It’s a shame that my first review has to come from disappointment rather than elation. I’ve been the tortured owner of Lane Master’s Sure Strike for some 7 weeks now and no matter what I do, I just can’t make friends with that ball, or the manufacturer.
The saga started with me throwing one my ball driller did up for himself. He let me throw his a few times. I was impressed with how smooth it was. I was comparing it to my current benchmark ball and found I didn’t have to move on the lanes at all, but it gave me a completely different look – much longer and more angular but still smooth. I had him order one for me.
I understand color variation. But the one I received wasn’t just a variant; it was a completely different color of blue. The one I threw was a very light blue. It was so light, you had to really stare at it to see that it was pearl. There was no doubt mine was pearl. The pearl really stands out against the almost midnight blue background. My medication might be wearing off, but I’ll swear on a stack of bibles that the big color (manufacturing) difference is part of what’s making such a big difference in reaction. LM’s site proclaims, “Custom made bowling balls simply means that there is a human being in charge of quality control at each station of the manufacturing of our bowling balls. Assembly line manufacturing of bowling balls quality control depends on a mechanical operation for its quality control. We prefer the human touch.†They need a machine.
The drilling is nothing exotic – 4†pin to pap stacked. I knew I was in trouble the first time I threw it. The ball just jumped off the dry, took a look at the pocket and decided to keep going left to hit the 2-4 slot. Big move left. Now I’m in Black Widow country. Big mistake. Ball skidded through the oil and kept skating. Never even wanted to move. I kept making smaller adjustments until I figured out there was nothing was going to be able to do.
It’s been pretty much like this ever since. Over/under. Over/under. About the only time I can keep it right of the headpin is when I leave a washout. So far, the surface adjustments have included 500 + polish, 1000 + polish, 1000 no polish, 2000 no polish, and 2000 + polish. It’s waiting for another surface change at the pro shop. It’s also had a weight hole added to try to smooth it out some. So far, the most usable reaction I found was at the 500 + polish. I sent an email to Lane Masters looking for some advice. So far, I’ve been ignored. I think they need a machine to respond to emails, too.
The only way I found to use this ball is to come up the back of it for 3 games and my wrist is starting to feel it. It has improved my spare shooting since I’m throwing at so many more of them. Especially 2-8 and 6-10 combinations. The carry is phenomenal. I’ve never seen 8 pins clear the deck more quickly and still leave something for my spare ball! I’m more than getting my moneys worth out of league these days, too. I get to throw two balls a frame while everyone else is throwing their money away getting strikes.
In all fairness, I’ve seen others in my travel league throw the lighter colored version successfully. For them, it’s as smooth and controllable as I was hoping for. For me, this is a condition specific ball, even though I can’t for the life of me think of a condition I could use it on. I’ve nicknamed the ball “Hail, Mary†since that seems to be what I’m muttering with each shot.
This is the last week for this ball. A six pin reduction in average is enough.
