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Thread: Trying to decide what urethane ball to get

  1. #1
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    Default Trying to decide what urethane ball to get

    This morning I was practicing and want getting the greatest reaction and I ended up using my Tzone plastic spare ball straight up the right gutter. It is drilled a little string just in case I want to use it as a strike ball. It reacted quite well. I literally was spotting the first or second board at the dots. The lanes were freshly oiled and this house is known for having more oil than most. I had one game with 9 strikes, two solid 8s and a stone 7pin.

    That being said, if I had moved in a little bit the ball would have skid close to 60ft. So I'm wondering if there is a urethane ball that would hook a little more but not too much more. I really love the reaction of early hook and back end hold. I bowl no thumb, one handed.

    I have no recent experience with urethane. I know some can be very strong and I don't want that. So any advice would be appreciated.

  2. #2

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    The problem with urethane is that you need a lot of ball speed to get them to work on a house shot because they typically have a lot of surface that chews up the front part of the lanes (the heads). As plastic spare balls have a simple pancake weight block, I'm wondering how you had it drilled "a little strong." If you don't have a lot of ball speed, you are probably better off looking at an entry level reactive ball. Being speed challenged (old) myself, I often use a Brunswick Twist which has a very high rg and a very low differential. It is also drilled with a 6" pin-to-PAP to weaken it further.

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    Thank you for the response! The plastic ball is probably just drilled finger and positive side weight. It's not much but it's something. I have the Twist. It's drilled with the pin in the ring finger. It's one of the balls I was using before switching to plastic on Sunday. I was leaving corners. That ball isn't always prone to leaving the 10 pin but sometimes it is. Especially if there's carry down. Carry down wasn't an issue on Sunday but my ball reaction just wasn't great. Part of it could have just been me. If the oil isn't very long and the backends are really clean I can move that Twist a lot. I wonder what my reaction would be with that ball if it were drilled with the pin close to my PAP.

    I also wonder what a pancake block urethane ball like a Mix would do for me. Perhaps just a little stronger than the Tzone plastic?

    I'll tell you, I had a few guys watching me Sunday and they were amazed at the reaction I was getting off the ditch with plastic.

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    Here is my blanket statement about urethane, I typically make it general enough to provide my opinion to about every bowler (baseline statement). I personally have the Black Widow Urethane and I love it (on shorter sport patterns that have a good volume of oil in the fronts) and I hate it (on essentially every other pattern ever created). A quick summary of my specs is that I'm somewhere around 375 revs and considered "speed neutral" to that number (matter of opinion, all categories have their pros/cons and it really depends on whatever the chart creator had in mind). The way I describe urethane to most bowlers, if you are bringing a 6 ball arsenal (5 + 1 spare ball) then urethane may have a place in your bag as an emergency/special situation ball depending on the conditions you are planning on facing - if you are bringing three balls then there are probably many options that will provide a wider scope of uses. If I were to take 6 balls to a league night I personally don't see how my urethane piece even makes it to the bag; it would currently look like (Hyper Cell, Gauntlet Fury, Idol, IQ Pearl, MVP, Spare) - putting a mix of covers and cores that should allow me to combat anything on the lanes. Sport shots the urethane ball is still only the #6 ball in that bag (replacing the MVP) and that is just because of the control vs. scoring it could provide.


    A second part of this discussion is in an interview with Chris Barnes he made the comment that his solid, high surface asymmetrical equipment can also serve the role that most people use urethane for. Now we all know Chris is a physically, and mentally, superior bowler to anyone on these boards but it really makes you think for a second...what truly are the differences between a urethane piece and that super aggressive asymmetrical piece in regards to what you are trying to do on the lane?
    Currently in the arsenal: Roto Grip Hyper Cell (@2000), Hammer Gauntlet Fury (@1000 polished), Roto Grip Idol (@2000), Storm IQ Tour Emerald (@1500 polished), Storm Phaze 4 (@1500 polished), Hammer Cherry Vibe (@1500 polished), Hammer Black Widow Urethane (@1000), Jet Blackbird

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    Quote Originally Posted by RobLV1 View Post
    The problem with urethane is that you need a lot of ball speed to get them to work on a house shot because they typically have a lot of surface that chews up the front part of the lanes (the heads). As plastic spare balls have a simple pancake weight block, I'm wondering how you had it drilled "a little strong." If you don't have a lot of ball speed, you are probably better off looking at an entry level reactive ball. Being speed challenged (old) myself, I often use a Brunswick Twist which has a very high rg and a very low differential. It is also drilled with a 6" pin-to-PAP to weaken it further.
    Absolutely agree, with one added kicker. If you use a urethane ball in a house-shot league, you'll likely make an enemy of every other bowler.....
    Old guy with power (15.5-16; 325). Current arsenal--Storm Summit, RotoGrip Idol Helios, Storm Phaze III, Storm SureLock (retired), Storm IQ Tour Nano and Motiv Rebel tank (spare/dry). High sanctioned game - 300 (4). High sanctioned series - 856. A.V. 300-s - 8. Longest string - 25.
    2023/2024 YTD highs--High game-289; high series-739

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by Timmyb View Post
    Absolutely agree, with one added kicker. If you use a urethane ball in a house-shot league, you'll likely make an enemy of every other bowler.....
    I'm envious! The bowlers in my leagues aren't knowledgeable enough to notice.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Timmyb View Post
    Absolutely agree, with one added kicker. If you use a urethane ball in a house-shot league, you'll likely make an enemy of every other bowler.....
    This is true but not for what I am trying to achieve. I am trying to play so far right that the ball will hit dry lane immediately. With the Tzone I was outside first arrow at the arrows. Actually I spot at the dots when I play this far right. Not very many no thumb bowlers can play that far out. If I got it too far out it would still go high but not too often because 3 boards wide would be in the gutter. I never tossed one in though. Mostly the ball would move early and then hold.

    I want just a little more bite than plastic though. I think I have decided on the Mix. It's just a very basic pancake weight block pearl urethane. I'll still be so far right that I doubt it will move much oil. It also won't flare so it won't have multiple oil rings that would drag more oil.

    The pissing off that I want to do is to **** off guys who spend big money on multiple high tech balls having to watch me shoot 700s with a $65 beginner ball.

  8. #8

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    Have you tried putting a lot of surface on a plastic ball? There used to be a very dominant bowler in Vegas who won the SNUSBC Masters using a pink plastic ball with a 500 surface! He was playing the same outside shot that you are describing.

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    Quote Originally Posted by RobLV1 View Post
    Have you tried putting a lot of surface on a plastic ball?
    There used to be a very dominant bowler in Vegas who won the SNUSBC Masters using a pink plastic ball with a 500 surface! He was playing the same outside shot that you are describing.
    No I have not! But that is an excellent idea. I have thought of adding surface and the reason I didn't was because it would lose me my spare ball. But I certainly could get another identical ball drilled.

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    Quote Originally Posted by RobLV1 View Post
    I'm envious! The bowlers in my leagues aren't knowledgeable enough to notice.
    We have one guy that subs and uses a purple Hammer, and he's there about every 3-4 weeks. I've had to bowl on the same pair once, and he pretty much bowls the same line I favor. I'll move to try to stay out of the devastation, but it's hard. The only saving grace is eventually his own line falls apart.
    Old guy with power (15.5-16; 325). Current arsenal--Storm Summit, RotoGrip Idol Helios, Storm Phaze III, Storm SureLock (retired), Storm IQ Tour Nano and Motiv Rebel tank (spare/dry). High sanctioned game - 300 (4). High sanctioned series - 856. A.V. 300-s - 8. Longest string - 25.
    2023/2024 YTD highs--High game-289; high series-739

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