I'm thinking about choosing one brand of bowling balls and sticking with them. I'm leaning more towards Roto-Grip than Hammer. I really like my Black Widow Solid. That thing still hits like a truck after about 400+ games. But I like my Cell just as much and I think I can get a much better line-up of balls for my arsenal through Roto-Grip.

My arsenal if I go exclusively Roto-Grip might be something like the:
The Cell
The Epic Odyssey
The Pluto
The Mystic
The Venus

My arsenal if I went exclusively Hammer would be something like:
The BW Venom (when it comes out)
THE BW Solid
The BW Pearl
The Rayzr
The Raw Hammer Psycho

What do you guys think about the idea of choosing one brand of balls? As well as, the possible arsenals I have listed. Do you think it is a good idea to go exclusive and get one brand of balls?

My info: Stroker, low rev. rate, right handed, I use a five-step, and the the pin on my Cell and BW solid are 2-3 inches. I use a Columbia 300 Scout Reactive as my spare ball.

Also if it's affordable, I plan to get some of the same balls and have them drilled differently like skid/flip with longer pins. Things like that. Just to see the different ball reactions in relation to the lanes as well as the balls. Do you think that is a good idea as well?

BTM just came out with a review of the new Black Widow. it's actually the weakest of the series. Where you have it in the line up, it appears you think it is the strongest. Just a heads up.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll have to look into that. And that's the other thing that I like about Roto-Grip. Their balls seem to me, to do what the manufactures say they are supposed to do. Whereas, the Venom is supposed to be the newest and it sounds like from the advertising the strongest in the Widow Series yet, when probably it's just like the Bite, and both are in fact weaker than the solid Widow ball (this is just speculation, I haven't thrown the Venom yet).

The bite can handle more oil than the solid, which can handle more than the pearl. The venom was billed as going longer and then having a stronger breakpoint. It does the first well.

There are a lot of people on this board who will use many different companies. I like sticking with one brand. I want a ball that does X, I go research what Storm has and find the ball that fits my need. Plus, I think that you can find a brand and a price point and fill a few holes in your arsenal fairly easy.

Yeah that's what I'm finding with Roto-Grip. It's a lot easier to fill the holes in my arsenal or at least the one I would like to have if I go with Roto-Grip.

I have quite a few Roto-Grip balls, because they deliver as promised, they do what they are advertised to do. I still would like to add the Cell to my arsenal, along with the Neptune. But I like my Hammer BW Bite too.

I went from brunsiwck to Columbia to Hammer to Columbia and now mixed array of balls from different companies.

Only Hammer i had sucess with was BW Solid. Columbia it jsut fits my game and i get a reaction that i like from them. I did get my first Roto-Grip ball the Illusion so far have nothing negitive to say about the ball. Its hard goes long and has good backend.

I have owned Brunswick, Columbia, Ebonite, Hammer, Storm, MoRich, but my last 3 have been Lane Masters. I am happy now.

Im teempted to try lane Master more than ever and that stimulus check i got might push me to go to Pro Shop and browse. I did see Terminator for about $180 out the door with drilling.

I was thinking of trying Lane Masters too, but I like Roto-Grip because it sounds and looks like all of their balls deliver. Also I think Lane Masters would be a little too strong to use in any of the houses here in San Diego. I think I'll keep my BW solid because after 400-some games it still works like it did when I got it out of the box. Also a lot of the Roto-Grip balls look like they are cheaper, at least on the internet, i.e. my Cell cost me 104 dollars on the internet.

Brandon, I can't recommend the Terminator too much. I have recommended it to quite a few friends, and all are happy. You can cut through oil, or tame it for medium. It's my first out tournament ball, and my reliable house league ball. When I have carrydown trouble with another ball, the Terminator goes right through it.

I can play outside, have success on the outside, and a variety of shots. It was the best ball I had at Nationals.

Doesn't hold oil, cleans easily. I have used a couple of different finishes for different lane conditions. Hits hard, and splashes light.

Best ball in my bag. And, I have quite a few.

You can't really go wrong with Lane Masters. I want to say the same about Visionary but I haven't thrown a bowl from them yet and I'm dying to. If you have moderately drier lanes than what you would consider medium oil, something like a Hornet or a Sure Strike would probably be awesome for you.

As far as Lane Masters go, I'm going off what I've heard. I've never used any of the balls so I wouldn't know what to expect from them. Yeah I like both of those balls as well as the Counter Strike and the Sting. Good suggestion, maybe I'll go with them instead. How are their ball prices? I think I'm torn between Lane Masters and Roto-Grip now. What do you guys think?

Demo, Lane Masters balls typically will have a higher RG and a lower diff. They will not flare as much as some. So, if that fits your game, go for it. Price wise, they may be a buck or two higher than average, but they hold their price longer, as they last longer. I have paid more for other balls from MoRich and Storm. But, when you drill it and find how thick their coverstock is, it sort of justifies the price.

You just don't find these balls discounted on the internet. My Pro Shop has the Terminator selling for the same price as I paid 2 years ago. And, they are still selling a fair amount of them. Leagues at the same house will find more Terminators than any other ball on the rack.

im in the same pickel. leaning toward Track but i love my twisted but they seem to have the balls im looking for. so i agree with ya on trying to find something to stay with. i want to try everything though. but i want to try Roto-Grip and lane #1 next but i think i'm just going to go with Track. its just hard to decide

180fury, you will hear all sorts of recommendations here. The key is to match the ball, its intended reaction, the coverstock to your style. Settle on that, and the decision narrows.

I know I cannot use a Storm ball as I don't have the revs they require. I know I will not go back to a dull finish as they require a lot of maintenance and I see them die through the night as they absorb oil. I know I want a harder coverstock, and they last longer. I have learned what drill patterns work for me and how to use them. I look for a specific internal weight shape as it works with my release.

This was through lessons and practice, trial and error, and 11 balls in 3 years. It takes time. A ball decision should be personalized as your style is particular to you. We are not all cut out from the same cookie cutter.

Learn who you are, and the decision is easier.

I think the Counter Strike is $220 or something because after tax I almost paid $240 for mine. The Sting is probably in the same range, but I can't imagine the Sure strike or Hornet being as expensive since they're lower-performance balls, although they are definitely worth it like Dennis said.

Dennis, I was wondering since the Strike line and XS Power line use filler in those(of the few in the LM line) balls, do they require as much maintenence as any other ball like Storm's? I hear the 2-piece balls are more durable so they don't need as much attention for some reason. If you know anything about this that'd be great.

I have a BigRBang, which has a filler. And, the answer is no. I use cleaner every use, and that's it. The coverstock is still hard although not throughout the whole ball. It is probably no more then 3/4" thick.

Pricing is up to the individual Pro Shop. I get a discount at mine, mostly because of all the extra customers I have brought in. I paid $189 for the Terminator, $179 for the World Class, $179 for the Conqueror, and $149 for the BigRBang. A couple of friends just bought L/M balls and paid $198 for the Terminator, and $179 for the Sting. These prices are drilled, with grips.

The middle L/M balls no longer come with the ball tote, cleaner, polish or scuff pads. The Terminator still does.

Lane Masters is another company that intrigues me. I have heard that the coverstocks on thier balls are thicker and they use higher quality resins. They don't soak up as much oil, and because of that they last longer. Specifically the Buzz, and the Sting have caught my eye. They cost a little more though. But you get what you pay for,..and if they last longer and don't die off as fast I don't mind shelling out a few more bucks.

I may get one before the new season starts. I wanted a Cell, but I noticed just yesterday that my Roto-Grip Saturn has several hairline cracks in the coverstock. They spread out like a bolt of lightning..kinda going every which way. I never seen a ball crack like that.

So far, I've heard that Lane Masters would be a good choice but what about Roto-Grip? Does anyone have anything to say about Roto-Grip or the balls that I have selected? I really don't have the Lane Masters line-up yet so I'll have to do some research and construct an arsenal.

As far as the price thing, that is one of the things that I like about Roto-Grip. The prices are lower, but the balls deliver. So I still don't know. I'm leaning more towards Roto-Grip still.

If the ball does what it is then I can work with it, plus the Roto-Grip balls are cheaper so I think I'll go with them. (I really need to do some research on Lane Masters before I decide).

Yeah, look into the them for sure. It may take you longer to build an arsenal from them for money reasons, but they're worth it. In my opinion, you'd have a solid arsenal if you bought the Sting, Buzz, and Hornet. Same thing if you bought the World Class series. But there's other balls in their line worth checking out as well, for sure.

I can't say anything about Roto-Grip because I've never thrown a ball by them, but I've never heard anything bad about them either. They definitely come out with a different world of balls as far as I'm concerned.

Alright I have an updated arsenal listing. I was looking at Lane Master, and I like their ball selection. It is very versitile like Roto-Grip. But the cool thing is that a lot of the Lane Masters balls are either Pearl or Particle balls.

Roto-Grip
Cell- Solid Reactive, Heavy
Odessey- Solid Reactive, Heavy-Med
Pluto- Solid Reactive, Med-Dry
Mystic- Pearl Particle, Heavy-Med
Venus- Pearl Particle, Med-Dry
Spare Tire- Spare ball

Lane Masters
The Sting- Solid Particle, Heavy-Med
The Hornet- Pearl Reactive, Med.-Dry
Terminator- Solid Particle, Heavy-Med
Sure Strike- Pearl Reactive, Med.
Counter Strike- Pearl Particle, Heavy-Med
Kingpin- Spare ball (Polyester pearl, no kidding that is what it said on the Lane Masters website)

So what do you guys think now. I'm kind of torn between the The Sting and the Terminator. I really only need one ball that is a solid particle ball for heavier volumes of oil. (I'm leaning towards the Terminator though.) Any help would be great. It has been tough trying to decide.

On a side note, the Lane Masters balls I have been able to find at lower prices than I thought I would so that seems to be okay, but I still like how I can get two Roto-Grip balls for the price of one Lane Masters ball, but I gues you're paying for quality.

The Terminator seems to be the safer bet over the Sting. It's got a more even movement too and it doesn't seem like you have another ball in that line-up like that. For the sake of versatility I'd probably use the Black Pearl or Terminator Rebellion instead of the Counter Strike here. I think either of those will work better and then some for your intentions, assuming you mean the heavier side of medium by "Heavy-Med."

The Terminator over the Sting is what I was sort of thinking. I wanted a few opinions because I haven't thrown any of their bowling ball.

Amatuer, are you suggesting that the Counter Strike is too strong for medium lanes and that's why I should choose one of the other two balls? I like the Counter Strike because it's a Pearl Particle, but I would like to have the most versitile arsenal I can. Which of those two would be a good fit. I like or am rather leanig towards the Terminator Rebellion.

If you really want the most versatile arsenal, I would personally say don't close your mind to any company. At first I wanted to specialize in one particular company, but I'm glad I don't. I keep my eye open for balls that are popular and do well from any company. I'll admit currently I do have more Storm than anything else right now, but that's because they released balls that fit where I wanted them to in my arsenal. My next set of balls is going to be from mostly Ebonite and Hammer. It's all about deciding what you want a ball to do for what condition, and finding which ball was reputably successful at doing so.

I'm actually suggesting it won't be strong enough for the slightly heavier volumes, which is what I thought you meant by Heavy-Med. But I guess that will depend on your layout. Just drill the Counter Strike quite bit stronger than the Sure Strike so that way you can use it on Medium-Heavy and Medium successfully. Then you can use either of them on Medium, which is great because one may carry better than the other.

I just don't know if you'd have too big of a gap between the Terminator and Counter Strike(which is why I suggested the other two balls). But it's definitely a good line-up to start with. Personally, in fear of that, if you didn't want to add any balls to that, I'd swap the SS for the TR or BP, and then probably swap the CS for the Big-R-Bang or Buzz.

Thanks for the Lane Masters help. I thought about what you said and how about this adjustment. Same Roto-Grip Arsenal, but for Lane Masters how about: The Terminator, The Hornet, The Terminator Rebellion, The Buzz, The Kingpin. Any other suggestions would be helpful.

If it was me that's close to what I'd do for 4 reactive and one spare ball. You don't have any big gaps in there in my opinion, pretty solid.

In the new line-up or the old one? And where are the gaps that you see?

Versitility is the point of going with one company Satyuros. That way when I need a ball to do something that all of may current balls can't then I have guidelines that I can choose from. I'd rather get balls from one company that way I now what to expect when I need to a particular ball to do something or I need to attack a lane condition. I think it would be easier to have 4 or 5 balls and change how they're thrown or their surface instead of have 15 balls from different companys to be good on any condition. Less is more in this sport anyways.

The new line-up is solid. There might be very tiny gaps between the Buzz and the Terminator Rebellion as well as between the Hornet and the Buzz. Nothing major though. Depending on how that Buzz is drilled, I think one of those gaps can disappear. For example, get it drilled a little strong so you can get away with it on a little heavier than medium and the gap between it and the TR won't really exist. And then you can still use it on light-medium conditions until the Hornet becomes the optimal ball of choice.

In other words, you shouldn't need another ball to fill those gaps. Just make sure the layouts give you the strength you want out of them. If you have less revs than most take that into consideration.

the guy at the Pro Shop where i go said that he would throw anything that Roto-Grip sold if they carried it. and he's die hard Hammer. he's switching to Roto-Grip when they get another new supplier at the beginning of the new season. myself i want to try them. and i agree with ya denis. just got to find what ya looking for.

I think it all depends on what company you go with sometimes its trial and error. Bowling balls are like like shoes kinda of some people feel more comfortable with other companies shoes than others.

I tried Brunswick and Storm before but i jsut didnt like the reaction i got out of them, probally very good balls still but just didnt fit my game. Columbia i seem to get best reaction for me and i just seems to fit my game. Though still not stoping me to try other ball companies to see what they have to offer.

I think I agree with Brandon there. For me, Ebonite seems to be a no-no. Although they make some good equipment and some of their balls might be an exception to this, they just don't roll very well for me, or hit they should. I have yet to throw Storm, MoRich, and Visionary, but it seems Lane Masters, Brunswick, and Columbia do fine for me. I don't intend to throw any balls from anyone but those 6.

I have to say though, that it's probably easier to build an arsenal from one company for a few reasons. You don't have to look at so many balls that way. It's unlikely that you'd be unable to have a ball for most conditions from one company. Also, I think building from one company almost eliminates the possibility of duplicating a ball reaction if you aren't sure about which ball to choose.

How is going to one company being versatile...? That's like saying "Well I'll just throw MoRich" even though nearly their entire line up is high end reactive bowling equipment. Not every company has every type of bowling ball in their equipment lineup. Ebonite has a lot of pearl now. You don't see many of them that are particle or solid. What if you want a pearl ball? Columbia and Brunswick don't offer a lot of pearl in their lineup, and what they do, it's fairly low end. Yes, for the most part, sticking to a single company would probably work. With so many different ways to layout bowling balls and alter surface, you can practically make anything work. But that's wherein the disadvantage would lie; why try and force something along to make it work when you can just simply choose something else that's built for it? That's like trying to scuff up a high end pearl ball that's drilled to go long and skid-snap when bowling on a flood. You wouldn't do that. And keep in mind, none of us are pro; or at least by saying that, none of us our likely sponsered. We don't get bowling balls handed to us for free, where we could drill up 6 of the same ball 6 different ways and if you still didn't like them, it wouldn't make a difference. We have to pay for every ball we purchase, so why not make each purchase a smart one and aim for exactly what you want?

Satyuros, not everyone will have 13 balls at their disposal. Most will carry a couple to four. And, as I said earlier, you have to look for what you want a ball to do, how it reacts, and how it matches your game. That narrows it down quite a bit.

Although I have a pearlized ball, it will be a long time until I purchase another one. It just doesn't fit me, and until I can learn other lines, and bowl on weaker shots, I can't use it.

Reactive balls seem to fit me better, and you are right, there are many ways to drill them and adjust the surfaces. Most bowlers aren't going to do that. They want the reliable set of balls to match their game and help them improve.

It's like the comfortable pair of slippers. The balls just have to fit.

If you know your game, the choices are really very few. The problem is getting to that knowledge and comfort level.

Amateur,
Thanks for all the help with the Lane Masters balls. I did notice some tiny gaps in it but I'll have to deal with them when the time comes. And thanks for the tip about drilling the Buzz stronger. If I go with the Lane Masters arsenal I have posted then I'll definately keep that in mind.

Dennis,
Thanks for the Lane Masters link that helped out a lot. I really like their presentation of their bowling balls. It's the best so far. And I did see your name flash up with the 300 game so congrats.

Satyuros
First, pretaining to your point about how every company doesn't carry every type of ball. This is true. But to be a better bowler, wouldn't be easier to adjust to a line of balls that a company makes in order to fit those balls. By knowing what to expect from a company's line of balls it enhances your game. Because now you actually have to think about what you're doing, why you're getting that ball, how you are going to throw it, what line to use, what conditions to look out for and what conditions it excels on. Instead of having 11 balls for different comapny's to use, why not have 3 from the same company that fit your game, and you know will all deliver instead of the old guessing and checking.

And although your "forcing" example could happen. In the realm of reality, it is very unlikely.

As for purchasing a balls, why go with the multi-company route. There's so much reasearch involved and then places like this get repeated threads about "What ball should I get?" Pluss you get blasted with all the marketing about the newest balls and you should get them becuase they are the newest and the best on the market. Why do that when there are perfectly good older balls that work just as well i.e. the Ebonite Turbo X.

Why not go the one company route? That way it narrows the choices and allows you to find an exact fit for what you are looking for, very little reasearch and you have the price. Have you looked at any of the prices for the Roto-Grip balls that I chose. The most expensive was the Cell at 104 dollars. All the others are considerably cheaper and will probably deliver just like the Cell does.

Besides isn't a smart buy when you purchase a ball from a company that you are bowling exclusively from and know what to expect because you know how those balls work (granted there may be variations between the converstocks but you still know what to expect i.e. Lane Masters balls have thicker coverstocks and are a bit stronger than other bowling balls). And it fits your game becasue you know all of the things to expect from that brand of ball.

Essentially, you aren't forcing the ball to change at all. You are forcing yourself to be a better bowler. I'd rather be a versatile bowler with 3 balls than a versatile bowling ball buyer with 11 balls.

I am a strong advocate of letting the ball do all the work (you can ask a few of the guys on here, they know). But when you really need so many balls to make your game work, what's that say about your ability. So you have the money to go out buy a new ball and get it drilled to match the conditions you're bowling on. I've seen those types of bowlers fail time and again. As a matter of fact, I had two on my state team, and I still beat them with my BW solid (in all three categories), and they had 6-7 balls to work with and couldn't get anything going.

Besides those small gaps in the arsenal are for learning experiences so that you can be versatile, hence perform better.

Anyways, now that I've written a book, let's get back to the topic at hand. I need opinions and experiences with either Roto-Grip balls or Lane Masters balls. And advice on how to have the most versatile arsenal with either of those company's. If everyone thinks that both are sound arsenals then all that's left is for me to choose and slowly start syphening out the balls that I have with new ones and going from there.

I would say before you decide on doing a Lane Masters only arsenal, try one or two of their balls out. I've heard of several bowlers who used many of their balls and it just didn't match up with their game.

As for going with just one company, I would say try several different companies before settling on just one. I started out using only Brunswick, and they worked well for me, but decided to try different companies and am glad I did. I found some really great equipment from some of them.

Also going with the one company route, you won't necessarily know what to expect from a ball compared to others in your line up until you get it drilled and throw it. What the company says it is suppose to do and what it does for you are two very different things. Some people can't used pearls, or polished solids, many can't use particles, some rarely need dull equipment no matter what conditions they face.