about doing it. The last ball I had was really beat up and from '95 so I never really did maintenance on it.

when it comes to ball maintenance, there's different levels.

First would be cleaning your ball after use, this helps keep the ball from absorbing the oil left on it. Plus it helps keep your bag clean. Take your towel and a good ball cleaner and wipe it down.

Next depending on how much you bowl, you'd do a deep cleaning/de-oiling. Different people have their own time scale, every 30-60 games, once a month etc. As for How to do a deep cleaning, there are several ways.

I just use a product called Clean'N Dull every so often, for a deep clean and that works for me. Others will do something different.

Resurfacing
When it comes to resurfacing, you need a spinner to do it right yourself.
Resurfacing is were you return a ball to like new condition, Removing all nicks and scratches etc. There's no real schedule for doing this, basically it's when there's maybe a performance issue or a aesthetic one.

Then there's coverstock changes, where you want to give the ball a different surface texture. So the ball has a different reaction or to match it up better to a lane condition. A spinner is best, but it could be done by hand.

[striker12]

well it is good to get your ball resurfaced after 60 games and after 100 games you should get it de-oiled or up too 120 game for a deoil and a resurface but it depends on how u want to do it but u want to get a good ball cleaner like bowl1820 sead and clena your ball after every use after leauge or practice befor it gose into your bag and use a towel and get the exses oil on the ball off right when the ball comes bakc out of the ball return