BallReviews
General Category => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: Jish on May 10, 2003, 03:39:52 PM
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As the fall/winter season came to an end in my local house a discussion came up in regards to is there any advantage to purchasing a high end ball vs. a mid priced ball in regards to scoring?
I know alot comes down to ball to bowler match up along with type of lanes, oiling patterns and all the other variables including drillings, but givin that all the variables can be studied and the right match up of ball to bowler can be found in both catagories, would there be a scoring advantage if the bowler were to purchase the high priced ball vs. the mid priced ball?
I hope I explained this right. I guess it comes down to do we need to spend the extra money to buy the high priced ball to maximize are scoring potential or can we score equally as well with the mid priced ball?
The opinions at my house seemed to be mixed but givin the size and location of of are lanes the actual number of real educated bowlers, by that I mean really know the game, can most likely be counted on one hand. Thanks.
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The high priced balls are the latest technology.
Tweaks in coverstocks, weight blocks etc.
The midprice stuff has older technology that may work real well on medium conditions. Examples of mid price stuff tearing them up around here.
Monster Smash/r, Jekyll(300 a guy had in first game using), Roto Grip Silver Streak.
In the high priced area I've seen guys using Mutant's, Freak outs, Me a Reaction Revs,
Icon 300s all making money and winning tournaments.
Just depends what matches up.
REgards,
Luckylefty
PS I'm finding my Reaction Rev does something my cheaper balls don't do on today's trich oil conditions.
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I beleive a PBA tournament was won last season using a mid-priced ball,,,,Monster Frenzy.
Sorry cant remember who?
BT <<<----- CRS Syndrome
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DO NOT look at the price point in making assessments of equipment. Look at the numbers that give you a better feel for what the ball will do. The pins could care less if you pay one bill or two for a ball.
Roto Grip has a number of balls that have fallen more in a mid-range than high-price even at the time of introduction. Visionary was another company with that sort of reputation.
Knowing how to read the numbers and how to apply them to your game has more to do with figuring out how a particular piece of equipment will fit in your arsenal and potentially help your game.
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Would have to agree with michelle on this one. Never found a ball with as good a reaction on oil as the swamp monster from brunswick. A mid price ball with plenty of action for the floods and slicks. The key to good reaction is assessment of the bowlers style and needs, not the size of their wallet.
Edited on 5/11/2003 2:07 PM
Edited on 5/11/2003 2:08 PM
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I agree with Michelle. There are a lot of really good mid-priced balls out there by many companies that will match up well for most bowlers. Visionary has two good balls in their Gargoyle line that are outstanding balls. I think the Storm Eraser was a mid-priced ball when it was released and I liked that one.
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You might find the original blue and white Wicked to be more versetile than the B/R/T. Its made be longer and will slide on any form of oil in the heads. It wont hook quite as much, true, but i think you like the result just as much.
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"Isn't Bowling supposed to be scored like Golf?"
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I think that spending money on the high end balls is great - if you have it to burn. I have a couple of newer high end balls (bought the X Factor with 3 games on it for $80, though) - but I find myself using the mid range stuff just as often. It seems that the mid range stuff is more versatile, less single condition specific.
And - here's one to think about - after a ball's been out a few years, does it work like a mid-price ball now?? I used my Elite Pearl for awhile today - that seemed to be the case.
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One advantage of bowling over golf
is that you seldom lose the ball. 
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Thanks to everyone for your responses. I did not included my opinion in my original post, however, I agree with you that it comes down to matching the ball to the bowler no matter the price and shot execution. I sometimes find that the high price or high tech balls are actually bad for some people because they allow a bowler to get away with making physical mistakes in there game and still score and when they encounter a tough condition in another house, because of a not so sound physical game , have trouble scoring. I tell most people either learn what characteristics of a ball works for them or put the decision in the hands of a reliable pro shop owner to help them make a choice. To those who have a computer I tell them to visit the ball company sites and of course to come here, is there any place better? Thanks.
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I have used everything from High price to no price balls this year and have found success with each one of them. For instance, shot my first 300 with a Colossus (high price ball). For that series I shot 746 with a Pioneer (Mid-price) for the first game and a half, then switching to the Colossus in the 7th. Other times I have thrown a Mojo, DC Warlock, Wicked (awesome ball by far!), Eraser and Hex-treme (all considered mid-price) with loads of high games/series and used an El-Nino X-it, Trauma Recovery, Hercules, Colossus, Angle Evolution as well as a Zone Pro (all high priced equip) with practically the same success. Heck, I even used my Blue Hammer (spares and burn outs) for a few games this year and put up respectable numbers with it. If I could find a line with it, in either house I threw it till either the line started to move, or I wasnt carrying good enough. Then it was adjust and switch. Whatever floats your boat I guess, I did well this year with all styles of balls and price ranges.
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If I could only pick up a 7 pin.....
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High tech, high priced balls normally mean lots of hook. And most of them live up to their marketing.
On regular house shots, how often do I face a condition where I need a ball with lots of hook? Almost never!
I think ONCE in the last season, in regular league, I pulled out a particle ball that I mistakenly had left in my bag from a practice session because their was an unusually high amount of carry-down. And that was for one game.
High performance, high priced balls have their place, but league bowling is probably not one of them. At least not in my neighborhood.
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I agree with Nevada Bowl. There are 8-9 Houses within 30 miles of where I live and Ebonite's V2 line covers all of the conditions put out by these houses.
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I would consider the V2 series between mid priced and high priced. I would consider Mid-priced anything 120-150 or anything you can find on the net for 80-120. Most places I've seen retail V2s in the 170s.
By far the biggest steal on the Mid Priced market is the Silver Streak, IMO.
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DP3, The V2's are all in the $145-$150 range (drilled) where I live. Thats why I refered to them as mid-priced. You can get V2's on the Net for far less than $120.
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another thing to think about is buy a ball onthe way out, doesnt mean it sucks if it is discontinued. Ebonite has dicontinued many great balls. they are usually then cheaper for you to get that way!
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The High Price=Hook, is generally true, But an exception is when a company purposely makes a mid-price ball for heavy. Examples, are Predators, Granite Gargoyle, Blade Particle, etc.
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"Isn't Bowling supposed to be scored like Golf?"
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my observations on mid-priced balls vs. high-end balls relates only to brunswick equipment. i had a navy sparkle fuze and a raging red fuze( both high end balls ). i've also had MANY mid-priced balls( every ball in the monster line, some of them even several !). my conclusion is that i saw the same amount of power, backend, total hook, etc. with the mid-priced balls for less money. the inferno is an exception---this ball is a keeper. i see no reason to buy a high-end ball when a mid-priced ball will accomplish the same result. a high-end ball will have to push the envelope for me to buy it---like the inferno.
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Speaking of mid-price Brunswicks, i got to have a couple shots with my team mates blue Power Groove last night. I compared it against my Combat Zone and 'tude1 and i can tell its not a dry lane ball, a dry backend ball maybe(especially compared to the C-Zone, which would belt it one on more oil) but not for the scorch up front. And this thing isn't even a mid-pricer, close to entry level as far as i know.
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Do you want some of THIS!!!
www.totalbowling.com.au/www/live/2002australianopen/multimedia/adrian_shelton.MPG
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Observations from my experiences: (1) Balls fit styles. High tech, mid-price, it depends on style-tech mix; (2) Some Hi-tech stuff lasts -- Element, Thing -- while much does not, so unless there is a real performance differential, it probably isn't worth the money; (3) Brunswick, Columbia and Ebonite have mid-price lines which are, in my opinion, better than their higher priced equipment on the whole (for example, the mid-priced Columbia line would consist of 8 or 9 balls that would cover every condition a bowler would face and would do so, in my opinion, better than the higher priced lines -- at a total cost, drilled, of about $1100-1200); and (4) Some of the best equipment I have thrown (Track's Hex and Voodoo, Columibia's WOW balls) have been mid-priced.
So what does this mean? Going forward, for me, it means mid-priced equipment unless there is a very good reason for high end (i.e., the soaker coverstocks on the Thing and Element).
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"It's just a carry contest."
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Thinking about this, I have found in my case that I am probably expecting more out of a higher-priced ball so I usually end up disappointed with the ball, whereas with the mid-priced ball I am not expecting a whole lot so what I do see I am usually pleased with. This is probably due to all the hype and hoopla that goes with the higher-priced balls and the fact that I watch them being thrown by bowlers with a lot more revs than I will ever see, so when I use them, it just seems to be a major let-down, LOL.
I now try to look for the mid-priced ball that will fit into my needs or I look for a higher-priced ball that is being discontinued. Or, to save a few bucks, you could always buy a used ball to see what the latest technology is like. Then, if it works for you, you can purchase a NIB of the same. I have done this in the past also.
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I guess the answer is that "it all depends". A high priced ball in a given line is not guaranteed to increase scoring. However, if a high priced ball is carefully selected based on style and target lane condition, you can achieve higher scoring potential.
In general, most of the higher end stuff uses advanced core designs and more aggressive covers. For example, if you look at Lane#1 and evaluate the Super Carbide Bomb and and Cherry Bomb, you get the Diamond Core enhanced with mini-diamonds along with aggressive covers. If you look at Ebonite, the APEX asymmetric core gives you drilling options not found in their mid/lower priced line. These are all good things for attacking longer flatter patterns. Here, assuming you have the skill to utilize the respective pieces of equipment, you will get increased scoring potential.
On the other hand, if you are on dry, broken down, or 'stupid easy' walled conditions, the lower end equipment will usually be more than enough.
If you can't tell the difference, save your money and and buy mid-range equipment.