Looking for a replacement

[nilludar]

I have been throwing a Black Widow for almost 2 seasons and I'm ready to replace it. I have had a lot of success with it (4 300's, my first 800, several 279+ games) and would like to find something similiar to it. I also carry an Angular One that will be replaced too but both balls were very similiar except the AO gave me more angle for those flat backends. I would like to get more of a variety for my arsenal - thinking three.

I have looked at the Black Widow Pearl and a Black Widow Bite but not sure which would be similiar to the BW. I have considered getting both but I am not sure if they play similiar or if they are that much different.

My game: I am 215 - 220 average tweener with medium speed. I can adjust hand positions to accomdate the lanes if needed so I usually can stick with one ball throughout the night. The shots I bowl on are brunswick synthetics typical house shots with 10 - 10 oil and a outside 8 dry. I usually start out playing 15 board out to 8 then move in as the night goes on. If the shot gets real dry, I'll take some hand out of the shot and move 12 - 8 with more speed and the BW is a monster when I do that. It grabs the backends like a monster while the speed helps it clear the heads. But a normal night has me starting 15 - 8 and ending up at 22/25 - 10--->.

I really like how the BW hits and the forgiveness it gives me. I have also been looking at the Cherry Vibe for those "Oops we forgot to oil the lanes... Oh we had 30 kids on your pair today, sorry" days.

Any insight will be appreciated.

Thanks.

[Steve1591]

Well first off, if it works, why replace it? Also, if you just want new stuff, go buy the same balls new :p

The pearl and the bite are quite similar, except that the bite can handle a bit more oil and the pearl goes longer before breaking.

For the most part, the cherry vibe is not a dry lane ball, now based on different drills you could tame it down quite a bit, but id say that ball is more for medium conditions.

Now comparing the bite to the solid, if they are drilled the same way, the bite will be a few boards stronger, if you dont want something stronger, then dont go with the bite :cool:

Only other ball i can comment on as far as hammer goes is the Blue Vibe. This ball has been working great for me on medium conditions and after the lanes break down a bit

Based on what i have heard though, you may want to stay away from the Toxic as it is a horrible ball, but the Anger would be one you might want in your bag, it can handle oil quite nicely :rolleyes:

Another thing, you can get variety in your arsenal without having different balls, you can get 2 of the same ball if you wanted to, and have them drilled up different, which can really be useful for different conditions, such as sport shot vs a ths.

[blistershurt]

I'd go with a if it aint broken dont fix it, I'd get another BWS and lay it out the same. Or if you want a new ball, seriously consider something from the Raw line, or a BWP (sanded to 4000 it will be snappier, but hook around the same amount as the BWS)

[idlehourlegend]

O.k. I know Im gonna get a little hit for this, but if your stuck a little between the pearl and BWB, give the Ebonite Raid a thought, its a great ball and hits a ton, its a little stronger than the pearl from what I've seen but not as snappy.

[blistershurt]

Or a Roto Grip Cell...same shape as BWS, a little more ball even with the polish (got mine polished so it can handle a THS)

It does absorb alot of oil...like the BWS does. It might be slightly smoother, mine is 5x3 and polished it is great. I love the ball. Still use my Anger for heavy stuff though (predictable, early roll that cant be beat on heavy)

[nilludar]

Thanks for the info.

If I was looking for a ball for a broken down house shot or the dry conditions, what would I consider then if the Cherry Vibe is not for dryer lanes? Could I lay out a BWS in a way that it would hold line longer without losing the power?

[Steve1591]

I hear one of the wrath balls (columbia) is a decent ball for drier lanes..think its the dead flush one..

But anyways, for the most part you can get a ball drilled for whatever conditions you need it for :cool:

[Hotshot]

Black widow pearl! If its a lil dry then OBO, if mid I'd go 2000 polished. I love mine :D. I've also shot 5 high games with it vrs my other ball I had for 3 years.

Just going to add I have mine drilled heavy oil.

[nilludar]

Another question: How does the NV and NVS compare to the Black Widow line? I had someone pitching really hard about the Ebonite equipment.

[Hotshot]

Ebonite, I love them. Prolly the same I do hammer. I got my first ball from them (wildcat) GREAT ball hooks more then my widow and its hella old I dont know about the NV line thoe.

[idlehourlegend]

Another question: How does the NV and NVS compare to the Black Widow line? I had someone pitching really hard about the Ebonite equipment.

I personally like the Total NV was a great ball hooked hard and was very predictable the only thing I didnt like about it was the carry loads of 7's and 9's (lefty). The NVS I threw once and it was just the opposite very unpredictable and it just always seemed to either run too hard or not at all with slight changes in hand positions.

[JoshWithrow]

I too like my Total NV. I have it drilled Pin right of ring finger MB @ 90° to tame it down and smooth it out alittle. This has often been my benchmark ball, and only recently have I replaced it in my bag with my Cherry VIBE (Finally started scoring with this... I just need to belly it and give it room to run).

[acvar]

Thanks for the info.

If I was looking for a ball for a broken down house shot or the dry conditions, what would I consider then if the Cherry Vibe is not for dryer lanes? Could I lay out a BWS in a way that it would hold line longer without losing the power?

First and foremost no modern ball is good on dry lanes unless you drill it for dry lanes. A cherry vibe with a pin to pap of 3-4 inches is going to be way too much ball for dry lanes. Put a 6" pin to pap and it will work just fine. I have thrown CVs with both 4" and 6" pin to pap, and it is night and day. At 4 it goes long and turns left hard. At 6 it is a gently arc to the pocket.

It is very hard to suggest what ball you should buy without knowing what you want. Do you prefer skid/snap reactions or do you prefer your balls rolly. More importantly however is which type of ball do you actually score better with. I will say without any reservations that the Roto Grip Cell is the best ball on the market today, but that does not mean that it is the best ball for you or the conditions that you bowl on. Don't listen to people on the net that have never seen you bowl, and have no idea what type of lanes you bowl on. Find somebody that actually knows how you bowl and what the lanes are like (coach/local pro shop owner), and ask them for their advice.

[idlehourlegend]

Thanks for the info.

If I was looking for a ball for a broken down house shot or the dry conditions, what would I consider then if the Cherry Vibe is not for dryer lanes? Could I lay out a BWS in a way that it would hold line longer without losing the power?

If you want a true dry lane ball for dry condition, I would look at a Lane #1 XXXL Starburst or The Clear Buzzsaw, the CV isnt a true dry lane ball its more of a medium oil ball.

[hbhammerhead]

has anyone tried the liberator on dry?

[JoshWithrow]

has anyone tried the liberator on dry?

That would be a GREAT ball for dry. Traditional urethane with a modern, high performance core. Delicious.

[idlehourlegend]

has anyone tried the liberator on dry?

That ball goes really long and is super smooth so I would think it would be nice for dry.

[JaraTo]

That would be a GREAT ball for dry. Traditional urethane with a modern, high performance core. Delicious.

Dandy, scrumdiddlyumptious

[Rowdy]

Why not another BWS, just with a slightly stronger drill on it?

[JoshWithrow]

Why not another BWS, just with a slightly stronger drill on it?

Did you read the rest of the thread?

[hbhammerhead]

That would be a GREAT ball for dry. Traditional urethane with a modern, high performance core. Delicious.

i was thinking about trying a urethane since someone ended up taking my hammer faball at my bowling center. :eek:

get this...hammer faball found it at one of my centers fits me perfectly so i use it for the night and it works great i go back the next day to buy it from them and it's gone. someone took it that day! i must have been dreaming or something.

[Rowdy]

Did you read the rest of the thread?

Yeah,I did. Have you proof read your sig line lately?

[JoshWithrow]

Yeah,I did. Have you proof read your sig line lately?

I ask because he was asking for a DRY lane ball... and you suggested "a BWS, drilled stronger than the first", which I interpret as "Black Widow Solid drilled strong", and that doesn't make any sense for dry lanes. Which leads me to believe that you posted without reading the rest of the thread.

And yes. That's obviously intentional ;)

[nilludar]

Ok, I have decided to replace my BWS with another BWS drilled essentially the same. It works great in the conditions we have here so that will be my "1st ball out of the bag" ball.

MY question now becomes - which bowling balls do you all think would compliment the BWS for dry and heavy patterns. I prefer to keep the same release and switch balls if possible. That way I can be more consistant with what I am doing and only worry about the conditions vs the equipment.

Again My game: I am 215 - 220 average tweener with medium speed. I can adjust hand positions to accomodate the lanes if needed so I usually can stick with one ball throughout the night. The shots I bowl on are brunswick synthetics typical house shots with 10 - 10 oil and a outside 8 dry. I usually start out playing 15 board out to 8 then move in as the night goes on. If the shot gets real dry, I'll take some hand out of the shot and move 12 - 8 with more speed and the BW is a monster when I do that. It grabs the backends like a monster while the speed helps it clear the heads. But a normal night has me starting 15 - 8 and ending up at 22/25 - 10--->.

[Rowdy]

An Anger for the dry and a Bite or No Mercy Beat'n for the heavier stuff. And before all you guys start pounding the keyboard about my choices, with a 220 average I belive that Nilludar has the smarts and the game to more than handle all the balls on my list.

[Thepainscoming]

anger for dry?????????? I see something very wrong with that.

[grayfin68]

anger for dry?????????? I see something very wrong with that.

Yeah, that wouldn't be my first choice for a dry lane ball. Maybe if you drilled it weak though... Who knows?

[Thepainscoming]

Yeah, that wouldn't be my first choice for a dry lane ball. Maybe if you drilled it weak though... Who knows? Maybe at 120000 grit polished:o

[Rowdy]

anger for dry?????????? I see something very wrong with that.

You would. I don't. Just move left and wind it up.

[idlehourlegend]

anger for dry?????????? I see something very wrong with that.

I dont really, might not be that bad of an idea, drilled weaker or smoother and polished up could be a pretty good lighter oil ball, its really smooth and not snappy so I could understand where hes coming from, moving left (right for me) is never a bad thing means more recovery room.

[Thepainscoming]

I dont really, might not be that bad of an idea, drilled weaker or smoother and polished up could be a pretty good lighter oil ball, its really smooth and not snappy so I could understand where hes coming from, moving left (right for me) is never a bad thing means more recovery room.
Yea i guess, but for me at least, if i want something smooth i would drill something like a cherry vibe like pin on axis. That's the earliest rolling layout possible so it will be smooth but the cover and core will keep it with a little more hitting power. Also this layout has NO flare and is very weak.

[Mike1983]

I just picked up a Tropical Storm to go with my BWP when the lanes dry out. I tried it out at the house I bought it from (where I used to bowl junior leagues for many years). It was amazing. My first game I hit 9 strikes. Unfortunately, I had 2 opens. A 10 pin and a 6-10. I don't know what happened there, but oh well. I had a 9 spare in the 8th frame and finished with 4 in a row. Sadly, only a 212 with the opens, but overall, I'm very satisfied with it. The ball is drilled label leverage with no balance hole. I could have a balance hole added if I don't like it (it is supposed to arc more right now and if I add the balance hole, it's supposed to be more angular, however I think it comes in quite hard).

I'm going to bowl league tomorrow and we'll see if I want it with a balance hole or not.

I paid $150 for the ball, thumb slug, grips, and tax. I believe it's going to be a good ball.

[Rowdy]

What's it smell like?:)

[nilludar]

An Anger for the dry and a Bite or No Mercy Beat'n for the heavier stuff. And before all you guys start pounding the keyboard about my choices, with a 220 average I belive that Nilludar has the smarts and the game to more than handle all the balls on my list.

My "wheelhouse" shot is a 15/18 - 8 or a straight line up 10 board (all matters on the condition and the OOB) I can go deep but lose some accuracy. Plus with the equipment I have now, I lose a lot of power because the balls lose their energy before they get to the pins. On real burned up lanes, I can get the Angular One up nicely if I can get it through the heads.

With that said, would a Anger be a good ball for dry or burned up conditions? The idea intrigues me because I really don't like less agressive balls due to the fact they usually suck for carry.

Thanks for the insight and all the comments.

Peace.

[grayfin68]

My "wheelhouse" shot is a 15/18 - 8 or a straight line up 10 board (all matters on the condition and the OOB) I can go deep but lose some accuracy. Plus with the equipment I have now, I lose a lot of power because the balls lose their energy before they get to the pins. On real burned up lanes, I can get the Angular One up nicely if I can get it through the heads.

With that said, would a Anger be a good ball for dry or burned up conditions? The idea intrigues me because I really don't like less agressive balls due to the fact they usually suck for carry.

Thanks for the insight and all the comments.

Peace.

The Anger is an aggressive ball. You'd have to drill it weak and probably polish it for it to work on a dry or burnt shot.

[Thepainscoming]

U PAID 150 FOR A TROPICAL STORM??? u got madly ripped off.