Author Topic: My defense in why I think the Buzzbomb was a dud and a flop (not intended to trash Lane 1) (Read 8215 times)

Nicanor · « **on:** June 22, 2009, 08:18:56 AM »

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This is right off the Lane 1 website:

Lane #1 introduces a new force in the bowling industry that outhooks all others. The BuzzBOMB is packed with our all new double sided Doomsday Bomb2 core. This Doomsday double Bomb core generates double the torque, creating double the hook on the backend.
Surrounding this nuclear power plant is our all new Pure GripTM solid reactive coverstock. This new formula grips the lanes on the heaviest oil. You won't believe your eyes when you see this midlane Hook Monster explode with a Huge Backend.
Hear the Buzz, see the Hook, watch your High Scores double with the BuzzBOMB..!!

Attn: Pro Shops

Download your "Crazy-8" Here

Color: Purple/Black
Cover Stock: Pure GripTM solid reactive
Core: Doomsday Bomb2
Hook Rating: 120 out of 120 max
Backend Hook: 80%
Flare Potential: 5+
Pin Placement: 12 OÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ clock 1-5Ã¢â‚¬Â out
15lb rg min: 2.487

15lb rg max: 2.539

15lb diff: .052

Construction: 3-piece
Finish: 1000 Grit Dull
Available Weights: 13, 14, 15, & 16lb.

According to this, the Buzzbomb had good midlane, but the hook rating is 120 out of 120 and the backend was 80 percent. Now that tells me huge backend, not rolling out, not buring up but double the hook on the back end.

When a small company puts out a flop like this, then follows up with the flop pearl, they doubled their mistake even though the BBr was a little more user friendly, they are not on the top of the bowling ball sales. Way too much negative exposure. The Agent Orange is a great ball and the Dynamo is a tremendous ball. But just like Columbia had several years ago with regards to TECball death, it took too long to get the confidence of the bowlers back before they also ran into trouble.

When you don't put out too many balls and you put out a flop, ok lets say a very lane specific ball, then many of those on the fence of throwing Lane 1, currently throwing Lane 1 or may one day throw Lane 1, gets the bad exposure and look elsewhere to buy their next ball.

In all fairness, if many more bowlers threw or just what the Dynamo being thrown by a quality bowler, not pro, but not the 160 bowler, they can see the potential in this ball.

If Lane 1 skipped the Buzzbomb and went right to the Dynamo series, I think the sales would be off the chart and many more bowlers throwing th Dynamo then are throwing the Dynamo now.

Thats why I think the Buzzbomb was a dud and a flop.

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Nicanor (Ten On The Deck)

GoDenny11 · « **Reply #61 on:** June 24, 2009, 10:28:39 PM »

I first jumped on the Lane 1 bandwagon August of last year. At the time, I had taken 5 years off throughout my high school career and my freshman year of college. I averaged 216 for the month of August that I bowled before the fall league started in September. I shot my first 800 in October with the Supernova XP, my first and only Lane 1 ball at the time. Luckily for me, my father runs the local pro shop. So by the time the Agent Orange was released, I had 2 Nebula's, Buzzsaw THS, Buzzbomb/R, and another Supernova XP. So I hoped on the AO craze. Needless to say, mine did not live up to its "hyped" potential. I couldn't get mine to do anything. The layout was recommended by Chuck at Lane 1. You can ask what the layout was, but I honestly do not remember because the piece of poo only lasted me 5 games. That is all I threw on it between a THS and a 45 ft Kegel pattern. The main reason I stopped throwing Lane 1 was because of this ball. Also, a Lane 1 staffer told me my rev rate must not have been high enough to make this ball hook. I then told him that my rev rate is 450+. He then told me that the problem must be the coverstock preparation, as he went on to say that I should have sanded it down to 320. So I said cool, and sold every Lane 1 ball except my XP with my 800 on it. Now I am happily throwing Ebonite and having success with it. Lane 1 does make a ball that hits harder than any other, I just didn't match up well with a ball that is supposed to hook a ton. Not bashing Lane 1, just stating why I fell off the wagon.

Edited on 6/24/2009 10:31 PM

Doug Sterner · « **Reply #62 on:** June 25, 2009, 10:46:11 PM »

Inverted, I sent you a message a long time ago with their findings. The problem was a combination of drill pattern and ending weights. I assumed the pin under ring was the first drilling and that most likely ended up with thumb weight which is not a good thing. I cannot remember the other drilling but by the time you got around to drill pattern #3 there was severe bottom weight in the ball and also had either thumb or negative side which are both unfavorable. The coverstock on your ball did not feel like any of the ones I had drilled here in house either so that may have also been an issue.

I know you are going to say that the weights don't matter but all I can tell you is the balls I have drilled that had the appropriate endings weight worked well. Those that didn't have the recommended weights, did not perform as well.

My sales rep has been off work for some time now due to a surgery so I cannot find out for certain again.
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Doug Sterner
Doug's Pro Shop
Owego, NY
http://dougsproshop@aol.com
www.dougsproshop.net
Lane 1 Buzzsaw...The Official Power Tool Of Bowling
For Real Time Interactive Bowling Conversation:
BowlingChat.net

Doug Sterner · « **Reply #63 on:** June 26, 2009, 05:21:21 PM »

Inverted, I sent the ball back to them (hence the reason they were able to figure out what they did.) So they are in possession of the ball. I didn't get anything out of the ball, nor did I ask for anything. My understanding was that you were fed up with the ball and just wanted rid of it. I had no idea you were looking for anything in return...
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Doug Sterner
Doug's Pro Shop
Owego, NY
http://dougsproshop@aol.com
www.dougsproshop.net
Lane 1 Buzzsaw...The Official Power Tool Of Bowling
For Real Time Interactive Bowling Conversation:
BowlingChat.net

Steven · « **Reply #64 on:** June 26, 2009, 05:47:50 PM »

Inverted: Didn't you get your BuzzBomb used? Who knows what the original owner did with the cover. Some here don't know the difference between an Abralon Pad and a Brillo Pad. CGsSuK has basically said he doesn't know the difference between Trizact Paper and Toilet Tissue Paper. The cover might already have been trashed before you threw your first shot.

On top of that you had the ball re-drilled up with bad statics. The drill sheet is very specific about acheiving positive static weights. And now you're suggesting Lane#1 should do something for you? Wow, you do go for the brass ring.
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Sig not currently in use. I'm not interested in playing games.

Edited on 6/26/2009 5:51 PM

Steven · « **Reply #65 on:** June 26, 2009, 06:53:07 PM »

quote:
Shouldn't be a problem for the company with the "best" customer service, or so we have been told.

CRD: You've been told right about their outstanding customer service. Their service in many cases exceeds that of any of the majors. You can call Lane#1 directly and talk to their reps about anything. There is no hiding behind distributors for dealing with issues.

A few years back a friend's Super Carbide Bomb developed a crack a few months after the 1-year warranty expired. Lane#1 still replaced it without a fuss. That won't happen with most companies.

But it's like anything else in business. The service request needs to be deemed valid and within reasonable guidelines. Not liking a ball that may have initially been treated incorrectly or set up outside of published recommendations could be pushing things.
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Sig not currently in use. I'm not interested in playing games.

Edited on 6/26/2009 7:21 PM

Doug Sterner · « **Reply #66 on:** June 26, 2009, 10:05:02 PM »

As I said.....the layouts used seemed to be the big issue up front.

The coverstock did feel different than my BuzzBomb but then my Buzzer has a lot of black in it. It has been my experience with that ball that the near all purple balls are a bit tamer than the oens with big areas of black...coincidence? maybe. Am I imagining things? again, quite possible.

The only thing I heard from them was about the layouts and statics. They didn't say anything about the coverstock.
--------------------
Doug Sterner
Doug's Pro Shop
Owego, NY
http://dougsproshop@aol.com
www.dougsproshop.net
Lane 1 Buzzsaw...The Official Power Tool Of Bowling
For Real Time Interactive Bowling Conversation:
BowlingChat.net

mmcfarland300 · « **Reply #67 on:** June 27, 2009, 08:23:30 AM »

First color should not make a difference unless one color was a pearl and another a solid. This whole which color hooks more is about as important as static weights give me a break.

Second most companies will replace a ball no matter of warranty if something is obviously wrong. Hammer just replaced a NIB Faball Claw for a guy when it cracked all the way around while sitting in a box.

buzzaussie299 · « **Reply #68 on:** June 27, 2009, 04:30:35 PM »

i owned a buzzbomb for a month and hated it . But all i can say is that i think now everyone knows that for future references if a ball is sensitive to static weights like this one was said to be , it should be posted on the web site or on the box so there is the right drilling advice available . Everyone learnt on this hence the ao had a lot less negative press . I do not think we will see this problem again .
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black raspberry saw
emerald saw
enriched uranium stacked
pearl uranium
pearl carbide
xxxl starburst
h20 buzzsaw
solid uranium
bullet buzzsaw
tsunami
uranium hrg
supernova solid
chainsaw
dynamo
carbide plus
wanted single drill right hand silver diamond 15lb

Doug Sterner · « **Reply #69 on:** June 27, 2009, 04:35:39 PM »

Well mmcfarland whether you choose to believe it or not it has been proven that pigment color can and will change the reaction of a bowling ball.

I know that Hammer did a comparison many years ago regarding color variations in their urethane balls. They found that variations in the amount pigment used in the coverstock affected the amount of hook in the ball.

If you look at many of the color blems that get released and talk to the people using them, yoiu will find that there are a lot of people that notice a big change in reaction from the color blems to the regular colored balls. The difference has to be in the color pigments.

And, yes, static weights do matter.

To address you questioning Lane 1's warranty issue, yes they will replace a ball if it is defective just like any other manufacturer. They also stand behind the same policy as many other manufacturers....one it's been plugged, it's your baby. I have never seen any manufacturer replace a ball that has been plugged and redrilled twice....yeah, that's right...3 drillings and 2 sets of plugs. Not Storm, Brunswick, Ebonite, Lanemaster or anybody will do that.

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Doug Sterner
Doug's Pro Shop
Owego, NY
http://dougsproshop@aol.com
www.dougsproshop.net
Lane 1 Buzzsaw...The Official Power Tool Of Bowling
For Real Time Interactive Bowling Conversation:
BowlingChat.net

Edited on 6/27/2009 4:38 PM

Strider · « **Reply #70 on:** June 27, 2009, 11:44:19 PM »

Not that I'm trying to continue any Lane #1 festering thread, but the Brunswick guys (BrunsRico in particular) has said many times that color has a definite affect on performance. In plastic/urethane days it definitely did. With today's reactive bombs....? With the re-release of the Nemesis/Wizard and the Red/Strike Zone, supposedly the color of the remake justified them as "new" balls, not just a new color that would sell better. To your point, I couldn't even imagine how much of a difference it would make whether a ball was 80/20 black/orange vs. 70/30 orange/black.

Again, not trying to resurrect a dead horse, but I always found it interesting that a company that doesn't believe that static weight's mean anything still believes color is important.

Some people blindly believe company "A" knows everything. Some people believe company "B" knows everything. Who knows.
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Penn State Proud

Ron Clifton's Bowling Tip Archive

Nicanor · « **Reply #71 on:** June 28, 2009, 03:30:24 PM »

What effeect would putting a second thumb in a Buzzbomb that had too much thumb/bottom weight?

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Nicanor (Ten On The Deck)

Strider · « **Reply #72 on:** June 28, 2009, 04:30:54 PM »

How close together are your flare rings? I added a double thumb weight hole to my Black Widow Bite and it made a nice improvement. The flare rings went from being tightly packed together to having a normal (1/4 - 3/8") separation. The ball has a little more authoritative move on the back end compared to before the weight hole. I'm tempted to add one to my Creature, but don't know if it will have much effect on a symmetric core.
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Penn State Proud

Ron Clifton's Bowling Tip Archive

Nicanor · « **Reply #73 on:** June 28, 2009, 04:58:15 PM »

I haven't thrown my Buzzbombs for quite a while, but I have a double thumb in one of my Dynamos, both drilled similar and the back end of the Dynamo with the double thumb has a much stronger back end.

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Nicanor (Ten On The Deck)

Juggernaut · « **Reply #74 on:** June 28, 2009, 05:30:12 PM »

Been watching this for several days and can't believe you guys can't reach an agreement on this ball.

From what I've SEEN and HEARD, the BB was one of Lane1's touchier balls and was drill seneitive and release specific. For those that match up, it was good and for those who didn't, it wasn't.

Lane1 has had a bit of a go with things lately. From the Columbia poured G Force series to the BB's sensitivity, they haven't met their own expectations, much less those of many of the paying customers.

Lane1 USUALLY makes very good, very versatile equipment. Every Lane1 I have ever had/used was durable and pretty strong, too strong in fact for my liking, but still something that the MASSES could use. The G Forces and the BB's weren't this way however, and matched up with a far smaller segment of the public than Lane1 had hoped, I'm sure.

IN THAT SENSE, the BB was a bit of a flop. It was too specific to match up with( for many )and cost Lane1 some prospective customers because of it. When a ball costs your company money, and reputation, it's easy to see why SOME call it a "flop".

It is now time for everyone to move forward. Lane1 has moved on to newer, and hopefully better, things. The Agent Orange, Dynamo, and Massacre seem to be really good AND really versatile. There are also a couple of new releases on the horizon ( Dynamo-X and GemStone ) that will hopefully be what Lane1 hopes they will be.

Time to let the BB, and all the controversy that came with it, go. If it was good for you, then great. If it wasn't good for you, sorry.

Everybody makes a "flop" now and then. Thing is, in this bowling world, what "flops" for some doesn't for others. The BB just seemed to "flop" for many more than most Lane1 balls do. Maybe that's why it got a bad rep/rap.
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"The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits."
Albert Einstein

Steven · « **Reply #75 on:** June 28, 2009, 06:49:23 PM »

quote:
Not that I'm trying to continue any Lane #1 festering thread, but the Brunswick guys (BrunsRico in particular) has said many times that color has a definite affect on performance.

Strider: Yes, you remember well. It was a big part of the "cgnomaddah" battle going on here a year or two ago. What was funny is that the "B-Boys" were arguing that color has more impact than differing statics. I wonder if they'd still sing the same song now that USBC studies conclude that positive/negative statics can amounts to about a 10 percent difference overall in change of position on the lanes:

http://www.bowl.com/articleView.aspx?i=13354&f=21

As far as color, I don't know. I'll give those that argue it does (somewhat) the benefit of the doubt. In the case of my BuzzBomb, it's mostly purple with very little black. It hooks plenty, so color doesn't appear to be a real performance factor with this ball.

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Sig not currently in use. I'm not interested in playing games.

Author Topic: My defense in why I think the Buzzbomb was a dud and a flop (not intended to trash Lane 1) (Read 8215 times)

Nicanor

My defense in why I think the Buzzbomb was a dud and a flop (not intended to trash Lane 1)

GoDenny11

Re: My defense in why I think the Buzzbomb was a dud and a flop (not intended to trash Lane 1)

Doug Sterner

Re: My defense in why I think the Buzzbomb was a dud and a flop (not intended to trash Lane 1)

Doug Sterner

Re: My defense in why I think the Buzzbomb was a dud and a flop (not intended to trash Lane 1)

Steven

Re: My defense in why I think the Buzzbomb was a dud and a flop (not intended to trash Lane 1)

Steven

Re: My defense in why I think the Buzzbomb was a dud and a flop (not intended to trash Lane 1)

Doug Sterner

Re: My defense in why I think the Buzzbomb was a dud and a flop (not intended to trash Lane 1)

mmcfarland300

Re: My defense in why I think the Buzzbomb was a dud and a flop (not intended to trash Lane 1)

buzzaussie299

Re: My defense in why I think the Buzzbomb was a dud and a flop (not intended to trash Lane 1)

Doug Sterner

Re: My defense in why I think the Buzzbomb was a dud and a flop (not intended to trash Lane 1)

Strider

Re: My defense in why I think the Buzzbomb was a dud and a flop (not intended to trash Lane 1)

Nicanor

Re: My defense in why I think the Buzzbomb was a dud and a flop (not intended to trash Lane 1)

Strider

Re: My defense in why I think the Buzzbomb was a dud and a flop (not intended to trash Lane 1)

Nicanor

Re: My defense in why I think the Buzzbomb was a dud and a flop (not intended to trash Lane 1)

Juggernaut

Re: My defense in why I think the Buzzbomb was a dud and a flop (not intended to trash Lane 1)

Steven

Re: My defense in why I think the Buzzbomb was a dud and a flop (not intended to trash Lane 1)