Lane Masters and Lord Field

[edpup316]

No opinion of their equipment, but I will probably never try them because of the MLM-type pyramid scheme structure of their "staffing".

That's understandable if you only look at it from the aspect of a scheme and don't take into consideration what else is offered. The community they are trying to build and the helpfulness from all Staffer supervisors including to two the guys that own and run the companies. Also, saying its like a pyramid scheme is completely inaccurate. Your not about to get buried in doubt like you could with a pyramid and contracts are plan and simple. I would say that the entry staff level position is more like a membership then a staffer. You get discounts on equipment and are expected to represent the brand in a courteous and respectful way. There seems to be a general misconception by some that staffers for other companies are just handed equipment free of charge all the time. The only staffers not paying for stuff are the ones on TV. Everyone is paying slightly above cost. Which is generally $80-110 depending on company and ball performance.

[edpup316]

I see a few people using Lane Master but I don't think I have ever heard or seen a Lord Field. Where are they from Europe or Asia?

Lord Field is made in Korea and Lane Masters has there cores made in Korea but covers made in the USA.

[edpup316]

The point is that Storm, EBI, Brunswick, and Motive are responsible for virtually all the well-known brands. If you don't like Columbia balls, there's a good chance that one of the other EBI brands makes balls that you like. Personally, I really like Storm balls, but have had very little success with Roto Grip balls. My guess is that Lord Field and Lane Masters don't do a whole lot of research to develop and improve their equipment. The four major manufacturers do research, and that research should result in improved bowling balls.

They do more R&D then you would think but certainly not as much as Storm, Brunswick etc... are doing since their bankroll isn't as big. From what I have found out so far, the company had a great start early on but had some issues a few years after starting. Bad supervisors, death of the gentleman that started the company and it kinda went down hill a little. But in the last 3 years they have been trying to turn the company around and fix the reputation they where left with after getting rid of the people that where bring it down.

[Ryster]

I wanted to try a Lane Masters product recently, and reached out via Email with a couple of questions. I received a timely response however the quality of the response was not what I was looking for. I was basically told to look at their website, which I had already done before Emailing with my questions. I responded to their Email with another asking for additional information to which I never received a response. They lost a sale simply because they couldn't provide an answer to my relatively simple question. If they want to gain customers, they need to be responsive to questions.

[mc_runner]

That's understandable if you only look at it from the aspect of a scheme and don't take into consideration what else is offered. The community they are trying to build and the helpfulness from all Staffer supervisors including to two the guys that own and run the companies. Also, saying its like a pyramid scheme is completely inaccurate. Your not about to get buried in doubt like you could with a pyramid and contracts are plan and simple. I would say that the entry staff level position is more like a membership then a staffer. You get discounts on equipment and are expected to represent the brand in a courteous and respectful way. There seems to be a general misconception by some that staffers for other companies are just handed equipment free of charge all the time. The only staffers not paying for stuff are the ones on TV. Everyone is paying slightly above cost. Which is generally $80-110 depending on company and ball performance.

I do understand what you're saying but I think we'll agree to disagree. On one hand, I appreciate they try to get more people involved in their product as ambassadors... but to me being a staffer should be an honor; for someone bringing prestige or exposure to the game either through accomplishments or other work they are doing.

The comparison I made to an MLM is basically because - and I could be a bit mistaken, if so please correct me - you have your staffers, who are willingly signed on without a ton of entry criteria, comparatively speaking. They have to both pay for balls & products (at a discount, yes, but still paid for and I'm sure the company isn't losing money on this) and promote the brand. These low level staffers need to, depending on contract, purchase x number of balls per year. Then at the top you have the company that is getting both promotion and a guaranteed number of sales.

At that point, you're in financially. It may not be a true "scheme", especially if staffers feel they are getting a lot out of it, but I am not a fan of this process. Just my opinion

[bowl1820]

I do understand what you're saying but I think we'll agree to disagree. On one hand, I appreciate they try to get more people involved in their product as ambassadors... but to me being a staffer should be an honor; for someone bringing prestige or exposure to the game either through accomplishments or other work they are doing.

The comparison I made to an MLM is basically because - and I could be a bit mistaken, if so please correct me - you have your staffers, who are willingly signed on without a ton of entry criteria, comparatively speaking. They have to both pay for balls & products (at a discount, yes, but still paid for and I'm sure the company isn't losing money on this) and promote the brand. These low level staffers need to, depending on contract, purchase x number of balls per year. Then at the top you have the company that is getting both promotion and a guaranteed number of sales.

At that point, you're in financially. It may not be a true "scheme", especially if staffers feel they are getting a lot out of it, but I am not a fan of this process. Just my opinion

What you are describing (or with a slight variation) is for the most part how most of the companies do staffers (depending on level). So using that as a reason for not buying a brand, you'd have to stop buying virtually from most all the companies.

[edpup316]

I do understand what you're saying but I think we'll agree to disagree. On one hand, I appreciate they try to get more people involved in their product as ambassadors... but to me being a staffer should be an honor; for someone bringing prestige or exposure to the game either through accomplishments or other work they are doing.

The comparison I made to an MLM is basically because - and I could be a bit mistaken, if so please correct me - you have your staffers, who are willingly signed on without a ton of entry criteria, comparatively speaking. They have to both pay for balls & products (at a discount, yes, but still paid for and I'm sure the company isn't losing money on this) and promote the brand. These low level staffers need to, depending on contract, purchase x number of balls per year. Then at the top you have the company that is getting both promotion and a guaranteed number of sales.

At that point, you're in financially. It may not be a true "scheme", especially if staffers feel they are getting a lot out of it, but I am not a fan of this process. Just my opinion

bowl1820 is right. There is no real difference. I have friends on staff with Storm, Hammer and Columbia. They are required to purchase a certain number of balls a year, making consistent social media posts about the products and they still are paying $70-100 a ball. The only difference is that Lane Masters is trying to recover from miss handlings and change the reputation. They don't have the big pockets like the other guys but their equipment is sound and performs great.

Its unfortunate that you didn't have a great experience when you where interested. That truly does not reflect the attitude of the company and how they value potential customers. I dropped the link to my youtube page at the bottom. I've done a couple reviews. Take a look even if just to give feedback as Ive only just started. And if anything peaks your interest, hit me up. I would be more then happy to help.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFz...XOzerBVkPSKbeA

[JaxBowlingGuy]

I threw their stuff for right at 2 years until a month and half ago or so. There are some truths and some half truths in what have been said in this thread. They do require certain amount of balls to be purchased based on level. They do have equipment made overseas (Korea) (LF, Swag, and a select few LM). Most LM balls are actually poured in Stockton CA.

[fordman1]

I wonder if there will be a tariff on Bowling Balls?

[JerseyJim]

I have the Terminator, Absolute Power, Sure Strike, and Solid Strike. The first 3 balls on that list I've had a lot of success with. The Solid Strike, I haven't thrown that much. The one thing that I notice is that they don't seem to absorb that much oil, or track out. The Terminator has probably around 700 games on it and the Absolute Power almost as much. Sure Strike has around 300 games. They all still react well. I'm not sure how they compare to the newer balls that were poured by Lord Field.