You will get a blood blister on the tip of your thumb or a slight hang when the ball comes off your thumb, but unless your ball is drilled to fit your hand properly you will never know what that feels like.

You went from 14# to 16#? That seems a big jump to me, but what do I know?

Hey, maybe you wanna give the Velcro a try just for laffs. I have a feeling that it's going to make a positive impact on my game once I get used to it. Just be careful the first couple of times you throw the ball after fitting the Velcro pad (ref. my earlier post). Actually, standing at the foul line and just rolling the ball down the lane a few times would probably be a better way to get accustomed to it.

Here's a picture showing the Velcro pad in place.

With the current fit the ball doesn't even feel as heavy as the ill fitted 14 lb balls. It feels lighter with my hand in the ball than when just holding it. I have some finger tape that I might try on the back of my thumb, maybe give me a little more snugness added to the couple pieces of white tape on the front side.

The Velcro looks similar to the Ron C's Magic Carpet. It might be something I give a try .