All Urethane.

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b3y0nd3r
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All Urethane.

Post by b3y0nd3r »

Please don't hate me LOL.

I have been considering going all Urethane and here are my reasons(these are MY perceptions and may not be entirely factual as I haven't had time to research it all):

Lane conditions: I have now seen with my own eyes lane conditions transition with-in just a few frames. With a constantly changing playing field and using reactive equipment that is more sensitive to those changes, I am up against more challenges than I need to be.

Reactive too inconsistent: A resin ball absorbs oil so much so, that after two weeks, your ball doesn't have the same reaction. Degradation of the cover stock from the loss of plastisizers, constant cleaning, and just bowling may games in general. Yearly resurfacing and or polishing provides more inconsistency.

My slow speed: I am all to often fighting to stay on the right side of the lane due to my slow speed. I can muscle the ball however then i become inconsistent.

Other players: Other players using urethane, high rev resins, even plastics change the lane conditions so much that it is difficult to get ahead. I noticed high speed players seem to "drown out" slow speed players causing slow speeders to make more adjustments.

I invested a lot in reactive balls. I am not deciding this without getting as much info as I can. Any thoughts on this?
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EricHartwell
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Positive Axis Point: 4-3/4" and 1/2"up
Speed: 16 off hand
Rev Rate: 330
Axis Tilt: 12
Axis Rotation: 45
Heavy Oil Ball: Radical Tremendous, EVO solid, Hammer Obsession
Medium Oil Ball: EVO pearl, True Motion, Columbia Command, DV8 Intimidator
Light Oil Ball: Blue Hammer
Location: Michigan

Re: All Urethane.

Post by EricHartwell »

I wouldn't recommend an ALL urethane arsenal.
There will be times, if you bowl enough, where Reactive equipment will benefit you.
My 4 ball roller has 2 of each, urethane and reactive.
Each pair consists of one shiny and one dull.
Eric Hartwell

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PAP 4.75" up 1/2"
45* rotation
12* tilt
330 rev rate
16 mph off hand
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MegaMav
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Positive Axis Point: 5.5 Over & 1 Up
Speed: 16.0 MPH - Camera
Rev Rate: 375
Axis Tilt: 14
Axis Rotation: 45
Heavy Oil Ball: Radical - Informer
Medium Oil Ball: Brunswick - Fearless
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Preferred Company: Radical Bowling Technologies
Location: Malta, NY

Re: All Urethane.

Post by MegaMav »

Symmetrical high diff reactive solid sanded with a high totals and long pin to pap.
Keep surface on it.

I have a Primo with 80 x 5.25 x 80 @ 1000 and have never felt the need to use urethane.
I have an old Sumo and only use it to practice touch not to score.
Get the right ball and ball motion and you'll never see the need to use urethane.
The reactive ball the lane condition will come TO YOU. Urethane the lane condition will go AWAY FROM YOU.
cw90stratos
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Speed: 17 F L
Rev Rate: 350
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Re: All Urethane.

Post by cw90stratos »

Not that I am a pro, far from it. A few times I've tried new ones, were not good results for scoring, but I use the new blue hammer for spares. Good for practice.

Also have a global 900 shadow ops never was crazy bout it.

even back when urethane was the was king I still wasn't good with it then.

Now watching pro's use them and get themselves backed into a corner is enough to give it up.

But I will end with this note. I've been far more effective burning in polish/extenders on reactive than using any urethane ball.
right, pap 4 1/2 over 1/2 up. AT 10 AR 60, 16.5 mph off hand, around 325 rpm
MineralitePaul
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Re: All Urethane.

Post by MineralitePaul »

I use urethane almost exclusively in league at this pone particular house that has no wicks in the machine from 10 out. Lately, the “lane man” uses a catsup bottle with a new yorker style squirt top to apply the oil and use the machine to buff it out. With reactive you either have bowl deep inside and send it out to the dry. If you have any hand and try doing that anywhere else the ball will go left when you miss right. The fluffers and 2-revers love it because the lane panels are so beat up. My back no longer cares for deep, deep inside bowling. And the surface condition will burn up a tweeters ball on the way out. I can also take some axis off the ball and stay in the middle and play the end of the pattern, but that line won’t last. So, I play it like the 80’s and urethane works so well.

My favorite two balls are an Avalanche with a 5” pin and a black OPs with a strong layout. Occasionally, I will destroy the pins with a 6.25” pin entry level reactive ball - like a modern version of a slingshot.

I can’t stand watching fluffers rack up telephone numbers spraying their Halos all over the place in this house. The only reason why I bowl there is it’s two mile from my house.
slmrcs
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Re: All Urethane.

Post by slmrcs »

Well only you know your game and what reactions you see.

I switched to no thumb a year ago and now am basically going all "urethane"
But the newer "urethane" balls (and I have to put that in quotes) are not the same as traditional urethane.
Fever pitch, new covert tank, 900 global has badger infused coming out, hammer has 3 different ones out.

I have a fever pitch, covert tank, blue hammer and was fortunate enough to get a natural pearl off ebay. They are all very different.

I think for a long time there was sort of just urethane balls coming out as a sort of retro ball, little hook, low differential. The companies started to experiment a little like with the Hot Cell, but just now, they are really bringing out "urethane" type balls for today's conditions.

So if you're only options was to choose between a pitch black or black hammer, then maybe have trouble. Also, these newer "urethane" like balls produced much less if any carry down.
Leftybowler70
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Re: All Urethane.

Post by Leftybowler70 »

Covert Tank is not urethane, or resin (forgot the name off of my head). Motive has designed a new cover to help combat the new rule change for next year.
slmrcs
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Re: All Urethane.

Post by slmrcs »

Yeah, the Covert Tank is not actually urethane, but it's not resin also.

I drilled up a Fever Pitch, and not simply based upon reaction, but how that material cuts from the drill bit, I very much doubt the "urethane-esque" (as Storm puts it on their website) material is true urethane as well.

Both of these balls are also much stronger than traditional urethane. I have to move 3 to 5 boards left to use Fever Pitch over my older urethanes (Blue Hammer and Natural Pearl) and the Covert Tank is even stronger. I need to move another 3 to 5 boards to use that over Fever Pitch.

We also have the Badger Infused coming out. 70% reactive, and 30% urethane. Based on video of that, it actually looks very different than anything else.

The point is, just a few years ago it the choices were Black Hammer vs Pitch Black, then we were very limited in non-reactive options.

So to answer the question of going "All urethane":
1)
Do you mean literally "all urethane" or more realistically - All "urethane like" resin alternatives
2)
Advice that may have been sound just a year ago on the limits of going "all urethane" has to reconsidered with the recent advances in resin alternatives.


If it means anything, my opinion after going to no-thumb and having an avg speed, but 380 rev rate and about 3 degrees of axis tilt -
The low tilt cause my ball reaction to roll earlier and stronger than people with high rev rate but a more typical tilt. Strong reactives will not work. This winter as I was learning this style I had to worry about what arsenel to put together. There was a big lack of middle ground between the urethane and pear reactive. Then all these new balls came out.

From my experience using the following: blue hammer, natural pearl, Visionary crow, Track Spare+, Fever pitch, Covert tank, BTU pearl.

The Fever Pitch fits in between all of them. It is stronger and earlier than traditional urethane. It doesn't roll at your feet (why I avoided Widow Urethane or Hot cell - my ball already rolls early). It moves sharper off back end than the others. It's like an updated version of the old Natural Pearl, or Supernatural, but handles a lot more oil. It is by far the most useable of any of these balls on a wide range of conditions.

If someone is going to go all resin alternatives I think Fever Pitch makes the perfect benchmark ball. It also has a decent differential - I avoided several urethane balls that are very low differential b/c of lack of flare and carrydown.
b3y0nd3r
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Re: All Urethane.

Post by b3y0nd3r »

slmrcs wrote:Yeah, the Covert Tank is not actually urethane, but it's not resin also.

I drilled up a Fever Pitch, and not simply based upon reaction, but how that material cuts from the drill bit, I very much doubt the "urethane-esque" (as Storm puts it on their website) material is true urethane as well.

Both of these balls are also much stronger than traditional urethane. I have to move 3 to 5 boards left to use Fever Pitch over my older urethanes (Blue Hammer and Natural Pearl) and the Covert Tank is even stronger. I need to move another 3 to 5 boards to use that over Fever Pitch.

We also have the Badger Infused coming out. 70% reactive, and 30% urethane. Based on video of that, it actually looks very different than anything else.

The point is, just a few years ago it the choices were Black Hammer vs Pitch Black, then we were very limited in non-reactive options.

So to answer the question of going "All urethane":
1)
Do you mean literally "all urethane" or more realistically - All "urethane like" resin alternatives
2)
Advice that may have been sound just a year ago on the limits of going "all urethane" has to reconsidered with the recent advances in resin alternatives.


If it means anything, my opinion after going to no-thumb and having an avg speed, but 380 rev rate and about 3 degrees of axis tilt -
The low tilt cause my ball reaction to roll earlier and stronger than people with high rev rate but a more typical tilt. Strong reactives will not work. This winter as I was learning this style I had to worry about what arsenel to put together. There was a big lack of middle ground between the urethane and pear reactive. Then all these new balls came out.

From my experience using the following: blue hammer, natural pearl, Visionary crow, Track Spare+, Fever pitch, Covert tank, BTU pearl.

The Fever Pitch fits in between all of them. It is stronger and earlier than traditional urethane. It doesn't roll at your feet (why I avoided Widow Urethane or Hot cell - my ball already rolls early). It moves sharper off back end than the others. It's like an updated version of the old Natural Pearl, or Supernatural, but handles a lot more oil. It is by far the most useable of any of these balls on a wide range of conditions.

If someone is going to go all resin alternatives I think Fever Pitch makes the perfect benchmark ball. It also has a decent differential - I avoided several urethane balls that are very low differential b/c of lack of flare and carrydown.
All urethane like I was going for. However, since this post, I found out(thanks to Norm Duke) I was turning my wrist too early and "chicken winging" causing me to hook way too early with resin. Since then I have increased my average about 20 pins as I still have many adjustments to make. Thank you all for replying!
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