Should I stick to one type of bowling manufacture?

[larossho]

I’m extremely curious... should I stick to one manufacture like Storm, Brunswick, Radical etc? and how do you go about choosing a ball for your arsenal?

I know Storm owns Roto Grip and Brunswick Owns DV8 (not sure about the others)

Some say it’s good to stick with one brand because it’s easier to build an arsenal with?

What do you all think? I’m guinuely curious! I like Storm because something about their brand seems appealing.. + ball fragrances. I’ve never really considered any other brand. I recently purchased a Brunswick Black Quantum because the price was too good to pass up!

I’m stuck on a difficult path I’m afraid. I’m the sort of person who can’t make up their mind. I literally get headaches thinking about it.

I’m looking for a new bowling ball that handles well on broken down lanes to dry - medium lane conditions.

Here is what I’m looking into but can’t seem to make up my mind -
Track Tundra
900 Global Honey Badger or Boost
Storm Tropical, Hyroad, Pitch Black
Brunswick Rhino, True Motion, Fanatic Series
Hammer Burgandy or Black Urethane

This is what I currently own
Storm Snap Lock
Storm Phaze
Brunswick Axis
Brunswick Black Quantum

[Amyers]

It doesn't really matter if you mix brands or not. I tend to throw Brunswick family stuff (Brunswick,DV8,Radical) mainly because I have friends that are staffers and professionals so I can get a better idea what the stuff does. It is somewhat easier to build an arsenal but it doesn't really matter unless the arsenal is going to be large 4+.

Your balls your interested in break down to three groups.

Medium
Honey Badger, Hyroad, Fanatic. The Badger and Hyroad aren't much of a step down from the Black Quantum. I'm not sure which Fanatic your looking at The original might be a good choice had one and loved it, the SS is more in line below the snap lock and the BTU is more of a low oil ball

Light.

Tundra, Boost, Tropical, and supposedly the Rhino. The first three are pretty close together longer running pearls I haven't noticed thinking one was better than another. I will warn on the Rhino that ball is stronger that it's marketed as at least mine was very close to my black quantum which wasn't what I expected.

The rest are urethane you've seen mine and chips opinion on them lol.


The hole I see in the line up is a less aggressive longer running ball. I think the hyroad or badger are too strong for that role. Not on your list but I'd consider the Hustle Ink if not probably the Tropical or Tundra.

[larossho]

It doesn't really matter if you mix brands or not. I tend to throw Brunswick family stuff (Brunswick,DV8,Radical) mainly because I have friends that are staffers and professionals so I can get a better idea what the stuff does. It is somewhat easier to build an arsenal but it doesn't really matter unless the arsenal is going to be large 4+.

Your balls your interested in break down to three groups.

Medium
Honey Badger, Hyroad, Fanatic. The Badger and Hyroad aren't much of a step down from the Black Quantum. I'm not sure which Fanatic your looking at The original might be a good choice had one and loved it, the SS is more in line below the snap lock and the BTU is more of a low oil ball

Light.

Tundra, Boost, Tropical, and supposedly the Rhino. The first three are pretty close together longer running pearls I haven't noticed thinking one was better than another. I will warn on the Rhino that ball is stronger that it's marketed as at least mine was very close to my black quantum which wasn't what I expected.

The rest are urethane you've seen mine and chips opinion on them lol.


The hole I see in the line up is a less aggressive longer running ball. I think the hyroad or badger are too strong for that role. Not on your list but I'd consider the Hustle Ink if not probably the Tropical or Tundra.

Yes! Last night I forgot to add the Hustle Ink and the Danger Zone aswell! Thanks for the insight Amyers!

[Amyers]

Yes! Last night I forgot to add the Hustle Ink and the Danger Zone aswell! Thanks for the insight Amyers!

I own the Danger Zone unfortunate in 15 and I've changed to 14 it's crazy close to the Black Quantum so don't go there.

[Phonetek]

If your brand loyal it's all good but it never hurts to branch out and be diverse. It seems every ball manufacturer has a ball to cover all the categories in some way or another. I think you can find something comparable in between most if not all brands. I hear ya though, I like Hammer myself but after I get that part of my arsenal complete I'm thinking Roto. Price can be an issue too. Maybe you can find a ball that's very similar in another brand for cheaper. Shop around, look at whats available on some websites and do some research. Do the side by side comparisons like on bowlingball.com and you'll see what I'm talking about.

[djp1080]

In bowling a lot comes down to your confidence in the gear you're using. It also comes down to feel.
My first reactive ball was a Track 300T and I did pretty well with it. It had a matte finish. My next ball was the Storm Hy-Road. I've found that the Hy-Road is still one of my favorites several years later and the 300T just sits around doing almost nothing but takes up space.
Maintaining gear is important, too, IMHO. I've learned a bit about taking care of things and I'm confident in getting my Hy-Road into good shape for each outing along with all of my Storm stuff using various sanding pads, cleaners and polishes. I bought one Hammer ball and expected some reaction from it that I've never achieved. It's likely me, but I was disappointed. Of course, I've been disappointed in a couple of the Storm balls I've purchased. On the other hand I'm happy with the line up from Storm and Roto Grip overall and IMHO every one ought to have a Hy-Road in their bag. Finally got my hands on a Hy-Road Pearl and it's motion on the backend is a little snappier. I like it a lot.
Probably the weakest spot in Storm's line up is for very light to dry lanes. Otherwise they have the bases covered. Perhaps they should have kept the Ride, Joy Ride and Natural balls in their line up to cover all the bases. The Mix serves me well for spares and can be pressed into service on dry lanes.
Good luck...

[chip82901]

I've thrown a LOT of stuff over the years. Used to be a Columbia guy, then branched out to Ebonite (before they bought Columbia), DV8, Brunswick, Pyramid. They all roll well. Just seems that lately, everything in my arsenal is Storm/Roto as that's what I feel has fit my game at the moment. It also doesn't hurt that I get awesome feedback from the guys at Storm, and if I REALLY had any questions, I'm 2.5 hours away from the production plant in Brigham City, UT lol. I talk to Chad McLean and Steve Kloempkin pretty regularly about layout options, tournaments (they run a NW tour around here that is mainly Utah, Idaho and Montana), etc. Great group of guys to work with and usually get back with answers to any questions pretty quick. I think that is the big reason I throw mostly Storm/Roto

[Blomer]

I’ve bowled with a mix bag and a bag with Storm/ Roto Grip. I recently have a bag of Roto Grip balls only. I find it’s easier to amake an arsenal when you have the same company. With Roto Grip, their line is easy to follow, H4, H3, H2and H1. I have three balls of different lines and will get the other ball in the line I don’t have at the start of next season.

[SRB57]

I used Columbia 300 in the 70's-early 2000's for the most part. When I came back in 2014 I got one Columbia then switch to Roto Grip which I like a lot. I have steadily improved since my second hip replacement in 2016. For me there are to many choices to switch brands all the time. Steve

[JerseyJim]

I research most of my equipment using BTM reviews, watching videos with styles similar to me. I just try to find a ball that would fit a niche in my arsenal. I'm usually open to looking at all manufacturers.