I've had my TNV since last spring and have about 250 games on it. For background, I'm a 57-year-old lefty stroker carrying a 220 average on your THS. Aside from wiping the ball with a microfibre towel after each shot, the only maintenance I've done is a periodic trip home to the dishwasher with the ball. Initially, I did this after about 75 games when I noticed I was leaving more than my normal share of 7-pins. An hour in the dishwasher and the ball was like new again. Since then, I have repeated the process several more times and it's restored the ball each time. By the way, I have not played with OOB cover. However, I have noticed that each "washing" doesn't last as long and now I'm bringing it home after only 30 games. So, soon, I'm going to go get another one but, as you can see, I've gotten a decent amount of use out of it. By the way, I've loved Ebonite ever since I bought a Mag 10 twenty-five years ago and threw a 827 with it in 1984.