The 2017 urethane ball thread

Bowling ball related topics including new products, arsenals and comparisons.

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BigDog
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Re: The 2017 urethane ball thread

Post by BigDog »

Just got my hands on another Red Sorcerer and my second Crow came today. Ready for the fall season!
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Re: The 2017 urethane ball thread

Post by LookingForALeftyWall »

I added The Crow to my arsenal for short sport shot patterns (Sydney, Stockholm, etc.). As a rev-challenged lefty, I have not been able to use urethane to combat the shorter patterns the way others have. However, after having absolutely no success with mid-level resin during my Summer sport shot league, I was able to use The Crow on Stockholm with success. It was shocking to see how much traction it has in the front part of the lane compared to other urethanes while laying off on the back part and hitting the pocket effectively. A completely new look/ball motion for me!

Not sure if it will see any house shot duty but The Crow will be in the bag for any pattern on the flatter side and shorter than 37 feet.
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Re: The 2017 urethane ball thread

Post by Viper »

LookingForALeftyWall wrote:I added The Crow to my arsenal for short sport shot patterns (Sydney, Stockholm, etc.). As a rev-challenged lefty, I have not been able to use urethane to combat the shorter patterns the way others have. However, after having absolutely no success with mid-level resin during my Summer sport shot league, I was able to use The Crow on Stockholm with success. It was shocking to see how much traction it has in the front part of the lane compared to other urethanes while laying off on the back part and hitting the pocket effectively. A completely new look/ball motion for me!

Not sure if it will see any house shot duty but The Crow will be in the bag for any pattern on the flatter side and shorter than 37 feet.

What weight is your Crow? What layout did you put on it?

Thanks,

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Re: The 2017 urethane ball thread

Post by LookingForALeftyWall »

Viper wrote:

What weight is your Crow? What layout did you put on it?

Thanks,

Viper/Joe
15 pounds.

I went fairly aggressive - CG kicked left, 4" pin to PAP, and 30 degree VAL angle with a p-3ish balance hole. In the past I have put weaker layouts on weaker equipment and have been burned. Given my speed dominance and rotation, I feel more comfortable with smaller VAL angles on my equipment - something that I feel has worked well with this ball that has not altered it's overall smooth reaction and transition from skid to hook to roll.
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Re: The 2017 urethane ball thread

Post by Viper »

LookingForALeftyWall wrote:
15 pounds.

I went fairly aggressive - CG kicked left, 4" pin to PAP, and 30 degree VAL angle with a p-3ish balance hole. In the past I have put weaker layouts on weaker equipment and have been burned. Given my speed dominance and rotation, I feel more comfortable with smaller VAL angles on my equipment - something that I feel has worked well with this ball that has not altered it's overall smooth reaction and transition from skid to hook to roll.
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Re: The 2017 urethane ball thread

Post by gunso »

http://bowlerx.com/Lord-Field-Old-Schoo ... SCHOOL.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

new one on the list available in the us
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Re: The 2017 urethane ball thread

Post by Nord »

gunso wrote:http://bowlerx.com/Lord-Field-Old-Schoo ... SCHOOL.htm

new one on the list available in the us
Looks cool, wonder how strong it is compared to The Crow.

I am happy to hear you guys are having great success with the Crow.
After a ton of experimentation on modern house shots with many types and styles of balls with differnt layouts I think I have finally settled on an arsenal that seems to give me the most consistent and dependable reaction day in and day out with no surprises.

I am only using urethane now. There is no need for reactive in my game. I do not score higher with it, but I definitely can score much lower with it. It is just too undependable for me.

For the first game I use my Visionary Midnight Scorcher particle urethane at 320 grit.
It never fails to roll hard regardless of the amount of oil.
If the shot breaks down by the end of the first game, I drop down to my Crow also at 320 grit.
I use the Grizz also at 320 grit for right side spares.

These are all the balls I need now for Parkway or Kearny or any normal house shot.
The Scorcher is a miracle ball that just ignores over/under, or really the lane condition in general.
I just know it will roll and find the best arc to the pocket. Now it is just up to me to be consistent.
Once things dry up a little bit, the Crow becomes just as strong and rolly as the Scorcher and I can basically just stay on the same line with it or maybe move a tad right if needed.

If things burn up then I can use the Grizz and for right side spares it is perfect.
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Re: The 2017 urethane ball thread

Post by mrbean »

here is a video of the hot cell from roto grip. looks strong to me. the color kinda reminds me of a faball red hammer
[youtube][/youtube]
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Re: The 2017 urethane ball thread

Post by Nord »

Looks like Jesper is using a Storm Natural Pearl in the Weber Cup.
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Re: The 2017 urethane ball thread

Post by mrbean »

saw that brunswick is releasing a urethane ball soon
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http://bowlerx.com/Brunswick-True-Motio ... MOTION.htm
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Re: The 2017 urethane ball thread

Post by ads »

Nord wrote:Why are all the International bowlers so lucky???

ABS is a Japanese brand. Their top line balls are quite expensive, USD230+. The listed price of Pure Roll from the video is USD280. Some online shops sell it @USD150+ .

In my house, ABS is a favourite brand for those bowlers who do not have much rev. However, I didn't see many bowlers use it in Int'l tournaments.

Interestingly there is hearsay among bowlers that they cannot sand ABS balls. Otherwise, the coverstock will lose its traction. Not even I demonstrated the reaction of my frequent resurfaced ABS Accuswing (redrilled twice) on normal house shot and 36' Stockholm.
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Re: The 2017 urethane ball thread

Post by jazlar »

I currently have the newer Black Hammer and Purple Hammer urethanes.

Black Hammer:
-best on fresh house shot or late if there is still some head oil but friction outside and/or early enough down lane (but not too early)
-good on heavier short patterns
-decent handling carry down

Purple Hammer:
-best on lighter volumes of oil (not dry though)
-still playable on a house shot
-stores more energy than the Black Hammer
-doesn't like carry down

Still waiting to get my Hot Cell. First it was on back order through my PSO's main supplier. Then it was in a box that went missing from his shipment last week. I'm hoping to have it by the end of next week.

I've also owned many other urethanes over the past 5-10 years, but I no longer have them (dropped from 15lbs to 14lbs in 2016). Rebel Tank was one of my favorites. Might need to look into the Crow.

I mainly throw resin in league, but I could easily throw urethane and score well - just maybe not quite as well overall. I won't hesitate to use them on certain sport patterns though. I'm not a high rev bowler either.

I also do not buy into the carry down issue. Not with the modern urethanes. Resin can easily cut through it. If anything, the carry down effects the person throwing urethane. Maybe someone throwing shiny resin drilled weak. Plastic and certain older urethanes being used... yeah. House balls as well. I only really see carry down occasionally in the mixed leagues and during open bowling after all the cosmic bowling.

If your house doesn't clean the back ends, then you could see it. But that is an outside factor beyond the person(s) using urethane that you are bowling against.
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Re: The 2017 urethane ball thread

Post by jazlar »

I'm just going to copy what I posted on another board...

I finally got my Hot Cell this weekend. I've only had it a couple of days, but I've had a chance to throw it on 3 different conditions. I'm not a high rev player. In the 280-300 rpm range on average. Fluctuate between slightly speed dominant to slightly rev dominant depending on the day. 3 conditions I used it on: 3rd game on Athens - which never broke down all that much where I was playing, outside burn with carry down - on a bumper lane pair, and fresh house shot start to finish.

Going to be a long post. Feel free to skim and/or skip to the summary.

Athens
I'm coaching a junior classics league sunday mornings. We get to bowl with the kids. Scores don't count towards anything, but extra bowling on sport for me. This was second week on Athens. First week I played it more how it should play on paper. This week I found a better look closer to the gutter throwing a Show Off at 2000 + polish. Played about 7 to 4/5. Had some tug. Stayed behind the ball and firm with my speed.

PSO brought the Hot Cell out during second game after drilling it. Wanted to see me throw it. Even though my scores don't count, I was still bowling well. I finally left a washout in the 4th frame of game 3, so I figured why not? 5th frame left a 10 pin with the Hot Cell and missed the spare. Made an adjustment and threw mostly strikes. Finished with 190 after having 75 through 5.

Surprising things about the Hot Cell. I only had to move 1 board right off the Show Off line. I did not have to change my release. The ball picked up earlier than the Show Off. Most surprising was how it drove through the pins. Haven't seen that from a urethane ball except when I was throwing two handed.

Burn with Carry Down
My wife wanted me to help her before league last night. We got put on a lane with clear carry down. Her balls would start to hook and then back up into the pocket. I waited until she was done and then threw my Hot Cell. I did not notice any carry down affect the ball. Just thought maybe she burned through it. Then I tried my Black Hammer and Purple Hammer. I was wrong.

Both the Hammer balls did the same thing my wife's balls did. Hit that carry down and started to back up. I had to move right to get a good angle to strike. I went back to the Hot Cell and ended up 8 boards left of the Purple Hammer and 5 left of the Black Hammer. I could swing it or go right through the oil. Where the Hammer balls backed up through the carry down, the Hot Cell still continued on. It slowed down a bit, but made it through. I threw a bunch of strikes before leaving a 10 pin - and that was not the ball's fault. I got a little soft.

House Shot
I decided to just go urethane last night. A little bit of a risk. It's currently my highest average league at 209 and we were playing the first place team. Then again - it's just league (and fun mix league at that).

On the fresh, I did have to move a little more right. It's still urethane and needs earlier friction. It took me 3-4 frames to find the line on each lane, but then I rolled about 6 in a row. Again, I got a little soft on the 2nd in the 10th and failed to strike. Ended that game with a 247.

I ended up using the ball all night. The left lane was free hook outside after this. The right was a little tighter. I only shot 198 and 200 the last two, but it was more my fault than the ball's. The Hot Cell was still doing its job. Overall, I'm impressed enough that I may continue to throw it during league play - at least until the weather decides to steady itself and we get a more defined house shot.

Summary
So far, the Hot Cell has impressed me more than I thought it would. It worked well on all 3 conditions I've bowled on. I can imagine it will work well on most conditions outside of longer medium-heavy oil volume and extreme burn.

It's more continuous than any other urethane I've thrown. It handles more oil than any other urethane I've thrown. It hits harder than any other urethane I've thrown - it was sending messengers on light mixers, just like resin would. Yet it is still controllable like typical urethane.

My PSO also threw some shots after league last night and was impressed. And then one of the best bowlers in the area also threw it. You could tell he was having fun with it. All smiles. Has a lot more hand than I do. That core makes a huge difference. He tried throwing the Pitch Blue on a same line he came in high with the Hot Cell, and it went straight into the 3-6.

Is it worth its price point? For some, probably not. For me, yes. I might even buy another one and drill it stronger. I forgot to mention that I actually had mine drilled somewhat weak. My two Hammers are drilled stronger. As was my PSO's Pitch Blue that was used above.
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Re: The 2017 urethane ball thread

Post by mrbean »

yesterday at open bowl one of my friends was using an old faball hammer he found on the rack and after 2 games we noticed our balls weren't hooking as much and i had to either slow down or move right with my alpha crux and both of the two handed bowlers had to move right as well. is this because of the urethane ball carrying oil down the lane. the friend using it has a slow ball speed and a very low rev rate, and he was playing fairly direct to the pocket
ball was one of these, although it was a little more beat up
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Re: The 2017 urethane ball thread

Post by TonyPR »

Anyone know when will the Black Widow Urethane be available to the public... Jakob Butturff appeared to be using one at the US Open... looking forward to this release.
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Re: The 2017 urethane ball thread

Post by Nord »

TonyPR wrote:Anyone know when will the Black Widow Urethane be available to the public... Jakob Butturff appeared to be using one at the US Open... looking forward to this release.
I heard some rumors that this ball was seen on the pro tour.
I love the gasmask core and I have always thought it would be perfect for creating a strong urethane ball.
I have not tried the Hot Cell, but I expect that my Midnight Scorcher is likely still much stronger.
I had to take it up from 320 to 800 grit for heavy house shots.
It was so strong it was losing too much energy, even right through the heaviest oil.
At 800 grit Scotch-Brite it gets a bit more length and still rolls hard and continuous.
The Midnight Scorcher provides the best of both worlds, it is stronger than reactive, but has the control of urethane.
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Re: The 2017 urethane ball thread

Post by mrbean »

brunswick true motion looks to be similar to the black hammer remake.
[youtube][/youtube]
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Re: The 2017 urethane ball thread

Post by Nord »

mrbean wrote:brunswick true motion looks to be similar to the black hammer remake.
[youtube][/youtube]
From what I can read and see from the video, the True Motion does not use a modern urethane formulation. It uses the exact vintage formulation used in the Rhino's and in my Grizz bowling ball.
They add a low diff core to perhaps give the ball a little movement on the backend.

I am not sure where in roll potential this ball would fall. I would think it would be weaker than the new Black Hammer and not able to handle as much oil for as long. My Grizz is very strong, actually too strong at stock 320 grit for the Poway light volume, but too weak for normal modern house shot volumes. But the Grizz has no core and does not flare at all. But if the True Motion uses the same formulation as the Grizz, even with a little flare from its core, I still don't see what value it would have on the heavier volumes of modern house shots.

For me, the goal of modern urethane, is to produce a ball that just rolls easy and true through the floods and still hits like a tank. A ball that will keep you in the pocket all night and will ignore carry down and over under. A ball that will not magnify your release errors and overreact to squirrely lane conditions like reactive balls will.

The only ball I have found for me that will do this is my Visionary Midnight Scorcher particle urethane.
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Re: The 2017 urethane ball thread

Post by Nord »

Spoiler Ahead:

2017 US Open

Graham Fach used a Motive Tank Rampage urethane ball which killed it in game 1, but he made the critical mistake all modern players seem to make when trying to use urethane on a modern condition, they fail to realize that after one game that the ball will become waterlogged and lose its reaction.
He should have switched to the same exact ball, but a fresh one. But he did not and tried to play the game 1 ball for the first 7 frames in game 2 with horrible results.
It was hitting like a wet noodle. I see this effect all the time with my own urethane balls.
Then Fach got a clue and switched to a fresh ball, a fresh Tank Rampage, and it was hitting and carrying, but it was way, way too late in the game.

My Midnight Scorcher is the only urethane ball I have ever used that just keeps going and does not get weaker as it gets oil soaked.
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Re: The 2017 urethane ball thread

Post by TonyPR »

Urethane balls' coverstocks don't absorb oil (or water), that's why you got to wipe them good. Reactive resin balls do absorb oil and make the lanes transition quickly, the more aggressive the coverstock and the lower the grit the more they will absorb. Don't believe me, make the experiment, roll a reactive and let it sit in a ball cup, you will watch how the oil quickly "disappears" from the ball's surface, this will not happen nearly as quickly with urethane nor plastic balls.
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