Two Classics: The AMF 82-30 and the Brunswick A-2 Side By Side

By viewer request, here's a side by side featuring the 82-30 and the A-2.

[@edclegg1523]

That crooked sweep bar on the 82-30 though...

[@keithchrysler3732]

MAINTENANCE!!!! 😆

[@Braveheart0484]

I like the ball return on top. There is a bowling alley in Minneapolis that still has a bowling return like this. I believe they are a Brunswick set up.

[@keithchrysler3732]

Undergrounds can be a real pain! I like the above ground returns!

[@KC9UDX]

I always wondered why they bothered with the underground ones?

[@keithchrysler3732]

@@KC9UDX Having had balls stuck underground while working as an alley mechanic, I had better things to do than ripping up underground covers, trying to find a ball or balls! Above ground makes so much more sense to me.

[@KC9UDX]

@@keithchrysler3732 imagine (you surely know what I'm talking about) being a cash-strapped after-work-leaguer with a ball that cost a week's wages, and seeing your ball go down that ramp next to the pinsetter, but never seeing it come out the return. Fifteen minutes later your ball comes out all but destroyed. 😥🤮🔥🤬 I had that happen twice in five years. (Twenty-five years ago ). I might still have the ball from the second instance, it is missing chunks. I could've cried but I was simultaneously too angry.

[@keithchrysler3732]

@@KC9UDX do you realize how many balls our alley has to replace on a weekly basis because of Brunswick A-2s and our underground returns! At least 3 a week!

[@alterman156channel]

Both the AMF 82/30 and the Brunswick A are good machines. I do understand the issues of the underfloor returns. They can be a hassle unless they are maintained correctly to reduce the chance of stuck balls.

[@jeffcoat1959]

The AMF rake needs some serious adjustment.

[@firealarmtechguy4444]

I'm surprised that the A-2 is slightly faster than the 82-30. I thought they were the same. Though I prefer the 82-30 unless the A-2 has the lane optical sensor upgrade. The A-2s I bowled on last month the sweep took too long to come down and I knocked pins out of the machine and they rolled out and into the gutter.

[@EDT278]

👍 AMF 82-30's because I learned to bowl with them. Currently bowling with Brunswick A-2's. Haven't bowled again on AMF's 82-30 for almost 50 yrs. Would 👍 to find a house that utilizes them.

[@iCleanHitz]

Usually if it takes that long for the sweep to come down, it’s because the mechanic needs to do adjustments to the machine, but most are to unbothered to complete the adjustments to solve the issue

[@EDT278]

USBC rules require 4 seconds for pinfall once the ball hits the pins. I wouldn't complain if it were slightly longer. Sometimes that delay will reward you with a strike. Love those kind of strikes. Less than 4 seconds. Then we have a REAL problem, Houston.

[@iCleanHitz]

@@EDT278 the machines are engineered to wait that time frame

[@Pyry300]

I believe the A-2 is running at jetback speed. Also the optical sensor just causes more problems here where i live because the scoring adds a 2-3 second time delay before cycling the machine.

[@MaddoxsLaundromatAdventures]

From what it looks like it seems that the A2 has a faster speed than the AMF 82-30