@@TheHouseBowling - Do grips actually make a difference: conventional vs oval side vs lip side - How two hander and high rev players can/should attack sport patterns (ie Dead Mans Curve, Sunset Strip, Route 66, Middle Road, etc) (that could be an entire series) - How to strengthen the mental side of bowling for when things go well and not well
Boy, you guys really flirt with the Foulline. Lol Seriously though, good video for people starting to bowl and have a reliable ball for years to come. I have a Hammer Nova Pearl that is my go to ball when nothing else is working. I got the Nova from Ex-pro Carol Norman, who I've known since preteen/teen years in the 70s. Yes, the Nova is Purple! Have either of you used a Nova?
I'm a firm believer of entry level balls. I drilled up a 900 Global Boost. Shot 300 with it off the press for my 1st honor. A month later, shot my 2nd one in a whole different house! From that day on, I have an entry level ball in my bag! It's a piece that a lot of bowlers I know don't carry around just bc they don't believe. This is a great video to shed light on the entry level equipment!
Agree 1000% with this video. All the high performance balls and most hooking end up hitting the pocket like a dud and leaving flat 10s all night. I usually get mid to low tier balls. Even in my last scratch tournament I used a Hyroad Pearl and still hooked across the lane on a 40 ft pattern. Legendary 'cheap' balls are original Messenger TI and SuperBeast.
It's the same way for me too......I remember buying a Virtual Gravity Nano on day 1, supposed to be a powerhouse of a ball, but when I threw it, would just rev up and spin and spin and skid all the way down the lane. Tried sanding it down further, even had it redrilled pin down, I tried every possible angle and line, tried slowing it down, tried on oily , dry, etc. and nothing. Ended it up trading it to another bowler for a Victory Road and that ball was such a beast!! I used to really love the Tropical line of Storm balls. Lower end reactive balls but in my eyes, massively underrated. As long as I didn't use them in super flooded patterns I was good. Had 2 Hyroads, one pin up, the other pin down, and used these for heavier patterns with pretty decent success. Never had any luck with the higher end Storm stuff although I did have a Hyper Cell Fused that hooked it's ass off.
Now I'm a firm believer in the Rotogrip Hustle series. Cheaper, lower end balls but some of the best bang for your buck. That Hustle Ink is money, one of the smoothest bowling balls I've ever rolled. Reminds me so much of the original IQ Tour solid
@@crimsontide1980 agree 100%. I took my new Tropical Surge out on practice one time a few weeks ago and was blown away at how much it snaps. I don't use it in league yet because I just have 4 other balls that give me better scores IMO. I think it's because high end balls are aimed at those bowling on super heavy oil patterns or don't have a lot of revs built in their release yet. Right now I use a polished (I literally put it on spinner every week) HyRoad Pearl as my main ball for league and tournaments. I have a Phaze 3 but it just hooks too much for what I want. For practice, it looks cool and flashy. But when it comes to bowling for score, I want something that doesn't do the skid/flip thing, and when it hits the pocket, it strikes.
@@crimsontide1980 I'm thinking about getting the Camo. But yeah when it comes to bowling for score or money, I want a ball that gives me the largest miss margin, not the one that hooks all over the place and jumps off the dry and leaves me with splits 1-2 times a game.
Its nice to know that the Pros use these balls too! These bowling balls used might be on a lower price point for some but they may also so be the top balls in someones bag on a budget. Great video gentlemen!! keep them coming!
Hupe release is still sick. His fingers is like at 7 o clock at the bottom and he is real smooth. Packy, Kevin and Mitch is the last guys in brands of Brunswick
With around 15 games on my purple rhino on only house shot, my average went from around 120 to around 170! Just started taking bowling semi-serious in december
I have had my Rhino for 4 years and started bowling on a sports league. We have been using Johnny Petraglia 37' and for the last 2 months and my average is a dismal 133. I thought that if I get a super expensive ball like the Power Torque or the Hammer Infamous that I could kill it on the lanes. However, a pro shop owner informed me that if I can't control and master the Rhino and work on my technique that a newer more expensive ball will be a waste of money. I really do not want to believe him but after watching this video, I think he is right. Thanks for posting this one. Power to the cheap balls!
the house shot in my league this year has been absolutely brutal for everyone’s averaging much lower than they normally do. had to straighten my angels a lot to avoid splits and i got a raw hammer to have something more smooth and predictable that won’t get me in trouble when the wet dry gets really bad. and it’s been a life saver for me my scores have gone up a lot. great ball for when a house shot gets really weird and hard. i won’t go to any house shot tournament without that and even if it’s not tough it’s great on house shots with a lot of friction and goes threw the pins great. highly recommend having a ball like this in your bag.
Just bought my first ball and went with a Hammer Raw. Was guided in that direction by the owner of the pro shop without me personally knowing much about balls. After watching a bunch of reviews it seems like the pro shop owner did right by me. Pretty excited to go pick it up tomorrow night.
My highest game of 245 was with my Tropical Breeze by Storm. I still use this ball when our house lanes are dry. Now I have 9 balls, mostly new like Trend, Motiv Venom and Columbia Command. Do I bowl better? Nah, but have to use them in tournaments. My Tropical Breeze makes an appearance every now and then. Also, I gifted my son in law with the Hustle Camo. His weekly league games have shot up to include two 200 games. He loves that ball.
I feel like my thumb never comes out the hole before the other 2 fingers, I see on the raw your thumb hole was super big with no plug. Does that make it easier to release?
Spot on video. Prices doesn’t always matter. Over the years I’ve spend some money on balls and the only 300 game/700 series I have was thrown with a Brunswick Slingshot.
I used the original Columbia 300 Beast, and it’s later pearlized variant. I loved those balls, and for exactly the reasons you described. They gave me the ability to play the lane straighter, and stay outside longer, than most other balls.
Storm AllRoad is 99 bucks now which is crazy. I got mine when it came out and I love it. Storm discontinued it as soon as the Max was coming out but new ones are still available online for over 50 bucks less than most others
I'm actually getting TOO MUCH hook from my Rhino for what I bought it for. In case you might see this, I'd love some advice. I'll also be at the PBA tour stop in Springfield next week! 😁 But - I bought a Rhino, a 900Global Burner Pearl, and a Black Widow Ghost Pearl, all at the same time, right after shooting my first 300 with a Brunswick Slingshot, down and in, up the 7 board. I purchased the Rhino to do this more efficiently, but it just has too much power. The coverstock really grabs! I should have gotten a Twist, I suppose, but how can I tame this coverstock? I've tried 4000+polish and that was good for about 3 games, but made it too weak to use as a spareball. I tried 4000 sanded, and that's just too strong and grippy and doesn't take away anything from the backend. Any advice? How do you like to keep yours, for that straight down and in look?
Funny you mention the Rhino, that was my first hook ball I got to learn how to hook. Got it last year around August time and I just upgraded to a Zen last month. One month with the Zen and I bowled my career high, 264 just last week. I just ordered a White Dot for a spare ball since I can't really use my Rhino anymore because I changed my approach so much.
the rack attack line from radical is always my go to balls on low end volumes,, also the Hustle wine is also good, also a brunswick twist for really low,, i dont like urethane and havent used any since the 80s with the Rhino line
Just stumbled across this video today. Could be video camera perspective, but it may be a good thing the foul lights were not on. It looks as though Packy was well over the foul line for a few shots starting with shot #3. LOL- but good content nonetheless!
Great Video, Like how you showed all the shots even the ones that didn't strike. Like Mitch's release, super smooth and Packy throws that ball well also. Bust of luck on tour.
Thanks for the vids I love them, I average a 187 but I have problems sliding and tend to plant my foot down like a “ heel plant” so what should I do to slide better ?
The Rhino hooks just fine. It might not have extreme hook, but it has nice back end motion. I just got one a week ago. I’m still learning to throw it, but my first game with was 203. No issue with this ball.
You should try the roto grip hustle wine if you haven't already I feel it's a very under rated ball I shot 300 with it out the box lol its a monster pin up and pin down for a cheap ball
@@TheHouseBowling thank you! What would you guys recommend for first time league player/weekend bowling for like cosmic for oil pattern? I’m going to throw a 13 and I’m 28 year old like 180lbs.
There is something slightly hilarious about saying “these are the weakest balls on the market, they let me play straight” and then the first shot is high ring 9 pin 😂 In all seriousness, great video as usual!!
I bought my Brunswick Twist last year cause my local center had a flat long low volume pattern caused by a Broken Qubicaamf EZ Touch Oil Machine and I didn’t use it much when COVID hit and shuts the Bowling Center down until now that it wasn’t reopen yet, at the same time that they’re getting a new Summit Oil Machine which it probably arrived by now.
@I am a special Olympics type bowler and 94 is my highest score I was recently able to get and haven't gotten a strike yet so I was wondering if this Brunswick Twist would be able to help me with my bowling scores get me some strikes. I would really appreciate your input and any advice you could give and Thank You.
Great info, thanks guys. Mitch made the Raw look great. I've got to get an entry level ball. Not sure which Brunswick product. I've got a 900 Global afterburner, but I usually throw Brunswick family. Perhaps a Rhino!
What’s up guys, I’ve got a question. I’m just getting into bowling, I’ve got some hand me down balls that hook a lot. I don’t bowl very fast or put much revs on my ball. Would the rhino be a better fit?
How you get your wrist angled at the bottom of your swing blows my mind. Somehow you get your fingers pointing in the direction of your leg. I'm going to try that rather than what I'm doing to get on the inside of the ball. What I'm doing is keeping my wrist locked straight, get under the ball, then rotate my entire arm slightly clockwise to get on the "inside".
Keep your hand behind the ball as long as you can, the palm and wrist should point down your target line, then just give a twist with your wrist and fingers at the last moment, make sure you feel the weight of the ball on your fingers.
Good video. Too many bowlers use overly strong balls on house shots; after all who doesn't love a gutter shot that comes back? Lol! I love my Rhino solid for the transition in league. 👏👏👏
I'm probably going to add a Raw to my arsenal next week. I had a lower end ball for dry nights, but it's got some stress "cracks" starting around the fingers. My local center just did some work on my other balls and said they'd work me a deal on a Raw to replace the old ball.
I don't have any of the entry level balls right now, but my go-to ball when nothing works is the Brunswick Teal Rhino Pro from the 90's straight down the outside. We do have two Raw Hammers coming though. My son loves the way they look.
I actually went bowling yesterday, trying to work on different angles to see what works best for me. Sadly, I think the oil pattern on lanes at my center were cliffed, because I couldn't really get the ball to go very straight down the one side of the lane. Probly because of all the league bowling that happened the day before (Wednesday evening leagues). But once I found a good spot I did okay. Topped out at 177 on my third game. It was pretty much a practice session that started out lousy but got better lol
I think it is good to have an entry levey. Especially for open bowling when the lanes are drier. I want to have a power bench ball, which I just got the Knockout Out Black and Blue. I want to get some sort of hybrid, probably from DV8. Then, I want to get some sort of low performance pearl. Then, when I go practice 3 games, I use each ball for a game. It should help me to play different angles and use different releases. Earl Anthony. Hopefully you guys know who he is? Suggested this for practice.
It's annoying when I hear people say that a newly released ball is the "best ball" and completely neglect the older bowling balls as if it's not good anymore. Ya know? Lol. Good video though!
A lot of the new balls are good because they work for the oils of today, that doesn't mean ball sa year or more old like Packy's Rhino and Mitch's Beast aren't very much needed! You make a great point!
My son is just starting bowling and is bowling two handed. He’s thrown my Astro Physix but it is just too much ball for his rev rate. Any advise on a good starter ball for him. He’s got potential and has thrown a 230 game. I’m really excited to get him his first custom ball
I don't understand why more pros don't use entry level balls like the Hustle, electrify, beast, messenger, thrill, raw, and other entry level balls like that. The first time I ever saw somebody use a hustle on TV was Kris Prather when he was participating in the PBA King of the lanes.
Because sport patterns have much heavier volumes and the pattern on TV doesn't go through a full block of transition, so there's rarely a need for entry level stuff once it gets to the telecast. You'd see it all the time if they bowled in wood centres though.
It's actually because pba tends to use TONS of oil. Even then, sometimes they go to those weaker balls. O'Graddy won a TOC using an INK. Bill O'Neil almost crushed the 2013 wolf using a vibe. EJ almost won a TOC a few years ago using the Hydra and the Venom Shock Pearl and the one he actually won, he used an arsenal of Octane Carbons for the whole tournament. Hustle PBR has been in play quite a lot recently too. Edit: Not to mention Sean Rash's recent love (and title) with the After Burner.
@@ArsenalBowler That's so true honestly, I am one of those people that believe that straighter is greater, and when I see the pattern where it's dry on the outside I'm like just throw a really weak ball up the dry and it'll work almost every time. I just like to see some weak equipment get some love on the PBA tour every once and awhile. But yeah it's rare because like you've mentioned the patterns are usually long or heavy.
Packy, the pants thing😆 Did you possibly see that from Belmo or did he get it from you! The first time I saw that was Belmo from a clip either from Masters or US Open when he pulled up his pants and stomp-kicked the lane. Hilarious! (Probably not to him though). Another great vid from The House!
Great video! Hope to pickup that Raw Hammer solid. I am looking forward to hopefully seeing you guys show us the Radical Spy. That’s an interesting piece!
Last night I just ordered the raw purple pink silver pearl as a step down to my Badass juiced solid that I am currently using. Then I also ordered a hammer Infamous for a step above when the lanes are a little wetter. Cant wait t get them in and get them drilled and see what I can do with them.
I have three Roto Grip hustle bowling balls! I have 2 hustle inks and I have a hustle PBR. And at $90 each it's a really good deal and a lot of ball for the money actually
I have the hustle ink and a black rhino. They are very close in overall hook. The hustle is a bit smoother off the spot, but it's more consistent when transition is happening. The rhino booms off the dry for me but is very susceptible to seeing the carry-down and skidding into a 2-10 or something. The hustle is by far the better choice for most patters. There is a place for the rhino. On a moderate volume where carry-down isn't a big concern, you can swing it like mitch was saying about the beast. I never really get a chance to throw the rhino in competition cuz something else always looks better. My hustle gets a lot of use on multiple patterns. Hustle is the better ball by far, the ink should have never been discontinued!
Great video! Sadly the average league bowler tends to buy into the hype of the latest super strong hook monster and when they get it they are very disappointed because it is way too strong for House shots and just dies out and hits like a pillow. These entry level balls are the true beasts for House shots.
I have a rhino and a black widow 2.0. Just got the BW. So still learning the what the ball likes but when things aren't going my way I pull out the trusty rhino.
I have the black and blue rhino. I cant seem to get it to strike because of how aggressive its drilled and no matter where I throw it, it always goes to the 7 pin. I think my problem is I'm putting too much spin on it and not enough speed so it cant get down the lane. Any one got any tips?
Concentrate on a longer backswing and less on spin. If I could just drop a ball and get a strike, I would, there's no reason to do anything more than what you need for a strike, the simplest swing is the most repeatable. Just try a big backswing to speed it up, remember, you don't really throw it, you swing it like a pendulum, pretend your arm is a string, hold it out, let it come back just like you would if it were attached to a rope, when it's all the way back, just let momentum take it and release it at the proper time. Keep your hand behind it, but still and see where it goes. If you need more spin, just add what you need. You don't need crazy revs to get a strike.
What's some of your favorite layouts on these weak bowling balls? I'm definitely in a center where the lanes hook a ton I may need to pick one of these balls up
I know this is old, but I bought a blue, black and silver Rhino a while back, I went a pound lighter than my regular balks so I can get more speed and manipulate it more easily and it's turned into the best dry lane ball I've ever had. I also use it as my spare ball, so I throw it a lot.
EVERY BOWLING BALL REVIEW EVER: "Crushes the pins. Clears the fronts nicely." Bowling ball reviews are almost impossible to take seriously. I've never once heard anyone give a ball a negative review. With that said.. how the hell are we to know what's actually good if the people who review balls only have great things to say about every single last bowling ball to ever be released in the history of the sport?
Pretty much all balls are "good" they all just cater to different needs of the bowler and that's what you buy based on. There is no 1 "best" ball that'll work for all bowlers