What is Pin Placement and Top Weight?
Pin Placement: The "Pin" is the small circle of a different color found on the surface of the ball. It locates the center of the weight block that identifies the direction it is tilted. Selecting a Pin of (0-2) also known as Pin-In will roll down the lane in a more predictable manner than a Pin of (2-4) also known as Pin-Out. However, selecting a Pin-Out will give the ball driller many options when drilling the ball including one that can be very predictable also.

Top Weight: Top Weight is created by the height of the core inside the ball. The closer to the surface, the higher the Top Weight.

Selecting Pin Placement/Top Weight
If you are not sure which option to select, we suggest going with (Pin 0-3) & (Top 1-3). These two options will work with most types of drilling pattern.

Note: If you have selected a specific Pin/Top and we are out of them at the moment, we will check with you first to see if you would consider an alternative or wait.

What is Backend?
Backend is an area of the lane closest to
the pins (last 20-25 feet). It is the area of the lane that is not oiled. Oil moves to the Backend due to bowling activity. When this happens, it is referred to as "no backends" or "carrydown". Lanes in which the a ball hooks a lot in the last 20 feet are referred to as "strong backend".

What is Length, Flare Potential, Hook Rating and Overall Hook?
Ebonite uses a scale of (1 to 30) for their Hook and Length. Hook of 30 is a high hooking ball. Length tells you which balls within the Ebonite line go the longest or shortest before hooking. Keep in mind that this scale only applies to Ebonite's line of balls. Other makers have own scale.

Length: Length expresses the ability of a ball to grip the lane in the presence of oil. Also refers to the point at which the ball transitions from skid to hook (the Breakpoint). Since the amount of oil on the lane normally decreases from front to back, balls that can grip the lane through heavy amounts of oil will hook earlier where balls that can grip the lane only through lighter amounts of oil will hook later.

Flare Potential: Flare potential is directly related to the amount of Rpm's supplied by the bowler. Low RPM bowlers will have less than maximum flare potential.

Hook Rating: The higher the hook rating the more traction the ball will get with the lanes. If you bowl at an ally that puts down alot of oil long than you want a ball with a high hook rating. The length scale tells you how far the ball with go down the lane before it flips and breaks.

Overall Hook: Overall Hook refers to total amount of hook, from release to the pins. Higher hook ratings are preferred for heavy oil and faster ball speeds.

What is Pin-In/Pin-Out?
A bowling ball drilling term that is relative to a bowler's track, design purposely for creating more ball dynamics.

Pin: A dye mark on the surface of the ball that indicates the position of the top of the core (the position of the weight block inside the ball).

Pin-In: This is a ball that was manufactured with the pin and the center of gravity within 1-1/2" of one another. Center of gravity is the heaviest part of a ball. The CG can be found by looking for a dye mark placed on the ball by the manufacturer marking the center of the weight mass relative to the top of the ball. A Pin-In ball is an excellent choice for control and less hook.

Pin-Out: This is a ball that was manufactured with the pin and the center of gravity distance greater than 1-1/2" from one another. A Pin-Out ball can usually be made to hook more and flip more dramaticlly than a Pin-In ball. Will also give the ball driller more options.

What ball weight should I get?
Before you purchase a ball, bowl with various weights until you find the weight that is best suited for you. The weight of the ball should be roughly ten percent of your body weight. Start out with the heaviest, but most comfortable weight. You want to be able to comfortably roll the ball without hurting your back. When purchasing a ball, a good rule to go by is to choose a ball that is one to two pounds heavier than the house ball you are bowling with. The reason being is that the grip on the house ball is incorrect and a custom fit ball will feel much lighter because it will be easier to hold on to.

If you are a novice, bowl three games in a row and by the third game your ball may start to feel a bit heavy. This is normal. A ball that is made just for you can increase your score. In other words, it provides consistency. Having finger holes drilled to your hand specifications will keep your hand relaxed and let you roll the ball with little effort.

What is a Spare Ball?
A Spare ball is used for shooting spares(pins that are left from your first shot). Please see our line of Fun or Beginner balls. These lower end balls are either polyester or urthane and are great for using as spare balls.

Is it possible to get a bowling ball custom made?
We do not customize bowling balls. If there is a particular design you want on a ball and is not in production, you could contact the ball manufacturers directly to see if they would customize one for you.

I'm a beginner, what type of ball should I get?
For beginners that roll the ball straight and do not desire a hook, you might want to try a polyester ball. But it is usually advised to go with the lower end reactive balls. The hitting power is much greater.

Polyester balls are mainly used for shooting spares. They do not grip the lane at all and pretty much go where you send them.

Reactive bowling balls are more sensitive to lane conditions which causes it to go through the pins better because of its traction. Giving you a much higher strike percentage.

The other choice you might want to consider are particle bowling balls. Particle balls are easier to control than reactive balls but have the tendency to hook even more.

What are bowling balls made of?
There are four basic types of balls on the market today: plastic/polyester, urethane, reactive, and particle. Each uses a different production technology. Understanding what each one does will help you choose the right ball.

Plastic/Polyester: The type ball that most recreational bowlers will recognize is the polyester bowling ball, which is commonly referred to as a "plastic" bowling ball. Polyester bowling balls have been available since the 1960s. They have a low cost compared to the other types of bowling balls and they are very durable, which is why they are used as "house" balls on the racks of most bowling centers. The durability comes from the hard, low friction nature of the polyester cover. This low friction nature causes the "plastic" ball to skid more and maintain a straighter trajectory. "Plastic" balls are primarily used by beginning bowlers; however, many experienced and professional bowlers use them for spare shots and for very dry lane conditions.

Urethane: In the late 1970s, bowling manufacturers experimented with coverstocks softer than polyester in order to create more hook potential. The result of these experiments was a polyurethane coverstock, or urethane for short. Urethane has a higher friction surface than polyester, so it will hook more. It can be easily sanded or polished to control its hook potential. Urethane is the preferred coverstock for beginning hook bowlers. It is also the dry lane choice for many experienced bowlers.

Reactive Resin: In the early 1990s, ball manufacturer started adding resin particles to their urethane coverstocks. The resin made the ball tackier than plain urethane which increased its hook potential. A side effect of the resin is that it makes the ball hydroplane on the oil more than plain urethane. The combination of the increased skid on oil and stronger hooking ability on dry boards gives the resin ball a bigger backend reaction for more striking power than prior ball types. Reactive resin is the primary coverstock for most experienced bowlers on most lane conditions.

Particle: Experienced bowlers preferred the smooth reaction and controllability of urethane, but they could not refuse the power provided by reactive resin balls. The ball manufacturers response to this situation was to add textured particles such as ceramics and glass to the resin enhanced polyurethane balls. The added texture gave the ball more grip in the oil for a smooth, controllable hook style, while maintaining the powerful backend of reactive resin. The hook potential for most particle bowling balls is higher than all of the other types of coverstocks. This extremely high hook potential means that most particle balls are for use on oily lane conditions only. However, ball makers are constantly tinkering with the quantity and size of the particles used, so particle balls are becoming more versatile across many types of lane conditioning.