Author Topic: First Impressions of the H2O (Read 2396 times)

Doug Sterner · « **on:** April 23, 2005, 07:29:57 AM »

I got my test ball from Lane 1 of Friday, laid it out and drilled up the bad boy that night.

Ball specs:
Gross: 15-4
Top: 1.5 oz
Pin: 2"
CG was kicked out of line by quite a bit with the pin and mass bias.

Layout:
Debated on this for awhile since the cg-pin-mass bias problem but came up with a mass bias in the track with a 4x4 drill pattern. Pin is at 4:30 to the ring.
See an actual pic : http://www.dougsproshop.net/images/H2O

Ball reaction:

First shot was a 3 day old house shot. Started off throwing my XXXL (pin over ring, cg stacked under) standing 35 playing 15 to 5 so they were pretty toasty. Pulled out teh H2O and moved feet left 5 boards and played 25 to around 12. A long as I got the ball to 45 feet before it started to turn I was good oitherwise dead left it went.

Second shot was our house shot: basic top hat with the wall at 8, 41 foot buff out, oil "stopped" at around 32.
Stood 25 played the ball 15 to 10 and the ball projected well for what seemed like 55 feet and then BANG...left turn into the 1-3. Threw the line for a game and shot a meager 196 due to my inability to make spares on the day. Carry was good but different...tough to explain.

One thing I can say is that this ball goes significantly longer than any Saw I have thrown except the XXXL. And when it hooks it is all on the backend as Lane 1 says. Only problem I saw was as the lanes transitioned I had a tough time following them and if the ball was pushed into the carrydown it was c ya later. But this was to be expected with a ball designed as such.

I am still learning obviously (only have 6 games total on the ball at this point) and I'll update this post as I learn more.
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Doug Sterner
Doug's Pro Shop
Owego, NY
http://dougsproshop@aol.com
www.dougsproshop.net
Although a small elite group, the bond among fellows can never be broken...FOS members rejoice!

Edited on 4/26/2005 9:13 PM

Edited on 4/26/2005 9:14 PM

Steven · « **Reply #1 on:** April 26, 2005, 03:53:52 PM »

Doug: Good first review. I understand that you're still getting a feel for the ball, but you described my initial reservations -- extreme length with violent flip. The 'C' core with the single nugget (Cranberry, Golden Nugget) is flippy enough; the second nugget in the H2O core seems a little crazy.

On a side note, I noticed a Magic Carpet in your thumb. How do you like it?
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"You want the truth? -- You can't handle the truth! "

300jd · « **Reply #2 on:** April 26, 2005, 07:50:04 PM »

how would you rate it in legnth/ backend on scale from 1-10
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F.O.S FELLOWSHIP OF THE SAWS

coming soon h2o

cherry bomb

uranium pearl

bullet

dirty bomb

hybrid dirty bomb

super carbide c

Doug Sterner · « **Reply #3 on:** April 26, 2005, 09:28:39 PM »

I'll answer 300's question first....on a 1-10 with the 1 being a Super Carbide Bomb and a 10 being a XXXL I'd give it a solid 8.

The ball has a sneaky hook. Just when you think it's gone into never never land it starts moving and then moves very strongly.

Now Steven....
I am still shaking this ball down and am having a tough time of it. I was not real happy withthe weights or pin-cg-mass bias relationship in the ball. Normally I like a 3-4" pin, this was under 2". I typically shoot for 2-3/4 to 3-1/2 top weight...this had 1-1/2 oz. The ending weights were not exactly what I like either...3/4 side, thumb and bottom...generally not a good combo but I am going to see if I can throw in a X hole and change things a bit.

If played properly the ball will get long and snap off hard. What I have found so far though is that the ball is very adaptable to hand position. FOr me it was a hair erratic when I tried to turn it up. If I rolled almost a flat shot the ball took off on the backend like a rocket.

Both centers I bowl in are having some issues with oil and backend reaction too so that may be part of it. My Hybrid is getting a lot of lane time right now.

I do not see the crazy backend that the Cranberry had. The offset diamond promotes some more roll and does not give the violent flip I originally was afraid of.

Magic Carpet? ALl Ican say is that Ron CLifton is God !!!! MC on the back of the hole with a piece of the Vise tape on the back of my thumb and I have not gotten out of a ball cleaner in my life. Truly an awesome combination.
--------------------
Doug Sterner
Doug's Pro Shop
Owego, NY
http://dougsproshop@aol.com
www.dougsproshop.net
Although a small elite group, the bond among fellows can never be broken...FOS members rejoice!

TheDude · « **Reply #4 on:** April 26, 2005, 09:53:47 PM »

since when did laneone start to use MB or a marked MB?

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Timothy @Juniors Pro-Shop
Montreal, Quebec.

Next Level PS · « **Reply #5 on:** April 26, 2005, 10:59:59 PM »

Doug, I think you should have disregarded the cg and 4" layout with MB 5 1/2". if this ball is a true "Y" spinner the ball you have layed out is drilled to maintain tilt and rotation a lot longer down the lane. I will holla at Anthony tomorrow to see if he can hook me up.
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www.bowlritelanes.com
www.nextlevelproshop.com

Steven · « **Reply #6 on:** April 26, 2005, 11:02:11 PM »

quote:
Magic Carpet? ALl Ican say is that Ron CLifton is God !!!! MC on the back of the hole with a piece of the Vise tape on the back of my thumb and I have not gotten out of a ball cleaner in my life. Truly an awesome combination.

Doug: You passed the test on the value of Magic Carpet. The stuff is truly remarkable.

I'm now a big fan of Lane#1, and I hope the H2O is successful, but I just hate seeing the company get into asymmetric cores. The standard diamond (and variations like the dirty Bomb) provide just about any reaction you could want. We'll see what happens with the H2O.
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"You want the truth? -- You can't handle the truth! "

Doug Sterner · « **Reply #7 on:** April 27, 2005, 02:18:52 PM »

Steven,

Here's my take on the asymmetrical core issue...

There are people out there who cannot use the Lane 1 balls because they are too rolly and cannot get the length they need while still maintaining the backend reaction they need. These people liked the Emerald, Cherry Bomb and Cherry C2 for this reason.

Now the new core allows the driller the option of different layouts for these people that will hopefully allow them to get the length they want but still get the pop on the back that they need.

Tim...this is their first ball with an offset style core to generate a mass bias. New core, new cover...WAHOO!!!

NLPS....while the cg doesn't matter as much on these balls as it does with a symmetrical core I feel it still has enough of an effect that I did not want the cg that high and up near the fingers. I was told this ball went 55 feet and dove left....now putting the cg that high would have enhanced this reaction and made the ball virtually useless for me so I went with a variation of a drill pattern that worked VERY well on an X Factor for me awhile back. Granted my X had the pin above and right of the ring with the MB in the track area but my hopes were for this ball to be a bit tamer and more playable. I do not yet have enough games on it (with a decent shot) to gauge the performance.
--------------------
Doug Sterner
Doug's Pro Shop
Owego, NY
http://dougsproshop@aol.com
www.dougsproshop.net
Although a small elite group, the bond among fellows can never be broken...FOS members rejoice!

Steven · « **Reply #8 on:** April 27, 2005, 02:47:03 PM »

quote:
There are people out there who cannot use the Lane 1 balls because they are too rolly and cannot get the length they need while still maintaining the backend reaction they need.

Doug: LOL! That was my reaction when I first experimented with Lane#1. But I sensed the problem wasn't the ball -- but instead was me. I'd grown so accustomed to asymmetric balls with leverage drills that I had forgot how to throw a ball that didn't move on it's own.

Well I stuck the Lane#1 experiment out, and my game has improved significantly as a result. I know that it's all about marketing and revenue, but I hate to see Lane#1 go down the same stale path followed by the majors.

Regardless, if the H2O helps make Lane#1 more successful, then it's ultimately a good thing.
--------------------
"You want the truth? -- You can't handle the truth! "

Ragnar · « **Reply #9 on:** April 27, 2005, 02:53:25 PM »

Hmm, I've been thinking about getting the H20. Looking for something between my U-Pearl and Bullet. The U-Pearl is pretty useless on our house shot - way too much backend on our squeeky clean backs. How would this ball react for me, given that the UPearl is Ok on backends with carry down, or at least not super stripped, on a similar condition? From what Doug says it sounds like the H20 actually may be STRONGER than the U-Pearl.
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"To plunder, to slaughter, to steal, these things they misname empire; and where they make a wilderness, they call it peace." (Tacitus)
"If one tells the truth, one is sure sooner or later to be found out. " (Wilde)

Ragnar · « **Reply #10 on:** April 27, 2005, 02:56:43 PM »

quote:
The H20 is supposed to be weaker than U-Pearl overall but much stronger in teh backend. he can deny or confirm this, because I have not thrown it.
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My Saws NEVER Stop Cutting.
-Pimp Wayne
Member of the FOS
We hit Hard!!!!

Lane#1>>> Is there another option?

Proud member of www.bowlingballexchange.com
Proud member of www.allbowling.com
Great site is www.lane1bowling.com

If that's the case, I could never use it in my home house.
--------------------
"To plunder, to slaughter, to steal, these things they misname empire; and where they make a wilderness, they call it peace." (Tacitus)
"If one tells the truth, one is sure sooner or later to be found out. " (Wilde)

Doug Sterner · « **Reply #11 on:** April 27, 2005, 05:49:12 PM »

Right now Rags I don;t have a U Pearl or a Bullet to compare it to but I can say that this ball is definitely weaker than my Dirty Bomb (5-1/2 x 5-1/2) and strong than my 5 x 4 XXXL.

As with any asymmetric I think drill pattern is EXTREMELY important but even more so with this ball.

I feel that the ball will fit directly between the U Pearl and the Bullet if it were drilled the same.

The ball will hook though. I am going to add some polish and try throwing it again.

Will continue to post feedback as I learn more.

Sorry Haja, no way to get a video online... :-(

--------------------
Doug Sterner
Doug's Pro Shop
Owego, NY
http://dougsproshop@aol.com
www.dougsproshop.net
Although a small elite group, the bond among fellows can never be broken...FOS members rejoice!

Edited on 4/27/2005 5:43 PM

Author Topic: First Impressions of the H2O (Read 2396 times)

Doug Sterner

First Impressions of the H2O

Steven

Re: First Impressions of the H2O

300jd

Re: First Impressions of the H2O

Doug Sterner

Re: First Impressions of the H2O

TheDude

Re: First Impressions of the H2O

Next Level PS

Re: First Impressions of the H2O

Steven

Re: First Impressions of the H2O

Doug Sterner

Re: First Impressions of the H2O

Steven

Re: First Impressions of the H2O

Ragnar

Re: First Impressions of the H2O

Ragnar

Re: First Impressions of the H2O

Doug Sterner

Re: First Impressions of the H2O