Author Topic: My Uranium Experience (Read 1816 times)

Steven · « **on:** October 14, 2004, 05:23:53 AM »

Per the other Lane#1 thread I started, after listening to advice given, I've purchased a solid Uranium. I have now thrown the ball for about a week, and I'm ready to report back.

My main purpose for selecting and setting up the ball was to combat a nasty second shift wet/dry in my Wednesday night league. I've been able to score with just about anything my first game or two, but by game three, everything usually starts going down hill. My aggressive stuff bounces too hard off the dry if I miss even a board to the right. Conversely, my weak stuff gets too strong for the dirt, and squirts too much in the oil. So my goal was to set a ball that I could keep tight inside the oil line, yet still carry well without covering a lot of boards.

I went with a solid Uranium, 1.5" pin, and set up a 1:30 label leverage drill about .5" below the finger holes. I went with the shorter pin to cut down on flare, and the label leverage pattern to promote a little more length. The box cover was pretty, but a little bit too dull for my purposes. So I hit it with Ebonite Matte Finish polish to promote a little more push through the mids.

I knew I had something special after the first practice game I threw. The Uranium produces a nice tight arc that smoothes out wet/drys noticeably cleaner than my other equipment. The ball doesn't have a huge flip, but the carry percentage was high, and just as important, the ball was predictable. If I can't trust a piece of equipment, it's removed from the rotation pronto.

The real test was in league last night. I went 268-245-268-279. What's important isn't the scores, but the fact that I was confidently able to stay with the ball the entire night. As the oil line migrated left, I was able to make subtle adjustments and maintain the same reaction.

This Uranium is a winner. It's so much fun to throw, my fear is that I'll be tempted to stay with it after I should put it away. If that's the worst problem I end up having with the ball, I'll take that.

Anyway, thanks to all who provided recommendations. I appreciated the input.

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"You want the truth? -- You can't handle the truth! "

T-GOD · « **Reply #1 on:** October 14, 2004, 02:39:58 PM »

Steven, 1060 first night, great bowling.

What's great about Buzzsaw's is that they read the lane right. And, they tell you when you need something different. Whether it be a different layout or a different ball.

Keep up the good bowling and your eye on the ball..!! =:^D

Doug Sterner · « **Reply #2 on:** October 14, 2004, 02:49:05 PM »

Glad to hear you are having good luck with the ball. I love the SU that I have as well but am having a very tough time locating lanes withthe oil I need to hold it back. I did drill it kind of aggressive but I needed something less than my Super Bomb but more than my Uranium.

Nice job again !!!
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Doug Sterner
Doug's Pro Shop
Owego, NY
http://dougsproshop@aol.com
www.dougsproshop.net
The Cherry is the Bomb
And the Uranium blows them all away!
Now accepting VISA/MC and Discover for your purchases

Steven · « **Reply #3 on:** October 14, 2004, 05:28:38 PM »

Doug: I suspect that if I had an SU with a 3-4" pin, and had drilled it with a an aggressive CG out pattern, the ball would be a monster and I wouldn't be able to use it on the the league condition I described.

I was actually a little afraid to go with the setup I did -- it's never a guarantee when you put a non-aggressive layout on an aggressive ball. But I needed something that would be effective in playing the narrow wet area without having the ball overreact. I hoped that with the low RG and lower flare layout, the ball would be more controllable at break point. At least initially, the gamble seems to have paid off.

T-GOD: Thanks for props on the score. I don't like talking about scores, because they're generally meaningless. However, I wanted to illustrate the consistency of scores this SU produced. And what made it sweeter was, that as a whole, league scores were down last night. So as a result, I was able to make enough in brackets and side pots to cover a large portion of the ball purchase price.

So who said Buzzsaws are expensive?

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"You want the truth? -- You can't handle the truth! "

seadrive · « **Reply #4 on:** October 15, 2004, 11:06:29 AM »

quote:
So who said Buzzsaws are expensive?

Steven, as your good friend Michelle would say, be vewwy, vewwy quiet.

Glad to hear you like the SU, sounds like a nice 1-2 punch with either the original Uranium or the Cherry Bomb.
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seadrive
Cogito ergo bowl

Steven · « **Reply #5 on:** October 15, 2004, 01:10:11 PM »

seadrive: You're right -- it wasn't bright for me to open the pricing can of worms.

For me, despite the price, I wanted closure on the issue of matching up to Buzzsaws -- good or bad. As you know, I had a mixed experience with the Cranberry, but I take responsibility for that one -- possibly the wrong setup.

And time will tell if my initial good experience with the Uranium is a fluke or the real thing. Regardless, the one thing I've learned from throwing Buzzsaws is that they do produce a unique kind of roll. We all have different styles, so each individual has to decide if that Lane#1 unique roll can provide an advantage.

Overall, my experience in bowling is that having something different is always good. There will be a time a place where the other stuff doesn't work, and the unique piece will.

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"You want the truth? -- You can't handle the truth! "

da Shiv · « **Reply #6 on:** October 15, 2004, 01:40:24 PM »

Steven, I'm glad to see your post about the Solid Uranium because I've been considering getting one and have been discussing it with my pro shop operator--whose opinion I value. I consider you to be an informed source as well, so I find your choice of drilling especially interesting in light of what has happened for me with Buzzsaws in the past.

The drilling I normally have the most success with is kind of a modified 10:30 drilling--more like an 11:00 drilling. I can frequently get these drillings legal without a balance hole, and then add one as a tweak if it appears to need it for reaction purposes after I've used the ball a few times.

I've had six Buzzsaws in the past, and oddly enough my favorite drilling described above has not worked well in Buzzsaws. The two that I've had with drillings more like what you describe both worked much better. I have not been able to come up with a reason for that, but reason or not, that's what has happened. I was about to risk my favorite drilling in an SU, but I'm reconsidering now.

I'm still not even entirely sure I'm going to get one. I'm satisfied with my lineup as it is, so the need isn't really there. I hate to admit it, but I just plain WANT one. Something tells me this ball will work for me, and I'd hate not knowing.

Shiv

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Listening to the monotonous staccato of rain on my desk top

T-GOD · « **Reply #7 on:** October 15, 2004, 03:07:06 PM »

Da Shiv, if you're a high track player, without much side rotation, your favorite drilling, i.e. 5 1/8 x 4 5/8 (I'm guessing that's what an 11:00 label layout would be for your track) might roll too soon and not have good recovery when crossing boards, thus possibly losing carry. Especially because you're more of a tweener. Am I close on this..?

Other balls with more asymmetrical cores and/or higher differentials will work with this type of layout, because they will flip more naturally. Whereas the Buzzsaw line will roll too early and too even with your favorite 11:00 layout.

So, if this is the case, a 1:30 type of layout will work better for you in the Buzzsaw line, because it promotes flip. In other companies asymmetric and higher diff stuff, this type of layout may hook and stop, giving you an seemingly more controlled result on the backend.

Whereas a 1:30 layout in a Buzzsaw won't flip out and stop, producing a controlled reaction. Because the core is stable, it just keeps going, giving you a stronger, more continuos backend motion. =:^D

Steven · « **Reply #8 on:** October 15, 2004, 04:08:00 PM »

quote:
I hate to admit it, but I just plain WANT one. Something tells me this ball will work for me, and I'd hate not knowing.

Shiv: LOL! That's the exact same process I went through before pulling the trigger. Sometimes the 'need to know' is stronger than the 'need to have'.

I don't know if what T-GOD just posted applied to you, but it perfectly describes me:

quote:
Da Shiv, if you're a high track player, without much side rotation, your favorite drilling, i.e. 5 1/8 x 4 5/8 (I'm guessing that's what an 11:00 label layout would be for your track) might roll too soon and not have good recovery when crossing boards, thus possibly losing carry.

That's why I try to stick with fairly straight forward 1:30 or 10:30 patterns on symmetric equipment; patterns in between are really hit and miss. Even the short pin 1:30 pattern I put on my SU made me nervous. As a higher track player, pin placements below the fingers can give me problems with tracking over the middle finger. I'm OK so far with the SU, but I really have to concentrate on keeping my hand in back of the ball to keep the track lower.

Anyway, let me know if you decide to give a Uranium (original or solid) a try.
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"You want the truth? -- You can't handle the truth! "

da Shiv · « **Reply #9 on:** October 17, 2004, 09:59:48 PM »

T-GOD and Steven--
What you both said sounds just about right. My favorite layout works better when I can play my favorite line, which is the track and out. It doesn't work as well when I have to start getting in toward the third arrow.

The only ball with an asymmetric core that I have used in the last several years was a Depth Charge, and I finally had to give up on that ball. It is my kind of ball, on paper--low RG, high diff, particle pearl. I had my favorite drill put into it, and in spite of all of it's numbers and it's asymmetric core, it flips too much for me. I have tinkered with the surface and had the weight hole enlarged to no avail. The way that ball is determined to move just doesn't suit me.

I can get away with drillings with pins below the fingers, as long as they are just below the fingers. In fact pins just under the fingers work best for me. My high "up" coordinate to my PAP keeps my track just away from the middle finger.

Thanks for the comments.

Shiv
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Listening to the monotonous staccato of rain on my desk top

Author Topic: My Uranium Experience (Read 1816 times)

Steven

My Uranium Experience

T-GOD

Re: My Uranium Experience

Doug Sterner

Re: My Uranium Experience

Steven

Re: My Uranium Experience

seadrive

Re: My Uranium Experience

Steven

Re: My Uranium Experience

da Shiv

Re: My Uranium Experience

T-GOD

Re: My Uranium Experience

Steven

Re: My Uranium Experience

da Shiv

Re: My Uranium Experience