OK guys and gals, it has come to my attention that I have missed some questions that came up lately.  I am ready, if you want to shoot them at me.

Jason Wonders
Visionary Bowling Products

I'd say Visionary has bowling balls that cover every condition.  They have monster hooking pieces, skid flip type balls, and control balls(original centaur).  The only thing in my view that is missing is light oil bowling balls which are great for spares and crankers as well as for those with slower ball speeds and great for bowlers just starting out.  

In my view perhaps one two piece urethane and one polyester are missing from Visionary's current line up.  Currently Visionary is working on a spare ball or something along that lines.  If they do make another 2-piece urethane I think this will be the only company that is still making 2-piece urethanes with high performance cores.  Sanded or not I am all for it and it certainly suits this great group afterall they are the remains of the legendary faball urethane hammer team.  

I don't know about some of you guys, but I typically do better with balls that don't hook that much(especailly with alleys that have dry backends what I typically throw on) due to the strong cores the balls can and do hit sometimes better than reactives and in my view much more consistent than reactives.  Of course a big plus about urethane is the life-span these balls can last along time even in those houses that track balls like crazy.  

Anyways I own a Red Fireball Sorcerer, Glowing Amulet, & Slate Blue Gargoyle all urethane and the SBG is the best of them all and the latest urethane by Visionary.  All balls are awsume shot my first 600 series with the Amulet and my best series thus far with the SBG.  

I just got a Green/Blue Centaur, and from what I have heard this  ball actually has a similer roll to the original pink hammer-.  I have a pink hammer-almost got my first 300 with the pinky- and It is going to be interesting to see if that fact is right.  Perhaps in due time I'll post a video comparing the two balls for the fun of it.  In any case it is going to be interesting to see what comes next.  

So Jason do you think the Original Centaur is actually similer to the pink hammer or urethane in general?  I have read reviews where people say they can throw right up the edge with this ball and one even saying he has not been this far right with a ball since the 1970s(what he called the good old days).

Hi HotShot and Mab,

I got a chance today to look at the files, and the 14# Ogres have a Differential of .023" and the lowest RG is 2.61".

MikeP,

Nothing is for sure yet, but we have been working on finding a replacement for the slate Blue Gargoyle, and I do think we will have a urethane ball in the Ogre line.

Hi Darkman,

That's a tough question.  I haven't thrown a pink for about 15 years, and the conditions were completely different back then.  I can tell you that out of all of the reactive balls we have ever released, this is the smoothest and least hooking of them all.  You will be able to play the straighter lines, and be further right than most solid reactives.

I would have to guess that the Slate Gargoyle would be much more comparable to the pink hammer than the green, but they both handle pretty dry lane conditions.

Bowl4jc,

Please check your messages.  Deciding on which balls to get will be determined by your bowling style, lane conditions you bowl on, and what type of balls you prefer.

Jason Wonders
Visionary Bowling Products

For me, with the same drilling and surface, the Green/Blue is longer and smoother than the Slate. I have struggled with the Slate, especially with the Slate on dry backends, as it moves faster than any reactive ball I have thrown, and that includes the Green Garg and SS Ogre. However, if You leave the oil on the surface of the Slate, it's skidsville.

The Green/Blue for me doubles as a spareball/toaster.




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Andrew Phillips

The Tenpin Bowling Discount Store - Moonah Bowl

Team Bowling Balls Australia - Visionary Staff

Believe it or not with a control drill in the Slate Blue Gargoyle she will actually bite and hit more than any other urethane I have owned with exception of the Red Fireball Sorcerer, & Black Axe (two sanded surfaces).  While still very smooth she does have quite a backend surprisingly for a polished Urethane.  That SBG is one hard hitting urethane as for me it does hit a step or two above the old Pink Hammer.  As a comparison Id say the SBG with the same drill as an old pink hammer will move more(namely aggressive turn on the dry back ends) and also have more hitting power.  

Anyways It is going to be interesting to see if in fact the Green Centaur is actually going to be the first reactive I enjoy throwing and it will be fun comparing it to the pink hammer.  

One could say how could a reactive possibly match up with one of the straightest balls ever made, well ya never know with visionary!    

Thanks for your imput Jason!

Hey Oz,

Good to hear from you.  Your statement is really funny, only because it is so true.  Being in our position, it is extremely hard to try and figure out what people really want.  Your comment is a perfect example; people say they don't want companies to just swap cores and covers, or re-release the same ball in a different color, but it's amazing how many people want us to come back out with the Amulet, Charcoal Ex, Slate, DC Tour etc.

In todays market, there is a very fine line between a manufacturer who is part of the "ball of the month club" and one who comes out with enough balls to satisfy the bowlers.  I am still amazed at how many people ask about the next ball we are going to come out with immediately following a new release, and how many people get upset when a ball is pushed back a few weeks.

Currently, we just try to release a new ball based on filling a hole, or replacing a stagnant line.   The Gargoyle line was available for nearly 7 years, and the sales just began to drop off, so we created a new mid-priced line in the Ogres.  Bowlers wanted a ball that will hook in anything, so we created the AMB Particle.  You wanted a reactive dry lane ball that was controllable, and didn't hook much, so we came out with the G/B Centaur.  People asked for a 2 piece urethane with a real weightblock, so we came out with the Slate.

 Here is another set of survey questions for everyone here.  

1)How many balls can a company release before you would consider it a "ball of the month club member"?  

2)How long do you feel a ball should remain in a current line (ex. if we release a new ball, how long should it be in the line before it is discontinued)?

3)How many of you have purchased a heavy oil ball, simply because it hooks so much, and then changed the surface before you even threw it?

Jason Wonders
Visionary Bowling Products