How long before replacing your bowling ball?

[Aslan]

Back in the ole days...bowlers I knew would buy a ball...and literally use it for 2-3 years before getting another one. I talked to a bowler recently and he said he gets a new ball every year (roughly).

So...how often (on average) do you guys/gals go with a ball before you decide to stop baking/resurfacing and get the next new bowling ball??

[Mike White]

Back in the ole days...bowlers I knew would buy a ball...and literally use it for 2-3 years before getting another one. I talked to a bowler recently and he said he gets a new ball every year (roughly).

So...how often (on average) do you guys/gals go with a ball before you decide to stop baking/resurfacing and get the next new bowling ball??

Back in the ole days you bought a ball, had your name engraved on it because everyone else had a ball just like it.
And used it for most of their "career". Back in the 70's AMF had a commercial showing a "hard" and "soft" ball, which would be the only two balls you would ever need.

There have been approximately 4000 types of balls since the year 2000.

Bowling balls are a lot softer, and lanes are a lot harder than they used to be.
More balls are retired due to damage than the ole days.

[Perrin]

I would say properly cared for any ball should last years.

I think people tend to buy balls for different conditions/looks vs to replace balls.

That brings up a good point though. how many times can you give a ball a full resurface before it bcomes illegal due to ball size I assume it would be alot but ha anyone ever measured how much of the ball is actually removed during a re-surface?

[classygranny]

I would say the measurement would be in number of games, not necessarily years. But, by personal experience, I can tell you that balls do die. Of course, I didn't take the proper care of mine at all times and may have suffered the consequences thereof. But my coach and proshop guy indicate that the average bowler bowling in one or two leagues using one of two balls would probably get two or three years out of the ball with the proper care and maintenance.

[vdubtx]

Until I bought my First Blood earlier this year, I hadn't bought a ball in the 5 years prior. Only reason I got the First Blood was to go to Nationals. I knew my current balls would not have a chance on the oil patterns in Reno.

[Aslan]

That brings up a good point though. how many times can you give a ball a full resurface before it bcomes illegal due to ball size I assume it would be alot but ha anyone ever measured how much of the ball is actually removed during a re-surface?

Yay!! I finally had a good point!

But yeah, I have thought the same thing. Seems like if you're in a few leagues a week...you resurface even every 80 games...then thats 5 times per year.

[MICHAEL]

I highly recommend getting your own spinner for around 200 bucks,,, price of a high end ball!! It will be the best money you can spend for keeping your balls in great condition!
I have use mine after every outing to clean oil off, and man does it do the job!!

[bowl1820]

how many times can you give a ball a full resurface before it becomes illegal due to ball size I assume it would be a lot but ha anyone ever measured how much of the ball is actually removed during a re-surface?

A true "resurfacing" of a ball is where you return a ball to a basically like new state, removing all the nicks, gouges, scratches etc.

Now how many times you could do that before the ball became illegal would depend on just how bad the ball was. It's said you could do it about 2-3 times.

Now just adjusting the surface of the bowling ball, that does not take off as much surface as a full resurfacing. And you can do it a lot, you'd get rid of the ball long before you got it too small.

[30 Clean]

... But my coach and proshop guy indicate that the average bowler bowling in one or two leagues using one of two balls would probably get two or three years out of the ball with the proper care and maintenance.
Really? 2-3 years? I got my Black Widow when it was released in '06 and it's still going strong. I think your pro shop guy just wants you to buy a new ball (balls?) every 2-3 years. :D

[Aslan]

Really? 2-3 years? I got my Black Widow when it was released in '06 and it's still going strong. I think your pro shop guy just wants you to buy a new ball (balls?) every 2-3 years. :D

No...normally I'd think thats the case...but this guy actually won't "let" me buy a new ball...and won't take my money for lessons. AND...he told me I don't need a spare ball. So if he's trying to trick me into buying more balls...he's very ineffective at it. :p

And based on the loss of reactivity in my ball after 80-100 games...either you gotta do some real resurfacing kinda often or you gotta get a new ball every 6 months- 2 years.

And...it's odd that so many signatures on bowlingboards have 5-10 balls in their arsenal if people are following the 5-10 year plan for ball replacement. UNLESS...these guys are just stockpiling balls they won on the website. I mean, if I win the Marauder this week (which I WILL)...I'm not going to send it back with a letter saying, "No thank you...my ball still has 3 years left on it."

[Zaxmazr]

I bought my first couple balls when I was on the bowling team in High school, now, 5 years later (since I bought them), I just bought an Endless Nightmare. Couldn't be happier.
I had been using my original CELL for all those years. Thing is still a beast, just not AS beastly.

[dnhoffman]

If you de-oil, and touch up the surface every few weeks a ball should last 2-3 years bowling roughly 20 games/week (1000'ish games/year)

[dnhoffman]

And you need to de-oil it!!

I read your earlier post and saw you said it was losing some movement, that's oil....

[Mudpuppy]

I am told the average ball lasts 160 games

[Zaxmazr]

If you de-oil, and touch up the surface every few weeks a ball should last 2-3 years bowling roughly 20 games/week (1000'ish games/year)

This. Although I think not many people know the most proper and effective ways to de-oil a ball.

[Mudpuppy]

This. Although I think not many people know the most proper and effective ways to de-oil a ball.

What's your way of de-oiling? I clean the ball with some de-oiler spray right after bowling. Seems to work pretty good. The pearl covers don't seem to soak up alot of oil anyways.

[MICHAEL]

What's your way of de-oiling? I clean the ball with some de-oiler spray right after bowling. Seems to work pretty good. The pearl covers don't seem to soak up alot of oil anyways.

I bowled with a guy yesterday that had a 15 year old ball! The alley pro was there, and officially dated it, can't remember the name it was so faded from ware,,, He bowled a low 600 series in league, ball still moved and hit hard? FIGURE!!! LOL

I do the same things most bowlers do wipe it off after each shot, but I must admit the Spinner I purchased is irreplaceable in regards to getting the oil off the ball, and resurfacing when needed! I will not be without that piece of equipment!!!

I put the ball on the spinner, and spray up and down the ball, while holding a cotton rag against the ball! It deep cleans in my opinion much better then trying to do it by hand. Plus you have the centrifugal force of the ball spinning pushing the oil toward the surface.

Polish with a spinner takes it to a NEW LEVEL,,, the speed, and heat generated, helps melt the polish into the ball in a way that cannot be duplicated by hand!

And you are right on,,, Matte balls, absorb MUCH MORE OIL then pearl polished ones!!!

[manke]

You can use a hair dryer and that will get some of the oil out if you dont want to spend the money.

[Mudpuppy]

I bowled with a guy yesterday that had a 15 year old ball! The alley pro was there, and officially dated it, can't remember the name it was so faded from ware,,, He bowled a low 600 series in league, ball still moved and hit hard? FIGURE!!! LOL

I do the same things most bowlers do wipe it off after each shot, but I must admit the Spinner I purchased is irreplaceable in regards to getting the oil off the ball, and resurfacing when needed! I will not be without that piece of equipment!!!

I put the ball on the spinner, and spray up and down the ball, while holding a cotton rag against the ball! It deep cleans in my opinion much better then trying to do it by hand. Plus you have the centrifugal force of the ball spinning pushing the oil toward the surface.

Polish with a spinner takes it to a NEW LEVEL,,, the speed, and heat generated, helps melt the polish into the ball in a way that cannot be duplicated by hand!

And you are right on,,, Matte balls, absorb MUCH MORE OIL then pearl polished ones!!!

Thanks for the info. Can you post a link to the spinner you use?

[MICHAEL]

Thanks for the info. Can you post a link to the spinner you use?

http://www.innovativeballspinner.com/ It comes with lots of goodies, and you can't beat the price! It has a 5 year warrenty, I am VERY HAPPY with mine!
It was recommended by others on this site. Bowlingboard.com has it, but cost more, and doesn't have all the free stuff!

I like to order through them when possible, due to the fact it supports this venue, might give them a call and see if they will match the price, and add the goodies! I purchased the 219.00 model, ( I believe that was the price)! Good luck, YOU CAN'T go wrong, and your balls will last MUCH<< MUCH longer using it! Well worth the small investment!

[Aslan]

I think one reason people go through so many balls is economy. I mean, what doea an average ball cost? $125? How much to drill it? $30? How much to resurface/dehydrate/oven? $40?

So a new ball you're in for roughly $155 drilled. Do I want to pay $155 for a new ball? Or do I want to pay $40 to resurface/oven then 5-6 weeks later pay another $40....then 5-6 weeks later another $40?? The new ball....it'll probably perform well for 3-6 months and then you can spend $80 to resurface/oven it a couple times to get it to last a year...OR....just spend $155 and you have a new ball.

And those are "averages". In my example...I can get the ball I want online for closer to $56.99-$79.99. It'll cost me another $30 for drilling/inserts. After 2-3 resurfaces, coulda bought another ball.

I like Iceman's idea...it's more than the cost of a new ball...but it'll pay for itself in a couple years if you can use it to avoid having to buy new balls. The only "issue" I see with it is...I think most people WANT to buy new balls. They WANT an aresenal of balls. So the idea....600 game or no...of using the same ball for 9 years probably sends shivers down the spine of most bowlers.

I'd love to use the same ball forever...so that ball spinner sounds cool. Package that with that home-made dehydrator I saw on the website...it could pay for itself after a few years. But the other part of me...WANTS to try different bowling balls....different grips, etc... And if you're gonna buy new balls...then why pay $200-$300 for equipment to revitalize old balls??

[dnhoffman]

Buy a spinner, learn to use it, make a dehydrator de-oiler and and you're done...

[MICHAEL]

I think one reason people go through so many balls is economy. I mean, what doea an average ball cost? $125? How much to drill it? $30? How much to resurface/dehydrate/oven? $40?

So a new ball you're in for roughly $155 drilled. Do I want to pay $155 for a new ball? Or do I want to pay $40 to resurface/oven then 5-6 weeks later pay another $40....then 5-6 weeks later another $40?? The new ball....it'll probably perform well for 3-6 months and then you can spend $80 to resurface/oven it a couple times to get it to last a year...OR....just spend $155 and you have a new ball.

And those are "averages". In my example...I can get the ball I want online for closer to $56.99-$79.99. It'll cost me another $30 for drilling/inserts. After 2-3 resurfaces, coulda bought another ball.

I like Iceman's idea...it's more than the cost of a new ball...but it'll pay for itself in a couple years if you can use it to avoid having to buy new balls. The only "issue" I see with it is...I think most people WANT to buy new balls. They WANT an aresenal of balls. So the idea....600 game or no...of using the same ball for 9 years probably sends shivers down the spine of most bowlers.

I'd love to use the same ball forever...so that ball spinner sounds cool. Package that with that home-made dehydrator I saw on the website...it could pay for itself after a few years. But the other part of me...WANTS to try different bowling balls....different grips, etc... And if you're gonna buy new balls...then why pay $200-$300 for equipment to revitalize old balls??

the spinner will pay for itself in less then a year!!! Hey I have 12 good balls,,, my wife has 4 that she takes to the lanes every league.
We use maybe 6 balls between us sometime on a give night, as the lanes change,,, that's 6 balls that cost around 200 dollars, (both of ours have the inserts, and Vise system interchangeable thumb inserts.

So when I deep clean them with the spinner, and polish them,, they look new and react like out of the box! Then add that I can customize the surface to adapt to certain oil patterns at various lanes, that's another added feature.

There is NO WAY TO CLEAN a ball as well or deeply as you can with pressure, and spray, ( I use the Simple Green/ alcohol combination), and a cotton cloth that I turn over several times while cleaning.

I stand by the statement that the best bowling item you can purchase besides your balls, shoes, and bag, it the SPINNER!!! Balls can last for a long time when you own a spinner!!!!

ITs fun experimenting with various grits..... believe me you can make a huge difference in your BALLS REACTION, by owing a spinner!!

In my case I would say it not only has paid for itself in less then a year, but make the experience of bowling, a lot MORE fun! Do a 180 grit,,, and bowl with it, then put a 4000 on that puppy and watch the difference..... love my Spinner!!!!!

[swingset]

It's important to realize that modern reactives and particle balls vary in construction and cover durability. Some balls will last 1,000 games. Others will be lucky to see 150, even with good care.

But, I'd say for the most part people get rid of or replace balls far sooner than they need to. That's fine with me, makes a great market for used balls and sells lots of new ones.

[JerseyJim]

There is no easy answer to this question. I have balls from the old Lanemaster company that have well over 600 games on them. Oil did not sink into the coverstock on these balls at the same rate as other companies. Hardly any oil came out of the pores when I soaked them. The reaction is pretty darn close to what it was when they were new. When I gave my Ebonite equipment a Dawn bath, quite a bit of oil came out of the pores. The Inferno series from Brunswick had some long lasting coverstocks.

Basically you want to clean your balls immediately after your set with a decent ball cleaner. I liked Valentino's Remedy RX for day to day cleaning, and the old Lanemasters ball cleaner for the tough cleaning.

[Mudpuppy]

I asked my bowling team mate from Tuesday to go spinner shopping with me last night. He agreed right away. Great I thought I can go and get one tonight to use for the rest of the season. What a nice guy. I said you know where to go to get a spinner? Oh yeah man I know just the place. Well turns out after all he misunderstood me - I realized that after the 6th beer at the adult entertainment club we ended up in. His definition of spinner and mine were a bit different. So now I am broke and will have to work some OT for the next 3 years to be able to afford a bowling ball spinner (key words - BOWLING BALL). But hey we had a good time anyways.

[dnhoffman]

Well played sir

[MICHAEL]

I asked my bowling team mate from Tuesday to go spinner shopping with me last night. He agreed right away. Great I thought I can go and get one tonight to use for the rest of the season. What a nice guy. I said you know where to go to get a spinner? Oh yeah man I know just the place. Well turns out after all he misunderstood me - I realized that after the 6th beer at the adult entertainment club we ended up in. His definition of spinner and mine were a bit different. So now I am broke and will have to work some OT for the next 3 years to be able to afford a bowling ball spinner (key words - BOWLING BALL). But hey we had a good time anyways.

LOL,,,, brings to mind this saying: Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these,,,,,,,,, what might have been!! LOL.... start saving that money,, everyone needs a spinner!!!

[Mudpuppy]

The world will now be a better place as we helped fund the college education of several scholars who are working their way through school at the bar.

[dnhoffman]

I had to quit donating to these educational funds when I got married.

[MICHAEL]

The world will now be a better place as we helped fund the college education of several scholars who are working their way through school at the bar.

Education, and Health care should be FREE! The costs of education is sky-rocketing!! Why,,,, BECAUSE THEY CAN, no other reason!!! Then the bankers make millions off the loans,,, its all so much BS that it makes ICEMAN want to melt.

I talked to a doctor the other that and his education bills were in the 6 digits!!! Loans would not be paid off for 20 years, (his estimates)!

My son has over 30,000 in student debit to pay back on a teachers salary! BANKERS,,,, and MONEY handlers own all our kids coming out of school!

I love this country, but GREED is becoming an epidemic, and guess who is suffering the most,,,, lower, middle, upper, middle Class! The RICH ARE DOING FINE!

Ask any of the crooks on Wall-Street, that didn't go to jail for robbing us of billions!!

This has to have bowling in it some where,,,, Ya,,, I bet non of them big shot bankers, or brokers even bowl!!!! All they care about is keeping you in debit, and making themselves filthy rich! Rich isn't good enough!

Iceman got to damn HOT that I had to drink half a gallon of H20,,,,, Now I need to go back to the Freezer and re-solidify!

[dnhoffman]

Ya man... We're just talking about strippers... Take the politics outside.

[Mudpuppy]

Ya man... We're just talking about strippers... Take the politics outside.

this made me lol, good point

[Zaxmazr]

Ya man... We're just talking about strippers... Take the politics outside.

How long before replacing your bowling ball -> Strippers. I like this logic.

[MICHAEL]

Ya man... We're just talking about strippers... Take the politics outside.

I am sorry,,,, wow I went completely out of control,,, but I did have some bowling mentioned in it!!!
Politics/Religion best way I know to upset people!!
I will never, on an ICE cycle, ever mention them again!!

So be it,,, Strippers, and Bowling!!!

I use strippers, on old furniture quit often, what brand do you use?? lol

[Aslan]

I use strippers, on old furniture quit often, what brand do you use?? lol

I don't usually notice the brand of furniture I'm using the strippers on. It's usually just a vinyl couch of some kind...probably with a thin layer of filth that is only detectable by black light.

[noeymc]

ive had my hammer taboo 3 years now i just give it a bath and resurface every once in a while

[Hammer]

:cool::cool:I think when you start seeing the core of your ball it is time to replace your ball. :)

[e-tank]

I think people just get new balls just to get a new one, not so much because the ball they already have has any problems which i confess i have that problem lol. Also maybe to get balls for certain conditions like how im in the market for a new strong solid to replace my deceased hell raiser revenge. I have a brunswick rhino pro steel from 1994 i believe that still works just fine or a dv8 too reckless from 2011 that is still an awesome ball. I really only stop using them if they crack(RIP HRR).