In our local association we have very few (1 or 2) bowlers that own DV8 equipment.  Right now we have the state tournament in town and while volunteering there, I have seen quite a bit come through.  Some have shown great reactions.  I have read the reviews and watched the videos.  I'm a left-hander that currently averages 225-230 in three different houses. (Insert favorite southpaw slam here. I'm used to it.)  I have a Storm modern marvel that I love on heavy oil but all of my medium oil equipment is is starting to act the same. (dull balls shining, shiny balls dulling, etc).  I've been looking into DV8 and need advise on a good, smooth, medium oil, throw-this-ball-on-75%-of-league-nights kind of ball.  I will take a smooth continuous reaction over a big backend ball any day.  I'm leaning towards the Reckless but would love to hear what you have to say.

... but all of my medium oil equipment is is starting to act the same. (dull balls shining, shiny balls dulling, etc).  ...

Do you take care of them properly:
- Refresh the surface when needed (every 15 - 25 games)
- Do an oil extraction every 50 - 75 games?
- Clean them after every session?
- Do a deep cleaning with Clean and Dull or Hook-It every 12 - 18 games?
- Do a thorough resurface every 50 - 100 games?

If so, you may feel less of a need for a new ball.
Balls can be very expensive today. Minimal maintenance will often allow a ball to remain useful for 250 - 400 games. You may get tired of looking at them before many balls will outlive their usefulness.

I've been looking into DV8 and need advise on a good, smooth, medium oil, throw-this-ball-on-75%-of-league-nights kind of ball.

DV8 offers a good selection for what you desire. IMHO the 'Marauder' series is one the best out there. I would suggest trying the 'Marauder Madness' as that ball for a THS shot is money.

Having suggested that, I am sure you will get a lot of different answers to your question so good luck on your quest 

I dont have the new 'Diva' but it seems that everyone throwing that particular bowl loves it too.

Toneoak - Aside from the reacta clean, do you do any de-oiling procedure to your equipment regularly? 

Ball cleaner helps, but a rejuvenator oven or a "hot as it comes out of your tap" bucket of plain water will do a great job at removing the lane oil from your equipment. 

No dish soap needed, and keep the temperature below 140°.  Pull the ball out after 10 minutes, spray it with ball cleaner and wipe the surface dry with a clean micro fiber towel.

Replace the water and repeat as necessary until the ball no longer feels "greasy" when you remove it from the hot water.

Quote from: charlest on March 07, 2013, 01:41:19 PM

Quote from: toneoak1 on March 07, 2013, 11:17:50 AM

... but all of my medium oil equipment is is starting to act the same. (dull balls shining, shiny balls dulling, etc).  ...

Do you take care of them properly:
- Refresh the surface when needed (every 15 - 25 games)
- Do an oil extraction every 50 - 75 games?
- Clean them after every session?
- Do a deep cleaning with Clean and Dull or Hook-It every 12 - 18 games?
- Do a thorough resurface every 50 - 100 games?

If so, you may feel less of a need for a new ball.
Balls can be very expensive today. Minimal maintenance will often allow a ball to remain useful for 250 - 400 games. You may get tired of looking at them before many balls will outlive their usefulness.

I do a lot of ball maintaining.  I mainly use storm reacta clean (love it) after every session.  I have the storm ball surface kit that I use quite a bit. I also take them into our local proshop periodically.  I typically get a hold of a ball and hang on to it until it's dead.  The last medium oil ball I bought was a Victory Road Pearl when it just hit the market.  I threw it everywhere.  I really liked that one.  I bowl 2 nights a week and 10-12 tournaments a year along with a summer sport league.  Our regular shot is on the oily side compared to most houses in our area so bowling balls (dull balls especially) die quicker than normal and begin to react too similar to one another.  Avery 2-3 years my bowling bag becomes full of the same ball just in different colors. 

While dull balls on heavier quantities of oil may absorb oil quicker than polished ball sued on lighter oil conditions, they both need regular maintenance. I suspect Reacta Clean might not be a strong enough cleaner after bowling sessions. I would use a stronger one, like Hook-It immediately after use sessions. Otherwise, what you need to do is not different from what the rest of us do. You also need to use Clean and Dull more often if you use dull balls on heavier oil patterns. It will save your ball from dying too quickly.

That said, the original Reckless and the Too Reckless are benchmark balls for medium oil with the Marauder Madness being a strong medium to medium-heavy oil ball for  the next step up without needing the asymmetric cores of DV8's strongest balls, the Hell Raiser and Nightmare series.