One thing to think about before you buy online: Figure in your cost of drilling plus inserts before you do it, because your hometown pro shop may come close to it and saving $10 or $20 on a ball, to me, doesn't justify skipping out on your local pro shop and endangering any good will you may have built up there.

But if the savings are substantial, here's what pin and top weight are going to mean for you: The longer the pin, the more the drilling options, typically, up to about 4 inches. Balls with short pins (0-1" especially) may limit you, as will balls with 5-inch or longer pins because it's going to be difficult to get a good drilling on them and get them statically legal at the same time.

As for top weight, the biggest issue there is going to be whether you can get it legal after drilling. It has to come down to a certain level (3 oz or less) and I've had some balls with 5+ oz of top weight before and those things are nightmares. As for reaction, some folks swear by higher top weight balls, claiming they result in significantly better snap at the break point. I don't know enough to say one way or another whether that's correct.

Jess