What NO ONE Is Telling You About Urethane Bowling Balls

[@AV8R_1]

That projection system is awesome! I would love to get that kind of real time feedback and stat analysis!

[@michaelbutny7020]

The most informative and educational bowling channel on KZbin.

[@skategeezer1810]

We would polish pink hammers for dry lanes. We would put them in the Lustre king and they would almost glow when they were done. The Lustre king was kind of a wax machine.

[@Ctdbowling]

The Luster was the King back in the day for sure!

[@HUSTLEISMYHABIT]

Now this comment took me down memory lane for sure!!! Miss throwing the “glassed pink hammer” as a kid!

[@fukRiaa]

@@HUSTLEISMYHABIT Weren't they fairly expensive back then if I recall correctly? What I remember in my youth leagues in the late 1980s virtually everyone was throwing either poly or rubber balls as urethane was expensive back then. More what people's dads got to throw. I think a few people might have had 3 piece urethane like a Grizz or Angle but nobody had Hammers.

[@HUSTLEISMYHABIT]

@@fukRiaa yeah!!! But that’s what was considered high end for our childhood. Mannnnnn the GRIZZZ!!!! Another classic!!!

[@fukRiaa]

@@HUSTLEISMYHABIT I did grow up in hillbilly land where there wasn't a lot of money. The dirt ass lanes we bowled on had so much friction urethane would have been hard to use anyway.

[@Loucid.]

Ron and crew are constantly changing the game as we know it, gotta love it!

[@Ctdbowling]

Thanks for watching

[@wabbit1699]

Back in the 80s, polished urethane was very common, especially in the back half of the decade on 24 and later 26 foot patterns. The reason was because you needed not only the harder durometer, but also the polish to get it to be clean enough to play the track area even after there had been carrydown because the pattern was so short. Remember, modern house patterns have tons more volume and a puddle in the middle. Most high rev guys would probably use a Mix or a plastic ball if they had to bowl on 24 feet, 6ml of volume, and a 2:1 ratio because they wouldn't have the ability to tamp down their rev rate to suit that pattern.

[@mikebyrd7195]

Did you notice how track flare eliminated carry down

[@grizzly6634]

So excited about that black bottle because it will help get that reaction when I need it without taking up space for another reactive in my bag.

[@kevinquick4844]

After reading the comments i can not believe nobody has asked the most important question i can think of. How much is the stuff in the black bottle? What are you going to call it? When will it be available?

[@erinbeck6645]

I must say this is the BEST video IMO you have created! Very well done!!! Kudos to Ron and the crew!!!

[@Ctdbowling]

Thanks for watching

[@kingshabazz1310]

Simple and informative.

[@brianleverock8078]

Mr. Ronald Hickland provides great information and always look forward to his information videos. Keep up the good work.

[@bowlfitlove]

Literally creating the difference. The name explains it all! Absolutely great detailed informative video all around.

[@Ctdbowling]

Thanks for watching

[@kimlanglewis152]

I have 3 pink widow urethanes: 1 is at 4000 grit polished, 2000 grit sanded and 800 grit. It is a great combo for one of the houses I bowl in. It has wet backends, and so a urethane with a higher flare and pink widow being also asymmetric really helps.

[@mariansowinski8967]

Thanks for the great insights. I learned a lot.

[@Ctdbowling]

Glad it was helpful!

[@its_Kris]

Thanks for the education, Ron.

[@Ctdbowling]

Thank you for watching

[@joeanderson9267]

That new product will change the game! When does it come out and is it approved by PBA/USBC?

[@plamormick]

Sumos were '91, '92, just a year or two shy of the introduction of reactive. Big core, good flare (for the day). One of Mo's best designs.

[@bowlingwithbuddy1556]

How do I order the Black bottle?

[@chipwhite7170]

I loved my black sumo,i was still throwing it in march of 1996 and shot 280 with it. I would love to buy your undrilled one! That was a Mo Pinel design

[@kingshabazz1310]

Glad you mentioned that Pink Widow, it was just too much flare for a urethane. It was almost a novelty ball just to play around with open bowling for me.

[@coopergates9680]

It's not even the flare, it's the low RG. Flare keeps carry down at bay, but combined with easy to spin up weight block, it's so aggressive early and rolls out.

[@fukRiaa]

Same with the Hot Cell. Strong asym core new urethane seems to be incredibly condition specific.

[@XenoGuru]

The Pink Widow is a monster on sport shots. It normally allows me to play a line that would be forbidden by the pattern otherwise. I would say it's definitely not for house shots or higher friction lane surfaces (textured).

[@fukRiaa]

@@XenoGuru Yeah I have that before where when people do find a match up with strong core urethane they match up really well with it especially on sport. Best of all ball was on clearance for 100 bucks or even under for some time so buying a case wouldn't have hurt too bad.

[@LittlefootAdventures]

Is the black bottle a cleaner or something you dont say what it is and I have the DNA ball

[@rollingreene1220]

Great video - Enjoyed your very thorough analysis

[@Ctdbowling]

Thanks for watching

[@miquerto]

Thanks for sharing all the information. I really enjoyed it.

[@Ctdbowling]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@bobbyray290]

Where do all those balls fit into “urethane destroys the lane pattern”? Will applying black bottle also cause that effect of altering the shot differently?

[@traviskirk3834]

My Brunswick made purple pearl urethane and I have the ctd control layout and it is a hook monster. When I threw it I said okay it hooks ALOT the first shot but 2 games later and warm up it was hooking the same amount with ten oil rings on it very close together and I am more comfortable with the faball enterprise blue hammer and faball enterprise blue pearl hammer urethane at 77-78 hardness. I think it is just how I bowl and the layout that makes it keep hooking the same as the first shot.

[@jasondryden2198]

How long does the black bottle stuff stay on there?

[@Ctdbowling]

Subscribe to the channel because next week we start talking about that

[@traviskirk3834]

@@Ctdbowling already am

[@timclark6793]

How did you allow for the different cores in all of these balls?

[@MrOsmodeus]

how undoable is that black bottle stuff?

[@CliftonDon74]

Bowling alchemy

[@Ctdbowling]

Subscribe to the channel because next week we start the process of talking about that.

[@GLH5MHIL]

I have an undrilled Hammer Burgandy Hammer. The coverstock is called React-a-thane. I had the same ball I used 8 years ago until it cracked. Very Urethane continuous shape. Worked really well on my leagues house shot. Not sure polishing would be a good strategy, but box finish is 500 Abralon. Maybe raising the surface a wee bit to 1000 or 1500 grit might get it to read just a bit later and give me a shape that'll work. This video makes me think it might.

[@andygs84]

Storm fever pitch can be shine up too. It's not urethane?

[@nicholemackey1814]

What is your opinion on the old red hammer? I have one and the local alley said i could not use it

[@lilspice6994]

Where can we get the black bottle?

[@CliftonDon74]

That black bottle stuff is bowling alchemy... back in the day when I was throwing my AMF Cobra and my league nemesis was throwing his Sumo, we used to go strike for strike, both of us on the left lane... 240's and 250's....

[@Ctdbowling]

The Cobra was a great ball too

[@CliftonDon74]

​@@Ctdbowlingit is. I donated it to my pro shop when I picked up my Pitch Black. He gives them to the youth bowlers. Paying it forward. With the black bottle, I can essentially turn my older pieces to a like urethane... pretty neat.

[@David-ko9vy]

Great Video! Do you sell the "Black Bottle" product now? How long does this "slow absorption" last? I would assume as with other polishes that it would be a number of games then start hooking more like it's original surface. Does the "Black Bottle" product tame different balls differently? Meaning a High friction ball such as the Gem might be tamed less than a ball which is much tamer already like the Hustle. (Using Same brand balls for comparison.) I currently throw mostly Microcell Polymer and Urethane (Blue Hammer, Mix). As I have found them to be most pleasing to my eye on modern patterns. I'm wondering if I would benefit from the use of the "Black Bottle" on a more "High Performance" piece of equipment vs throwing weeker equipment like the Microcell Polymer.

[@Ctdbowling]

We will start releasing information this week

[@thebigeasy8609]

Thank you so much Ron. Nice to know which are true urethane. CTD so innovative and bowler friendly!

[@Ctdbowling]

Thanks for watching

[@TarzanTheGreat17]

That black bottle may be a game changer for lefties and PBA bowlers who aren't satisfied by the ball motion in the 78U or the NU Blue. So my takeaway is that the Black Bottle clogs the pores of a reactive ball such that it absorbs so much slower, it becomes more urethane-like. It sounds like something I would use in just about every sport shot tournament I go to.

[@Ctdbowling]

Bingo!

[@trulytoned1443]

@@Ctdbowling is the black bottle for sale on your website? I cannot find it.

[@Ctdbowling]

@@trulytoned1443 not yet but soon.

[@michaelschrobilgen3118]

Do you guys sell that black bottle?

[@Ctdbowling]

Not yet but it's coming

[@robertwagner386]

That digital lane is amazing, i want one

[@51187corey]

What oil pattern are you bowling on? Short pattern?

[@nickparedes4584]

I would have liked to have seen the Tank Yellowjacket. I find it to be more aggressive than the others.

[@fukRiaa]

Hardest bowling ball to polish imo was the original Faball Blue Hammer. Would take even longer to polish imo than a Sumo (both lot of work though). Blue Hammer would hold its surface better than just about urethane ball which was necessary back in the day and partially why it was legendary. Best polish I have found for polishing old school urethane was Beans Secret Sauce polish that I bought from Lane #1 before they went away. Still have a bottle keep just for old urethane.

[@sumo800]

Where did you get a black Sumo? Been looking for one undrilled for my collection. I have the purple one.

[@Ctdbowling]

Overseas

[@geejr]

Great video. I don’t have a ball spinner. Can I still use the polish? Also is the UC3 true urethane?

[@Ctdbowling]

You can use Gloss by hand. The UC3 is not true urethane.

[@RuckGet]

I’m a Lefty too, so this is great stuff

[@Ty_The_Onehanded]

Would the rule affect jr gold?

[@johnrocksvold9105]

Great video! I didn't realize the Pitch Black wasn't a true urethane ball. I have a Black Hammer from about 10 years ago now I am curious about that ball. I also wonder about the original Hammer Web tour. That ball doesn't absorb oil very well. I loved that ball and curious what to replace it with. It seems one could get a reactive ball and tone it down with the Little Black Bottle, but trying to match the ball motion would be a trick. I would gather using the Little Black Bottle on true urethnae would be like react like polishing one.

[@fukRiaa]

If it says Faball on the label its urethane for sure (old school black hammers have kerosene smell as well). The black hammer remake came out around the same time as the Purple Hammer and would be considered urethane by Ron's definition as well (don't think its been 10 years though but getting close). The Blue Hammer remake from 2011ish however is not really urethane. That ball polishes up as easy as a reactive and is way too clean to be true urethane. Same with the Burgundy Hammer remake (not clean but not urethane) which they openly say isn't urethane and is one of the softest bowling balls ever seen.

[@erici9025]

Didn't bowling manufactures have the same issues with the original Phantom as the pink Widow using a very strong asym core on urethane that ended up not being very great in reaction for most? History repeats even in bowling?

[@mustangmagik]

Everyone is testing the 78/u but… is anyone throwing a few games then checking the hardness?? Is it dropping to 74 or 73 as expected??

[@billstephson6003]

What’s in the black bottle? Where can I get it? What’s it called? Is it called the black bottle?

[@Waiting2inhale]

Names for the black bottle? Splash of u Liquid thane

[@ccastro306]

When "resin" came out, didn't they tell us it was a urethane shell with a BASF-made resin mixed into it? Has that changed over time? Or are current "resin" balls just merely urethane with something mixed into the shell material? I'm guessing "NU" is just a very weak resin coverstock i.e. harder composition with less resin mixed into it

[@robfrancois]

Fantastic video!

[@bgoggin88]

Need that black bottle where can I buy

[@Ctdbowling]

Subscribe because we start talking about that next week.

[@warrenjackson1157]

Where can I get some black bottle

[@Ctdbowling]

We will start releasing information this week

[@DJILLUSTRATE]

Nice video. Black Bottle = Cerami-X\Rain-X. I know people that have been using that on dry lane conditions for years.

[@Ctdbowling]

Lol not even close 🤣🤣🤣 just wait until you see it.

[@travishanson166]

It's a formula similar to turtle wax tire shine.

[@SgtPhroste]

The Sumo was the first ball I ever owned when i joined my first league about 30 years ago! Wish I had kept it around

[@eddieworley3409]

Some guy on the lane next who was a fairly new bowler was throwing a black sumo Sunday night which he said he found at t thrift shop and I asked him if I could throw it and I couldn’t get it to turn to save my life

[@fukRiaa]

@@eddieworley3409 Lot of people use old urethane as a spare ball just for this reason. Takes a pretty short pattern to give the ball enough room and friction to turn.

[@smokey6965]

Great to know what legit urethanes are, now that black bottle is going to be a game changer, seems like your able to make a reactive ball have urethane properties. always creating the difference

[@joshburnette9128]

What about the uc3

[@Ctdbowling]

Same as Pitch Black

[@daviddeiss7907]

Isn't the stuff in the black bottle slip agent ? I'm a bowler with slow ball speed compared to my rev rate and I bowl in a house with lots of early friction, I use slip agent on all my reactive equipment it helps the ball get through the fronts without burning up to much energy and really looks close to the reaction you got with the dna.

[@Ctdbowling]

Slip agent and this are nothing alike. Try sanding your ball to 500 and then put the slip agent on it.

[@daviddeiss7907]

@@Ctdbowling that is exactly what I do 500 then slip agent if I put a higher surface grit on the ball it tends to become to sharp off the spot and I don't like a sharp ball motion, some solid surface balls can handle a higher grit level without being to sharp you just need to know your equipment .

[@austinhawker4152]

Its amazing how much better the purple hammer is compared to literally any other ball

[@the13thking]

There was a solid reason they used to soak back in the day, and why the hardness rules came about. Purple just found away around the rules without soaking. And now the rules meant to curtail soaking took the purple hammer out. Weird situation caused by allowing ball manufacturers way too much freedom in development of new equipment. It’s an interesting situation…I don’t think the issue is fully resolved yet…time will tell 🤷🏻‍♂️🎳💪🏻

[@Afilmsfilm]

The Sumo ball was the first ball I bowled a 300 with

[@showtimeman5673]

Sumo = 1992 just before the first resin xcalibur it was preceeded by the cobra solid and cobra pearl, then was followed by the resin ninja

[@Waiting2inhale]

Splash of U on any ball looks good I need a black bottle

[@EricSmyth4Christ]

Some soft background music might help Very quiet though

[@millenniumshot7505]

Ya gotta stay on top of the purple daddy 10 and in all day baby💪🏿

[@brandonferris8934]

When are we going to find out about that black bottle? Holy crap would that be useful for me. I'm a rev dominant two hander who gets forced very far left very early on the house shot.

[@MRHARVEY_23]

There goes that black bottle!!

[@Ctdbowling]

🤣🤣🤣 wait until next week

[@johnpeterson6723]

I still roll my dad's ORIGINAL (90's?) blue hammer urethane!

[@crk140]

You’re deadly accurate

[@traviskirk3834]

I wish the sumo urethane was remade. Since amf was with 900 global so if storm now has the rights to amf balls . Sorry i just love watching the power the black sumo urethane has and it hits hard.

[@MrCpayne009]

Black bottle is going to be a game changer! Being able to make a agressive reactive ball hook less without shining it up.

[@Ctdbowling]

That's the idea, subscribe because next week we start to talk about that.

[@MrCpayne009]

@@Ctdbowling I'm a national staffer. I've been intrigued and interested ever since I saw Ron throw it in the 1st video.

[@salgiglio8058]

Short pin + Black Bottle on Wolf could be beautiful

[@51187corey]

Urethane doesn't get softer

[@jvndm]

What about the VBP Blue Gargoyle? Wasn't that released as a polished urethane? Curios how that would stack up against the others.

[@coopergates9680]

Natural pearl, super natural, or even the original black rhino pearl. They've been around ( :

[@fukRiaa]

IMO Blue Gargoyle would be even weaker than the Double Cross. Its super hard old school urethane and polished as you say. Now the Crow could probably hang with the Pitch Black if not stronger. Not polished though.

[@coopergates9680]

@@fukRiaa A polished midnight scorcher would still get up the hill...

[@fukRiaa]

@@coopergates9680 The blue one? Its still pretty weak polished (own one in 16#). Stronger than a Faball Blue Hammer though. The black one not sure why would ever polish as probably screw up the particles. Now there is a ball that would take all day to polish.

[@coopergates9680]

@@fukRiaa Maybe it's the black one? I thought it was gray or dark gray. nordattack has a number of videos with his, but yes, it might take a lot of polish to smooth out the surface including those particles. I also had a red sorcerer for a while, which hooked early and quite a bit, so it might do okay polished.

[@Khaosclan]

The 78/u is the real shocker, to see its not 100% urethane speaks volumes about advertisement

[@lumberlikwidator8863]

I’m totally confused now. There’s another video going around now where the presenter says that the IQ Tour is true urethane.

[@Ctdbowling]

Well they may not know. The difference is we just showed you how to check 😉

[@jamesmatheson4746]

The oil is moving down the lane too!!!

[@coopergates9680]

JR Raymond and Darren Tang didn't see much difference between the pitch black and !Q 78/u. Oil and/or lane surface chemistry are likely coming into play

[@shaunmcisaac782]

True Urethane won't absorb oil, so another simple way to test True Urethane vs Reactive is to just throw a shot down the middle of the lane and then put the ball on a plastic ball holder with the oil rings exposed. Take out your phone out, and take a picture of the ball as soon as you set it down. Then set a timer for 15 minutes (e.g. bowl a game with some other balls). After the timer goes off look at the ball again and compare with the original picture. A reactive ball won't have much oil left on it, but a urethane will still look like you just pulled it off the rack.

[@fukRiaa]

Not to be pedantic but old school urethane will actually absorb a tiny bit of oil. Rate was at least 25x slower than reactives though. I think some oil absorption over many years is why many blue hammers would turn greenish.

[@coopergates9680]

Just goes to show how stupid a rule like banning everything before Aug. 2022 is, the shape and friction of an old ball can be well replicated with the newer stuff, possibly using specialty modifiers such as the black bottle.

[@evanst.martin9332]

I'm guessing if the stuff in the black bottle clogs the pores, it will push oil down the lane. It would have the same effect as throwing urethane without receiving urethane hate from everybody.

[@coopergates9680]

@@evanst.martin9332 I thought you knew that is why people hate urethane in league, if oil is pushed into the back end. However, if the resin ball in question is high diff and drilled so it flares enough, it won't carry much oil down. I'm definitely tired of the centripetal C3, Storm should have used a higher diff and higher RG core in that harder urethane. Inverted Fe^2 or bring back iron cross from the Fight balls, for instance.

[@evanst.martin9332]

@@coopergates9680 I do have a Purple urethane as part of a limited arsenal. I use it maybe 2-3 times a year, not to mess with anybody's line or to get in their heads. When I do go to it, it's simply because that's the only thing working for me that night. I think with all the urethanes being produced, bowlers are just going to have to get used to it. The more versatile bowlers will figure it out.

[@coopergates9680]

@@evanst.martin9332I'm not knocking anybody for throwing urethane, I throw one more like 12 to 15 times a year, though old ones that roll more similarly to plastic. They don't call reactive resin the cheater ball for nothin'.

[@EXODIAHAMMER513]

I NEED THAT BLACK BOTTLE!

[@lilspice6994]

Where can we get it?

[@dongodlyduffy776]

feel like the 78u is going to be AMAZING for broken down patterns for those who throw straighter shots but aside from that especially if u have low revs this ball is useless way too long!!!

[@skategeezer1810]

The sumo was OK, but the Phantom was way better. It was around 249, plus it was asymmetrical.

[@Ctdbowling]

Drilled correctly the Phantom was a beast!

[@hammerwde1205]

What I don't understand, is the complaint about hardness numbers. Why is this even a rule? hardness will have diminishing returns on both ends of the range. You can make a ball to soft, and it will just puke. you can make it too hard, and it just skids. This rule makes no sense. You should be able to use your equipment to how you want to spec out your gear. Same thing for not being able to clean your ball duirng play. Makes no sense. If I have the knowledge and ability to clean and make surface adjustments, in the middle of play, then allow me to do so. You clean a golf club surface, every single shot... Only seems reasonable to do so, for bowling ball also...

[@Ctdbowling]

We have a video called "why do we have rules" on this channel. That will help offer some context.

[@Kaazkhan1]

The PBA also functions to help manufacturers show off new equipment. When everybody is throw purple hammers and pitch blacks every week they don’t get to show off the new equipment. People also want variety on TV but they won’t get that if the best look every week is urethane.

[@kingshabazz1310]

​@@Kaazkhan1Bingo! That's the REAL reason for the changes. Other companies can't replicate the Purple Hammer either.

[@williamfreitas7016]

At the end you mentioned golf for a comparison. Golf has rules on club face hardness, flexibility of the shafts as well as a plethora of rules about the balls. For both sports those in charge decide on specifications to ensure what they feel is fair play. Aside from that, follow the money is usually the correct answer.

[@atbsigma]

@@kingshabazz1310in the 2010s Storm had the ‘it’ balls in the Hyroad and the IQ Tour. Eventually every company came out with their own version of those balls. As we went into the COVID and post COVID eras, I didn’t see the same reaction to the fact that the purple hammer was the nut for so many who liked that ‘urethane look.’ That ball just seemed to read every pattern and find its way to the pocket. Sure there were balls like the pitch black and Motiv’s tanks that kept those companies competitive on the lanes, but I think a political mess happened surrounding the purple hammer and led to today’s situation

[@baconbitsmusic431]

y'all gotta fix that audio..

[@mikebyrd7195]

Well old school urethane rolls a lot different then the new balls and the difference is track flare old school no track flare new stuff track flare

[@kingshabazz1310]

Hammer...make a 78 hard Purple Hammer and end the controversy please!!! Im just a league bowler, so thank God i can still use my Purp daddy. Im just not feeling that NU ball at all...

[@mayaboylan5414]

most pda pros At least the ones that did ball reviews Are able to hook it more than The guy on this video. You can't only go by what this guy is doing Because you have to roll This guy basically Doesn't roll it as much It makes a huge difference That's why the pros when you see the ball review The ball looks very good the 78u And pros drill 78u stronger than what he drilled it and Is my pitch black Has two hundred games on it And I still hook it with the whole lane at fifteen But I also have a 500 rev