Home
 Pro-Shop
 Products

 Instruction
 Links
 Tournaments
 News
 Who's Who
 Centers
 Industry
 Contributors
 Site Map
 Contact Us
 Submit URL

Smaller particles means more contact points on the lane. With TEC², the particle is making contact with the lane through the oil for more hook in the mid-lane. 

The TEC² particles are mixed throughout the entire shell. With time, the sharp edges will wear smooth. Sanding or resurfacing will restore the sharp edges. The TEC² shell can be resurfaced easier than TEC because these particles are softer than TEC's glass microballoons. Sanding exposes new particles below the surface of the ball with fresh, sharp edges.

Just like with TEC, the quantity of TEC² particles is adjusted in the shell to alter the location and sharpness of the break point. The black, solid Rock has more particles than the Rock Pearl. This allows the solid Rock to have more friction in the front part of the lane, for an earlier and arcing break point.

The Rock Pearl has less TEC² particles, which gives it less friction in the oil. Pearlized shells are known to slide more in oil, and thus retain their energy to release it quickly at the break point for a sharp, flipping reaction. That is why pearlized balls work better after some bowling activity has removed the oil in the ball track. The pearlized shell helps to get the ball down the lane easily with a sharp turn on the backend. On heavy carrydown, pearlized balls sometimes can slide a little too far and then hook behind the strike pocket. With the Rock Pearl, the sharp edges of the TEC² particle enable this ball to grab the lane through the carrydown and hook, even with some oil on the backend of the lane. The TEC² material adds increased friction to this pearlized ball, and you will notice it does not react like most pearlized balls.

TEC is Columbia 300's Super-Flex™ coverstock with hollow, microscopic, glass balloons added into the reactive urethane shell. TEC stands for Textured Energy Control. The microscopic balloons add a texture to the surface of the ball. This changes the friction between the ball and lane, which manipulates the release of energy as the ball travels down the lane. This can be seen better with a microscopic photo of the particles.

Some of the particles have been broken in the photo showing the hollow center. These particles are mixed throughout the reactive urethane material. When the ball is sanded, these particles break apart creating little cavities. These cavities are a place for the lane oil to go as the ball travels down the lane. It can be equated to the treads on a snow tire, which give a place for the snow to go so that the tire can grip the road. In a TEC ball, this allows the surface of the ball to have more contact with the lane surface through the oil. Therefore, more friction is created between the ball and lane in the oiled area of the lane for more overall hook on the lane.

Not all TEC balls have the same percentage of TEC particles added into the shell. By varying the percentage of particles, the friction in the oil can be adjusted to alter the location and sharpness of the break point. For example, the Black Chaos has a greater percentage of particles and hooks more in oil creating an early break point. The Extreme Chaos has a lower percentage of particles, which helps it to slide more in the heads. Less particles saves the energy in the front of the lane so that it can be released on the backend of the lane for more flip and hook down by the pins.

It is highly recommended that TEC balls be cleaned with a ball cleaner after each bowling session. Click Here to buy TEC Ball Cleners online. The cavities created by the hollow microballoons will fill up with lane oil and dirt. The oil will be absorbed into the ball but not the dirt. Cleaning the ball will remove the dirt from the cavities for maximum hook the next time you use your TEC ball.

The new Holo-Flex particle has a lower friction than the reactive urethane material. In the oiled area of the lane, the particle extends through the oil to lower the friction between the ball and lane, which helps to get the ball down the lane and conserve energy. 

When the ball gets to the backend, the weight of the ball allows the reactive urethane to contact the lane to get higher friction from the reactive urethane, which results in an even sharper backend than the same ball without the Holo-Flex additive. Holo-Flex will create the maximum length down the lane and the sharpest break point.

Pearlized ball will slide more in oil. This lowers the friction in the oiled area of the lane to retain the energy in the ball. This stored energy can then be released when the ball reaches the dry backend of the lane for a sharper, flipping motion at the break point. 

Pearlized balls will go long and flip if there is dry backends. Therefore, they work well when the ball track begins to dry up due to bowling activity and the bowler is forced to move in deeper to find some oil in the heads. The pearlized ball will get through the drier front of the lane with a sharp turn at the break point to hook back to the strike pocket from a deep inside line. 

On heavy carrydown, pearlized balls sometimes can slide a little too far and then hook behind the strike pocket. Normally, a pearlized ball will hook less than the same ball with a solid reactive urethane shell because it will slide further in the oil before it starts to hook.

This is a good shell for playing a tighter line on oil with a controllable break point. It also can be used when a bowler needs a lot of hook like from Superflex but with less snap at the break point for control.

Superflex is known for its ability to slide on oil and then flip when it reaches the drier backend of the lane. Like all reactive urethane balls, it absorbs lane oil to maintain its potential for high friction with a drier lane condition. This is Columbia's most aggressive reactive urethane shell (without the addition of particles into the shell). 

Superflex balls work very well on oil patterns with medium to medium-heavy lane conditions. A superflex shell matches up well with many league conditions where there is some oil on the outside of the lane and heavier oil in the center. Superflex will hook sharply at the break point, provided that there is not a lot of carrydown.

Reactive urethanes are known for their ability to slide on oil and then hook on the drier backend of the lane. 

Flexcel would be considered a medium aggressive shell by today's standards. It normally would be a good ball reaction for a medium to drier lane condition. It gets down the lane with an arcing break point. 

There now are more aggressive reactive urethane shells that will have greater hook and sharper break points on heavier oil conditions. Flexcel works well on a wet-dry condition to reduce the over reaction from when the ball reaches the dry outside boards.

photo: Hiroshi Noda