String Pinsetters

Our top-of-the-line string pinsetters do all of the work for you!

[@ianthomas5955]

Thanks to a combination of covid and string pinsetters, my bowling career is now officially at an end after 58 years. I've had some great times in league bowling, so, thanks for the memories.

[@zacharymorin5696]

Probably a joke I know but also one of the dumbest comments I’ve ever seen

[@ianthomas5955]

@@zacharymorin5696 Sadly, Zachary, not a joke. The joke is that a great sport has been trashed by pins dangling on strings to save the management money and reducing the whole thing to the status of an arcade game.

[@PinoyBowlerGS92]

@@zacharymorin5696 I could care less about Casual Bowlers because there are some can damage equipment and as for money...I put Bowler first before money especially Leagues and Pro Bowlers can bring the money all in one basket per tournament they bowled.

[@HelloKittyFanMan]

Good, @@PinoyBowlerGS92, I'm glad you care somewhat about casual bowlers as well as serious ones. That's better than not caring at all.

[@PinoyBowlerGS92]

@@HelloKittyFanMan Not caring at all is the worst move. My home center didn't even maintain their AMF pinspotters and now only 10 out of 16 Lanes are only fully functioned, I can't accept that number of Lanes if my League wanted to host an invitational tournament.

[@PinDominator]

I don't think I'll ever leave the 10 pin with this machine 😁😁

[@uglyduckling81]

I took my kids bowling for their first time last night. I haven't been bowling in 10-15 years. They had these string pins. Numerous times the string would hook other pins, sometimes the string seemed to stop a pin from falling. That's why I found this video as I was interested to see if this type of setup was prolific now and I was looking to find somewhere that had proper pins to take the kids next time.

[@ianthomas5955]

This is so depressing. I've been a league bowler in the UK since 1962 and there is a rumour that my Bowl is going to use string pins next year. If they do, I will quit the game immediately. This will reduce the sport to an arcade game.

[@uglyduckling81]

Ian Thomas yeah it’s pretty lame. I tried hurling the ball down hard to really send the pins flying as a test. The pins never leave the lane area. It was really disappointing. The kids still had fun. The auto bumper lane thing worked well.

[@ianthomas5955]

@@uglyduckling81 Many thanks for the extra info. You've confirmed my worst fears and I'm sure our 20-team league will collapse next year if this ludicrous innovation is implemented.

[@Triley215]

@@ianthomas5955 so, did they end up converting? I'm guessing not...a place can't just convert to stringed pins, the entire machine would have to be replaced, and it's likely that the machines won't be sanctioned, meaning no leagues or tournaments. It's really only just bars or entertainment centers that go anywhere near these type of machines.

[@ianthomas5955]

@@Triley215 Sadly, Thomas, they DID end up converting to string pinsetters. Without any proper notice or consultation with our league committee, when our league restarted this January we were presented with these ludicrous devices. The original reaction from the players was a mixture of amusement and incredulity but when reality set in the overriding emotion was anger. The covid-19 problem terminated league play after 8 rounds and the Bowl is still closed as I write. When - or if - it reopens, I am afraid there won't be many teams surviving from our original 20 as most people feel that the integrity of the sport has been damaged. It is such a pity - I started to play in 1962 when the game was first imported to the UK from the States and I was addicted from the first ball I bowled. It has been a big part of my life for 58 years and I have enjoyed many exciting and pleasurable times playing in leagues but now this has been ruined by short-sighted cost saving. While the strings are in operation, I will not return to league play. Many thanks for your interest and best wishes from Ian.

[@jasondoust4935]

So bowlers will just ignore the fact that there are strings interfering with pinfall? What a joke... This stuff is fine for amusement parlour play, like those "bowling bars" but not for bowling played as sport. If this is what bowling will become, I'll just ride my bike more on weekends.

[@deft_spex_jr9628]

String pinsetters should stay with those mini bowling alleys.

[@evanhb49]

that’s why they’re not allowed through usbc. they place the second frame pins in the same spot. usbc wants them where they land afterwards

[@PinoyBowlerGS92]

@@deft_spex_jr9628 speaking of Mini Bowling Alleys, our Mini Bowling Group (Professional Mini Bowling Association - PMBA) banned String Pinsetters from being built and approve. We sticked with Free Fall Pinsetters like the Brunswick A2’s & GSX which were the most popular pinsetters from recreating to a Mini Form. AMF was allowed to enter (except their TMS or Edge String) but not many recreates it because they’re too complex.

[@HelloKittyFanMan.]

Actually, the machines are designed to allow the pins to freely fall and even roll. They have only barely enough grip on the ropes while the pins are set and waiting for the ball that the ropes do allow the free fall and rolling around. Even if these are still too inhibitive to qualify for regulation bowling, that doesn't mean this bowling is "not the sport."

[@boofinboyle7002]

Look at all that pin action😂😂😂

[@Igloo3471]

Only for gimmick bowling "alley" bars for drunks wearing high heels under glowlights. Not fit for proper competition use. Only reason this is being more used is because chain centers have become increasingly tardy at center maintenance. Cheap way out

[@drummachine434]

My friend acually played bowling on these once and he was about to get a messanger but knowing the 1 second timing, right before the messanger hit the last pin the machine pulled the pins up and did not get it.

[@Pdasilva0324]

Baby bowling=strings.

[@Jamison42166]

Bowling is just an excuse to get drunk and drunk is an excuse for your bowling!

[@IamNess64]

If I was to have a bowling alley I would use this to save thousands of dollars! It looks more affordable and less likely to have technical difficulties and breakdowns. Also not having the underground ball return saves money too! I am probably going to have 10 to 16 lanes :)

[@Triley215]

Just don't expect to host leagues or tournaments, both of which are guaranteed return revenue.

[@drummachine434]

How much did they pay you to say this? lol

[@No_Lucks_Given]

Clean up will be cheap too because you'll rarely have customers.

[@IamNess64]

@@No_Lucks_Given The only issue with pin setters is that the carry is slightly different I believe... That and they can sometimes get stuck trying to reset frames, other than that, pretty sweet! :o

[@marcopl17]

I'd never bowl at a center with string setters. People who bowl know the difference and if you're a center owner you know that in lean times casual bowlers don't get the bills paid. You need leagues and tournaments and anyone who owns a bowling ball will skip your place for an actual bowling experience. The day these things become ubiquitous is the day I hang up my bowling shoes

[@roozy64]

Fine for some fun.... I don't believe that USBC would ever sanction these. True pin action is not present with string setters.

[@robertlite3878]

Maintenance is the big difference.

[@PinoyBowlerGS92]

Yeah but who cares ?

[@lars9168]

@@PinoyBowlerGS92 Lol its cheaper Casual bowlers dont care about string-pins and they make most of the money

[@PinoyBowlerGS92]

@@lars9168 I would be fine if new centers put Strings but I'm not in favor switching out Free Fall Pinsetters for Strings cause I know majority of League Bowlers hate Strings because of the silly pin action, especially string contact has a higher chance than normal pin to pin contact for the corner pins. I rather take a Pinboy than Strings because its cheaper without buying a machine and you don't have to worry about parts or adjustment, plus you have something to do in the back rather than sleeping behind Strjng Pinsetters like some kind of security guard.

[@chuckschillingvideos]

What happens after the first ball? What is done with the deadwood?

[@sawyerspearman5297]

one of my local centers has these and i hate it. all they do is interfere with the pin action

[@ryanlepore3058]

One question though: "How can you use a colored prize pin in string pinsetting?" Give up? You can't. It's scientifically impossible. So if you want to use prize pins in bowling, you might as well have to use free-falls. No choice.

[@HelloKittyFanMan.]

Right, because obviously stringed pins will never be shuffled around randomly on their own like traditional pins can be.

[@drummachine434]

I wonder if they can unhook pins from the strings and replace another pin. Which is colored.

[@Triley215]

@@drummachine434 yes, but it will always be in the same spot, unless the machine is taken out of service a second time to have it removed. Not much fun.

[@misterferien]

I remember that we had the same discussion in the fifties of the last century in germany about string pinsetters for nine pins. Ten years later the string pinsetter was accepted. You can say its not free fall or sometimes a pin is hit by another string, but the conditions are the same for everyrbody. In the sixties even Bowl Mor tried to introduce a free fall pinsetter for nine pins in Germany: No chance! In the seventies Schmid also tried this, no success! Some decades later Brunswick took Schmid over. The Schmid free fall pinsetter was the pattern for the GSX-pinsetter, and brunswick starts to sell string pinsetters. Look at here to see nine pins is SPORT! : kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJyxdnt-p96ArbM

[@lars9168]

That looks like the future. Going bowling you will mostly see children birthdays and large groups of people playing cassualy. These two groups dont care about string operated pins. I think in the future we will have to pay extra to go to a bowling allay with propper pin setters and it will be segnificantly more expensive...

[@penknight8532]

I'd pay extra. Hopefully the Early Bird Special will only raise up 50 cents per game.

[@lars9168]

@@penknight8532 50ct per game? In germany they take 2.5€ for one game lol

[@patrickhofmann9499]

@@lars9168 and 2.50€ is cheap, compared to most other places!

[@VinylToVideo]

This is not bowling. I've had strings knock the pins down and get tangled up into each other!

[@HelloKittyFanMan.]

That doesn't mean it's not bowling.

[@ianthomas5955]

@@HelloKittyFanMan. It does, actually - it should now be called pub skittles, an arcade game.

[@HelloKittyFanMan.]

@@ianthomas5955: Nope, the method used to set pins is not part of the game's definition.

[@ianthomas5955]

@@HelloKittyFanMan. To set the pins, yes - but not to have the strings permanently attached, which restricts their natural movement across the lane. I can understand the cost savings to management but my impression is to either present the game properly in its pure form, or don't bother at all. Third rate dilution of the game is not a good look, but admittedly perfectly adequate for casual open players who visit the Bowl two or three times a year and probably won't even notice the difference.

[@HelloKittyFanMan.]

@@ianthomas5955, even then, that doesn't make it "not bowling." And actually, I'd have to see an in-depth study before I'd believe that the strings are really more restrictive than free pins. In my understanding of the machines, those strings are just loose enough -- at least when the machine senses that the pins have been pushed over -- to let the pins roll around where they may. I could be wrong, but that's why I wan to see a real side-by-side study done. By the way, "[b]owl" in this generic context isn't a brand or part of a title.

[@solrosenberg3803]

String bowling is garbage. The pins barely move, and there’s no “pop” to the pins. After finding out my local bowling alley installed these trash machines, I’ll never go back there again. It’s not real bowling, just a hybrid of bowling. No wonder why bowling has become a soon to be extinct sport.

[@penknight8532]

What happens when a string breaks? How long do you have to wait for them to fix it? This Sucks by the way... Stooooopid.