Scouting the competition
Written: Aug 23 '02 (Updated Aug 23 '02)
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Pros: Great rev rate for a small block
Cons: Not listed on epinions
The Bottom Line: Need a ball that's versatile and low cost with above average carry buy the Columbia Scout particle.
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| paulv's Full Review: Columbia Messenger TEC Bowling Ball |
Columbia has particle technology just as every other manufacturer does. Particle bowling balls are leading the industry to new levels for scores and consistency.
Columbia has been making a ball series known as the Scout for a few years now. This series is the front runner of the off set puck design in weight blocks. Cover stocks for this ball series are urethane, resin reactive and particle including a pearlized version. Now Columbia has given this series a new version of particle called TEC 2. New to Scouts but used in other Columbia lines last year.
The Scout has always been a low end ball in terms of cost. Retailing for about $90.00 or less. The new TEC 2 cover stock has driven the cost up a few dollars from the range of $90.00 to $105.00. The question I had about this increase wasn't does the material cost more but instead does the new Scout perform better.
My question was quickly answered when I suggested this ball to a lady friend of mine who is left handed, with an ugly arm swing and a terrible hop at the foul line. The consistency and and predictability make this Scout a better performer.
Two years ago I suggested a Messenger to Shelia and she had an average year with the ball but was discouraged by the over and under reaction she got on the house lane condition. Her Messenger is a bit unpredictable even when her game is at peak performance. For all of the first year I tried to defend my choice for her by reminding myself, most of her problems were because of her awkward style.
In the second year I had Shelia's Messenger dulled and kept it very clean. Even though Shelia's game didn't change she had a slight improvement over all. Then when Columbia announced it's new Particle Scout I said this has to be the answer to get Shelia to next level, knowing her game was destined to be the same.
The Scout's off set puck with a pancake top block is a very versatile ball if you can drill two at time, using opposite end of the drilling scale you would have enough difference in ball reaction to play most house shots. Regardless of how you drilled the Scout resin balls, they have a bit of unpredictability. The Tec 2 cover stock on this years Scout resolves that issue and the round core with the pancake and puck technology gives this ball plenty of back end to carry strikes with the most expensive balls.
While the rest of the Scout line remain good performers for beginners as well as seasoned average bowlers the New Scout will fit in the best of the house bowlers arsenals as well. Better bowler tend to stay away from low cost balls because lower cost balls just aren't fashionable enough and in general don't perform consistently at high levels.
This new particle Scout will prove itself to be the best performing low cost bowling ball on the market this year. For any level of bowler.
Here's how this ball reacts; For a down and in player this ball rolls very cleanly through the front of the lane and when it reaches the drier back end it flips evenly and rolls very hard toward the pocket with good revolutions. The hitting power is comparable to many more expensive balls. The heavy roll gets the pins flying all around giving this cheap little ball above average carry.
For players who want to play more in the middle of the lane and crossing 10 or more board the cover stock and core combination recover well if its not over thrown. Higher rev players need good recovery to avoid the dreaded wash out but also they don't want the ball to come back on so much angle that splits and corner pins will haunt them. This ball excels at even roll and maintaining energy at the pocket.
High track players shouldn't worry about the high flair some drillings give this ball because particle cover stocks tend to lower ball tracks so you shouldn't hit the finger holes. The smaller weight block helps here too.
The new Columbia Scout particle is a very good ball for any bowler. Talk to a pro shop about how it should be drilled to match your style and the lane condition you are bowling on. This ball will not be all the answers but it will give any bowler a good performance. If you have an ugly awkward style like Shelia or if you as smooth as Brian Voss this ball has the performance you need at a low cost to be a keeper this bowling season.
Recommended:
Yes
Recommended Lane Conditions: Medium Oil
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Epinions.com ID:
paulv
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Location: Sayre, Pa.
Reviews written: 64
Trusted by: 40 members
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