I jumped from poor fitting 14 lbs to properly fitted 16 lb balls at the beginning of the summer and didn't notice a difference, well other than how hard the ball was hitting, and one of the 16s is older than all of my 14s. Now I have touched my equipment other than to move it around since about the second week of June.

very very small rocks yeah i can see how a 15lb could feel that way. i used a house ball today and it was a 14lb. and it felt pebbly. ( didn't have my stuff and people wanted to bowl )

I can throw my 16# balls fine, but it kind of feels like they should be my warm-up shots instead of the actual equipment I use during league play. Kind of like a baseball player that warms up in the on deck circle by swinging with three bats instead of just one. I just felt like I couldn't get it to work with my 16# equipment but my 15# ball seemed and probably looked like taking a warm knife throgh butter.

I didn't experience any of the finger or wrist pain when I threw my 15# ball. It just seems easier to throw that ball. I mean for every ball that I threw I wish I had the Easy button because I could've used it every time I threw the ball. I don't know if it's because of the weight on the drilling in the ball. It has the standard fingertip grip like I said, instead of the Vacu-grips. And now that I think about it, my span might be off with the other two balls because the finger holes expand forward and out.

I don't know. I guess I'll have to check my Cell and BW spans against my Scout Reactive when next I venture into the Pro Shop.

Now don't get me wrong, I had plenty of success with my 16# equipment on Friday. And I think it is important to be able to throw 15 and 16# balls, but I just noticed that it was a little easier to throw the 15# ball is all. At least with a freer swing, cupped wrist, 10 o'clock axis and all that good stuff.

Like I said I'll try to have some videos up sometime in the middle of the week.

Uhm.. why would you think it's important to be able to throw different weight equipment???

Because there are times when 15 pound equipment would be better suited for the condition or the amount of games that you have to bowl. 16 pound equipment can be used the same way to help you on whatever condition you are on. The two different weights of bowling ball both yield different results. I'm merely commenting on how it would be beneficial to know how to throw both 15 and 16 and even 14 pound bowling balls because that in it of itself would add another degree of versatility to your game.

However, what I don't think is alright is throwing to different weights on every other shot. That spells disaster, unless you're really really careful (and most of the time I am). What I'm talking about is using either all 15 pound equipment or all 16 pound equipment, essentially two arsenals of different weight, would be the best outcome. And if not that, then an arsenal containing different weights requires the bowler to be comfortable throwing different weights and for them to be aware of the difference of the weight and the effect it will have on their swing.

Demo, the only time it helps a person to throw a 16lb ball over a 15lb ball is when weaker equipment must be used like in the pba plastic ball challenge, or for some of the pros switching to weaker equipment for the house shot pattern, otherwise there is no advantage in throwing a 16 over a 15lb ball, another exception is bowlers with very low rev rates or high speed to revrate ratio.

Can't you just use a ball with a different RG to achieve the same results? If you need 15lb-type reaction out of a 16lb ball, go with the lowest RG you can. Or, if you need 16lb reaction out of a 15lb ball, go with the highest RG ball you can.

Maybe I'm just out of touch, but I've never heard of a pro or a top amateur who switches ball weights. If it was a worth while thing to do, I think they'd be doing it.

cg, ball weight has to do with momentum, not rg. A ball with a higher momentum (more weight + speed) will hit the pins harder than a 15lb ball with the same speed. That being said it is possible to hit the pins so hard that the ball doesn't deflect enough to take out the 9 pin, this is why so many people have switched to 15lb and 14lb equipment with modern gear because they hit way harder than old school three piece pancake weight block balls.

Yes, but Coach, a ball with a higher RG will have a higher inertia at the pin deck. I don't know the exact formulas (MKirchie?), but I imagine that a 16lb ball with a minimal RG (2.46) would have close to the amount of inertia at the pins as a 15lb ball with a maximal (2.6+) RG.