I would tend to have a different opinion with the person who you spoke to, just by the suggestions and ball comparisons. I hate to because they may have seen your game and are more familiar with you.

The gusto should be used for med-dry and the zero is a heavy oil ball.
I am sure there are fans of the Zero Gravity, but with the people I speak to, seem not to like it. There was the 'hype' when it came out, but fizzled quickly. I do not have one, so cannot give an honest opinion, just conveying what I been hearing.

If you want to stick with Radical in a heavier oil house, my suggestion would be the Reax V2 Peal. As far as numbers go the Minotaur was 2.52 RG with a .049 dif; the V2 Pearl is 2.508 with a .048 diff.

Something with a bit more punch would be the original Reax V2.

I am not too familiar with the Minotaur but it was a particle and meant for med-heavy conditions. More than likely it was a smooth hook ball.

I went with the Version 2.  He had trouble finding one, it won't be here until next Monday.  Like I said, he was not familiar with Radical, and when he called around town, no one else really was either.

Listening to people here it seems that Radical is pretty new, but not unknown.  Is it still catching on around the country faster in some places then in others?

I have used the Minotaur as my main ball for the last few years. 

...

Would the Storm Zero Gravity and the Reax Gusto have similar reactions, and would both out-hook my old Minotaur?

The main problem here is that the Minotaur is a relatively old ball, as bowling balls go. No one knows just what condition it is in and what its basic reaction is for you currently.

Have you had it de-oiled and resurfaced regularly?

It is a particle ball and I would generally suspect it is quite oil soaked by now and not hooking much at all, compared to when it was new.
(Aside: It used softer particles, made by Columbia back then (1999?) and needed careful attention when it was resurfaced. If you used current hard abrasives to resurface it, you would smooth out the particles into a plain resin ball. You needed to use Scotch-Brite pads to do resurface work on it.)

As such, getting a new ball, such as the Gusto might be quite a shock to you, in either direction (hooking so much or not much at all, depending on how much oil you are bowling on right now AND the condition of the Minotaur.)

Unless you threw someone else's relatively new ball and tell us how it's reacting, I for one would not even dare to make a guess on how any new ball would react for you. Sorry.

I would tend to have a different opinion with the person who you spoke to, just by the suggestions and ball comparisons. I hate to because they may have seen your game and are more familiar with you.

The gusto should be used for med-dry and the zero is a heavy oil ball.
I am sure there are fans of the Zero Gravity, but with the people I speak to, seem not to like it. There was the 'hype' when it came out, but fizzled quickly. I do not have one, so cannot give an honest opinion, just conveying what I been hearing.

I like that response. I agree that this conversation needs to be had with the person who drills your stuff and has more familiarity with your game. I will also explain that the Minotaur is old technology. Not bashing the ball, just saying that cover stock technology has come a long way since the Minotaur. I can assume that some entry level balls will outperform the Minotaur nowadays.

The Version 2 is a nice choice and is built for heavier patterns, it is also extremely versatile as I have seen many have success with multiple layouts.

Quote from: TonyinPortland on August 21, 2014, 08:27:12 PM

I have used the Minotaur as my main ball for the last few years. 

...

Would the Storm Zero Gravity and the Reax Gusto have similar reactions, and would both out-hook my old Minotaur?

The main problem here is that the Minotaur is a relatively old ball, as bowling balls go. No one knows just what condition it is in and what its basic reaction is for you currently.

Have you had it de-oiled and resurfaced regularly?

It is a particle ball and I would generally suspect it is quite oil soaked by now and not hooking much at all, compared to when it was new.
(Aside: It used softer particles, made by Columbia back then (1999?) and needed careful attention when it was resurfaced. If you used current hard abrasives to resurface it, you would smooth out the particles into a plain resin ball. You needed to use Scotch-Brite pads to do resurface work on it.)

As such, getting a new ball, such as the Gusto might be quite a shock to you, in either direction (hooking so much or not much at all, depending on how much oil you are bowling on right now AND the condition of the Minotaur.)

Unless you threw someone else's relatively new ball and tell us how it's reacting, I for one would not even dare to make a guess on how any new ball would react for you. Sorry.

Another great job of knowledge and science by Charlest. I have 2 Ravages and notice that abralon and siaair seem to smooth out the balls transition. To battle that, I used a 500 pad the a compound like rough buff to give the cover some underlying teeth but still clear the heads on the normal under oiled THS. You may want to consider a deoil and then just surface with scotch brite as Charlest suggested. This way you have 2 fresh covers to use.

Thats great! Nice set.

Thanks for the update. Whats even better is once you learn more, it will perform better as well.
I am certain you will have plenty of great games and series with the V2.