OK, after years of using ball cleaners I am going to try to quit... I use an Anomaly and a Thing Returns at my home house... I use Track Clean-n-Dull as my all-purpose base cleaner mainly because it doesn't alter surfaces. However, I do get a ton of dirt and grime off the ball right after I get home from the lanes, more so on the Anomaly naturally. So Mr C, are you saying this black stuff on my rag is not clogging the porous part of the coverstock and reducing the friction potential? With ~15 games on each, I admit the reaction is stronger by a board or two... There is a barely discernable track in both balls since they are my first D/Ts and have the most games. I was going to attribute that to the "tracking up" of the surface... I guess I'll save my money on cleaners and put in the pot games!!!