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Thread: Do bolwing balls lose their "zip" after a couple of years?

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    Bowler taxexpert2's Avatar
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    Default Do bolwing balls lose their "zip" after a couple of years?

    I generally buy a new ball every year or two. But I also decided the last time I bought a ball that I would not do it in the middle of a league season because it seems to take me 3 months or so to figure out how to get a new ball to work with (or for) me. So I am looking for a new ball and talked to the pro shop guy. He made a statement that made me wonder if it is true and it went something like "all bowling balls seem to 'wear out' after at most two years". Is this a reasonable statement? I need to get a new ball because my current ball will not be valid for USBC bowling due to a balance hole that was drilled shortly after I got it. So it is not only that it seems to have lost it's zip for me but it is a mandatory change.

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    Quote Originally Posted by taxexpert2 View Post
    I generally buy a new ball every year or two.
    Nothing particularly wrong with that.


    But I also decided the last time I bought a ball that I would not do it in the middle of a league season because it seems to take me 3 months or so to figure out how to get a new ball to work with (or for) me.
    Good idea that's usually what the summer season is for. When it gets close to the fall season start, you get that new ball and get the feel for it and the cover broke in some.

    Have you other balls de-oiled, grips replaced have any resurfacing done and your ready for the start of league and tournament season.


    So I am looking for a new ball and talked to the pro shop guy. He made a statement that made me wonder if it is true and it went something like "all bowling balls seem to 'wear out' after at most two years". Is this a reasonable statement?
    Depends on what is meant by "wore out".

    As time pass's the conditions change, what your bowling on now is not what it was when you got that ball and how you bowl now with it has changed since then and even with proper ball maintenance a balls reaction can change some but that doesn't mean they are wore out and not usable.

    You just have find where it fits in your arsenal now.

    I need to get a new ball because my current ball will not be valid for USBC bowling due to a balance hole that was drilled shortly after I got it. So it is not only that it seems to have lost it's zip for me but it is a mandatory change.
    You know can get the balance hole plugged and still use it?

    For the most part, most people won't really see that big of a difference if at all. A big part of the holes drilled were just to make them legal, not to change reaction.


    Just get the hole plugged, de-oil it and have it resurfaced and stick some new grips in it. The ball would be perfectly usable, Just see what conditions it matches up best with.

    Right handed Stroker, high track ,about 13 degree axis tilt. PAP is located 5 9/16” over 1 3/4” up.Speed ave. about 14 mph at the pins. Medium rev’s.High Game 300, High series 798

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    Quote Originally Posted by taxexpert2 View Post
    I generally buy a new ball every year or two. But I also decided the last time I bought a ball that I would not do it in the middle of a league season because it seems to take me 3 months or so to figure out how to get a new ball to work with (or for) me. So I am looking for a new ball and talked to the pro shop guy. He made a statement that made me wonder if it is true and it went something like "all bowling balls seem to 'wear out' after at most two years". Is this a reasonable statement? I need to get a new ball because my current ball will not be valid for USBC bowling due to a balance hole that was drilled shortly after I got it. So it is not only that it seems to have lost it's zip for me but it is a mandatory change.
    Modern bowling balls absorb oil. This is a big part of why they hook so much more than rubber and polyester. It also means that even with wiping the ball after every shot and using a cleaner on it after each set the best you can do is slow down the rate at which it gets saturated. Eventually, possibly after a few times being baked and resurfaced, the ball needs to be replaced.

    You can have the pro shop just plug the balance hole to make the ball legal. It will change the characteristics of the ball and for a ball that’s already on its way out the cost might not be worth it.
    John

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    Bowling God Aslan's Avatar
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    I've heard a general rule of 400 games. After 400 games (thereabouts)...assuming regular care, etc...

    The problem with a number like that is it really depends on what the bowler does to maintain their ball.

    Generally, you should be resurfacing your ball after every 3-9 games if you want to maintain a consistent reaction. After 3-9 games...the ball absorbs oil...a track develops, and what was a 500 surface with a coat of polish over the top...turns into a dull ball with a 750 surface. Over time, the ball will slowly lose it's "zip".

    You can have the ball completely resurfaced...brought all the way down to 180 or so...then all the way back up...after a professional de-oiling. That will probably get it back to like-new condition...and you can probably do that 3-5 times before you start to see diminished returns.

    Most people replace their balls every 1-3 years and rarely do the regular resurfacing. They might take em in to the pro shop once or twice over the 3-year span and just have them de-oil them and put an OOB surface on them...but in between those visits...the balls are likely much less reactive and much weaker than they were when they were new.

    The issue is cost. To regularly maintain a ball in an ideal way...you could spend $25 every 1-3 weeks...per ball...then closer to $75-$95 for a more involved de-oiling/surfacing each year. The alternative is to learn how to do the surfacing yourself...but home de-oilers are far less effective than pro shop de-oilers and the expense to purchase a good ball spinner...not to mention the sanding pads, compounds, and polishes...is more than you think.

    If I was on a budget, but wanted to keep my equipment performing top notch...I'd probably have the surface touched up every few months, have it de-oiled and completely resurfaced annually...for 2-3 years at the most...then get a new arsenal. It's not ideal, but ideal can be very expensive.

    I have the equipment to do everything except a good de-oiling...and I use it every 3-9 games. De-oiling hasn't been a big deal as most of my equipment are hybrids and pearls (versus solids that tend to absorb more oil). I try to change out the first 2 balls in my 4-ball arsenal annually...the other two balls every two years...depends on usage. My #1 and #2 balls tend to get used every night during league play...by balls #3 and #4 tend to get used less frequently. I haven't needed a new spare ball in 5 years...only would need a new one of those if it cracked or I damaged it.
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  5. #5

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    Depends on how much you use the ball. If you clean them and extract the oil from the ball so it doesn't sit you will be fine. I have used balls more than 2 years old and they work fine. Just have to clean the pores of the ball out.

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