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Author Topic: Best Ball Cleaner for Activator Coverstock?  (Read 5074 times)

Ramtart

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Best Ball Cleaner for Activator Coverstock?
« on: February 01, 2005, 04:12:02 PM »
Hi everyone,

Just wanted some advice on the upkeep of my Ultimate Inferno. After hearing a couple of horror stories with Neo-Tac products on Activator coverstocks, I'm afraid to apply my Neo-Tac "Renew It," cleaner on the ball anymore. I've cleaned it about 2-3 times with this product, but want to know which cleaners are safe with the Activator Coverstock. I am by no means knocking Neo-Tac products as they have been awesome on my other equipment.

Tonight I used, "Track Clean N' Dull," and it seemed to pull a bunch of grime off the ball. Any comments on this product? My uncle gave me the rest of the bottle last week and I decided to try it.

Any kind of info would be greatly appreciated!
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Ram
S.F. Bay Area, California

 

BrunsNick

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Re: Best Ball Cleaner for Activator Coverstock?
« Reply #1 on: February 02, 2005, 02:08:20 AM »
I've had most success with Powerhouse Ball Cleaner (not energizer cleaner)

Smells like hell, but cleans real well. Gets dirt out, as well as those nasty belt marks.
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Nick Smith ... A.K.A. Les Badderâ„¢
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charlest

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Re: Best Ball Cleaner for Activator Coverstock?
« Reply #2 on: February 02, 2005, 04:28:52 AM »
Clean and Dull is one of the best I've found; do follow the instructions!!! (Did you actually read them; they are different from all other cleaners.)

On a lighter note ...
Next best is one of my personal favorites: lighter fluid and brillo. Together they can work wonders. !!!
"None are so blind as those who will not see."

v02maxlefty

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Re: Best Ball Cleaner for Activator Coverstock?
« Reply #3 on: February 02, 2005, 08:15:47 AM »
SIMPLE GREEN after set with a clean rag.
Takes the oil off completely.
Does not change the coverstock prep in anyway. (polished or dull)
Ball will keep it's same reaction.

Strapper_Squared

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Re: Best Ball Cleaner for Activator Coverstock?
« Reply #4 on: February 02, 2005, 10:27:57 AM »
did you try contacting neo-tac?  I have used renew-it on an original inferno and didn't notice anyything out of the normal...  

S^2
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Sir Bowl-A-Lot

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Re: Best Ball Cleaner for Activator Coverstock?
« Reply #5 on: February 02, 2005, 11:44:29 AM »
Track Magic products rule!  I love Clean 'N Dull for dull balls and Reaction Plus for polished ones.  I have a dull particle ball with over 350 games on it that I cleaned with Clean 'N Dull after every set and it still reacts just as much as the day I bought it!
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Steven

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Re: Best Ball Cleaner for Activator Coverstock?
« Reply #6 on: February 02, 2005, 12:00:38 PM »
I use the neotac products on both of my Activator coverstocks -- solid and pearl Uraniums.

On the pearl (original Uramium), I use Renew-It religiously. If the ball gets real beat up and tracked out, I'll use Khameleon Particle Sand High Tech Ball Restorer first and then follow-up with Renew-It.

On the solid resin (solid Uranium) I use Liquid Nitro to get the oil/dirt/grime off, and then Liquid Sandpaper to get rid of belt marks and return some tac to the cover. When it starts to get a little dull, I'll remove all polish with scotchbrite on the spinner, reapply Ebonite Matte Finish Polish, and continue the cycle.

I don't know where the knock against neotac products came from. I think some folks are unhappy with Hook-It, but with neotac's newer products, Hook-It is really not that necessary any more.

All I can say is that I've been throwing my Uraniums almost exclusively over the past 3 months (25-35 games per week), and the neotac products keep the reaction like new.
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Edited on 2/2/2005 1:25 PM

Ramtart

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Re: Best Ball Cleaner for Activator Coverstock?
« Reply #7 on: February 02, 2005, 12:53:12 PM »
Hi guys,
Thanks for all the reponses. I guess I jumped the gun on this one. It was indeed redbear's topic that I read one day about using Neo-Tac products on his Activator Coverstock.

I indeed had the same gummy after-effect on the ball after wiping the stuff on. I did not see any kind of performance change in the ball. But after reading the post, It triggered a warning signal. I guess where there's smoke, there's fire. I immediately stopped using the "Renew-It," product on my ball after I read that post. It was my fault that I did not give Renew It a chance after reading that post.

I like Neo-Tac products and I have mentioned in my original post that I still use them on my other equipment. I just wasn't fair in my assessment of the product, because I based it on someone elses experience. Well I guess we all learn from this lesson.

All I know for sure is, a Majority of us LOVE the Activator Coverstock and will do anything to maintain its' performance.

Thanks for the read and advice guys. Also, my apologies to "redbear." I mentioned that "I've heard a couple of horror stories," when in fact, the only story I've seen was in your thread a couple weeks ago.

All the best,
Ram
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Ram
S.F. Bay Area, California

Brickguy221

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Re: Best Ball Cleaner for Activator Coverstock?
« Reply #8 on: February 02, 2005, 01:42:44 PM »
For cleaning after every 3 games, I use Neo Tac Liquid Nitro and have just now also started testing a mixture of 1/3 White Vinegar, 1/3 Simple Green, and 1/3 water all mixed togeather. I have tried several cleaners on the market, including the Storm Reacta Clean and have found it takes two cleanings on it and other cleaners whereas with the Liquid Nitro only one cleaning needed. You can try to clean a second time and your towel will be clean, but not so with some of the other cleaners. The home recipie I just mentioned above removes all oil, dirt, grime, etc. from the ball in one cleaning like the Liquid Nitro. I may switch to this home recepie since it only cost pennies to mix an 8 or 16 oz. bottle of it.

If you will clean your ball every three games or oftener with a cleaner like or similar to the Liquid Nitro, it won't need deep cleaning very often. When I do deep clean, I used to use the Neo Tac Hook-It and never had a problem with it, but quit using it when I read the posts about it and Brunswick Activator Coverstock. I now use the same thing that Charlest and some of the others mentioned here and that is Track Clean & Dull. It leaves the dull balls dull and the polished balls polished. I also use the Reaction Plus on pearlized balls that Sir Bowl-A-Lot mentioned. Use it on polished balls also. It really works great.

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Edited on 2/2/2005 2:45 PM
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Steven

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Re: Best Ball Cleaner for Activator Coverstock?
« Reply #9 on: February 02, 2005, 02:53:25 PM »
redbear: Thanks for the kind words, but I haven't used Hook-It on my Activator covers. I don't know why, but I've always had an uneasy feeling about potential problems with the combination. Then I read your original thread on Hook-It and Activator, and that convinced me that it wasn't worth the risk.

My feeling (and this is just personal opinion) is that Hook-It provides little additional value over the other neotac products. Between Liquid Nitro, Renew-It, Khameleon Particle Sand High Tech Ball Restorer and Liquid Sandpaper, I can safely accomplish what I want on just about any cover.

I don't want to cast doubt on Hook-It, but if I don't need to use it I won't.
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grizfan

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Re: Best Ball Cleaner for Activator Coverstock?
« Reply #10 on: February 03, 2005, 09:46:39 PM »
I have an Original Inferno, Ultimate Inferno and a Raging Inferno and I use the Ultimate Black Magic Rejuvenator on the Ultimate and the Raging Infernos and I use the Ultimate Black Magic Plus on the Original. I apply them with a spinner once a week and they perform very consistent. The Ultimate is the best stuff that I have used on the Activator.

RSalas

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Re: Best Ball Cleaner for Activator Coverstock?
« Reply #11 on: February 03, 2005, 09:48:33 PM »
A bit surprised no one has mentioned the Brunswick Remove All cleaner.  I've been using it on all of my Brunswick equipment, and it seems to do the job just fine.
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charlest

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Re: Best Ball Cleaner for Activator Coverstock?
« Reply #12 on: February 04, 2005, 06:43:56 AM »
quote:
A bit surprised no one has mentioned the Brunswick Remove All cleaner.  I've been using it on all of my Brunswick equipment, and it seems to do the job just fine.
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"Dispensing conventional wisdom to a fingertip world."

Horrid in Doubles, torrid in Singles...
...that's The Curse of Dusty.
[/fnt=Verdana]


Well, Dang, Dusty!
It's just less than a year that we've been able to find Brunswick's high gloss polish from internet sellers. Before that it was like some deep, dark internal secret. Now, you're taking us further down this dank, "dusty" road and talking up yet another esoteric insider product. Whee, doggees, as Jed Clampet used to say. So, where all do we this here secret cleaner?
"None are so blind as those who will not see."

RSalas

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Re: Best Ball Cleaner for Activator Coverstock?
« Reply #13 on: February 04, 2005, 10:24:01 AM »
charlest:  I got it at a local pro shop.
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"Dispensing conventional wisdom to a fingertip world."

Horrid in Doubles, torrid in Singles...
...that's The Curse of Dusty.
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icetink

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Re: Best Ball Cleaner for Activator Coverstock?
« Reply #14 on: February 04, 2005, 10:28:12 AM »
A microfibre towel and any cleaner works best for my friend!

He usually uses Ultimate Ultra Clean, which is similar to Clean N' Dull.
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-Dino

Edited on 2/4/2005 11:31 AM