The BEST and WORST Thumb Hole Options| Interchangeable Thumb System Comparison For Bowling Balls

[@athlonen]

“Strikes are for show; spares are for dough.” Very wise words to live by in this sport.

[@rg46979]

Ain't that the truth. One becomes two, two becomes four, really quickly.

[@cameronmorgan0203]

I love JOPO grips, used to have Turbo and never tried VISE but overall respect them all 👏🏾✊🏾

[@mattczyzyk3714]

I have been using Jopo since they began. I have never had an issue with them.

[@JamesCFelty3]

Been using turbo for years and tried vise. Kept breaking the locking mechanism so went back to turbo and no issues.

[@LUVEMDPOWER]

Been using Turbo for about five years and the Pro Shop that did the first one gave that exact reason on the Vise as to why he only stocked the Turbo line. Have absolutely loved them.

[@StephRenee812]

Ditto

[@corbinesterak7837]

I've only used VISE and have had 0 issues

[@Regular-Sized]

*WARNING* to anyone considering the Vise IT option, from someone who has used it on 4 balls for ~3 years: *Bad news first:* Sooner or later, the screw bottom of the thumb slug will fail, rendering the thumb and ball *temporarily* unusable. *Explanation:* The screw portion is secured to the rest of the thumb slug primarily with a fairly strong adhesive and secondarily with what they call a “safety molly”, which is basically a 2-piece fastener that sandwiches the thumb slug and the screw bottom together. At some point, the glue will fail. The safety molly is there as a backup BUT the two pieces of the molly screw into each other, so eventually they’ll become too loose or separate entirely. It’s still a handy backup, though, as it should get looser gradually and noticeably as you swap the thumb slug from ball to ball during play, as opposed to just suddenly catastrophically failing when you throw a ball down the lane. Any odd looseness you feel when twisting the thumb slug into a ball should be an indication that (a) the glue has failed and (b) the safety molly is coming loose. It’ll get to the point where you try to insert the slug into a ball and the slug has to be twisted further than usual before it locks. If you don’t fix it then, eventually the slug will just spin 360° and never lock. (For me, my main thumb slug lasted 2-3 years of heavy usage in leagues/tournaments/practice and less-than-optimal ball storage conditions before the glue failed and the safety molly noticeably loosened, but your mileage may vary.) *Now here’s the good news:* While this issue is definitely annoying as hell to experience in the middle of competitive play, it should (*) generally be fixable relatively quickly without having to redrill the thumbhole!😃 Just keep some strong glue and an allen wrench for the safety molly in your bowling bag for quick emergency repairs. If necessary, you can order some replacement safety mollies. They’re ~$10 for a pack of 12. (*Note: Some people will claim redrilling is required, but I think that’s because the original Vise IT system only secured the screw with an adhesive which happened to be corrosive and ate away at the plastic until it eventually snapped irreparably. This gave the Vise IT somewhat of a bad reputation, but they’ve made changes over the years that reduced the severity of the failures.) TL;DR: While I like the Vise IT system for it’s ease-of-use, and love not needing those thumb-remover tools required when other systems get stuck, the screw bottom of the Vise fails inevitably and significantly. Still, the failure is not a fatal flaw, and users prepared to fix it ahead of time will save themselves a TON of headache and frustration.

[@oscargarcia2011]

Weird this is my sign from the universe to get switch grips. I was just talking about switching to switch grips today at league.

[@LorenzoClark-vb9rd]

JOPO is my goat; used all but IT's (VISE). Had the Turbo's come out mid throw before, not fun.

[@JAW_73]

Same . Had turbo unlock in my back swing. Also lost a thumb a couple times in the ball pit.

[@BigB_62]

I have JoPo and really like them. I have three inserts for now. I keep one in my spare ball at all times so there's never a need for quick switching. The other two I use for strike balls and they're slightly different sizes in case my thumb swells too much. Works great for me.

[@ricka.wetselphdbowler3526]

Same for me!! One for spare ball and two of slightly different sizes. I always use the tool to remove the insert. I am a bit nervous that I could injure a ligament in my thumb if I struggle to remove the insert.

[@LTrayne]

I just switched to JOPO….i like that the locking tabs pretty much won’t break like the turbo one. I stayed breaking them things

[@homegrilladvantage]

Constantly!! Im a high rev power player and i was either breaking them or losing them. Switched to Vise and never looked back Lol. I want to try JOPO though, they look like they are even better

[@bigboots6114]

@@homegrilladvantage jopo are better because if the vise breaks in your ball you cant use it anymore until you get it drilled out

[@smokey6965]

Great video Ron, I ssue i ahve had as of recent the ITS have swollen, to the point where i cant screw it in, so now about to go to JOPO.

[@danielonaka7311]

Vise still has that issue with core swell. Had an issue with my eternity and reality. Also can change pitch with inserts without filling and redrilling older balls

[@chillinzx]

I use both Turbo and Jopo, the tabs on the Turbo break more often and tend to have a loose feeling, the Jopo is more solid and the tool makes changing between balls quick. I also double up on the thumb tape (on hand not ball) if the hole is too loose.

[@larrylacroix3944]

Loved this video

[@cardlr1]

Grip Lock makes a great interchangeable thumb.

[@jeremybeaver2196]

The vise system does experience the issues of the core swelling. Especially in lower end balls. The core and outer core material always seems to swell a lot with those low end balls

[@bigboots6114]

if the vise breaks inside your thumb, you can use that ball anymore until you have the pro shop guy drill it out. i use to have turbo and switched to the jopo's which has helped me relax my hand being secure in not moving like the turbos did

[@ScottyThompson-lt7wl]

Cool video talk tech interchange thumb system jo pro grips interchangeable thumb and turbo interchange thumb and vise interchangeable thumb Ron hicklund

[@itsthe4seaons]

Wish shops around Buffalo NY, do JOPO, I know couple of my teammates want to get into interchangable thumbs

[@billwarren3701]

Most importantly have 2 they break also have a removal tool they get stuck always seems to happen after you loose the tool and your backup thumb.

[@kenraedejr4229]

I also don’t use a interchangeable in my spare ball because it saves wear on the nubs on the turbo thumb. If I changed it for every ten pin my turbo thumb would wear out quickly

[@scottaustin4015]

Over 2 yrs with jopo grips and never had to use the tool ive got one but never jopos are the best on the market in my opinion

[@michaelfinley9988]

I tried them all, both Vise and Turbo broke on me several times. I went with JoPo and they are more robust and have never broken. The only negative is I have to use the tool to remove and replace the insert as the snap is very difficult to use thumb only.

[@iicse]

I have seen swelling jam the vise systems also believe it or not

[@surfboardshack3327]

I have to use the tool to take my jopo thumb in and out. Does anyone else have that issue? The company said it’s supposed to be like that but I see people on KZbin twisting it on easily without a tool

[@LorenzoClark-vb9rd]

Once you use it a bunch it could loosen up so you can twist and untwist without the tool. I have one thumb that needs it, and one that doesn't.

[@BigB_62]

Occasionally I have to use the tool. Mainly before I start bowling and get warmed up, or if I'm a bit dehydrated or if my thumb is very dry. Once I warm up though, I can always just use my thumb.

[@JAW_73]

If you have an oval or tight thumb you can get it out and in without the tool.. a round or loose thumb and it's going to be very tough to do it without the tool

[@surfboardshack3327]

@@JAW_73 so I had 2 slugs drilled in vegas and these can be twisted in without the tool. The slugs that my pso has here are way tighter. Maybe defective or something

[@lockedonlaw]

I've never had an issue with regular thumb holes but it's because I started bowling long before there were other options. I agree, I would not purchase a modern performance bowling ball without an interchangeable thumb system. Beats the hello out of carrying three or four different types of tape, skin patch, and steel wool, like we used to do back in the days of hard rubber, polyester, and old school urethane.

[@JAW_73]

Turbo tabs wear out too quickly. Had to change out my thumb 4 or 5 times when I used Turbo. Vise works well but too many operators don't install them properly or take shortcuts. JoPo seems like the best of all worlds. Easy to install and superior threaded locking mechanism. No movement or wiggle so far. Locks in super tight.. almost too hard to lock and some might need to use the tool every time to get it to lock and unlock.

[@traviskirk3834]

For me I bend my thumb in the inner thumb of the vise it and I love the ultimate thumb .

[@Beamtron]

Recently switched to JoPo from Turbo. JoPo seems a lot more sturdy but there are still tabs at the bottom. I assume at some point they will wear down. Another down side is there a many shops around me that don’t install them yet. My Turbo thumbs have lost that nice sounding click when I screw it in. It’s very subtle now after 2 months. I change the thumb to different balls roughly 3-4x a week.

[@roncojr8519]

Has anyone ever thought of the wear and tear on the thumb joint from twisting all the time ?

[@nickdalfonso5777]

Here is the issue with all of them, and it isn't related to the locking mechanism or their fail rate. If you resurface your bowling ball, the slug will now rise above the surface of the ball. Now, it won't be a lot, but something you could sand down flush to the newly resurfaced ball. The problem now is that the slug will be slightly lower than your other balls that you haven't resurfaced yet. It's minimal, but it's an unavoidable issue with all of the systems.

[@lewiswhite8251]

JOPO: never had one come out .

[@benjaminsmith9209]

Turbo been using them for 7 years

[@gibby9209]

What about the Ultimate thumb? Lot's of pros are sponsored by Ultimate.

[@roderickgarrett3545]

I don’t use slugs and I bowl just fine and feels fine bowling is about the bowlers preference

[@Chango_Unchained]

hi

[@333fux8]

The turbos kinda suck they don't last the little nubs break off not worth it

[@sriley064]

I'd also add don't use turbo solids,they are absolute garbage and set my game back for years after plastic wasn't a thing anymore,VISE clear slugs are a far better product as they aren't abrasive as your thumb comes out,also i use JOPO now