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Thread: How Long is TOO Long to Use A Ball

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    Default How Long is TOO Long to Use A Ball

    This is mainly out of curiosity, but how long is just way to long to keep using the same bowling ball? Mainly...what is the useful lifespan of a single ball.
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    Ringer DanielMareina's Avatar
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    Depends on the ball. Most of the time, the more money you spent on it, the less lifespan it has. Most bowling balls are good for 200 to 300 games maximum. The entry level bowling balls seem to last longer. All of this is assuming you keep up regular ball maintenence.
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    I couldn't say it any better than Daniel. He's exactly right.
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  4. #4

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    I work at a bowling center, I currently bowl for my highschool and throw anywhere from 50-150 games a week, My balls are clean and maintained at least once a month and Ive had it for a 4 months. I know be people whose balls are about 6 years old and still going strong. So it all depends brotherman.

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    Ringer DanielMareina's Avatar
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    You can throw a ball until it cracks in half, but you will notice a major loss of reaction after the amount of games I said before. I have seniors that bowl with urethane equipment from the 70's. A plastic ball will last forever too. The reason is that they aren't reactive. Reactive equipment has a shelf life. I rarely use a ball for more than 150 games.
    Daniel Mareina
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  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by DanielMareina View Post
    You can throw a ball until it cracks in half, but you will notice a major loss of reaction after the amount of games I said before. I have seniors that bowl with urethane equipment from the 70's. A plastic ball will last forever too. The reason is that they aren't reactive. Reactive equipment has a shelf life. I rarely use a ball for more than 150 games.
    There are times I bowl 150 games in one day, If I got rid of every reactive ball I used for those 150 games, I would go broke buying new balls every week!!

    When you get done with them after 150 games, send them my way!
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    It depends on the type of resin the manufacturer uses in the ball. Some of the resins that Ebonite used to use soaked up oil like a sponge, if you didn't remove it on a regular basis they would die. The resins that Lane Masters used in their older balls didn't soak up as much oil. The Sure Strike was one of their later releases, and I haven't tried to remove oil from that cover yet. The reaction is still pretty decent. I bowled with an Absolute Power for 300+ games, and gave it a bath to remove the oil. Barely any came out of the cover, whereas my Red Wolf and Grey Wolf from Ebonite sweated like crazy.
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    I disagree with all of these numbers. My Columbia Messenger Titanium I have used for EEEEEEEASILY 500 games. I clean it with diluted alcohol before each bowling session, and wipe it off nearly every frame. It has lost NONE of its flair. My Storm X-Factor Vertigo has between 200-300 games and it still takes a wicked left turn every shot.

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    Ringer DanielMareina's Avatar
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    Jersey Jim is correct about the type of coverstock making a big difference. My Virtual Gravity lasted 150 games, and my Hy-Road was going strong at 500. Most bowlers will not notice the difference in reaction due to it being gradual, and because lane conditions will affect the balls reaction too. It most definetly does lose hook potential over time. Each ball has a different life span, but assuming they are reactive equipment, they will deteriorate. With proper maintence, you can probably triple the life expectancy.
    As for you Trex, you do not bowl 150 games in a day! That is ridiculous! Secondly, I never said get rid of your ball after 150 games. I said that after 150 games, the ball will not be what it was when you got it. Trust me, I have a long line of people asking for my equipment. I give away around 10 balls a year to friends, employees, and teammates. I own 17 balls right now. I drill hundreds of balls a year for my customers and around 15 a year for myself. I know some bowlers use balls for thousands of games. My buddy throws a Storm Tour Power that he has put easily 750 games on and shot an 800 series with it last year. It isn't that the ball won't react, or even won't react strongly, It just doesn't react the same as it does new or slightly used.
    Last edited by DanielMareina; 11-20-2011 at 04:24 PM.
    Daniel Mareina
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  10. #10

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    Ok, so what is the effect of resurfacing on the life of the ball? Does it restore the coverstock to near where it was when it was first purchased?

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