For me, I prefer longevity to ultimate performance simply because I cannot buy a ball or two a year. I seem to go every 3-4 years between ball purchases, so this is a major factor in my decision.

My decision might be different if I was a pro and had 12 new balls per year.
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Dan
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Engineering * Bowling = a fun and practical application of rotational kinematics.

Bowling Nerd Herd (TM) Member

You know, if it all boils down to it... I think if someone really maintained his bowling ball well he would never experience "ball-death".
  If he/she cheaned thier balls regular and maybe baked/bathed them I really dont think ball-death would ever happen. I own a ball spinner, so its so much easier for me to keep my bowling balls in perfect condition. I have right now, 7 bowling ball polishes, 4 diff. cleaners, abralon pads, aceton, and wet sand paper. I know everyone wouldnt go to this extent to keep their balls in good condition but if you're a serious bowling then Id really consider getting a ball spinner...
  It has been by far the best 220$ investment I have ever made. Heck I even enjoy cleaning up my bowling balls after each session now. I used to be the one that cleaned his ball after say 50-75 games. Now I do after 2 .

  Bottom line is............. Oil absorption maybe a little higher or a little lower than some balls but the fact remains, bowling balls dont go through ball-death. I used to think so back in the days but now that know how to keep one up I have learned otherwise. Britton how do you feel about what I just had to say? Would you agree or disagree about balls dying...? I know you may not keep a bowling ball very long but you are in the business and you maybe perhaps see other people posing to this situation. Thanks for reading.

Performance! It's pretty rare for me to have more than 40-50 games on a ball before it's been replaced with something else. Plus I maintain my equipment so that does'nt hurt its life span.

i bowl leagues 2 nights a week year round sub on 2 others, i bowl in 4-5 tournaments each year(state mens, state mixed, nationals the last 2 years, Southeast Regional the last 4 years)

but i dont really have the money to buy new balls at the rate most of the people on this site does

i want both performance and lifespan, if i can only get 50 games out of a ball i dont want it, i dont care if that ball won me nationals i wouldnt get another one after it died

i havent bought a ball in over a year and they still react just as good as when i bought them for the most part, hell the first ball i ever bought was the Track Threat 4 1/2 years ago and only threw it the first year i bowled and probably put close to 1000 games on it that year, i can still take it out to the lanes and watch it hook just as good as it did when i bought the ball

none of my balls react any different that when they were new and if they do start to hook less its nothing a good deep cleaning wont cure

hell every ball i have probably has over 500 games on them except for maybe the Phoenix
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