Suggestions wanted on a new ball.

[Ryan88]

The First Blood is drilled pin up and it works great everywhere except my league lanes which are a bit notorious for being difficult.

[RobLV1]

I can't help but say that this is one of the scariest threads I've ever seen! Ryan starts the thread by saying that his First Blood is coming up a little short on oilier lane conditions. Next, just about everyone and his brother jumps in saying buy this or buy that because it works for me, or it works for my best friend, or it works for my brother Fred.

Every bowler is an individual with a unique combination of speed, rev rate, axis tilt, axis rotation, and PAP. What works for them may not, probably will not, work for you. Look at the facts and the numbers.

Consider that the First Blood has an rg (radius of gyration of 2.48), a differential of 0.056, a hybrid cover material, and a 1500 abralon surface with Powerhouse Factory Finish (polish). The Black Widow Assassin has an rg of 2.50 (goes longer than the First Blood), a differential of 0.058 (very slightly stronger than the First Blood (meaningless unless you have a rev rate of 450 rpm or higher), a solid cover material, and a surface finish of 1000 abralon with Powerhouse Factory Finish polish. So, the First Blood has a core that is designed to roll earlier than the Black Widow, a differential that is so close as to be totally insignificant, a cover material that will read the friction in the oil slightly more, and the friction in the dry slightly less, and a cover finish that will go slightly longer, if both are polished the same, which they probably are not considering that the First Blood was marketed as a ball for medium oil, and the Black Widow as a ball for heavy oil.

Before you go out and make another $200 donation, change the surface of the First Blood to 2000 abralon (500 to 2000) without polish and go from there. I really don't think you need a new ball, just a new surface.

Rob Mautner

[Ptnomore]

I can't help but say that this is one of the scariest threads I've ever seen! Ryan starts the thread by saying that his First Blood is coming up a little short on oilier lane conditions. ...
Rob Mautner

Actually, what Ryan said was ..." I bought a First Blood last year and it was awesome for me up until the volume of the oil pattern at the house I bowl at increased. Long story short the ball is coming up short. I am looking for something to cut through the heavy oil but is still strong on the backend. "

So, his statement about the "ball coming up a bit short" can be mis-read, if you don't read all the words.

Our suggestions seem to be right on target if you read all of the words.

[Ryan88]

In Layman's terms can someone contrast the motion between the Hyper Cell and the Ruckus Feud?

I really appreciate all the suggestions thus far. This forum is proving quite helpful.

[dpatrickv]

Just visit both sites and they have a picture of the lines.

Hypercell

http://www.rotogrip.com/balls/hyper-cell

Feud

http://dv8bowling.com/balls/ruckus-feud/

[RobLV1]

Ptnomore: I did read all the words, and I understand that the phrase "coming up a bit shot" was figurative, not literal language. That being said:

Ryan88: I have to stand by my previous recommendation. Both the Hypercell and the Ruckus Feud are asymmetrical solids with rg measurements that are significantly higher than the First Blood (rg 2.48). The Hypercell has an rg of 2.52, and the Ruckus Feud has an rg of 2.54. The higher the rg measurement, the more resistance there is to the ball revving up, so the further it goes down the lane. If your First Blood is not getting the job done in heavy oil, then going to a ball that is designed to go longer is probably not going to help much, in fact, they will probably make your problem worse. Both the Hypercell and the Ruckus have high differentials: 0.056 and 0.052, as does the First Blood (0.056). So, what you are looking at is that in terms of the elements that cannot be changed; the rg, differential, and cover material, the First Blood is the most aggressive which should work the best in heavier oil. The Hypercell is in the middle, with the main difference being a higher rg that makes it want to go longer, and the Ruckus having an even higher rg to make it go longer yet.

So what should you do? First of all, as I said earlier, change the surface on the First Blood to try to get it to read the midlane more to combat the oil. If that doesn't work, take a look at the way the ball is laid out. You say that it is drilled pin up, but what are the angles used in the layout? If the pin is above the finger holes, and the mass bias mark is near the thumb hole, then the ball is drilled to go long and angular which may be why it isn't working for you on heavier oil. It's a lot less expensive to have a ball plugged and redrilled than it is to go out and spend your hard-earned money on a new ball based on what other bowlers say works for them, particularly others who have never seen you bowl.

Without actually seeing a ball reaction, noone can tell you definitively what will work for you. That being said, the reactions of bowling balls are all based on physics, and numbers are not prejudicial. The rg, the differential, the layout, and the surface all relate to how the ball reacts to the lane and retains the energy for the most effective result. The numbers don't care what the ball looks like, how cool its name is, what it smells like, or how it works for someone else.

[Ptnomore]

I read into Ryan's first post a bit more, and picked up on something else...The First Blood is a year old, and has seen consistent usage. Rob is on to something.

Ryan: have you had the ball baked to get the oil out of it, or had the surface touched up at all? As Rob suggested, if not changing the surface, at a minimum, a touch up may be needed. Lower grit (Med-heavy oil ball) surfaces get "shinier" as they get used, making the ball go long and less reactive as time goes on. The surface needs to be dulled back down periodically, increasing the traction in the oil AND smooth out the back end, which is what you need if I'm reading it correctly. The higher volume of oil used by your house, might be coinciding with your current balls' need to be de-oiled, and re-surfaced. Definitely worth a chat with your pro-shop operator. 30-60 games is all that these balls get before they need to be baked AND have the surfaces scuffed. Even if you bowl only one league, that's only 1/3-2/3 thru a 30 week season. If you used that ball all of last fall/winter season, and this one as well, that ball is saturated, and probably where a majority of your problem lies.

[Aslan]

Before you go out and make another $200 donation, change the surface of the First Blood to 2000 abralon (500 to 2000) without polish and go from there. I really don't think you need a new ball, just a new surface.

Rob Mautner

WHAT!? I never thought I'd read that!

Rob...you're obviously right. Wait...what? WHT!?

But you are. And I, as a rule, tend not to get involved in the 65-75 threads per year where people ask everyone which ball they should buy. My reasoning (some you would agree with and some you might not) is:
1) As Rob stated...a ball's movement and trajectory can change drastically based on how it's thrown, lane conditions, and surface conditions...not to mention drilling layout.
2) Given #1 above, and here's where Rob and I may or may not disagree....ANY ball can do ANYTHING (within reason). It's not the ball. You can take a weak ball and drill it thumbless with a balance hole and that thing will hook coast to coast . Especially if you add in a surface change.

So given those 2 things...ANY ball can suit you. ANY ball can get to the pocket earlier. Even your OWN ball with a surface change or a re-drill could get to the pocket sooner. The difference between your First Blood and my recommendation the Brunswick Paranormal is relatively small. And using Rob's numbers...would actually be WORSE than the First Blood since it has an rg of 2.533, a differential of .052, and a 2000 surface.

But the #3 reason I don't usually reply to ball recommendation threads is (and Rob mentioned this sort of)...people generally just want to buy a new ball. And they don't care about rgs and mass bias and differentials. They want to buy either Motiv or DV8....because those are cooler than Brunswick or Columbia. And they want the X, Y, or maybe Z ball because those are cool colors and have names like "Smackdown" or "Beatdown" or "Azkicker".

Listen to Rob (What!?)....de-oil it, change the surface a little...see if that helps. It'll save you $150. And if it doesn't work...or if you just really want a new ball because you're sick of that one (which is toally cool)...get whatever ya want. You could even get another First Blood and have it drilled differently. I'm cheap...so I'd get the AURA...and just have it drilled/surfaced in a way that will make it work where the First Blood was struggling. It saves $50-$100 which I can use for mixed drinks and Bleu Cheese burgers.

[tccstudent]

But the #3 reason I don't usually reply to ball recommendation threads is (and Rob mentioned this sort of)...people generally just want to buy a new ball. And they don't care about rgs and mass bias and differentials. They want to buy either Motiv or DV8....because those are cooler than Brunswick or Columbia. And they want the X, Y, or maybe Z ball because those are cool colors and have names like "Smackdown" or "Beatdown" or "Azkicker".

Motiv DV8 Brunswick Columbia you know what they all have in common they just wish they were as cool as a Strom

[Aslan]

Motiv DV8 Brunswick Columbia you know what they all have in common they just wish they were as cool as a Strom

They wish they were as fragaranced as Storm. Or were you talking about Petr Strom?