I was always firmly against string pins and the ease at which you made 3 of the hardest spares in bowling shows that there is no way they should be certified for use in anything other than recreational bowling.
I've bowled on string pins once technically, but it was duck pin string pins so I don't really count that as having gone string pin bowling. I dislike how the 3 hardest splits in the game were made by this guy in like half an hour. I think they should stay out of sanctioned leagues, and only be used for recreation
and the rotten kids who lay all over the lanes and throw food. One kid was really ticking me off til I saw his mom slam his little sister on the floor. I was horrified. My local lanes are half clown-world. I dislike that very much and feel sorry for the owners because people these days tend to be unpredictably violent. (as a mom, it broke my heart - you wonder why some kids ack like animals and there it is....a mom who's an animal) Kids don't have a chance these days...
I was bowling a couple months ago and had to wait for a mom to walk down my lane and retrieve her 3 year old. Warned her about how slippery the lanes would be.
depending how serious bowler You are, Dexter SST 8 are $150 Dexter SST 9 are $250 with interchangeable soles They both go to 14. I've had my SST 9 for about 10yrs. Just get a new slide pad every other year
Thanks for putting this together. I would agree that after watching how the strings influence the direction the pins as well as how the strings can have tension against each other, this definitely should not be used in any type of sanctioned league or tournament.
@whimseyOFC Heres the thing. People keep saying it was tested with probowlers. But I can never find a test with them using actual probowlers. I found a bunch with 150-180 average bowlers... And then one with a single bowler with a PBA card that has only ever done a few regionals.
sadly i didnt know id be doing a sanctioned league with string pins everyone is skeptical and alot of ppl including 3 of new friends at the league hate it and will go back to a different center that doesnt have it but im currently in a sanctioned league in Jax, FL
@@keithchrysler3732 I know I have a feeling they did. And there's a very small chance of a difference was scoring but the majority of people don't like it. I don't know whatever is cheaper, I guess
@@Marisa_enjoyerHuge difference between oil making hooking much more calculating and strings causing pins to either yank standing pins down via string or dragging them in weird directions. Also, oil doesn't make it easier. Take the average one league a season bowler and put them on a heavy oil sport shot, and I guarantee they'll struggle much harder than riding the edge of the oil on standard house shots.
@@harpiessnow The whole point of an analogy is that they are not the exact same situation. String pins don't make the game unfair because they don't disproportionately favor any particular player's game. Again, this horrid take on oil only benefits MY point in that heavy oil will benefit people who are NOT league players.
But I understand the analogy also using stronger equipment that’s why more 300 are shot compared to before so you want to say that’s making the game easier than why don’t we go back to old school urethane and putting less oil on the lanes
It appears those are using the shorter strings, about 44" or so. The USBC also tested 54" & 66" I believe. The 54" is the length determined to be the most fair pin action. I bowled on 54" string pins as part of a research session at the International Training and Research Center in Arlington, Texas last month. I bowled 2 sessions of 4 games each, 2 games on free-fall pins and 2 games on string pins. The string pins were not quite as good as free-fall but definitely better than the shorter strings used in the video. Teating and research is still being conducted.
This is what I was thinking, too. Those did not appear to be string pinsetters that conform to the new USBC specs. The strings looked to be too short at this house hence the weird pin action. Side note, as I understood the USBC study on string pinsetters, they determined that the 65-inch strings resulted in pin action and strike percentages closest to free-fall, but they increased the likelihood of tangles. So, they set the minimum string-length spec to 54 inches as a middle ground (i.e.: still "close" to free-fall pin action and strike percentage, but reduced tangle likelihood and stops) to allow centers to use medium-length strings (54-inch to 60-inch) in order to reduce the number of stops but still not have the weird pin action of the short strings like the lane he was bowling on.
Exactly, its nothing to do with anything but money. Anyone can make figures add up to what they want them to say. When there are no techs left to dress lanes properly, there will be no serious bowling outside the PBA.
Strings do the following: 1) Reduce overall strike percentage. This is due to a few things - lack of messengers, strings holding pins up, etc. 2) Adds some funny strikes that don't otherwise exist. The most notorious is the "Pull Down 10 Pin" where a ringing 10 is yanked down by the string. This can be removed by changing string lengths - in which case averages crater hard, because you're removing fully 1+ strikes/game. 3) Makes otherwise rarely seen splits such as 4-5-7 (righty) a lot more common due to the funny pin action. Prior to strings you might see 4-5-7 once per night across all lanes of league. Now it's common to see one or more per night on your pair. 4) Makes split conversions A FULL ORDER OF MAGNITUDE EASIER. Prior to the local center installing strings, I had twice as many perfect games as I had conversions of 4-6 (and 7-9 and 8-10). In the 1st one month of league that had flipped, and I converted 4 of those spares across 3 weeks of bowling - and the other week I didn't leave it. Our league championship came down to a pair of
Here's the big thing that Strings are incapable of: Out of Range Its a big problem because in the USBC rules, if a pin slides off spot, it should stay where it was left off after the 1st Ball. Strings cannot do that while Free Fall Pinsetters can
I definitely agree with string pins being something workable for casual players and whatnot, but I have a hard time seeing any high level competition taking off with how zany these things appear to be. I think they would be fun to play on but I wouldn't want to win or lose a game dependent on strings hitting other strings.
There is a market for it for open bowlers. There are no available lanes in my area, ne Indiana and Southern lower Michigan, where you can even get a lane! Proprietors only do leagues because anyone of them will tell you, open bowlers are stupid and do a lot of damage to the lanes and equipment. Having been anA 2 mechanic, I have to agree! I have a house in Arizona and I can get lanes most anytime somewhere, even if it is at an arcade. They're kinda cool because they are Brunswick GSX!
you should talk to Delta Bowl about the length of their strings. The USBC approved string pins but the strings have to be a certain length, which these don't look long enough.
@@floggerfrog if you have kids, don't let them bowl on these garbage machines because when they roll a 6 pound or 7 pound ball so slow and once they hit the Headpin dead center in a slow speed, the ball would just sit on the pindeck and not comeback. Just to let you know that not all Bowling Centers have ramps for kids
@@PinoyBowlerGS92 i know that man. but yes, personally i dont like stringpins either but unless somehow the manufacturers come up with a way to make a freefall pinsetters as cheap as string ones this would continue
If you are any kind of competitive bowler, string pins seem to be a cheat code. You seem to get more weird carries than you get bad breaks because of the strings. They are great for family fun and kids birthday parties though. I think the bowling centers would be smart to put in a portion of string pin lanes for that crowd.... and keep them away from the normal lanes (no candy, gum, cake and soda found on the approaches) and it would keep down maintenance on the back end of them too. Ohh, you need to rent shoes, we have string pin lanes for you 😁😁. I also like the walled off "fun zone" so when the kids think bowling is a group activity on the approach, we won't have to keep watch for balls to come in our direction as all kinds of hilarity ensues on their lanes. I want them to have fun, but I want to enjoy my bowling time too.
This is exactly the point I’ve been trying to make to some friends of mine. String pin bowling will not be my thing at all, but I do believe it does have its place for the solely recreational type of bowling (and primarily the younger crowd) and I do appreciate that this bowling house set up a separated section of lanes just for that. I’ll continue to choose the traditional lanes but having the section for string pin lanes will definitely be good for the house long-run, it can keep *certain* crowds away from the traditional lanes. As for USBC allowing it as a competitive category, it is goofy but my opinion won’t change anything.
Definitely changes the game, why not Holographic pins and we can just make believe we all hit the pocket for that perfect strike. I agree with others should not be used in tournaments or even leagues, unless I guess everyone agrees, but scores should never be compared to regular loose pin bowlers.
It's all about the money. String pin machines per game are a fraction of the cost of normal bowling pin setters. It's a different experience but if you shove it down the bowlers throats with statistics it looks like a winner. Bowling establishment owners don't even have to lower their prices.
Lmao like bowling isn't a dying sport already. This type of mentality is what killing the sport in the first place. Always wanting "traditional" bowling. First the hate for 2 handed, urethane and now this. Creativity and innovation is what makes the sport still alive rather than just a sport where people throw overpriced bowling balls to get a strike.
@@megatbasyarullah4859 The urethane restrictions thing is for the pros and doesn't affect anyone else. Those 2 handers you love are also responsible for houses putting down more and more oil, which only makes it way harder for the average recreational bowler to make a ball curve and also forces them to buy high end expensive balls to have any chance at hooking the ball. Higher oil volumes isn't a good thing for recreational bowling. But the old cat and mouse game will continue (more aggressive balls, more oil, more aggressive balls, more oil, etc...)
@@BornIn1500 houses absolutely aren't increasing oil volumes, they're cutting oil or eliminating it completely. The bowlmor by me doesn't oil for open bowling, period
I SAY YOU USE THE BALL WITH THE MOST HOLES ... AND THE SHORTEST SPAN...23LB BALL.. AND ANYTHING ELSE YOU THINK MIKE MIGHT HAVE THAT IS RIDICULOUS...DONT FORGET TO BRING THE BANDAIDS/NEW SKIN.
There are two mom and pop bowling centers within 15 minutes of where I live. One is converting to string pins. I won't be going there anymore. The place that is converting has, I think, 16 or 18 lanes on two different sides. They should have converted one side only for kids' parties and left the other side alone for leagues and real bowlers. But nope. I think bowling will die if this really becomes big and the local centers convert.
You dont need to be a rocket scientist to observe the length of the strings have the pins reacting quite differently. Too short and too long are very different in action. A string of a pin that's moving can interfere with the vertical part of a string of a pin that's sitting still, knocking it over basically by accident. This is basically a carnival show and should never be used in any competitive arena. I'm blown away that this would ever even be considered in competition. It's a joke.
There were definitely a few shots that the strings helped on and one or two that hurt but regardless bowling pins should be free to fly. (Messengers) I will say this the curtain they use really helps pins bounce out of the back, from what I saw there was no string assistance involved with the splits.
The thing to remember is that this is not a certified setter. A lot of work was done to improve them, before a particular type was certified (more than string length as some asked). In addition, the free fall setters' set up also causes differences on whether spares are picked up or not. See Mitch's 7-10 split challenge on The House Bowling versus JR Pro Shop. So if we are ok with differences between free fall setters allowing some spares to be picked up, then we should be ok if it occasionally happens with a string setter. But, I'm waiting to an actual certified scring setter being used before I pass judgement. Maybe if the center I go to get these, they might oil the lane more often (JR Raymond's "wipe the oil off the ball or not" question never comes up for me). I do suggest looking the USBC video "2023 USBC String Pinsetter Report".
Correct. This house is not using certified pinsetters. These are just for open bowlers. The USBC-certified ones will not give the kind of pin action he was getting (for the most part). I don't like string pinsetters from a purist's standpoint, but I understand the business/financial rationale behind them. That being said, a lot of the bowlers complaining about them should take the time to watch the USBC video on their research and why they set the specs where they did and how much different a new certified pinsetter plays versus the old-style string setups like he was bowling on. They're not the same thing.
@@playdiscgolf1546 Ha ha. Let's be serious here. If free fall pin setters are in good working order (meaning that you don't have to wait minutes to continue bowling...or don't have move to different lanes) and then are as easy to maintain as the string pin setters, then yes, it is better to use free fall setters. The problem is that the current setters are not working well, they are expensive, and the people that can fix them are becoming fewer. I've had enough centers close down around me...I don't want more. When you have lanes shut down during a PBA events, this should be a concern with the state of these machines.
Right now I work weekends at a Fun Center where we have 14 lanes of string pin setters. I have bowled for 39 years and carry a 215-225 average, all depends.on the shot. I have bowled on the lanes here and the carry is different. The video you showed the strings are definitely too tight. The center I work at the strings only give you an easy spare about 15% of the time, usually leaves like the 3-6-9, 2-4-8 or buckets. I leave more flat tens in high flush or flush pocket shots. I feel that as long as it is a different segment of our sport, different divisions, then go for it. The string setters just might give a person the confidence to bowl more often and try traditional setters. Our sport needs more people participating, if strings can be a gateway, then so be it.
Should not be used in competition. BUT if it makes operating costs lower for bowling alleys and recreational bowlers then it is a plus. No alley should install them on all the lanes, but I don't see a problem with it for the infrequent bowler.
Comment number 1: The coolest part of the video was the cat rocking out with you towards the end. Comment number 2: Some of the pin carry is hilarious, and does make it a lot easier for the straight bowlers. I have bowlers in one of my leagues that now thinks they are so much better as a result. They seemed to get a lot of weird breaks, whereas as a lefty, I have had to make just minor adjustments, including ball, only for carry reasons.
It's obvious that the strings have a major effect on the pin action. In watching your video, I wonder if a magnetized system for setting/resetting pins would be closer to what we are used to? The movement of the pins would only be due to the ball.
As long as it a separate certification it's ok, you get a regular average and bowl regular tournaments, and the string pin bowlers can get a separate average and bowl string pin tournaments. I have picked up the big 4 in league and the 7-10 and greek church in open play. I think it would be fun to set up all kinds of different splits like the 5-7-10 which I almost picked up at the Santa Fe Station in Las Vegas when they had bowler vision, used a light ball with just 2 fingers and hooked the ball and the ball took out the 5 & 7 pins and the 5 went just behind the 10. If it is a separate set up like Delta it is fine but we are losing too many centers in California so I wouldn't want a house to go completely string pins
Id like them to add one of these to my local lanes. Only to hooefully keep some casual bowlers over there and it be good for kids to have fun on as wellv
I've worked in Tenpin since i was 16... AMF, SUPERBOWL, MEGABOWL etc... It's a no brained that these new "machines" would be pants... good maybe for kids parties, but now for actual "bowling"... Benefits - costs - big time... These things can also be fixed by general staff, so no need for a mech crew... Downside - death of the bowling alley.... I mean, it was the death when in the UK they stopped bowling shoes, now the approaches are a mess................... Notice how the prices never went down either.... Bowling is dead.
Yes I totally agree with you the USB c should not have that sanctioned it should just be a hobby thing look if you want a bowling alley in your house and you want to have the pins attached to strings fair enough you know it's only for practise but it should not be an actual thing for our sport house port is great and I just wish they would just leave the pins the way it is
i think the strings are to short and that a huge problem i know they want to upgrade are find a way to put the pins down for cost effective but its not working
Great video. Shows how absurd string bowling is. I've been bowling for 40 years and have NEVER made the Big 4. And you do it in just a few attempts? Crazy!
We've been waiting almost a year for a new bowling alley to be built in our town. They had a soft opening yesterday and I was able to make a reservation to try it out. To my complete surprise, they had these string pins. I had never seen anything like this before and it freaked me out the first time they re-racked. It's been about ten years since I rolled a ball down a lane but I know I'm a better bowler than what my scores reflected using these things. Pins that would normally spin or bounce simply didn't which screwed up quite a few spares. Simply not a fan of this method but it's what we have locally now so I'll deal with it. :(
@@alstraka It's taken a while for the pin setters at the new alley to loosen up. I have one lane that I can score in the high 180's to low 200's consistently while the other lanes still have no pin action.
@@FUGP72 I dont think thats what the USBC found in their study at all. In fact, in their study over thousands of games, they found that string pins resulted in a lower avg score by about 1 pin per game.
While I think they’re good for general training purposes or for non-competitive recreational bowlers, I honestly don’t believe houses should use these in officially sanctioned USBC or even PBA competition. Getting back to that training purposes bullet point: that’s nice how you can select or de-select certain pins or pin groupings. Nice work on converting the Big Four, the Greek Church, and the 7-10, btw!
I don’t even bowl competitively but my friends and I love going bowling, like ya know rent shoes and we use house balls, even I think that string pins are a dumb idea, they completely change how to play the game, the way I see it just chunk the ball down the lane real fast at a slight angle and the strings will do the rest for you, but on a real note like holy shit who thought this was a good idea
It's not like they thought it was a good idea for actual play. It is all about money since regular pinsetters are MUCH more expensive and much more fragile. They break a lot, take longer to fix (requiring a highly trained maintenance worker trained just for them) and are quite dangerous to work on. These are cheaper, break less, and can be fixed by any employee in a couple minutes at the most when they do break down. Meaning less down time for players on that lane.
The kind of people getting robbed by paying $5 for shoe rentals and $8 per game wont care about the strings and would surely prefer that to having to tell the front desk what is broken on the lane every 3 frames because bowlero bought every alley
I actually think string pins are good for bowling as a whole in terms of ease of access for the regular bowler. But they should be nowhere near competition
String pinsetters are a good option if you want to build a lane for yourself because they are less expensive and they need lower maintenance than regular ones
The house where I bowl is going to string pins in September. I am heart broken. The center has new owners who don't really care about real bowlers they are all about the money, so sad. If they think string pin bowling is going to make them more money they are dead wrong! They have a full house league coming up this fall and I thought about joining it but now I won't because of them changing to string pins. I look for their league attendance to drop drastically after they change. Your video PROVES that there is a lot of unnatural pin action that happens and this should never be allowed! They might as well put a monkey back there to bat the pins around.
I tried string pin bowling at an alley in Seattle while there on vacation with my wife. Honestly, I didn't know the alley was string pin. It took me about two frames to realize something was wildly wrong. The pins were not falling in a "natural" manner. But, my eyeglasses were old and my vision was not as good as it would have been had my prescription been up to date, so I just figured it was me. Then it happened. I threw my 14 pound urethane straight and hard. I watched as the six pin was ejected forward then snapped backward. In the process of doing this, it hit the 10 pin which would never have fallen resulting in a strike. Over the course of the three games I threw on those lanes, I noticed many occasions where the strings definitely influenced the motion of the pins to change the outcome of the throw. I will never bowl string pin again. Shame on the USBC for certifying it.
I went to an arcade place that had string bowling. As a casual game it was fun. Never even occurred to me to take it seriously. As someone mentioned, it was more of a "bar game" for me. I'm not even a good bowler! With that said, if they want to have entirely different ranks etc. for this style, including the length of the strings being separate categories as well, then let them have it. Additionally, I agree an established bowling center should not be replacing ALL their lanes with string pin bowling. Do a "string side" and a "traditional side". The only exception for this would be those giant arcades that happen to have a small bowling area "just for fun".
If I ever bowled a 300 game or 800 series I would feel like I didn’t deserve it. It’s like telling a pro baseball player, “here’s a tee, hit it over the 200 ft fence and it will count for your home run total.”
If they want to certify string pins, it should be under a completely different category! I know there's a league there at Delta Bowl that has more than 26 teams during the winter season. They will cross over into "The Zone" where the string machines are. How's that gunna work?
Don’t forget about the Out if Range Pins or pins that moved off spot and not fall over. Strings are incapable of leaving the off spot pins where it was left off after ball impact.
USBC s report was falsified. They rigged the results intentionally to make it seem slightly harder or made little difference. I have zeros trust in anything they say or approve anymore.
'Cheap and nasty' is what we would say in England. I first came across them in about 1990 at a seaside venue and immediately took a dislike to them. Never mind, we play skittles, it's far more fun and in our area on a Friday night, more than 500 blokes will be out (league) skittling and keeping the pubs alive! Pay us a visit - go on; you know you want to!
String pins aren't bad for casual bowling, cheaper for bowling centers and carry/spares would make casuals feel awesome bringing more people to the sport ( in theory). But approving it for competitive play is absolutely a joke
Why would someone inventing it be a bad thing? It's been around in Europe with 9-pin bowling, and it's an incredibly cheap, efficient way to run a casual bowling alley. Approving it was a ridiculous decision. I don't get the motivation behind it. I'm sure it was in good faith, but I think they didn't do the proper research before hand.
Those zoomed in slo-mo shots do a great job at showing what really going on. From far away it's hard to notice, but up close and slowed down you can see the negative impact of the strings. That's pretty much the death of competitive bowling.
Other videos I've seen of it weren't this bad at all. They seemed to have more string released before they are impacted by the string.. it may just be a setting they need to change to make it better.
String pin bowling might have some value for practice sessions if the price per line is cheap. (I think bowling is expensive.) It is clear from your video that the strings restrict where and how fast the pins can go after the ball hits them. That explains how you carried those two pin hits for strikes. Also, the pins respond sluggishly after the ball hits; the strings add more static inertia to the bare pin, and that secondary inertia is “felt” with a delay because the strings flex as the pin flies away after the initial hit. Think of your dog on a leash. He takes off after a bird. At first, there is plenty of slack in the leash. Then when the slack is gone, boom! Now he has to move you too. And those very late falling ten pins. Notice that the strings vibrate. When the vibration of one string is transferred to the string of the standing ten pin, the vibration has to be “felt” in the wood of the pin as well. That is sometimes enough to get that ten pin down. Same for other pins. So string pin bowling is a different class of bowling like nine pin bowling. Or candle pins or duck pins. If they make the price per line cheap, I would use it for practice and training purposes. But I doubt that will happen. Too bad.
I will say, string pin bowling is definitely more of a recreational enjoyment and maybe something more friendly to a casual bowler. But that's about it. I can imagine professional level string pin bowling has so many high scores and maybe 300s that no one stands out
I think I would have to agree with you about string pin. But I think it's actually a way for the alleys to cut back on the amount of workers needed so they can keep more money for profits and take away jobs from the mechanics. I believe it is a ginick for companies to profit, not the bowlers themselves.
They can just make magnetic string system, where the strings will be disconnected with the pins once they are being placed onto the lane. Only when they are resetting up the frame, then the strings will come down and rearranging them with magnets.
That's been tried before... manufacturers couldn't make it work. The strings have to be repeatedly manipulated to get close enough for the magnets to grab all the pins in the right spot... you'd be sitting there all day waiting for it to re-rack. It would be faster if they went back to pin boys...
Have you tried the USBC certified string pins? They said that "Additional testing is needed to determine if a conversion between string pinsetter competition and free-fall is reasonable." in their press release. If these are them...xD
Thanks for the string pin vid. I've not bowled on string pins but seeing that action was something else. Greek church big 4 and 7-10 makes. If that is the standard set up for string pin actiion I have to vote no on certification as well.
This was infuriating to watch. Thank you for making this video! How does this get approved for competition, but usbc is worried about the hardness of bowling balls. Make it make sense
seems like that the strings could need one more ft of lengh. european Vollmer stringsetters are much better. looks like there is to much tension on the strings..
Why? Did someone sit down one day and decide that regular bowling is way to hard? They felt the need for bowling to be easier? Was this supposed to be an improvement over regular bowling? So many questions but here is my final one...what were the powers that be over at the USBC sniffing when they thought this was a good idea? They should all lose their jobs.
It wasn’t about difficulty. It was a cost benefit analysis for many people. The maintenance costs are way lower, the lane up time is higher, and the set up/employee cost is cheaper. They just then wanted to approach the USBC to see if they could maintain their league revenue.
As someone who works at a bowling alley, they are so much cheaper, easier to maintain and have far less issues than traditional drop pins. So eventually even really old centres like this one will get them. That being said, yeah they shouldn't be used in tournaments or any official matches
When I first heard about it, I assumed it was some 100+ year old tech. Some dude behind the lane could just tug a handful of strings to reset the lane instead of doing each pin by hand. It sounded like a really good idea. Why anyone would choose to use this when we already have machines that set the lane for us is beyond me.
My bowling alley is putting in string pins . I don't like it . Strings change the pin action . But string pins will be every where do to chesper to run the pin machines . 80% savings they say . The fiture I guess .
Good video. Would be interseting if you do this again to try not to hit the headpin but instead try to do things like trying to get a wash out or just aiming for the 10pin and seeing how many other pins fall on your first shot. I know they are doing this to save money, and probably with league revenue being down, those showing up just to drink and have fun don't care about the strings.
Is it a good video? He was bowling on the "fun" side of the center on lanes not intended for competitive play, so not only do we not know if the pin setters were an approved model set up to approved specifications, we also don't know if the pit, lane surface, pins etc. meet the standards for sanctioned competition. At best it's a video from which you can draw no conclusions about sanctioned string pin lanes, because they aren't, at worst it's a deliberate attempt to vilify sanctioning string pin lanes by filming at a location he knows is substandard.
The only thing I’ll say is the usbc is using new string pin setups to test and they have different tolerances than most of what’s out there to play on right now. But I don’t think they can make them much better than they are but maybe ?
my buddy did college bowling and he did an ad for stringpin bowling. he said it was the worst pin action ever, he’d hit dead pocket or flush and would leave either a 2,6 or a 7,10. they paid him to say it was good but he told them it was horrible
You can change the string tensioner to be looser or change the length.. That's up to the establishment to do that. The reason they are so tight is for the casual bowler. There is less of a need to watch over them vs. the regular machines.
One benefit to string pins as that you can set up any combo you want, but that's not exactly accurate spare practice for splits cuz the strings cause you to make the spare when in fact you didnt
These should definitely be set up on the family fun side. I could see that helping a lot when it come to mechanics having to run around and not having to worry about the string pins messing up. But for real bowlers like league, or sanctioned events yeah screw this. Every shot looked heavily influenced by the stings. You essentially have another 4 inches of pin on top
How would that even work at a 40 lane center? Cut off 10 lanes for this garbage? There has been an infestation of family and adult entertainment centers out there last 20 some years that's all the new alleys being built are.
@@skalamaz3 my home alley has the old side which is lanes 1-36Then a new side that was built a few years back which is totally separate which has glow bowl, louder music, a separate bar, And that’s lanes 37-56. I can see it working on that side. But I am aware not every bowling alley is like that. But ones that are yeah it could work
It's important to point out that this is the "fun" part of their bowling alley, meaning they probably aren't intending to use this for real league and tournament play.
Doesn't much matter what this one place intends to do or not... entire facilities all over the place are converting to strings because it's cheap, and the USBC in their infinite wisdom has given this abomination their blessing. Sooner or later it's coming to YOUR center, and this is all you're gonna get. Enjoy the "future of bowling", such as it is...
I have been bowling for 44 years and picked up the 7-10 once and never picked up the 4-6-7-10. String pins drain away the challenge and makes bowling into a pass/fail game.
I think keep it for a totally different set of tournaments that are not in the standard count for USBC I know the PBA would not allow it. I think if the bottoms were strings for a different easier/cheaper reset machine for a more natural bowling style of free fall then yes it would work.
You can tell by the sound that the pin action is reduced. The strings reduces the top movement of the pins preventing the pins from "mixing it up". The pins are tethered.......
The competitive field is completely different with string pins. Surely there can be sanctioned competitions on string pins, but they are not comparable to classic pinsetters.
![BOWKYLION - วิงวอน (ex-change) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cLdnZWDaO-w/mqdefault.jpg)
I was always firmly against string pins and the ease at which you made 3 of the hardest spares in bowling shows that there is no way they should be certified for use in anything other than recreational bowling.
I've bowled on string pins once technically, but it was duck pin string pins so I don't really count that as having gone string pin bowling. I dislike how the 3 hardest splits in the game were made by this guy in like half an hour. I think they should stay out of sanctioned leagues, and only be used for recreation
But since bowling is a competitive game, the opponent will also be able to, with 'ease,' get those hard spares as well. So it remains fare.
@@exoressdelivers70 I think you mean "fair." I'm not going to listen to someone who can't spell.
@@dcorbebut yet his point still rings true and the only thing your able to follow up with is to call him out on is a spelling mistake 😂.
He got lucky on the 3 spares. They are not easy to make. You have no idea how many times he shot at these spares until he finally made it.
Honestly, I think string pins are an abomination for anything other than the recreational bowling, shoe rental crowd.
and the rotten kids who lay all over the lanes and throw food. One kid was really ticking me off til I saw his mom slam his little sister on the floor. I was horrified. My local lanes are half clown-world. I dislike that very much and feel sorry for the owners because people these days tend to be unpredictably violent. (as a mom, it broke my heart - you wonder why some kids ack like animals and there it is....a mom who's an animal) Kids don't have a chance these days...
It’s better than not bowling at all 🤷♂️. They aren’t that bad. He’s bowling on recreation string pins. Not usb certified calibration.
I was bowling a couple months ago and had to wait for a mom to walk down my lane and retrieve her 3 year old. Warned her about how slippery the lanes would be.
i take offense to that lol. i have to rent my shoes they dont make a size 12.5
depending how serious bowler You are,
Dexter SST 8 are $150
Dexter SST 9 are $250 with interchangeable soles
They both go to 14.
I've had my SST 9 for about 10yrs. Just get a new slide pad every other year
Thanks for putting this together. I would agree that after watching how the strings influence the direction the pins as well as how the strings can have tension against each other, this definitely should not be used in any type of sanctioned league or tournament.
We try it once and don't like it, so we call it tampon on a string.
@whimseyOFC Heres the thing. People keep saying it was tested with probowlers. But I can never find a test with them using actual probowlers. I found a bunch with 150-180 average bowlers... And then one with a single bowler with a PBA card that has only ever done a few regionals.
sadly i didnt know id be doing a sanctioned league with string pins everyone is skeptical and alot of ppl including 3 of new friends at the league hate it and will go back to a different center that doesnt have it but im currently in a sanctioned league in Jax, FL
The USBC has tested them against free fall and only found a 0.2% difference in scoring. There is a TH-cam video on this.
@@keithchrysler3732 I know I have a feeling they did. And there's a very small chance of a difference was scoring but the majority of people don't like it. I don't know whatever is cheaper, I guess
The fact you were able to make the hardest shots in bowling with relative ease in just a few attempts, proves it shouldn't be used for competition.
Should we also not use any oil like it used to be? The whole argument is that it makes it easier?
@@Marisa_enjoyerHuge difference between oil making hooking much more calculating and strings causing pins to either yank standing pins down via string or dragging them in weird directions. Also, oil doesn't make it easier. Take the average one league a season bowler and put them on a heavy oil sport shot, and I guarantee they'll struggle much harder than riding the edge of the oil on standard house shots.
@@harpiessnow The whole point of an analogy is that they are not the exact same situation. String pins don't make the game unfair because they don't disproportionately favor any particular player's game. Again, this horrid take on oil only benefits MY point in that heavy oil will benefit people who are NOT league players.
@@Marisa_enjoyeroil is used to protect the lanes from wear that's why it's called Lane conditioner
But I understand the analogy also using stronger equipment that’s why more 300 are shot compared to before so you want to say that’s making the game easier than why don’t we go back to old school urethane and putting less oil on the lanes
It appears those are using the shorter strings, about 44" or so. The USBC also tested 54" & 66" I believe. The 54" is the length determined to be the most fair pin action. I bowled on 54" string pins as part of a research session at the International Training and Research Center in Arlington, Texas last month. I bowled 2 sessions of 4 games each, 2 games on free-fall pins and 2 games on string pins. The string pins were not quite as good as free-fall but definitely better than the shorter strings used in the video. Teating and research is still being conducted.
This is what I was thinking, too. Those did not appear to be string pinsetters that conform to the new USBC specs. The strings looked to be too short at this house hence the weird pin action. Side note, as I understood the USBC study on string pinsetters, they determined that the 65-inch strings resulted in pin action and strike percentages closest to free-fall, but they increased the likelihood of tangles. So, they set the minimum string-length spec to 54 inches as a middle ground (i.e.: still "close" to free-fall pin action and strike percentage, but reduced tangle likelihood and stops) to allow centers to use medium-length strings (54-inch to 60-inch) in order to reduce the number of stops but still not have the weird pin action of the short strings like the lane he was bowling on.
😂t iit t7
If testing is still being conducted, then why the certification now?
Exactly, its nothing to do with anything but money. Anyone can make figures add up to what they want them to say. When there are no techs left to dress lanes properly, there will be no serious bowling outside the PBA.
Here for this
Strings do the following:
1) Reduce overall strike percentage. This is due to a few things - lack of messengers, strings holding pins up, etc.
2) Adds some funny strikes that don't otherwise exist. The most notorious is the "Pull Down 10 Pin" where a ringing 10 is yanked down by the string. This can be removed by changing string lengths - in which case averages crater hard, because you're removing fully 1+ strikes/game.
3) Makes otherwise rarely seen splits such as 4-5-7 (righty) a lot more common due to the funny pin action. Prior to strings you might see 4-5-7 once per night across all lanes of league. Now it's common to see one or more per night on your pair.
4) Makes split conversions A FULL ORDER OF MAGNITUDE EASIER. Prior to the local center installing strings, I had twice as many perfect games as I had conversions of 4-6 (and 7-9 and 8-10). In the 1st one month of league that had flipped, and I converted 4 of those spares across 3 weeks of bowling - and the other week I didn't leave it.
Our league championship came down to a pair of
Here's the big thing that Strings are incapable of: Out of Range
Its a big problem because in the USBC rules, if a pin slides off spot, it should stay where it was left off after the 1st Ball. Strings cannot do that while Free Fall Pinsetters can
I definitely agree with string pins being something workable for casual players and whatnot, but I have a hard time seeing any high level competition taking off with how zany these things appear to be. I think they would be fun to play on but I wouldn't want to win or lose a game dependent on strings hitting other strings.
There is a market for it for open bowlers. There are no available lanes in my area, ne Indiana and Southern lower Michigan, where you can even get a lane! Proprietors only do leagues because anyone of them will tell you, open bowlers are stupid and do a lot of damage to the lanes and equipment. Having been anA 2 mechanic, I have to agree! I have a house in Arizona and I can get lanes most anytime somewhere, even if it is at an arcade. They're kinda cool because they are Brunswick GSX!
I just don't see myself ever enjoying playing string pin. It feels like a bar game or something someone sets up in their backyard.
Yep, absolutely. "Carnival-like"
you should talk to Delta Bowl about the length of their strings. The USBC approved string pins but the strings have to be a certain length, which these don't look long enough.
The USBC has ACTUALLy approved these for tournaments??!! Cash paying tourneys? You have to be kidding. Not good.
@@roboneil408 Separate Category, but yes.
now firmly against string pins, this looks like such a dumb af idea
for the recreational bowlers, its good. but not for the serious and competitive crowd.
@@floggerfrog if you have kids, don't let them bowl on these garbage machines because when they roll a 6 pound or 7 pound ball so slow and once they hit the Headpin dead center in a slow speed, the ball would just sit on the pindeck and not comeback. Just to let you know that not all Bowling Centers have ramps for kids
I dont really like sting pins. If a center wants to hold tournaments and leagues, I think they need to not have string pins.
@@PinoyBowlerGS92 yep.
@@PinoyBowlerGS92 i know that man. but yes, personally i dont like stringpins either but unless somehow the manufacturers come up with a way to make a freefall pinsetters as cheap as string ones this would continue
the strings definitely has a different effect on how the pins fall, lean, spin, ricochet, etc compared to a free falling pin
If you are any kind of competitive bowler, string pins seem to be a cheat code. You seem to get more weird carries than you get bad breaks because of the strings. They are great for family fun and kids birthday parties though. I think the bowling centers would be smart to put in a portion of string pin lanes for that crowd.... and keep them away from the normal lanes (no candy, gum, cake and soda found on the approaches) and it would keep down maintenance on the back end of them too. Ohh, you need to rent shoes, we have string pin lanes for you 😁😁. I also like the walled off "fun zone" so when the kids think bowling is a group activity on the approach, we won't have to keep watch for balls to come in our direction as all kinds of hilarity ensues on their lanes. I want them to have fun, but I want to enjoy my bowling time too.
exactly the point I was making and thank you. Well said.
This is exactly the point I’ve been trying to make to some friends of mine. String pin bowling will not be my thing at all, but I do believe it does have its place for the solely recreational type of bowling (and primarily the younger crowd) and I do appreciate that this bowling house set up a separated section of lanes just for that. I’ll continue to choose the traditional lanes but having the section for string pin lanes will definitely be good for the house long-run, it can keep *certain* crowds away from the traditional lanes.
As for USBC allowing it as a competitive category, it is goofy but my opinion won’t change anything.
Definitely changes the game, why not Holographic pins and we can just make believe we all hit the pocket for that perfect strike. I agree with others should not be used in tournaments or even leagues, unless I guess everyone agrees, but scores should never be compared to regular loose pin bowlers.
It's all about the money. String pin machines per game are a fraction of the cost of normal bowling pin setters. It's a different experience but if you shove it down the bowlers throats with statistics it looks like a winner. Bowling establishment owners don't even have to lower their prices.
String pinsetters will be the downfall of our sport if they continue to be recognized as suitable for competition
Lmao like bowling isn't a dying sport already. This type of mentality is what killing the sport in the first place. Always wanting "traditional" bowling. First the hate for 2 handed, urethane and now this. Creativity and innovation is what makes the sport still alive rather than just a sport where people throw overpriced bowling balls to get a strike.
@@megatbasyarullah4859 When you can convert a split by a string knocking over a pin and not a pin knocking over a pin that’s a problem
@@megatbasyarullah4859 The urethane restrictions thing is for the pros and doesn't affect anyone else. Those 2 handers you love are also responsible for houses putting down more and more oil, which only makes it way harder for the average recreational bowler to make a ball curve and also forces them to buy high end expensive balls to have any chance at hooking the ball. Higher oil volumes isn't a good thing for recreational bowling. But the old cat and mouse game will continue (more aggressive balls, more oil, more aggressive balls, more oil, etc...)
@@BornIn1500 houses absolutely aren't increasing oil volumes, they're cutting oil or eliminating it completely. The bowlmor by me doesn't oil for open bowling, period
@@iceman5117 Houses eliminating oil? LMAO you clearly have no clue what you're talking about, period.
Okay we absolutely have to do a 1v1 with string pins. That pin action is insane lol😮
Use 18 lb balls....or 20....lolol
I SAY YOU USE THE BALL WITH THE MOST HOLES ... AND THE SHORTEST SPAN...23LB BALL.. AND ANYTHING ELSE YOU THINK MIKE MIGHT HAVE THAT IS RIDICULOUS...DONT FORGET TO BRING THE BANDAIDS/NEW SKIN.
@@jenniferboone-sz1lo Add bumpers and allow two balls to be thrown at once. Gonna make this fun.
@@synifxThink I'd pass on anything involving bumpers. Thank you tho...
fr fr ong
There are two mom and pop bowling centers within 15 minutes of where I live. One is converting to string pins. I won't be going there anymore. The place that is converting has, I think, 16 or 18 lanes on two different sides. They should have converted one side only for kids' parties and left the other side alone for leagues and real bowlers. But nope. I think bowling will die if this really becomes big and the local centers convert.
I really dont want my local center to ever switch.
I love stringpin bowling. It’s my second favorite sport just behind the BME pain Olympics.
If my bowling alley ever does this I'm done bowling!!!
Ditto. Was an awesome sport. I will not participate in this carnival crap
Same
Same.
Same for me
You dont need to be a rocket scientist to observe the length of the strings have the pins reacting quite differently. Too short and too long are very different in action. A string of a pin that's moving can interfere with the vertical part of a string of a pin that's sitting still, knocking it over basically by accident. This is basically a carnival show and should never be used in any competitive arena. I'm blown away that this would ever even be considered in competition. It's a joke.
This video shows exactly why it's wrong for any sort of "competitive" play. The carry is, actually, hilarious 😆
This is why string bowling shouldn't exist
There were definitely a few shots that the strings helped on and one or two that hurt but regardless bowling pins should be free to fly. (Messengers) I will say this the curtain they use really helps pins bounce out of the back, from what I saw there was no string assistance involved with the splits.
The thing to remember is that this is not a certified setter. A lot of work was done to improve them, before a particular type was certified (more than string length as some asked). In addition, the free fall setters' set up also causes differences on whether spares are picked up or not. See Mitch's 7-10 split challenge on The House Bowling versus JR Pro Shop. So if we are ok with differences between free fall setters allowing some spares to be picked up, then we should be ok if it occasionally happens with a string setter. But, I'm waiting to an actual certified scring setter being used before I pass judgement. Maybe if the center I go to get these, they might oil the lane more often (JR Raymond's "wipe the oil off the ball or not" question never comes up for me). I do suggest looking the USBC video "2023 USBC String Pinsetter Report".
Correct. This house is not using certified pinsetters. These are just for open bowlers. The USBC-certified ones will not give the kind of pin action he was getting (for the most part). I don't like string pinsetters from a purist's standpoint, but I understand the business/financial rationale behind them. That being said, a lot of the bowlers complaining about them should take the time to watch the USBC video on their research and why they set the specs where they did and how much different a new certified pinsetter plays versus the old-style string setups like he was bowling on. They're not the same thing.
I saw something that was an “improvement” to these, pins with no strings!
@@playdiscgolf1546 Ha ha. Let's be serious here. If free fall pin setters are in good working order (meaning that you don't have to wait minutes to continue bowling...or don't have move to different lanes) and then are as easy to maintain as the string pin setters, then yes, it is better to use free fall setters. The problem is that the current setters are not working well, they are expensive, and the people that can fix them are becoming fewer. I've had enough centers close down around me...I don't want more. When you have lanes shut down during a PBA events, this should be a concern with the state of these machines.
USBC and whoever did the "hard work" can take all that and shove it up their asses.
@@jglotzbachOperators are wiping their asses with the certification, just as they did when moving to strings.
Right now I work weekends at a Fun Center where we have 14 lanes of string pin setters. I have bowled for 39 years and carry a 215-225 average, all depends.on the shot. I have bowled on the lanes here and the carry is different. The video you showed the strings are definitely too tight. The center I work at the strings only give you an easy spare about 15% of the time, usually leaves like the 3-6-9, 2-4-8 or buckets. I leave more flat tens in high flush or flush pocket shots. I feel that as long as it is a different segment of our sport, different divisions, then go for it. The string setters just might give a person the confidence to bowl more often and try traditional setters. Our sport needs more people participating, if strings can be a gateway, then so be it.
Very true comment. I was wonder if these were installed to the USBC standards
Strings are definitely too tight. I would kill for that pin action.
I wonder if they'll set up ticket dispensers on each lane so you can trade them in for prizes?
Should not be used in competition. BUT if it makes operating costs lower for bowling alleys and recreational bowlers then it is a plus. No alley should install them on all the lanes, but I don't see a problem with it for the infrequent bowler.
Comment number 1: The coolest part of the video was the cat rocking out with you towards the end.
Comment number 2: Some of the pin carry is hilarious, and does make it a lot easier for the straight bowlers. I have bowlers in one of my leagues that now thinks they are so much better as a result. They seemed to get a lot of weird breaks, whereas as a lefty, I have had to make just minor adjustments, including ball, only for carry reasons.
It's obvious that the strings have a major effect on the pin action. In watching your video, I wonder if a magnetized system for setting/resetting pins would be closer to what we are used to? The movement of the pins would only be due to the ball.
As long as it a separate certification it's ok, you get a regular average and bowl regular tournaments, and the string pin bowlers can get a separate average and bowl string pin tournaments. I have picked up the big 4 in league and the 7-10 and greek church in open play. I think it would be fun to set up all kinds of different splits like the 5-7-10 which I almost
picked up at the Santa Fe Station in Las Vegas when they had bowler vision, used a light ball with just 2 fingers and hooked the ball and the ball took out the 5 & 7 pins and the 5 went just behind the 10. If it is a separate set up like Delta it is fine but we are losing too many centers in California so I wouldn't want a house to go completely string pins
Id like them to add one of these to my local lanes. Only to hooefully keep some casual bowlers over there and it be good for kids to have fun on as wellv
You asked about the ramps. I think it would interesting to see how different balls with different cores act at slower speeds
I could show you that. Throwing the ball 12.5 mph last tourney to get the ball to read the backs
#lowrevrate
I actually did this exact thing for my 8th grade science experiment
I've worked in Tenpin since i was 16... AMF, SUPERBOWL, MEGABOWL etc... It's a no brained that these new "machines" would be pants... good maybe for kids parties, but now for actual "bowling"... Benefits - costs - big time... These things can also be fixed by general staff, so no need for a mech crew... Downside - death of the bowling alley.... I mean, it was the death when in the UK they stopped bowling shoes, now the approaches are a mess................... Notice how the prices never went down either.... Bowling is dead.
Yes I totally agree with you the USB c should not have that sanctioned it should just be a hobby thing look if you want a bowling alley in your house and you want to have the pins attached to strings fair enough you know it's only for practise but it should not be an actual thing for our sport house port is great and I just wish they would just leave the pins the way it is
i think the strings are to short and that a huge problem i know they want to upgrade are find a way to put the pins down for cost effective but its not working
Great video. Shows how absurd string bowling is. I've been bowling for 40 years and have NEVER made the Big 4. And you do it in just a few attempts? Crazy!
Academy lanes bowling center in Colorado Springs has them.
We've been waiting almost a year for a new bowling alley to be built in our town. They had a soft opening yesterday and I was able to make a reservation to try it out. To my complete surprise, they had these string pins. I had never seen anything like this before and it freaked me out the first time they re-racked. It's been about ten years since I rolled a ball down a lane but I know I'm a better bowler than what my scores reflected using these things. Pins that would normally spin or bounce simply didn't which screwed up quite a few spares. Simply not a fan of this method but it's what we have locally now so I'll deal with it. :(
You’re the exception then because most report higher scores on string pins
@@alstraka It's taken a while for the pin setters at the new alley to loosen up. I have one lane that I can score in the high 180's to low 200's consistently while the other lanes still have no pin action.
The strings are generally going to HELP your score. You are just out of practice after 10 years.
@@FUGP72 I dont think thats what the USBC found in their study at all.
In fact, in their study over thousands of games, they found that string pins resulted in a lower avg score by about 1 pin per game.
I don't believe usbc certified string pin calibration will have that much error.
While I think they’re good for general training purposes or for non-competitive recreational bowlers, I honestly don’t believe houses should use these in officially sanctioned USBC or even PBA competition. Getting back to that training purposes bullet point: that’s nice how you can select or de-select certain pins or pin groupings. Nice work on converting the Big Four, the Greek Church, and the 7-10, btw!
I don’t even bowl competitively but my friends and I love going bowling, like ya know rent shoes and we use house balls, even I think that string pins are a dumb idea, they completely change how to play the game, the way I see it just chunk the ball down the lane real fast at a slight angle and the strings will do the rest for you, but on a real note like holy shit who thought this was a good idea
It's not like they thought it was a good idea for actual play. It is all about money since regular pinsetters are MUCH more expensive and much more fragile. They break a lot, take longer to fix (requiring a highly trained maintenance worker trained just for them) and are quite dangerous to work on. These are cheaper, break less, and can be fixed by any employee in a couple minutes at the most when they do break down. Meaning less down time for players on that lane.
Maybe a good idea just to have them with pinball machines in between each lane as a novelty enjoyment game. 😂
Back in the day when I was a kid, we did have this as a novelty game in the arcades inside bowling alleys.
For strings bowling, I think that it is good for fun parlour like time zone but not for proper bowling lanes
The kind of people getting robbed by paying $5 for shoe rentals and $8 per game wont care about the strings and would surely prefer that to having to tell the front desk what is broken on the lane every 3 frames because bowlero bought every alley
Bowlero isn't in my area YET and I see them as the Borg.
I actually think string pins are good for bowling as a whole in terms of ease of access for the regular bowler. But they should be nowhere near competition
Only certain string pins are USBC certified. This looks like an uncertified one.
we need an "I HATE STRING PINSETTERS" shirt
String pinsetters are a good option if you want to build a lane for yourself because they are less expensive and they need lower maintenance than regular ones
The house where I bowl is going to string pins in September. I am heart broken. The center has new owners who don't really care about real bowlers they are all about the money, so sad. If they think string pin bowling is going to make them more money they are dead wrong! They have a full house league coming up this fall and I thought about joining it but now I won't because of them changing to string pins. I look for their league attendance to drop drastically after they change. Your video PROVES that there is a lot of unnatural pin action that happens and this should never be allowed! They might as well put a monkey back there to bat the pins around.
I tried string pin bowling at an alley in Seattle while there on vacation with my wife. Honestly, I didn't know the alley was string pin. It took me about two frames to realize something was wildly wrong. The pins were not falling in a "natural" manner. But, my eyeglasses were old and my vision was not as good as it would have been had my prescription been up to date, so I just figured it was me. Then it happened. I threw my 14 pound urethane straight and hard. I watched as the six pin was ejected forward then snapped backward. In the process of doing this, it hit the 10 pin which would never have fallen resulting in a strike. Over the course of the three games I threw on those lanes, I noticed many occasions where the strings definitely influenced the motion of the pins to change the outcome of the throw. I will never bowl string pin again. Shame on the USBC for certifying it.
IM ON THE CASE 👮🏻♂️🚓
I went to an arcade place that had string bowling. As a casual game it was fun. Never even occurred to me to take it seriously. As someone mentioned, it was more of a "bar game" for me. I'm not even a good bowler! With that said, if they want to have entirely different ranks etc. for this style, including the length of the strings being separate categories as well, then let them have it. Additionally, I agree an established bowling center should not be replacing ALL their lanes with string pin bowling. Do a "string side" and a "traditional side". The only exception for this would be those giant arcades that happen to have a small bowling area "just for fun".
If I ever bowled a 300 game or 800 series I would feel like I didn’t deserve it. It’s like telling a pro baseball player, “here’s a tee, hit it over the 200 ft fence and it will count for your home run total.”
I've never made a 7 10 split or a big 4 sanctioned or not but if I did I would yawn at it.
If they want to certify string pins, it should be under a completely different category! I know there's a league there at Delta Bowl that has more than 26 teams during the winter season. They will cross over into "The Zone" where the string machines are. How's that gunna work?
more than two teams to a pair. or you can't have as many teams this season. 0:26 clearly says independent competition so no mixed bowling
Show this video to USBC and ask them how their percentages of strings affecting the pin carry works exactly
i'm assuming their response to be "that's not a sanctioned string setter"
USBC has a specification of string length, I wonder how these compare to spec as they seem really short.
Don’t forget about the Out if Range Pins or pins that moved off spot and not fall over. Strings are incapable of leaving the off spot pins where it was left off after ball impact.
These are not the approved string pins.
USBC s report was falsified. They rigged the results intentionally to make it seem slightly harder or made little difference. I have zeros trust in anything they say or approve anymore.
'Cheap and nasty' is what we would say in England. I first came across them in about 1990 at a seaside venue and immediately took a dislike to them.
Never mind, we play skittles, it's far more fun and in our area on a Friday night, more than 500 blokes will be out (league) skittling and keeping the pubs alive!
Pay us a visit - go on; you know you want to!
I’m really glad you did this video. It demonstrated just what I expected. Thanks!
100%
Bowling centers have lost their minds if they think I'm going to pay the same price for this experience.
They should not be sanctioned in competition, if usbc starts featuring string pin bowling on tv I will be upset
only the masters and US Open are broadcast on TV so no worries there
That's some great string action.
_Not sure which is worse: the fact that someone actually invented Stringpin Bowling, or the fact that the USBC actually approved it for competition._
String pins aren't bad for casual bowling, cheaper for bowling centers and carry/spares would make casuals feel awesome bringing more people to the sport ( in theory). But approving it for competitive play is absolutely a joke
USBC approving it for sure
Why would someone inventing it be a bad thing? It's been around in Europe with 9-pin bowling, and it's an incredibly cheap, efficient way to run a casual bowling alley.
Approving it was a ridiculous decision. I don't get the motivation behind it. I'm sure it was in good faith, but I think they didn't do the proper research before hand.
they are equally worse
@@bmhedgehog2 haha nice 😊
Those zoomed in slo-mo shots do a great job at showing what really going on. From far away it's hard to notice, but up close and slowed down you can see the negative impact of the strings. That's pretty much the death of competitive bowling.
Other videos I've seen of it weren't this bad at all. They seemed to have more string released before they are impacted by the string.. it may just be a setting they need to change to make it better.
QAMF's manual for these pinspotters shows the string tension is adjustable.
String pin bowling might have some value for practice sessions if the price per line is cheap. (I think bowling is expensive.)
It is clear from your video that the strings restrict where and how fast the pins can go after the ball hits them. That explains how you carried those two pin hits for strikes.
Also, the pins respond sluggishly after the ball hits; the strings add more static inertia to the bare pin, and that secondary inertia is “felt” with a delay because the strings flex as the pin flies away after the initial hit. Think of your dog on a leash. He takes off after a bird. At first, there is plenty of slack in the leash. Then when the slack is gone, boom! Now he has to move you too.
And those very late falling ten pins. Notice that the strings vibrate. When the vibration of one string is transferred to the string of the standing ten pin, the vibration has to be “felt” in the wood of the pin as well. That is sometimes enough to get that ten pin down. Same for other pins.
So string pin bowling is a different class of bowling like nine pin bowling. Or candle pins or duck pins. If they make the price per line cheap, I would use it for practice and training purposes. But I doubt that will happen. Too bad.
Great video! Thanks for all the camera angles and the string pins demo! I lived in East Bay for 20 years too!
I will say, string pin bowling is definitely more of a recreational enjoyment and maybe something more friendly to a casual bowler. But that's about it. I can imagine professional level string pin bowling has so many high scores and maybe 300s that no one stands out
btw they did a huge study and found no statistically significant difference between performance of bowlers on string pins vs. normal pinsetters
I think I would have to agree with you about string pin. But I think it's actually a way for the alleys to cut back on the amount of workers needed so they can keep more money for profits and take away jobs from the mechanics. I believe it is a ginick for companies to profit, not the bowlers themselves.
I totally agree, string pins not be able to messenger and split conversions
They can just make magnetic string system, where the strings will be disconnected with the pins once they are being placed onto the lane. Only when they are resetting up the frame, then the strings will come down and rearranging them with magnets.
That's been tried before... manufacturers couldn't make it work. The strings have to be repeatedly manipulated to get close enough for the magnets to grab all the pins in the right spot... you'd be sitting there all day waiting for it to re-rack. It would be faster if they went back to pin boys...
Have you tried the USBC certified string pins? They said that "Additional testing is needed to determine if a conversion between string pinsetter competition and free-fall is reasonable." in their press release. If these are them...xD
Thanks for the string pin vid. I've not bowled on string pins but seeing that action was something else. Greek church big 4 and 7-10 makes. If that is the standard set up for string pin actiion I have to vote no on certification as well.
In 100 years "Did you know in the old days they used to bowl without strings?" "WHAAAAT?"
This was infuriating to watch. Thank you for making this video! How does this get approved for competition, but usbc is worried about the hardness of bowling balls. Make it make sense
What’s more infuriating is the people supporting this. Clearly not passionate bowlers
Agreed and do not listen to the propaganda by bowlers that support this much less USBC. This is not real bowling.
seems like that the strings could need one more ft of lengh. european Vollmer stringsetters are much better. looks like there is to much tension on the strings..
Why? Did someone sit down one day and decide that regular bowling is way to hard? They felt the need for bowling to be easier? Was this supposed to be an improvement over regular bowling? So many questions but here is my final one...what were the powers that be over at the USBC sniffing when they thought this was a good idea? They should all lose their jobs.
It wasn’t about difficulty. It was a cost benefit analysis for many people. The maintenance costs are way lower, the lane up time is higher, and the set up/employee cost is cheaper.
They just then wanted to approach the USBC to see if they could maintain their league revenue.
As someone who works at a bowling alley, they are so much cheaper, easier to maintain and have far less issues than traditional drop pins. So eventually even really old centres like this one will get them. That being said, yeah they shouldn't be used in tournaments or any official matches
I'm going with it counts as a spare, because the pins are always in play, therefore the strings are in play.
When I first heard about it, I assumed it was some 100+ year old tech. Some dude behind the lane could just tug a handful of strings to reset the lane instead of doing each pin by hand. It sounded like a really good idea. Why anyone would choose to use this when we already have machines that set the lane for us is beyond me.
String pins are great for recreational bowling and for ally’s in remote areas. I’d love to see what your 20+ lbs balls will to against them though!
Me too. @220, that's a good vid idea.
My bowling alley is putting in string pins . I don't like it . Strings change the pin action . But string pins will be every where do to chesper to run the pin machines . 80% savings they say . The fiture I guess .
Good video. Would be interseting if you do this again to try not to hit the headpin but instead try to do things like trying to get a wash out or just aiming for the 10pin and seeing how many other pins fall on your first shot. I know they are doing this to save money, and probably with league revenue being down, those showing up just to drink and have fun don't care about the strings.
Is it a good video?
He was bowling on the "fun" side of the center on lanes not intended for competitive play, so not only do we not know if the pin setters were an approved model set up to approved specifications, we also don't know if the pit, lane surface, pins etc. meet the standards for sanctioned competition.
At best it's a video from which you can draw no conclusions about sanctioned string pin lanes, because they aren't, at worst it's a deliberate attempt to vilify sanctioning string pin lanes by filming at a location he knows is substandard.
underrated cat video
The only thing I’ll say is the usbc is using new string pin setups to test and they have different tolerances than most of what’s out there to play on right now. But I don’t think they can make them much better than they are but maybe ?
String pins are okay for an arcade game, but definitely NOT for official competitive bowling.
Custom emojis for 220AVG members are awesome.
my buddy did college bowling and he did an ad for stringpin bowling. he said it was the worst pin action ever, he’d hit dead pocket or flush and would leave either a 2,6 or a 7,10. they paid him to say it was good but he told them it was horrible
He sold his soul 😔
this could really harm bowling because it seems easier in most aspects. also when they go to normal im gonna hear alot of "bad Breaks"
I think string pins should be in their own category of bowling, and not used interchangeably in competition. Let the kidos have fun.
with the string pins, i made the 7-9 on my first try after hitting the 9 pin on the *left* side
You can change the string tensioner to be looser or change the length.. That's up to the establishment to do that. The reason they are so tight is for the casual bowler. There is less of a need to watch over them vs. the regular machines.
If you want to practice certain pins combo, it's a great thing, but keep in mind the strings are in play. In real time, there's no strings attached!!
One benefit to string pins as that you can set up any combo you want, but that's not exactly accurate spare practice for splits cuz the strings cause you to make the spare when in fact you didnt
It is so freaking hilarious that the strings clean up the 8 pin, 9 pin, and 10 pin, and prevent spits lol.
These should definitely be set up on the family fun side. I could see that helping a lot when it come to mechanics having to run around and not having to worry about the string pins messing up. But for real bowlers like league, or sanctioned events yeah screw this. Every shot looked heavily influenced by the stings. You essentially have another 4 inches of pin on top
Actually they had tests and unfortunately, the tangled string clear calls were pretty high.
How would that even work at a 40 lane center? Cut off 10 lanes for this garbage? There has been an infestation of family and adult entertainment centers out there last 20 some years that's all the new alleys being built are.
@@skalamaz3 my home alley has the old side which is lanes 1-36Then a new side that was built a few years back which is totally separate which has glow bowl, louder music, a separate bar, And that’s lanes 37-56. I can see it working on that side. But I am aware not every bowling alley is like that. But ones that are yeah it could work
If centers had some string pin machines and some free fall machines, I would pay extra to play on free fall
Just a further technology development of the continued de-evolution of the sport - synthetic lanes, pin decks, kickback plates, pins, balls, etc. etc.
It's important to point out that this is the "fun" part of their bowling alley, meaning they probably aren't intending to use this for real league and tournament play.
and yet, usbc certified them to actually be used for tournament play
@@manewhairstyle my point is that the center did not bother with bringing these pinsetters to proper USBC code
“Fun” doesn’t come to mind. This is like a bad dream
Doesn't much matter what this one place intends to do or not... entire facilities all over the place are converting to strings because it's cheap, and the USBC in their infinite wisdom has given this abomination their blessing. Sooner or later it's coming to YOUR center, and this is all you're gonna get. Enjoy the "future of bowling", such as it is...
I have been bowling for 44 years and picked up the 7-10 once and never picked up the 4-6-7-10. String pins drain away the challenge and makes bowling into a pass/fail game.
It probably looked good on the bottom line financially, but you know what they say about things with strings attached.
I think keep it for a totally different set of tournaments that are not in the standard count for USBC I know the PBA would not allow it.
I think if the bottoms were strings for a different easier/cheaper reset machine for a more natural bowling style of free fall then yes it would work.
This should be called string pins and
Ten pin bowling should be called bowling
This is not ten pin bowling
The pin actions are really weird and especially making spares become much more easy.
You can tell by the sound that the pin action is reduced. The strings reduces the top movement of the pins preventing the pins from "mixing it up".
The pins are tethered.......
The competitive field is completely different with string pins. Surely there can be sanctioned competitions on string pins, but they are not comparable to classic pinsetters.