What are bowling ball spinners?
A bowling bowl spinner is a little contraption shaped like a bowl that’s connected to a spinning machine that allows you to sand and polish your bowling ball surface, clean it, and make it more even before using it. You’re likely to see it at times when you’re in a pro shop.
This is one of the most extensive bowling ball spinner reviews that seek to examine some of the best bowling ball spinners you can get your hands on, including their strengths and defects, and provide you with everything related to a buying guide if you’re looking to get one for yourself.
Contents
At A Glance: Our Top Picks for Best Bowling Ball Spinners
If you’re in a hurry, you can jump straight into our top picks (these are the ball spinners that most people buy).
- Salmon Creek NuBall Spinner Top Pick
- Innovative Personal Bowling Ball Spinner Runner-up
- Bowlerstore Products Vertex Ball Spinner Runner-up
Top 5 Best Bowling Ball Spinners – Our Reviews:
1. Salmon Creek NuBall Spinner
The Salmon Creek NuBall Spinner is highly popular among some of the most ardent bowlers around the globe. The bowling ball spinner is cleverly engineered and allows uniform access to the entire surface of the ball, ensuring that it gets that smooth and shiny finish as evenly as possible.
The bowling balls device works by increasing the bowling ball’s temperature evenly and to a precise level that never exceeds 135 degrees. This ensures that the ball is safe for use by minimizing all the structural damage.
It spreads a thin film of oil evenly to give the ball that glistening look that bowlers love to see.
The Salmon Creek uses hot air currents to move the ball around, getting rid of any impurities. It also comes with an oil dissipating cup that adds to the convenience of the machine.
The duration of the spin is about an hour if you want to achieve the best results.
Pros
- Oil dissipation cup
- Effective and durable
- Ingenious construction
- Not complicated
- Very precise
- Good lane conditions
Cons
- The price is too high for most people
2. Innovative Personal Bowling Ball Spinner
The Innovative brand is another company that has been in the business of making bowling ball spinners that are in high demand by the bowling community. Many consider the Innovative Personal Bowling Ball Spinner one of the best bowling ball spinners in its class, and even judging it from appearance alone, the bowling balls device is supremely designed.
It comes with an oil rejuvenation cup and works by circulating the heat around the balls in a uniform and balanced manner to ensure that every part is touched evenly. The recommended use of the Innovative Personal ball spinner is for every 30 to 40 games as that’s when the bowling ball has taken enough beatings to start deviating from its true performance.
The bowling balls spinner runs on 110V of power, which is within the normal power consumption of most of the top-end bowling ball spinners on the market. To get the best out of the Innovative Personal ball spinner, you’ll require a 200V power converter to ensure that the operating conditions are within the safety limits.
Like most others, the Innovative Personal ball spinner equipment can handle one ball at a time and takes between 40 to 60 minutes to get the whole process done and dusted. The hot air currents are set at a level that doesn’t damage the ball while making it easy for the oil layer to be cleaned off.
Pros
- Solid construction
- Durable
- Efficient operation
- Self-contained
- Smooth design scheme
Cons
- Taking the balls out is a challenge
- Disposal of oil isn’t that efficient
3. Bowlerstore Products Vertex Ball Spinner
The Vertex Bowling Ball Spinner is an invasive product from the Bowlerstore line of products that features a lot of in-demand devices. This is the kind of device you get if you are looking for a sanding and polishing device with high precision.
The bowling ball spinner runs on a third horsepower motor with an advanced speed of about 435 RPM, which is pretty high, all things considered.
With such speeds, the need for a solid and durable construction comes up. That’s addressed by an ultra-tough glass reinforced with a nylon material motor cover, which not only adds outer strength to the equipment but ensures that the motor of the Vertex ball spinner can clock those high speeds without anything coming apart and injuring the user.
For portability, the Bowlerstore Products Vertex ball spinner weighs only 21 pounds and comes with a 6-feet long cord that can be plugged in anywhere. The operation of the ball spinner is computer engineered, and this ensures that the accuracy of polishing the bowling ball is off the charts.
Pros
- Long warranty (5-year warranty on the spinner and 3-year warranty on the motor)
- Highest spinner precision
- Noiseless spinner
- Highly durable
- Weighs only 21 pounds
- Portable
Cons
- Expensive
- Overheating is a big problem
4. Pyramid Phoenix Personal Bowling Ball Spinner
This is yet another reliable spinner that was actually designed by a group of bowlers who felt like the market wasn’t giving them what they wanted. What this means is that as far as bowling ball spinners on this list are concerned, this could be the most personalized spinner.
The bowling ball spinner has a standard digital timer with an auto-shutoff mechanism that allows the user to time the spinning and set the time limits if they wish to; the equipment will automatically switch itself off once the time limit is reached.
The construction of the bowling ball spinner is also compact. Plus, it can be taken apart and reconstructed very easily; you can do some minor repairs on your own if you know what to look for in the long run.
One unique feature of the Pyramid Phoenix bowling ball spinner that sets it apart from others is that the heating of the ball begins from the bottom. This leads to the extraction of all the oil particles that are lodged into the coverstock more efficiently.
The ball spinner also comes with a ventilated ball cup that further pushes the efficiency of the equipment up.
Pros
- Ventilated ball cup
- Assembly is easy
- Digital timer
- Auto-Shutoff feature
- Affordable
- Comes with a 1-year warranty
Cons
- Not good with reactive coverstocks
- Its durability is suspect
5. Innovative 2 Speed Ball Spinner
The 2-Speed bowling ball spinner is another good machine offered by the Bowlerstore. It has the simplest and the most straightforward design of all spinners on this list—nothing fancy, just a straight device that does exactly what it was designed for.
As described in the name, the ball spinner has two speeds; a lower one at 400 RPM and a higher one at 600 RPM.
Featuring a tabletop design, the spinner is made out of cast aluminum with shafts crafted out of waterproof materials. The motor on the inside is shielded from the elements and is made using a rust-proof material, which ensures it stays for long.
The heavy-duty bowling ball spinner has a 3/4 horsepower motor that offers the power needed to turn any bowling ball into a smooth and shiny marble ready for use. It comes with an 8-feet power outlet supply cord that allows the user to move the equipment around with ease.
These and many other features are the reason why this spinner has been in use for over 20 years, and its popularity doesn’t look like it’s waning anytime soon.
Pros
- 2-Speed spinner
- Anti-vibration rubber base
- Durable construction
- A good 3/4 hp
Cons
- Very expensive
- Looks bland
Things to Keep in Mind when Buying a Bowling Ball Spinner
Every bowler worth their salt has to have a bowling spinner somewhere; they’re essential, and without them, the bowling balls won’t function as they’re meant to. The following are some factors you have to consider when you drop by at a pro shop looking for a spinner.
Noise Level
A spinner is a highly mechanical device, and it creates a lot of noise when switched on. Always look for one with a motor that doesn’t produce that much noise when polishing balls; it’s impossible to find one that’s completely noiseless.
Performance Features
It would help if you were looking at the motor speeds, the power consumption, lane conditions, the ability to clean the ball efficiently and uniformly, and most importantly, the damage factor.
Faster spinners are better; the same goes for those that have a high power rating. However, you also have to pay attention to electricity bills.
Power Consumption
You need a bowling ball spinner that isn’t just efficient on the polishing front but also uses less power in the process.
Although higher-powered motor spinners work best, you really don’t need to pay huge electricity bills just to get that kind of spinner when you can still make use of a device with a lower power rating. Avoid anything that will force you to spend more just to use.
Affordability
Bowling ball spinners don’t come cheap, but they’re categorized based on price ranges. The high-end ones have better features but are way out of the range of many people who may wish to have them.
When looking for a spinner, work with the budget at your disposal and prioritize the most important features that will have your bowling balls looking good and ready for use. Caution has to be exercised here; sometimes too cheap may not be a good idea.
Also, if budget is an issue, consider simply letting a pro shop do the job for you. You can also create your own.
Read Also: How to Make a Bowling Ball Spinner: Easy Step-By-Step Guide
Accessories
Some brands come laden with extra accessories to make the cleaning process easier. Things like a pedal switch for freeing your hands, bowling towels, sanding pads, a goodie bag, and others serve to make the process of cleaning and polishing bowling balls easier and more efficient.
There are things that you may need to buy separately in most instances. Therefore, to save money, go for brands that offer some accessories for free. Focus also on brands that offer a good year warranty.
Durability
When you consider the cost of purchasing them and the kind of mechanical operations involved, you’ll need the best bowling ball spinner with a good warranty that can last for years before you start thinking of replacements.
Check the material used in the outer casing, as well as those used to make the motor and all the moving parts, as this will give you a rough image of the number of times and how well the machine can endure constant use.
The Bottom Line
You can’t improve your bowling skills without a ball spinner. If you have a bowling alley set up in your home or belong to bowling teams, getting one is essential.
There are countless other pro shop brands and bowling ball spinner reviews out there for consumers, each with unique products in their catalog that you should check out to ensure you have the best options that money can buy. Simply use this guide to point yourself in the best direction.