I'm considering dropping from 15# to 14# equipment and looking for feedback.  I have high ball speed and decent revs, at least for a 50 year old.  I have been having hand and back pain so after throwing a few shots at a demo with 14#, I bought a used 14# from a friend and had it re-drilled.  I have bowled well with it for the few weeks I've used it and feel like I can get a little more hand into it.  I did leave a pocket 8-10 last week, but I've done that on rare occasions with 15#'s too.  Other than that, I have not noticed any real difference in carry.  I am still hesitant to totally switch over and was considering just having my pro-shop try to get the lightest 15's they can when getting new balls.  I imagine I would see worse carry if I didn't have the ball speed I do or the revs, but for now it doesn't seem bad at all.  Do you think the lighter weights might get me into a habit of over throwing the ball?  What are everyone's thoughts on carry loss with lighter weights?  Probably getting 2 new balls shortly and don't know which way to go.

Im 55 switched to 14lbs 3 years ago,  average went up ten pins as now i can put more hand in it i have more control and can bowl way more games and not get tired. i personally did not see loss in carry actually seemed to carry better, probably because as i said my control and power was better. i say do it now u aint gonna get any younger.

good luck!

I wouldn't worry too much about going down to 14. There are lots of good bowlers in my area that throw them and they carry just as well (or bad) as everybody else.

If core numbers matter to you you have to keep an eye on what you're buying though. In addition to the likely increased speed (at least at first) sometimes the RG and differential vary quite a bit between 14 and 15 pound balls. I definitely agree with the poster above that stronger layouts are probably better.

I had about the same carry with 14 when I tried it.  My problem was that I was throwing it through the break point, so I went back to 15.  14-15 doesn't matter a lot with carry.  If you are having pain, listen to your body about the weight.

If you are dropping weight due to physical limits on your body, then expect a drop in carry.

If however, you a dropping because you are hitting the pocket too hard with the heavier ball, you can see an increase in carry.

Quote from: bergman on April 10, 2016, 10:29:10 AM

If you are a high-speed-low-rev type of player (as I am), dropping down in ball weight
will often result in poorer pin carry. I dropped from 16# to 15" a few years back due to
advancing age (and knee issues) and I definitely noticed a decline in pin carry, especially on tighter lane conditions and on light pocket hits. Two years ago, I experimented with 14# and the results were even worse. Granted, today's balls are indeed a lot stronger but I still experienced a noticeable decline in pin carry.

 
Very good analysis. At higher levels of competition, you'll see very few using 14# equipment. Norm Duke doesn't use 16# because it's no more effective that 14#.
 
A good rule of thumb is to use the heaviest weight you can comfortably handle. There are always unique exceptions where a lighter weight by choice is the better option, but they are exceptions.
 
However, if you don't have a choice and need to go down in weight due to physical limitations, nothing else matters. Bowl with the appropriate weight and enjoy the game.

You really have to be careful when you discuss a specific bowler based on what you see on TV.

Lets take Norm Duke as an example.

Most times you see him on TV, he's bowled well enough to make the top 5, which means he's not struggling.

Now consider the "new" team events. 

Even if he's not bowling well, you get a chance to see him on TV, and he leaves more than his share of weak 10's

You may think the PBA is a scratch event, but it's not.  They are constantly changing oil patterns so the same names don't win all of the money.

That's a form of handicapping.

Norm Duke, and then Walter Ray when presented with a condition that favored playing straighter, up the outside, tended to take the title.

When you play straighter, deflection is your enemy.  All else being equal, heavier balls deflect less.

I know I've already posted about this, but it seems you guys are forgetting something.

 If it were as simple as E=MC² makes it sound, things would be different, but it is NOT that easy.

 There are so many extemporaneous qualities involved in this question that it cannot be fully answered by anyone other than the person in question him/her self.

 Personal idiosyncrasies that are intrinsic to each individuals release and abilities.

 Example: Person "A" is using a 15lb ball. For them, it feels quite heavy, and they just don't have the arm strength to impart the proper rotational energy to the ball to really get it to roll over and "set" itself at the proper entry angle.

 This person drops down to a 14lb ball, and suddenly they are able to put more on the ball, enough so that now the ball flips over into the proper roll pattern and entry angle, which means this particular person will probably carry BETTER with the 14lb ball than they did with the 15lb one.

 It is a very individual thing. For me, the ONLY difference I have seen is on the "bad" shots where I need some help from the pin action to help make up for a poorly executed shot. On the good shots, you would think my ball was a full 16lb ball, and I have had people look very surprised to find out it was "only" a 14lb'er.

 Truth be told, the only way to find out is get a good one and try it out

I went down from #16 to #14 about 2 years ago.
My fingers (3) were hurting and the wrist (even though I were wrist support) and then my arm.
The reason I went to #14 instead of #15 was because most of my friends were using #14 now that we are all in late 40s.

I had so much more control with #14 balls.  I can actually change the ball speed as well.  I would get many light hit strikes and within 1-2 months my average came back to normal (190-195).

However, so often I would leave corner pins as well as solid 8 pins. Even though I was more consistent with not too many low scores, I didn't get high scores (250+).
So recently I went back to 16# because my hand was feeling much better now.
My average went up with many high games now.  I can't control the ball speed with #16 balls but I don't overthrow it.

I tried using both #14 and #16 at the same time... but bad results.

If my hand holds up, then I'm planning on sticking with #16 or maybe try #15.

One tip... since with lighter ball your ball speed will increase you might want to try earlier rolling layout or else you will pass the break point.

Good luck!