You ever get hit with a question that makes you sit back and really think? That’s exactly what happened when my 16-year-old—who doesn’t even bowl—asked me: “What makes a bowling ball bad?” I sat on it for a few days, and I boiled it down to two main variables that, when they show up together, will put a ball in that “not so good” category for me. And just to be clear: these are my opinions based on my experience drilling and throwing a ton of equipment over the last couple years. First is lack of versatility. If I can only use a ball in one tiny window and I can’t change hand positions, surface, or shape enough to make it work, that’s a problem. I used the Ivory Rhino Pro as an example—it was money for me only going straight up the lane, but if I tried to swing it at all, I just couldn’t get the corner I needed. Second is coverstock consistency and longevity. Some covers change way too fast—like my experience with the Black Widow 3.0 and Theorem Solid—where surface jumps quick and ball motion fades unless I’m constantly maintaining it. And if a cover “toasts” after 50–100 games (like what I saw and heard with the Outer Limit Solid), that’s another mark against it in my book.