Brand or Manufacturer Preference

[J-Dilly]

I am learning tons about these companies today. I think I am going to go with either the Storm Zero Gravity or the Track Lx16. I really like the stuff I have read about the Track Lx16

[noeymc]

if your going with storm my buddy throws about the same revs and speed as you


715 with 5 opens

with this ball

http://www.bowlingball.com/products/...1/Hy-Road.html

that was the first night he threw it he cant even throw a heavy oil ball and he plays deep left his ball speed is around 16-19 rough guessing but his revs are insane somthing for you to look at what ever ball you choose i wish you the best of luck with it =D

[J-Dilly]

I will look into that one as well. Ironically, thats the ball that the Storm website suggested after I plugged in my info, lol. Appreciate the help from all

[Aslan]

I don't think the brand matters much.

That being said, I've been throwing Columbia, Storm, Hammer, and Brunswick recently...and:

- The Columbia ball seemed to last forever. Granted, it's urethane so thats probably why. But I've always thought Columbia has made the higher quality...although maybe not the highest performance.

- I think the Storm balls have the most reactive coverstocks...almost "sticky". But the downside is they tend to pick up more oil, die faster, and "chip" easier.

- Hammer...same as Columbia. Not a ton of performance/reaction but good quality and reliable.

- Brunswick...I think Brunswick does the overall best job at getting quality AND performance.

I haven't had much experience with the newer brands like Motiv or DV8. I'm worried that they might be more "flashy" but with questionable performance and longevity. But...those that love Motiv and DV8 have nothing but good things to say about them.

And I haven't really went the Ebonite nor Track route because those brands tend to be much more expensive than the competition. It seems like every ball on the rack at the same performance level is $20-$60 more when it's stamped with Ebonite or Track. And I haven't heard many people say many positive things about either brand that would justify the price difference. Mainly they tend to get pushed by pro shops that have special deals/affiliations with Ebonite/Track and ignored by pro shops that don't have said arrangement.

I buy primarily based on finding really good deals on older, yet NIB balls. And right now I have:

Columbia- given to me, retired.
Storm- 1st ball, retired.
Hammer- in the bag
Brunswick- in the bag
Columbia & Columbia- in closet, next 2 balls I'll have drilled
900 Global- NIB, undrilled, in closet
Brunswick- NIB, undrilled, in closet
Columbia- NIB, undrilled, in closet
Ebonite- NIB, undrilled, in closet
900 Global- NIB, undrilled, in closet
RotoGrip- NIB, undrilled, in closet

Next Ball? I said I wouldn't buy anymore until I started clearing some space...but I have my eye on a Track ball on discount on one of the sites that I might not be able to resist.

[Blacksox1]

My two most recent purchases; Roto grip Hyper cell and Storm Marvel pearl. A good pro shop operator can make a big difference too !

[GeoLes]

My first ball was a Hammer (Raw Jacked), I purchased a Brunswick C-System Ultimax, but with Brunswick C-System Ultimax. Push it too hard and it does not break enough. Too slow or miss left and it hits high yielding a split.

The best ball I own is Storm Lucid. It seems to perform well regardless of how I try to push down the lane. Even if I hit high, it seems to spin the pins through the rack avoiding a split. I am sure this is not the result of manufacture issues as much as core/cover/technique. My wife also prefers her Storm over her Brunswick bal. I have an old IT Messenger that still performs for me as well.

I am also a road bicyclist and we get a similar question on the cycling forum about which manufacturer makes the best/fastest bike. - Bottom line is that you can't buy speed. Same in bowling, you can't buy pinfall.

(you have to earn it)

[Hammer]

I am partial to Hammer as it shows in my signature. Lately though I have my mind thinking about the Lights Out ball by Storm. It seems like it would be a good fit between my Hammer balls.

[dpatrickv]

Used to be a big Hammer fan but have since switch to DV8. I have been bowling better than I ever have as of the last couple months since I picked up the DV8 Dude. Whether thats exactly the ball or just me being more consistent? Who knows.

[mc_runner]

Since I've started bowling I've thrown Storm and Hammer balls exclusively - and it's been exclusively them because I like the reactions, feel and performance of them so why change a good thing?

I've been wanting to try some others just to see how they work (and I'm working on a more modern release with a lot more revs - summer league experimenting). I do have a Brunswick LT-48 coming in that I'm excited to work out!

[J-Dilly]

I settled on the Track LX 16 - I will see what happens I guess