Anyone with a slight idea of what bowling is knows what and how a bowling ball works. A bowling ball is a hard sphere that’s used to knock down bowling pins along a designated lane called the bowling alley.
We’re going to have a look at some of the top bowling ball options for straight bowlers available nowadays, including their strengths and weaknesses, and provide you with a detailed bowling ball buying guide that’ll help you in getting the best bowling ball for straight players.
Contents
At A Glance: Our Top Picks for Best Bowling Balls for Straight Bowlers
If you’re in a hurry, you can jump straight into our top picks (these are the bowling balls for straight bowlers that most people buy).
- Pyramid Path Bowling Ball Top Pick
- Brunswick TZone Deep Space Bowling Ball Runner-up
- Ebonite Maxim Captain Odyssey Bowling Ball Runner-up
Top 6 Best Bowling Balls for Straight Bowlers 2024 – Our Reviews:
1. Pyramid Path Bowling Ball
Starting us off is the Pyramid Path Bowling ball, a product that has been at the top of bowlers’ lists for years, thanks to the high-performance design that ensures the bowling ball does exactly what the player wants it to do. The hook is negligible and has good flare potential, which gives the straight bowling ball the uncanny ability to move in a straight line in the hands of experienced straight players.
It has a durable polyester bowling ball cover stock that offers the best bowling ball control on any dry lane conditions for those that love making straight shots.
It also comes with a pancake core, which increases the predictability when used on the lanes. The polyester coverstock is also easy to clean.
As the best bowling ball, the Pyramid Path comes in a variety of colors, sizes, and designs, which is good news for people who love variety. It has a total of nine sizes that cater to all age groups and genders of any skill level.
Novice players have been found to love using this bowling ball due to its ease of handling.
Pros
- Wide range of colors
- 9 Different sizes
- Ideal for all skill levels
- Affordable
- Great design
- Pancake core
- Solid polyester coverstock
Cons
- No pre-drilled version available
2. Brunswick TZone Deep Space Bowling Ball
Brunswick is a common brand in the bowling circles as it’s involved in the manufacturer of various products and accessories used in bowling. The Brunswick TZone Deep Space Bowling Ball is one of their balls that are in high demand due to its reliability and great construction.
The durability of the Brunswick TZone strike ball is ensured by the presence of the polyester cover stock. You could go years with this best bowling ball before it ever gets any significant dent.
The dry lane ball has a bullet core that plays a huge role in the precise control of the ball when handled by a pro straight bowler. It also has a good hook bowling potential, and this makes the Brunswick TZone straight ball a good fit for a beginner bowler learning their way around the sport.
The Brunswick TZone strike ball weighs over 16 pounds, making it one of the heaviest in the game. Getting used to it takes time, but eventually, you’ll start hitting strikes once your hands are acclimatized to the weight.
The ball comes in an array of colors and sizes, too.
Pros
- Beautiful design
- A wide array of colors
- Good for beginners
- Good control and hook potential
- Ideal for dry lane conditions
Cons
- Costly
- Heavy
3. Ebonite Maxim Captain Odyssey Bowling Ball
The Ebonite Maxim bowling ball for straight bowlers can be considered the most aesthetically appealing option on this list.
The attention to detail exhibited by the color works is top tier, but that isn’t the only thing that makes the straight ball such a popular item with bowlers. It is built for performance, too.
The polyester coverstock makes the ball highly durable; once you buy the ball, you can forget about getting a replacement for a while because it has a solid construction that can take all the bumps and smashes that are common in the bowling alley.
The Ebonite Maxim bowling ball for straight bowlers may look smooth at first glance but once you put your hands around, you’ll realize that it has one of the most amazing grips and a decent hook potential for bowling straight. The good hold ensures the balls don’t slip, which allows bowlers to control every throw properly.
The Ebonite Maxim bowling balls are designed with beginners and intermediate straight bowlers in mind. The few professionals who have this straight ball usually use it as spare balls for practice.
Pros
- Good for recreational bowling
- Best for beginners
- Comes in varying sizes
- Attractive design
- Solid coverstock
- Good spare ball
Cons
- Not ideal for pros
4. Columbia 300 Nitrous Bowling Ball
The Columbia 300 Nitrous straight bowling ball packs quite the performance that has made it quite a hit with newbie bowlers around the world, making it one of the best bowling ball for straight bowlers. Designed by the same company that gave the world the mercurial Columbia 300 White Dot Lava Bowling Ball, this is another quality offering that has made quite an impact in the bowling community.
The 3-piece core ball is designed for both oil conditions and dry lanes and has a good straight-line movement, which makes it easy for beginner bowlers to get the hang of the game as quickly as possible. Also, its symmetrical 3-piece core helps the user to adjust the straight ball quickly on the move as well as increase the hit power once the bowling ball hits the lane running.
Like most other high-quality bowling balls, the Columbia 300 Nitrous comes in varying weight choices that range from 10-16 lbs. The heavier the straight bowling balls, the faster they’re, but the more difficult they’re to control. Another unique aspect of the product is that it comes undrilled, which allows bowlers to add their own customizations that fit the fingers correctly.
Pros
- Beautiful design
- 3-Piece core
- Varying weight options
- Customizable
- Durable
- Ideal for all lane conditions
- Solid coverstock
Cons
- Expensive balls
- Heavy for beginners
5. Brunswick Lizard Eye Glow
When it comes to making impressions, no other bowling ball on this list comes close to the Brunswick Lizard Eye Bowling Ball. The graphical effects applied on the surface will leave you stupefied for a moment as they feature the huge lizard eye staring back at you.
The stunning effects aside, the bowling ball is just as capable as any other.
The ball travels in a straight line and has been found to be a good option for practices, especially the beginners who may have difficulty getting the straight ball moving as they want. The “Lizard Eyeball” has a polyester coverstock for durability while at the same time ensures that nothing can scratch and destroy the beautiful graphic covering.
The control is also superb, and even a newbie straight bowler using the ball for the first time can register some good handling with their first throw.
The Lizard Eye Glow can be used on all lanes and comes in seven different sizes ideal for all age groups and genders.
Pros
- All lane bowling balls
- The best looking bowling ball
- Glows in the dark
- Seven size variants
- Solid coverstock
Cons
- Expensive
6. DV8 Just Black Bowling Ball
This is an all-black bowling ball that has been designed for dry lane conditions. The all-black appearance is ideal for those that never want the distractions of bright colors, giving them the right concentration to make the best shots.
It’s a good spare ball to have in your collection, and it comes in very handy for practices. The ball is available in different weights ranging from 6 to 16 pounds, and this is good for all types of bowlers regardless of their age or gender.
The polyester cover stock gives the ball the much-needed durability that ensures you get to use it for as long as you need to without needing any replacements for a long time. This helps you save on costs in the long run.
Lastly, the high gloss finish, when combined with the all-black appearance, gives the DV8 a very refined look that befits the pros of the game.
Pros
- Comes with a free shoulder sack
- Best spare ball
- Has kid size balls
- Durable construction
Cons
- Not pre-drilled
Buying a Straight Bowling Ball: Things You Need to Consider
With so much to choose from in a market full of all kinds of the best straight bowling balls, it can be hard narrowing down to something that fits you perfectly. To help hook bowlers navigate this tricky phase, the following are some of the pointers you can use when looking for a ball for straight bowlers.
Cover Stock
There’s a lot of coverstock mentioned all over the list, and you may be wondering what exactly that may be.
A coverstock is the outer shell of the bowling ball. It’s the shiny part that you see and the surface that comes with all forms of colors and art drawn on them.
Being the part that makes actual contact with the lane surface, the coverstock is very important as it influences the curves, the hook shot, the straight shot, and the actual movement and speed of the ball. A polyester cover stock has the least friction, and since they all move in a straight line, this is why every bowling ball for straight bowlers uses such a cover stock.
Other cover stocks are urethane, reactive resin, and pearl coverstock, among many others. Pay attention to the surface of the ball when making a purchase.
Read Also: Bowling Ball Surface Guide: The 4 Coverstock Types
Weight
The weight influences the speed, accuracy, general handling, and direction when bowling a straight ball.
Professional straight bowlers can combine all these three for the best results. However, this may be a stumbling block for a newbie.
As a rule, the best straight bowling ball’s weight should be 10% of the player’s weight. If the bowling ball is too heavy for your bowling hand, then you’ll get tired much faster and you won’t be able to make that straight shot easily as the ball’s speed will be too high.
If the balls are too light, then there’s the likelihood that the hook shot control won’t be refined, and it can affect the direction of bowling a straight ball once it hits the lane. Therefore, feel the ball in your hand and ask around for advice before purchasing anything.
Read Also: The Best Bowling Ball Weight: The Heavier the Better?
Aesthetics
How good a bowling ball looks may not have any effect on the ball’s performance, but it will improve the mood of the straight bowler.
Some people never pay much attention to the appearance of the bowling ball other than making straight shots, but if you’re the type of bowler that has an eye for color, there’s nothing stopping you from going for the best bowling ball that looks good.
The good news is that a majority of the best bowling balls are designed with very intriguing colors, and finding one with the right combination isn’t hard. You can even have some customized to your exact taste.
Affordability
There’s a bowling ball for everyone, but as much as they may look alike, not all bowling balls are created equal. The higher-end ones are designed with much more details and with more attention to the performance that makes them more efficient at nailing straight shots.
However, you don’t need to break the bank for an expensive bowling ball; there are countless budget products that have all the features you need to have a good game.
Pay attention to your purchasing power and get what is within the limits of your abilities.
Oil vs. Dry
Broadly speaking, there are two types of bowling balls; they can either be an oil condition lane ball or a dry lane ball.
Balls made for the dry lanes are the most common, and cleaning them isn’t hard. The coverstock for oil condition lane balls is much smoother, but they tend to pick dust quickly.
Although the type does influence the ease of making straight shots, that ultimately depends heavily on the abilities of the bowler. The lanes for each type of ball are different, and each affects the speed of the ball and the shots that can be made.
Customizations
Balls can either be pre-drilled or not. Pre-drilled ones come with the holes already set in, and this can be a challenge for some people since finding holes that fit your fingers just right may be a problem.
The non-drilled ones allow you the freedom to drill in the holes that fit your fingers perfectly, giving you the best grip for making shots.
The Bottom Line
Bowling is an exciting sport, both for the pros and those who are looking for a recreational hobby.
You also get more than the simple enjoyment of making killer shots and bonding with the bowlers you play against. Owing to how heavy those balls can be, it’s the same as doing a workout.
If you’re into straight bowling and looking for the best bowling ball, this guide should be sufficient enough to lead you right to what you need. Expand your search both online and offline in physical shops, and with time, you’ll find a bowling ball that will work wonders for you.