Be sure to check the website tomorrow for the new releases. There will be three new ones. www.bowlwithbrunswick.com

Could anyone out there tell me if there is a replacement for the Versa Max in the Brunswick Universe.  Can anyone tell me why one of the best balls in the last three years was discontinued. 

Could anyone out there tell me if there is a replacement for the Versa Max in the Brunswick Universe.  Can anyone tell me why one of the best balls in the last three years was discontinued. 

The Melee will be the Closest thing. It is an improved Versa Max

All of the Ringers I have seen were as advertised. Length with plenty of reaction down lane.


The Platinum is on my list along with the Melee. Don't really need a lot of hook.

Notice what happens to sells in an HP line when they release big ball followed by bigger ball then go to a lesser big ball......the numbers fall off. The general bowling public doesn't  want to pay big ball price for a lesser hooking big ball.

Ex: big ball Hell Raiser big sales #s, bigger ball HR Revenge big sales #s, lesser big ball HR Terror bad sales and plenty sitting in distributors on clearance.

Aura good sales, Paranormal good sales, Mystic not good and being dumped quickly on ebay and soon by distributors.

Great bowling balls, not great sales. Wicked Siege is my all time favorite ball and I have 3 drilled and 2 undrilled but its sales did not match in popularity.

Burgundy Ringer:

The benefits of using our Chemical Projection Technology allows us to produce a less aggressive reactive coverstock that easily projects down the lane without making the coverstock highly sensitive to the dry and oily parts of the lane.

With its High Gloss box finish, the Ringer Burgundy Pearl will provide excellent length with a medium to quick response to friction at the breakpoint. The Ringer Burgundy Pearl is great ball for rev dominant and slower ball speed players on light oil conditions.

Platinum Ringer:

The CPT – Flip / Chemical Projection Technology Flip reactive coverstock describes our newest formulation for a low friction coverstock. The benefits of using our Chemical Projection Technology allows us to produce a less aggressive reactive coverstock that easily projects  down the lane on medium to light oil lane conditions.

With its Royal Shine box finish, the Ringer Platinum Pearl will skid longer with a quicker response to friction at the breakpoint than the Burgundy Ringer. The Ringer Platinum Pearl is great ball for rev dominant and slower ball speed players on light oil conditions.


Since I have and don't believe what's written about the Burgundy, excuse me if I don't believe them about the Platinum.  It's certainly not just Brunswick, but I'm tired of manufacturers marketing balls for condition "A" when in fact they work best for condition "B".  I don't buy a ton of equipment.  I hate to buy the wrong thing because I was mislead by the manufacturer.

Ringer Hook Potential - 115
Wicked Siege Hook Potential - 145

Ringer Length - 160
Wicked Siege Length - 115

From Brunswick's own numbers, the Wicked Siege should hook much earlier and much more than the Ringer.  I know it's hard to compare a Storm ball to one from Ebonite, but why can't anyone even be right within their own scale?  If both of these had the same surface, I think the Ringer would be earlier.  It's hard to say about more because the Ringer has so much mid lane.  I think it would puke if I put any surface on it.

Sorry for the continued rant, but I don't want people buying any ball based on marketing and end up  not liking it.

My Burgundy Ringer from the factory went too long for my taste, but after I wore some of the gloss off it got much stronger.  At first I thought it would be a "dry lanes only" option, but over time it became as strong as many higher priced balls.

Face it.  No manufacturer can anticipate every possible lane surface, oil used, amounts used and where, etc.  Not to mention every possible bowler style.  They test it on their conditions and lane surface, etc. and produce their marketing material and recommendations. 

Rarely do I end up using the exact factory finish on a ball.  When I do find that optimal surface for my game I make some notes for future reference so I can try to repeat it as closely as possible.

I really don't believe any manufacturer would purposely deceive the public regarding any ball and it's intended use.  To do so would risk future sales at the expense of sales for one ball (that has a relatively short "selling season" to begin with).  These companies want to be in business this year, and next year, and for years to come.

Your comparing different bowling balls from different times. I'm sure also with a  different number of games.

Any ball hooks if they are dry enough. No one knows anything about you or how your Ringer is drilled. Could be part of the problem. If the ball hooks too much and you don't believe the new Platinum hooks less then fine. If you don't think they Strike King would hook less, or the Slingshot or plastic then all fine as well.

Doesn't mean it is the ball, or marketing hype. Those are general statements of what should happen, but can not work for everyone on all conditions depending on the style and layout. It does however seem to fit that mold nicely for a lot of people.

True, but I maintain my equipment very well.  I'm sure the Wicked Siege has lost a few boards, but probably in the back end, not the mid lane.  I had to add surface to it because it was ridiculously clean through the front part of the lane when it was new.  Both balls are drilled very close to the same and I bowl on a large variety of sport shots, so I've seen both on many patterns.

I still say if the same manufacturer says ball "A" should be much cleaner down lane and hook less than ball "B", it should.  Otherwise get rid of all of their charts that give performance data on their equipment.