16 or 15 pound ball

[Perrin]

forgot to mention that other advantage I saw with the swap from 16 to 15 less stone 9 pins.

I assume the 15lb has just a bit more deflection than the 16

[PauL757]

Ronald Hickland did a video on carry of 14-16lb balls. Look it up on Youtube. I personally use 16 because I felt I muscled 15 at times.

[Aslan]

I personally use 16 because I felt I muscled 15 at times.

Second Most Asked Question on Site (just in case you get stuck on Family Feud and it comes up as a category). Second only to "What Ball Should I Get!??"

The answer to both questions is the same. It doesn't matter.

I started out throwing 15lb. I switched to 16lbs. Now I'm back to 15lbs. Next arsenal most likely will be 16lbs.

There are differences, but each weight has advantages and disadvantages. With 16lbs I struggled to get revs and open up the lane. With 15lbs I can get a better angle and more rpms (which go together)...but I've found my number of 8-10 splits and single 8-pins has increased significantly.

But that's why I'm saying it "doesn't matter". Would you rather a ball that has more power but less angle? Or do you want a ball with more angle and less power? With 15lbs I have a better chance of striking due to the angle/rpms...but a lesser chance of striking due to the slight deflection issue keeping the ball from getting left enough as it leaves the pin deck to nudge the 8-pin.

Where I agree with Paul is; I've recently found that when going back to throwing 16lbs, I don't muscle the shot as much.

The reasons 16lbs are out of style is just the way the sport has evolved. The current state of the sport is to spin, spin, spin the ball. It's why most non-league nights in nearly every bowling center...they will be out of 6lb balls. Not because the kiddos are bowling...but because it's "cool" to throw the ball to a breakpoint and watch it spin a lot and go gutter to gutter. Out and in is "old school"...it's outdated...it's for the old geezers that refuse to embrace modern bowling concepts. There was even a significant move to go to 14lbs recently.

But the age old guidance really hasn't changed no matter how much the youngsters want it to. You throw the highest weight ball you can comfortably throw. Why 16lbs? Because they don't allow 17lbs. When do you go down in weight? When your body is struggling to throw it. And that WILL happen to most everyone eventually. Arthritis, Bursitis, other joint pain...back pain...eventually we all get old and we all have to make sacrafices.

Does that mean I'm not gonna throw 15lbs anymore? Nope. Doesn't really matter. For me, it's all about going through my "Closet of Destiny" until I've retired all the balls I currently have undrilled. If I get to a point where I decide definitively that I like one weight over another...I'll only buy that weight. But right now...17lbs....5lbs...I'm not a good enough bowler where it really matters.

[Turkey Track Hammer]

Ok, here is the deal with me so far. I just got back into bowling after a 15 year absence. So last month I purchased two 15# and two 16# balls. My thought process was I'm getting close to 50 years old and may need to go down to a 15 from a 16. What I have been doing is bowling 2 games each, back to back with each weight. The 15# balls feel so much better to me but here is the catch. I'm averaging almost 20 pins higher with the 16. Granted I have probably only bowled 20 games with each weight so far. I will continue to use both until I get around 100 games with each in. I hope I can improve with the 15 because it feels better and I and is not a hard on my for-arm. How ever no way in hell I would give up 20 pins on an average just because the 15 feels better.

[Blomer]

Are the balls the same besides the weight? Same brand and model and drilled the same? A guy in one of my leagues bowls with an Optimus with one being 16 and other 15. I don't understand it. He also pretty much bowls straight with them, no movement. Seriously, an Optimus that doesn't hook!

[Turkey Track Hammer]

Are the balls the same besides the weight? Same brand and model and drilled the same? A guy in one of my leagues bowls with an Optimus with one being 16 and other 15. I don't understand it. He also pretty much bowls straight with them, no movement. Seriously, an Optimus that doesn't hook!

15# Hammer Burgundy
15# Track Arsenal Artillery
16# Hammer Rythm
16# Track Tour SiC
The Tracks are drilled slightly different, but not much.