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Author Topic: Coverstocks.....Fresh New Balls vs Older New Balls  (Read 5282 times)

TheGom

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Coverstocks.....Fresh New Balls vs Older New Balls
« on: December 18, 2015, 10:22:35 AM »
Let's say you have a undrilled 5 year old ball that you want to drill up.....has the coverstock lost a little of its out of the box tack when compared to a fresh new ball straight from the OEM?
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WOWZERS

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Re: Coverstocks.....Fresh New Balls vs Older New Balls
« Reply #1 on: December 18, 2015, 10:29:10 AM »
I recently drilled a brand new Robo Rule (circa 2005) and it hits, rolls, and does everything any brand new ball is expected to do. So in my experience, no, it does not matter. New is new.
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BallReviews-Removed0385

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Re: Coverstocks.....Fresh New Balls vs Older New Balls
« Reply #2 on: December 18, 2015, 10:43:52 AM »
If you bowl on the easiest of house shots then you may not see a difference.  An undrilled ball is new.

However, if you believe that there have been advancements in technology regarding coverstocks, (that's where most research and development has been) then there will be conditions where a newer ball (new technology) will have it's advantages.  Today's lane oils are more slick than ever, assuming the center puts enough down.

Example.  Just last night in league playing outside (my A game) but after game 1 my carry seemingly disappeared.  Tried a few balls staying in the general area on the lane with mixed results.  Finally grabbed my Nirvana and made a 5 and 3 board move inside and immediately carried everything.   That shot would have been there from the first game, but I never even tried it.  Lesson learned.  I won't hesitate next time.
« Last Edit: December 18, 2015, 10:51:33 AM by notclay »
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WOWZERS

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Re: Coverstocks.....Fresh New Balls vs Older New Balls
« Reply #3 on: December 18, 2015, 11:16:54 AM »
Lane

Agree with your assessment but that could be the advancements in technology for better covers rather than the fact that an old cover would not create a sufficient amount of friction to be successful on that condition.

A true test would be to take a ball that is still in production from a few years ago and drill a new one. I understand Storm has made updates to the Hyroad cover over the years. Too bad because if they did not, if someone had one from 4-5 years ago brand new, undrilled, we could get a fresh one with similar specs, drill them as close to each other as possible, throw them on a spinner so they have the same finish, and then compare to see if a fresh pour creates any difference compared to the same ball poured years ago.
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Strider

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Re: Coverstocks.....Fresh New Balls vs Older New Balls
« Reply #4 on: December 18, 2015, 04:24:11 PM »
Like Wowsers I drilled an old ball (Lane1 Tsunami H2O) and it's been great.  I've used it on a variety of sport shots with very good success.  These all have more oil (over the entire lane) than most any house shot.  I believe many older high end "oil" balls might more of a medium+ to med/heavy oil ball today, but most mid performance "medium oil" balls will still perform just fine on medium oil today.
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BallReviews-Removed0385

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Re: Coverstocks.....Fresh New Balls vs Older New Balls
« Reply #5 on: December 18, 2015, 06:42:41 PM »
Quote from: WOWZERS on December 18, 2015, 11:16:54 AM
Lane

Agree with your assessment but that could be the advancements in technology for better covers rather than the fact that an old cover would not create a sufficient amount of friction to be successful on that condition.

A true test would be to take a ball that is still in production from a few years ago and drill a new one. I understand Storm has made updates to the Hyroad cover over the years. Too bad because if they did not, if someone had one from 4-5 years ago brand new, undrilled, we could get a fresh one with similar specs, drill them as close to each other as possible, throw them on a spinner so they have the same finish, and then compare to see if a fresh pour creates any difference compared to the same ball poured years ago.

Great point!

I remember when a Brunswick "oil ball" meant that it hooked at the midlane and quit, but today's newer versions are much cleaner AND respond faster late, yet handle plenty of oil.  The difference?   Chemical friction vs. mechanical friction.

When you rely solely on surface texture (mechanical) you get that "older" read earlier and change directions slower motion.  These companies today are changing formulations at the molecular level.  Something they couldn't do that long ago.

Yes, on certain conditions and certain lane surfaces you may be great with a new ball of 5 years ago, but I tend to watch ball motion very carefully and do notice changes, although they may seem subtle.  Carry is a whole separate issue.  Sometimes I'm totally surprised when Ball A carries everything, while Ball B leaves corners...
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WOWZERS

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Re: Coverstocks.....Fresh New Balls vs Older New Balls
« Reply #6 on: December 18, 2015, 09:17:47 PM »
Lane

A couple of years back I drilled a fresh original pour from 1993 Forest Green Quantum. The diff at 032 is exactly the goldilocks range for my game and that ball was money...until it got jammed in a ball return.

Oh well. Still looking for a fresh one in 14#.
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BallReviews-Removed0385

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Re: Coverstocks.....Fresh New Balls vs Older New Balls
« Reply #7 on: December 18, 2015, 11:27:19 PM »

Good luck in your search.  I've had a few past gems I wish I could find...
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