Ebonite Big Time Bowling Balls

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Pin to PAP Distance: 5 7/8"
Preferred Spin Axis to PAP Distance: 3 1/2"
Balance Hole: 29/32" x 1 1/2" Deep – 1" Past PAP
Surface Preparation: Box Condition

What I Was Looking For in this Ball and Layout:

Here's a great example of what NOT to do with a brand new bowling ball. I drilled this ball with no real objective in mind. The aggressiveness of the coverstock and the high differential of the ball scared me into a weaker pin to PAP distance than I would normally use. I drilled this ball with only one thing on my mind; keep it from over-flaring too early.

What I Ended Up With in this Ball and Layout:

The result of drilling a ball without a desired ball reaction is that you really don't know what you will end up with. Unfortunately for me, not thinking about the ball layout before throwing some holes in it created an overlapping reaction in my bag. This Big Time ball clears the head area of the lane better than anything in my bag right now. The smooth coverstock and weak pin position combine for an unbelievably low amount of friction in the front part of the lane, and I've yet to find a lane that I can't get this ball through the front on. I drilled a balance hole beyond my PAP to try and open up the flare rings a little, but the effect of this was very minimal.

Here comes mistake number two with my brilliance. I placed the preferred spin axis of this ball 3 1/2" from my PAP. When combined with all of the front end skid I created through pin position and ball selection, this PSA location creates a very medium type of backend reaction. The ball sneaks through the front part of the lane and then needs an incredible amount of friction in the backend to get started. If the ball does get into a transition, it does make a very strong move towards the pocket. With the skid created by step 1, I can really create some steep entry angles with this PSA location.

The overall hook of my Big Time is significantly less than the One and Big One balls that were also reviewed on June 3rd. While the surface makes it slightly stronger than my Overtime, the ball does not have any real purpose for me. The real issue with this ball lies in the lane conditions we bowl on. I said that the ball clears the front of the lane extremely clean. This means that I really can't throw it on slicker heads because it just skates out in the backend. So I'm really looking for a condition that is slightly broken down in the front of the lane for this Big Time. I also need an incredible amount of friction in the backend to get the ball started. In tournament play, far more often than not, when we see broken down fronts, we see a lot of oil down lane. So again, it's near impossible for me to match up this ball properly.

In summary, don't drill bowling balls without a purpose in mind. I hope you can learn from my lesson and keep situations like this from happening to you.

• Ebonite The One - Original
• Ebonite The Big One
• Ebonite Over Time
• Ebonite Big Time Pearl
• Ebonite Black Ice
• Ebonite SR300
• Ebonite Infinite One
• Ebonite No Limit
• Ebonite Whirl Wind
• Ebonite Smash Time
•      See all products reviewed by proshoptraining.com review by Jeff Ussery