Just drilled up the Columbia300 Outlook this week. Went with a 4.75" x 30 layout. Typically anything polished from the factory I have to knock the shine off with in order to have a consistent reaction. I decided to leave this at box finish and see how it did for this video. I could tell right away while getting loose that the shiny box finish wouldn't work for me. I have no issues getting the ball down lane on most conditions so anything shiny is going to be too over under. This was no different. It creates the feel of bowling on a sport condition when you are not. The ball is very touchy. Easy to miss too far right and leave buckets or 2-10s, 2-8-10s or flat 10s. It is very speed sensitive missing in. Easy to go through the face and leave splits, 4 pins, or 9 pins. We see that with a couple of shots in this video.
I then hand sanded the ball with a 2000 siaair pad and get a much better reaction for me. Throwing it through the break point and missing too far right is now a lot harder and the ball has a smoother reaction in the middle of the lane. At 2000 I moved in a little further left and could definitely be a great option for conditions with heavier oil. For me on most conditions I'd have this ball likely at 4000 siaair.
Conclusion
This ball at box finish wasn't for me. It would be a struggle during league or other events trying to get the ball consistently in the pocket. Back in the day it would be a ball that you need to get 10 games on or so to get the reaction you would really like. Knocking the shine off brought this ball right where I needed it to be for going to bowl league or any tournament. Remember with anything surface is everything. It is hard to out bowl a bad ball reaction.
