I really don't understand this ball. It has almost ZERO movement on every single condition that I have bowled on including high friction house conditions. It looks like it skates through the heads like a resin and tries to read the friction and than decides to "wiggle" instead of making any kind of move. Sure, I did not expect much movement out of the ball to begin with but when my polished Black Hammer (1983 version) actually has considerably more movement than my BTU (polished as well) than something is wrong. Should I just toss it in the garbage?

Post a video of you throwing it.

Maybe add what the pin to pap info is as well

Pin to PAP distance is 5'' (yes, I know it is a weak drilling on a weak ball). As far as posting a video, I could but I would need tape on my PAP to show what the ball is doing.

I have a video of me throwing the original Danger Zone with my release. I am having difficulty uploading the video because of the size of it. I am not savvy as far as video editing.

Post the video to youtube of the btu then add the link on here.

Surface still box finish?

Okay, I had one of these in the bag a few years ago when I was being considered for a staff spot with the Brunswick brands. I was using a Tom Daugherty-esque no-thumb style at the time, so I had a pretty high rev rate and a lot of speed.

Okay, now that the backstory is completed, here is what I found: When I first threw the BTU, it wanted to skid forever, and when/if it did finally want to grab the lane, it came off the friction sideways! Obviously, I was not pleased. I tried a bunch of different surface adjustments, and nothing seemed to be helping. Finally, right as I was about ready to bail on the ball all together, I decided to try it at a fresh 500 grit abralon. Bingo!

With 500 on it, it actually started reading the lane a little bit, and it smoothed the back end out considerably. My best looks were playing in the track area and keeping the ball very much in front of me. It did NOT like being sent out and back. Using it like this, I had just enough recovery if I leaked it just a hair right (not way out), and I had skid, hold, and hit if I tugged it just a little. When all was said and done, the BTU ended up being one of my favorite balls during my time bowling with that no-thumb style.

So, with all of that being said, here are my thoughts: Unless you have tons of hand, really slow speed, and are bowling on dirt, it may just be too weak to give you what you want, especially with a 5" pin on it. My guess is that the ball is just in the skid phase pretty much the whole time and just doesn't have the teeth or core to find hook and roll. Your options are to redrill it with a very strong layout and/or put tons of surface to it; I'm talking like 360. I know that sounds crazy, but remember I was using one at 500 with no-thumber revs!

Now, obviously, doing all of this requires time, effort, and probably more $$ on your part. As such, you have to decide how much you want to continue investing on this ball. I will say again though, if you can find the proper matchup, the ball can be really, really good and live up to its "better than urethane" billing! Good luck!

My BTU needed a lot of friction on the back end to hit the pins with enough pop to carry the 7 pin. (I'm left-handed) I found the best results were when I moved way left, lining my left shoulder up with the 5 board. I then played the ball up the edge of the gutter and used the dry to get it to the pocket with punch. Scored well on lanes that allowed that line.

Update on the BTU at 500 grit w/ CTD pad.

Part of the problem is that both of my local centers lack bounce from outside 5. It is odd that both THS I bowl on have a some hang on the outside boards. The first house has good head oil and has very clean backends but unreliable recovery. If you throw anything that does not hook at your feet, you have a GOOD chance to throw a gutter on misses to the outside. The other house has less head oil but much weaker backends. Once again, there is no bounce outside 5 but an earlier rolling balls can recover if you have the revs and rotation like I do.

The BTU still struggles where I bowl even when I really square up to the lane. It does seem like it needs a lot of friction even with a ton of surface. I have a mediocre look with the BTU sanded but not as bad as when I had it initially polished. Maybe I need really light (and short) oil for the ball to perform?

Update on the BTU at 500 grit w/ CTD pad.

Part of the problem is that both of my local centers lack bounce from outside 5. It is odd that both THS I bowl on have a some hang on the outside boards. The first house has good head oil and has very clean backends but unreliable recovery. If you throw anything that does not hook at your feet, you have a GOOD chance to throw a gutter on misses to the outside. The other house has less head oil but much weaker backends. Once again, there is no bounce outside 5 but an earlier rolling balls can recover if you have the revs and rotation like I do.

The BTU still struggles where I bowl even when I really square up to the lane. It does seem like it needs a lot of friction even with a ton of surface. I have a mediocre look with the BTU sanded but not as bad as when I had it initially polished. Maybe I need really light (and short) oil for the ball to perform?

Those houses sound like they have a topography issue, crowns and/or crosswise tilt problems.

A crown can make it feel like a lot of hold but also takes away swing area. The balls are laboring trying to get up the hill to get back to the pocket.