Epic Arctic Blast Be Epic Bowling Ball

📋 Epic Arctic Blast Be Epic — Full Specifications

• Core Name: 3 Piece Core (Pancake Weight Block)
• Core Shape: Symmetrical
• Coverstock Name: Plastic
• Coverstock Type: Polyester
• RG: Not published — see explainer below
• Differential: Not published — see explainer below
• Flare Potential: 0 – 1 Inches
• Surface Finish: Polished
• Recommended Lane Conditions: Dry / All Conditions (spare shooting)
• Performance Level: Entry Level / Novice
• USBC Approved: Yes
• Available Weights: 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 lb
• Colors: Purple, White
• Brand: Epic Bowling

🎓 How Temperature Affects Bowling Balls — and Why Plastic Is the Most Forgiving Option for Storage and Transport

Most bowlers never think about what happens to their equipment between sessions. The ball goes back in the bag, the bag goes in the car or the garage or the closet, and it comes back out at the next session. For a plastic spare ball like the Arctic Blast, that routine is perfectly fine. For reactive resin balls, temperature exposure during storage and transport is one of the most common causes of premature coverstock damage — and it’s almost entirely preventable once you understand what’s happening.

Why reactive resin balls are temperature-sensitive: Reactive resin coverstocks are formulated to be porous and chemically active — those are the properties that make them hook effectively. That same chemical composition makes them susceptible to thermal expansion and contraction. When a reactive ball is stored in a cold car trunk in winter, or left in a hot vehicle during summer, the coverstock material expands and contracts with the temperature change. Over time, repeated thermal cycling causes micro-cracking in the coverstock, degrades the surface chemistry, and in severe cases can cause visible cracking or crazing on the ball’s surface. This is why manufacturers warn against storing reactive balls in environments below freezing or above roughly 140°F (like a parked car on a hot day).

Why plastic handles temperature changes differently: Polyester plastic coverstocks are denser, less porous, and chemically inert compared to reactive resin. There is no reactive chemistry to degrade, and the material’s thermal expansion coefficient is lower — meaning it expands and contracts less dramatically across the same temperature range. A plastic spare ball stored in a cold garage over winter or transported in a warm car during summer will arrive at the lanes in the same condition it left in. The Arctic Blast is genuinely low-maintenance from a storage perspective in a way that reactive balls simply are not.

The practical takeaway for new bowlers in particular: If the Arctic Blast is your first ball, you don’t need to worry about where it’s stored between sessions. Keep it out of extreme conditions as a general practice, but a temperature-controlled environment is not a requirement the way it is for reactive resin equipment. As your equipment collection grows and you add reactive balls to the bag, those balls will need more careful handling — but your plastic spare ball will always be the low-drama, low-maintenance member of the lineup.

💡 BowlersMart Tips: Is a Plastic Ball the Right First Ball? A New Bowler’s Complete Equipment Progression Guide

One of the most common questions from new bowlers is: should my first ball be a plastic spare ball, or should I start with a reactive resin hook ball? The honest answer depends on what stage of the game you’re at — and understanding the three-stage equipment progression will help you make a smarter buying decision now and avoid redundant purchases later.

Stage 1: Learning the game (plastic ball)
If you’re new to bowling and still working on the fundamentals — approach footwork, timing, release consistency, targeting — a plastic ball is actually the better learning tool. Here’s why: a reactive resin ball magnifies release inconsistencies. If you’re still developing your wrist position or delivery timing, a hook ball will produce wildly different results from shot to shot as your release varies, making it hard to understand what you’re actually doing and what needs to change. A plastic ball rolls essentially the same regardless of small variations in release, which lets you focus on approach mechanics and targeting without the feedback noise of a reactive coverstock. Many bowling coaches recommend starting with plastic for the first few months for exactly this reason.

Stage 2: Developing a hook (entry-level reactive)
Once you have a repeatable approach and release — you’re getting the ball to the target consistently and you’re starting to wonder why some shots carry better than others — it’s time to add an entry-level reactive resin ball. The Epic Curve series is purpose-built for this transition: mild hook potential that rewards a developing release without requiring a highly tuned delivery to produce useful motion. At this stage you’ll own two balls: your plastic spare ball (still essential — hook balls are not reliable spare tools) and your new reactive strike ball.

Stage 3: Building an arsenal (mid-performance reactive + specialty options)
As your average climbs and your game becomes more consistent, you’ll start to notice that your entry-level reactive ball doesn’t cover all lane conditions. Medium and heavier oil patterns may require more aggressive equipment; drier conditions may require something cleaner. This is when bowlers add a second reactive ball with different coverstock or surface specs — like the Epic Ignite series for medium-oil coverage — while the plastic spare ball remains a constant fixture in the bag throughout every stage.

The key insight: A plastic spare ball purchased at Stage 1 is still in your bag at Stage 3. It doesn’t get retired — it becomes your spare ball for life. Whether the Arctic Blast is your very first piece of bowling equipment or the long-overdue addition of a dedicated spare tool to an existing reactive setup, it will continue to serve its purpose for as long as you bowl. That’s a purchase that pays for itself many times over across a full bowling career.

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