This concept of matching up with one company but not another is a myth or at best outdated. In the earlier days of reactives, ball companies had more distinct personalities. As an example, Brunswick was more rolly while Storm was more skid/flip. These generalizations are no longer the case. Most companies produce a full range of core RG's and surface types.


Anyone who says they can throw only one company effectively or can't throw another is operating from the standpoint of fantasy rather than reality. Be a good ambassador and set them straight. 

I agree too.  All the companies are covering the different types of ball reactions.  I do think that companies ebb and flow in terms of good equipment.  I made thousands with Brunswick stuff up till about 2007.  The Furys really didn't match up for me, but now they have a lot of good stuff again.  Storm has been putting out some nice rolly stuff for several years that reminds me of the older Brunswick balls.

Ebonite always made stuff I liked, but the shells just didn't hold up at all well for me.  Finally the Mission was both a great ball and the shell held up pretty well too.  Same with Columbia ( even before Ebonite took over the name )Good balls, but they died quickly on me. 

So many now that I can't really afford to try all the stuff out there, but I am sure there are balls in every line that would match up for me if I experimented enough.   

It's funny, a friend liked the older Brunswick balls and he used it strictly. Then he switched and had only thrown Storm for a long while. Over the last two years, I've donated pieces that I don't use and they range from Ebo, C300, bruns, and Elite. Nowadays, he's throwing different companies and doing well.

I myself have owned balls from different companies - motiv, DV8, Storm, etc... but I only using Storm. Storm has the ball line up for my needs. It's simple for me to pick and choose and not get lost in searching for a new piece.

Purchasing other balls from other companies is just for curiousity, to see what's the hype all about. Then they sit in the storage until I decide to sell or donate.

On house conditions or built in friction, all balls tend to do the same thing...it's on flatter conditions or 'patterns' that the differences appear...it's how they respond to friction and trust me, they are different...it may be subtle, but it's enough at the higher levels and guys tend to shine more with one company over another

Then my advice my friend...stick with Storm covers! I agree you do roll the HyRoad well...

Justrico is right about the flatter patterns.  That is where you really find what matches up.  It can be as much about layouts as companies too.  Brunswick worked better for me on tournament patterns for the very reason that it was rolly and not skid flip like a lot of early Storm stuff. 

Going way back I can think of a couple of tour guys on staff who really got hurt by the stuff their company was putting out. 

I agree that differences in ball reaction are greatly magnified on tougher patterns (i.e. Sport, USBC Open, etc.). However, I disagree with the claim that a bowler has to use Company X over Company Y in order to get those matchups. Just about every company out there produces quality equipment these days. If you know how to use the proper layout and coverstock prep, you should be able to match up to whatever conditions you face.

Now, that is not to say that certain balls don't make it easier to do so. We all know there are some exceptional balls out there that just seem to match up for just about everyone. Likewise, some people tend to think that they only find those magical matchups when drilling balls from a particular manufacturer. In my humble opinion, that is usually just a matter of confidence. For example, if I've had a lot of success with balls from a particular manufacturer, I may be a bit more confident out of the gate whenever I punch something new from that company. That isn't to say that certain bowler styles won't match up better with certain core and cover combos, but I think the concept is overblown for 99% of the bowling world.