The Twister Pin Issue

I’ve been approached many times about our center using Twister pins in our machines. Just recently this issue has come to a head with a visit from a concerned league bowler presenting a genuine dislike for the twisters due to possible ball damage caused by them. Evidently, a Pro shop where some of our bowlers purchase their equipment, had been told that ball companies were not going to honor their warranties no more for balls that are used in houses that have Twister pins. This statement kind of bothered me. That ball companies and or Pro Shops would not honor their written warranties. Especially, when Twister pins are USBC certified the same way Amflite or a Max wooden pins are.

I wanted to do some research on the internet to see if there were tests done or complaints by other league bowlers about Twister pins destroying their equipment. When I typed in why do bowling balls crack and a lot of topics came up. I looked at all the topics why balls crack and none of the reasons were because of Twister pins. Here is a few reasons given on why they do..

This info was from taken from bowlers in Ball Reviews and the Bowling Ball Exchange.

Balls crack due to………..
*Quickening the curing process to get balls into the marketplace.
*Because the companies do not let them cure long enough once the ball is drilled it becomes brittle.
*Reaction of the glue to the shell of the ball.
*Pro shops using dull bits to drill.
*Pro shops drilling to fast.
*Pro shops drilling holes too close to the pin of the ball that is less than an inch from the finger holes.
*Pro shops not beveling the finger holes.
*Temperature from hot to cold and/or humidity.
*Balls that are laying around for long periods of time without moving. Since the core is big and heavy it’ll settle and cause it to crack. Rotating balls you store a quarter of a turn every few weeks.
*Cover stock failure in balls stored in open air exposure. Recommending plastic wrap or plastic bags with twist ties to insulate the cover stock from the air.

We put the Twisters in Desert Lanes only because it made good business sense not to mess with the league bowler. Twister Pins are different. They do act like new wood pins all year round and do not soften when there is a lot of linage bowled on them. Yes, on the internet the Twister pins are beaten up on reviews from bowlers because it makes the game either too high or too low scoring. They constantly leave flat tens or washouts but I did not find any conclusive evidence that Twister Pins cause ball damage.

In summary, Bowlers who do not store the ball properly or there is a case improper use then I can understand why the warranty should not be in place. Anything else should be the responsibility of the ball company and or pro shops to continue honoring thier warranties to replace the initial problem "The Defective Ball."

The Twister Pin Issue (Part 2)

The conclusion to the Twister Pin Issue. Today, I have called two ball companies Motiv and Storm. Both representitives were very professional and willing to help when I posed two questions about ball damage caused by twister pins. Motiv asked me what are twister pins and Storm said that story is a myth. The only two ways that a ball can crack is if there is a problem with the manufacturing of the ball or there is a problem on how the ball was drilled. If a bowler has a crack in thier ball, I would recomend contacting the wonderful sales people from the "Ball Companies" and ask them... My Bowling Ball is damaged and I'm still within my warranty.What steps do I need to take. They will tell you to take a picture of the damage, your sales reciept and the serial number of the ball and send it to them. So, they can determine the cause of the damage and who is at fault. That way you don't have to take anyones word for it.

The "Expert" is out.

How would one know if the pins a center is using are these "Twister" pins?