the average bowler that walks in to a pro shop doesnt understand or really care about rg/diff stats...  and even more so .. your better scratch bowlers probably dont understand too much about it either.  sadly there are some pro shop operators that dont get it too.
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Paul Smith
04/05 PBA West Region Rookie of the Year
Ebonite Regional Staff
"Bowl to Win"

JLS, i do not know too much about the paradigm or EPX, but what i do know is ebonite products and at the time of the release of the ONE it was "potentially" the most hook you could get from an ebonite ball. It covered more boards than the TIME, Xcel and V2 lines. So with that said.. it was their "heavy oil" ball. for me the ONE (oob) outhooked my XXXcel (oob) by a significant amount which was my heavy oil ball at the time. so the ball did what it was supposed to and it did that for alot of people. then the Big One came out with the same exact core only a stronger cover. which gives it a more midlane read with the same continous back end motion. now the Infinite one is slated to go as long (which it does) and has a stronger back end reaction than the previous Ones.

now you know as well as i do when people get a new ball they cant wait to punch it up and throw it. some do their research but others do not. you have to remember that when a new product comes out.. sometimes the proshop operators dont exactly know what the ball is gonna do. and youre supposed to put your trust in them to drill the ball perfectly to your game?? then when u dont like it you come on this site and blame the company for "false advertisement" or "my ball doesnt do what its supposed to" when you should go back to the pro shop and rant there. all companies test their products and have the data to back up what they promote. and ebonite even offers the advice on how to drill the ball because the Mass Bias plays a huge role in the ball's performance. thats there for a reason.

if you want to better your game you should be patient enough to ask questions from many sources. watch others who are using the ball you want to buy and see what layouts they are using. find the likes and dislikes of that layout. dont drill a ball just to drill a ball create a "stepladder" arsenal.   all this stuff is important because as you said "so excuse us mere mortals,  many who actually have to BUY their balls with their MONEY.  not blessed to be on a staff and receive all your balls free. so when a ball comes out that you don't like.  you sell it or give it away. didn't cost you anything" i used my own money to buy my equipment for a long time. my full staff status just started 5-1-06 where the year before i was paying $50 a ball and the year before that i was paying full price, but regardless if the ball is free or paid i still take the same approach in deciding how i want a ball to be drilled, i ask the staff guys and my pro shop guy what they think but i also trust the person who drills my stuff (billy myers jr) and im not saying everyball works for me.. my 1st One didnt roll good for me so i bought another one. the time series didnt work for me either (money spent) so dont think that all people who get freebees now didnt pay their dues or have forgotten that "the mortals" expect the results they pay for.
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Paul Smith
04/05 PBA West Region Rookie of the Year
Ebonite Regional Staff
"Bowl to Win"

ah..finally some people get my point...and jls said it best...

"" once again, just because Ron or any ball company says it, does not always make it so.
there are many bowlers who bought the One believing that it was for heavy oil
in the box finish. we now know that was not always accurate, sure some bowler's with a ton of hand could get it to move, but many needed it brought down to 500-1000 cover""

It's all about marketing and semantics.....

oh and by the way....Ron....does polish affect the gb "coverstocks" oil soaking ability???

that fact has never been addressed...lol

cause your gonna have to polish it to get it to go long as "EBONITE" claims....ie...I have the one and big one....tried the big one at 500 grit....couldn't even use on pba's 43 ft shark pattern...too strong....

so as jls pointed out before....parden us bowler's who shell out the $200+ for a ball if we're a little skeptical about a "stronger" ball that will "get" throught the heads at 500 grit....?

I think the thing that gets most bowlers honked off the most is the advertising of a ball to be for oil, when it's the first release in a line (The One for example).  Ebonite is surely not the only company that has done this from time to time.  The company has a plan for the entire line I'm sure well in advance, what hook potentials the balls will use, approximate release dates, etc.  And yes, maybe at the time The One was one of the biggest hooking balls Ebonite had out, but they knew full well, they were coming out with a bigger hooking ball (two in this case) that will both be better suited for oil conditions.  So, average Joe Bowler buys The One, needing an oil ball, and is peeved when The Big One comes out a couple months later, realizing The One isn't grabbing early enough in oil for his needs.  Now his choice is spend the extra money for The Big One, or be a bit depressed trying to make adjustments to get The One to move and carry in oil.  
I have probably been a bit too harsh on Ebonite in this post, as I said, all companies do it, Columbia comes out with their Bully saying it's an oil ball, then the Big Bully....same story.  All this being said, I am considering an Infinite One as a future purchase, needing a medium-heavy oil ball, and feeling it's an excellent piece.  The main reason for this post was just to give Ebonite, and other companies who may be reading, a bit of a customers view as to what we appreciate, and what ticks us.