Was thinking about trying out a new polish cleaner and wanted to see what's a good recommendation. I've been using Ultimate Black Magic polisher for the last two years but it doesn't seem to give out a good polishing shine to the ball. Part of it maybe because I do it by hand but I do try to put alot of elbow grease into it. Going to buy that SMarT Star soon to use with my hand drill to sand/polish my bowling balls that way. I know that some polishers have some abrasive in them, which I don't mind. So what would be a good product to use?

Valentino's Snake Oil is excellent and has no abrasives (I think!!!). I am also using Motiv's Power Gel Polish which produces a pretty deep shine. I do not think that Motiv's polish contains any abrasive, but I could be wrong.

Valentino's Snake Oil is excellent and has no abrasives (I think!!!). I am also using Motiv's Power Gel Polish which produces a pretty deep shine. I do not think that Motiv's polish contains any abrasive, but I could be wrong.

Pete and Relentless1,

All polishes contain micro-abrasives. They are not coatings, like paint or varnish or polyurethane. That is how you get a shine/polish on a ball. It's the amount and size and type of abrasive used that leads us to say a polish is a non-abrasive type. It just allows a much wider range of polishing than the more abrasive types. "Non-abrasive" polishes just take longer time, more effort, and more polish to put on a high gloss shine.

So, Relentless, as I see it, if you continue t do it by hand, you will need a stronger polish to get a decent shine. One strong one that I like a lot is Storm's Xtra Shine.

Quote from: St. Croix on February 20, 2015, 12:12:10 PM

Valentino's Snake Oil is excellent and has no abrasives (I think!!!). I am also using Motiv's Power Gel Polish which produces a pretty deep shine. I do not think that Motiv's polish contains any abrasive, but I could be wrong.

Pete and Relentless1,

All polishes contain micro-abrasives. They are not coatings, like paint or varnish or polyurethane. That is how you get a shine/polish on a ball. It's the amount and size and type of abrasive used that leads us to say a polish is a non-abrasive type. It just allows a much wider range of polishing than the more abrasive types. "Non-abrasive" polishes just take longer time, more effort, and more polish to put on a high gloss shine.

So, Relentless, as I see it, if you continue t do it by hand, you will need a stronger polish to get a decent shine. One strong one that I like a lot is Storm's Xtra Shine.

Jeff, thanks for the post and the tip on Xtra Shine.

Thank you, Jeff. I'll take a look at the Xtra Shine as well as the Power Gel Polish. I don't use my polished balls that much so I'm sure either cleaner will last me for at least 1 1/2 years.

Power Gel Polish is at the opposite end of the spectrum from Xtra Shine: you almost require a spinner to get a shine. I love this because it allows you to stop at many places along the shine line, so to speak. This is great for rev dominant bowlers who may need/want several degrees of polish, while speed dominant players tend to want high gloss polish or dull balls.

If you're truly looking for a 'polishing cleaner', check out Neo-Tac Renew-It. It's a decent cleaner with polish mixed in. I like using it on my polished pearls to refresh the track area when cleaning.

If that's the case, I do like Snake Oil but my favorite is Bean's Secret Sauce. A little goes a long way and lasts a long time.

I am also a big fan of Renew It. Takes a ball to roughly 2000 polished and will remove even the most stubborn belt marks.