If you’re serious about playing the best bowling games you need to get your hands on the best bowling balls.
The best bowling balls will make a huge difference to your game, you’ll go from missing strikes and spares, to knocking over every pin with ease.
No longer will you need to put up with mediocre scores and embarrassing misses, you’ll have high accuracy and your ball will do exactly what you intend it to when you bowl. Here we review 10 top bowling balls for intermediate and advanced players, with an in-depth review of our top 3 choices below the table.
Consider the Following When Buying Bowling Balls
Good quality bowling balls should come without any finger holes, this allows you to perfectly match the finger hole to your bowling hand. Cheaper bowling balls will have holes predrilled and won’t be of great quality.
When drilling holes in your ball it’s not as simple as just using the cordless drill in the shed – not unless you intend on ruining your ball forever. You’ll need to locate a bowling shop (most bowling alleys have one) with a professional who has the equipment and experience to drill your new finger holes. They’ll be able to walk you through how to get the perfect setting and fit for your hand.
Top 10 Bowling Balls Ultimate Chart
| Picture | Name | Features | Price | Rating (1-5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Brunswick Vintage Danger Zone | Vintage Light Bulb Low RG Core | $$$ | 4.9 |
| 2. Brunswick T-Zone Indigo Swirl | High gloss finish | $$ | 4.9 |
| 3. Hammer Black Widow Legend | Gas mask core, with hybrid coverstock | $$$$ | 4.8 |
| 4. Pyramid Path | Pyramid core, blacklight reactive | $$ | 4.6 |
| 5. Brunswick TZone Caribbean Blue | High gloss finish | $ | 4.6 |
| 6. Brunswick TZone Pink Bliss | High gloss finish | $ | 4.5 |
| 7. Ebonite Maxim Captain Midnight | Ultraviolet glow | $$ | 4.5 |
| 8. Ebonite Maxim Bowling Ball | Entry-level, high gloss | $ | 4.5 |
| 9. Brunswick Strike King | Strike-King core | $$ | 4.5 |
| 10. Brunswick TZone Green Envy | High gloss | $ | 4.5 |
Information for Buyers
Most high quality bowling balls are rough buffed and then a layer of high gloss is applied to their surfaces. However this doesn’t mean the ball is without blemishes, in fact most bowling balls will come with small holes on the surface. These small holes don’t affect your gameplay and they are nothing to worry about. Here’s a few things to consider when making your purchase:
- Choose the right weight; your ball should perfectly balance your swing so that you don’t over throw or under throw the ball. Heavy balls do indeed hit the pins with more force, but so do lighter balls when thrown correctly. Heavy balls do not have higher strike rates.
- Sizing is also important, and you should consider what sizes feel comfortable in your hand. A good place to try this is in the bowling alley where you can experiment with different sizes off the rack to get the right match.
- Finger holes should be custom drilled to match your unique hand, low quality and beginner balls are predrilled. These are poor choices for performance players.
- Colour, finish and other styling is not important; but it does make your game look cool. There’s nothing that says “I’m the bowling champ” than a ball that lights up like a rocket as it scoots down the lane. Just make sure you’ve got the game to back it up!
Top 3 Best Bowling Ball Reviews
1. Vintage Danger Zone
Brunswick make some of the best bowling balls on the market and they have a strong reputation of being the best. Most of the top players bowl with their balls and the Vintage Danger Zone is a classic, all-time favorite.
This is the updated version of the wildly successful Danger Zone ball (now discontinued) that has been used by many of the greatest bowling champions over the past 20 years. It is a tournament quality ball that will not only improve your game as much as humanly possible, it will also give you tons of credibility with your fellow players.
When you see someone walk up to the lane holding a danger zone, you know you’re in trouble. And if you’re the one playing with the danger zone, you better live up to its name or else you’ll be the laughing stock of the club.
This ball is for the serious bowling enthusiast and is not for beginner players. This ball will let you close your angles without losing any reaction – if you don’t know what that means, maybe you should buy the T-Zone instead.
2. T-Zone Indigo Swirl
This ball still ranks very highly on our list, Brunswick rarely release a low quality ball. They’re a company that you can trust. When you see the name Brunswick, you can trust the ball is of high quality and will last you many years of intense play.
This ball has a beautiful appearance, it’s glossy and makes a statement when you walk out onto the deck. But don’t let appearances fool you, for this ball is also a stellar performer. It won’t let you down at any point; with high accuracy and great reaction this is a ball for serious players.
If you already have a good game, this ball will make it great. And if you’ve just started out in tournament play then this ball will get you ranking fairly quickly. You’ll be knocking down more pins than you know what to do with.
3. Black Widow Legend
The black widow is another well-known line of high quality bowling balls. They have been used by intermediate and advanced players for many years. And have consistently improved the games of thousands of players.
With a hybrid cover-stock this ball has the latest in bowling technology to push your game that little bit further. And sometimes that’s all you need to rank up a notch or two in the leader board. We found this ball to have impressive movement down the lane, even with a weak throw it flew through the pins. The gas core ensures the ball glides down the lane with ease, and this bowling ball will ensure you’re a legend in the club.
If you want one of the best bowling balls on the market, then any of our top 3 picks will ensure your game is on point and you’re up there, ranking with the gods.
