When synthetics were first introduced, they were marketed as having a life span similar to wood lanes without the hassle and expense of resurfacing. Then the particle balls came along and chewed that theory up. With so few wood lanes left, it would be difficult to tell how the particle balls have affected them. Have these studded monsters dramatically reduced their lives as well?
I miss wood lanes even if the performance on synthetics is usually better. A well maintained wood lane generally will not score as well as a fresh synthetic lane given similar oil patterns. One big reason for this is that these new pindecks are much more lively causing pins to fly all over the place. Another reason is that a reactive ball will grab a clean synthetic lane harder than a clean wood lane thus creating greater entry angles.
I guess it's similar to the wood vs. aluminum baseball bats. Performance against tradition.
