Almark Edge

[syd]

Anybody have anything to say about Almark Edge, thinking of buying.

[Crabie]

Almark Almark "Edge" Coloured Bowl - B/A4C
For bowlers looking to gain an "ADVANTEDGE"!

Australian Steve Glassen, 9 times National Indoor Champion and current World Outdoor Singles Champion has said "The ALMARK EDGE holds a line like nothing else on the planet.......you have to see it to believe it."
The EDGE has been designed to allow sufficient road holding width that reacts superbly on fast running surfaces.
Featuring the 'unique' grip designed for additional comfort and control.
Available in sizes 0 - 5 in Heavy weight only.
Size/Weight:0Heavy1Heavy2Heavy3Heavy4Heavy5HeavyColours :GreenRedBlue£ 159.99

Hi Syd
Had a friend who bought a set of these Almark Edge but couldn't get on with them because he found them too straight all right for leading but when there were short bowls he was in trouble.
Best thing you can do is see if you can find a set to try out its a lot of money to fork out and then find you get on better with your old bowls.

[Del]

Hi All,

Have a lot of mixed feelings about these straight woods, they wind me up when I see the opposition coming straight up the green onto the jack, BUT I can't get get on with them, tried a set of Advantage but whilst they made some heads easy to win I did struggle with them as outdoor they wood pick up all the lines.

Have wasted some money and gone back to the Classics:p

[foxyone2]

Anybody have anything to say about Almark Edge, thinking of buying.
Would be O.K. on your indoor rinks but would be a problem outdoors. Not only are they subject to following green imperfections e.g. straights, they are also affected badly in fishtailing winds. Would be O.K. for Steve Glasson as he normally plays on fast and true tracks over here but even he carries two sets of differing bowls to tournaments (Edge and Edge Plus).
If you want a slightly tighter bowl you could try the Almark Arrow which is sold in the U.K. and is similar to the Edge Plus (the latter is only sold in Australia and New Zealand).
Although I am resident in 'OZ' I do come over and play a seasons bowls now and again in the U.K. I have and do use all three of those Almark type bowls here , matching them to the green and weather conditions.

[Angel]

Morning Foxyone2

I have never tried the Almark Edge but after reading you post am tempted to give them a try,
I lead and play with Classic Twos but some of the conditions of our greens are not good a lot of the time the Ladies play on the bad settings because the best ones are kept for the Mens A team in the evenings,
I am going ask around the Club and see if I can borrow a set of Almarks to have a roll up with,
Am struggling with my Bowling this year and feeling fed up some days I could throw my bowls in the bin on the way home.

Angel

[Murley]

Can't talk much about the Edge, but I can rave about the Edge Plus!8)

[foxyone2]

Can't talk much about the Edge, but I can rave about the Edge Plus!8)

Up there with the Henselite Dreamline, Taylor Redline SR and the Greenmaster Premier as a good all-round bowl for greens running 12 seconds plus.

[vaio]

Don't think these straight woods are any good on most U. K. grass greens, they pick up all the lines and make it very hard to play with!

[snapper]

Our greens are very pushy down here in Cornwall for most of the Bowling season and only get really fast in August if we are lucky I have found the Classic Two really good as they hold a straight tight line in wet weather but will take a good swing when the greens get faster,
Everyone has their favorite Bowl and have played against people with the same Bowl as mine but they cant take the same line that I can,

[foxyone2]

Don't think these straight woods are any good on most U. K. grass greens, they pick up all the lines and make it very hard to play with!
When I come over to England to play Pennant bowls I am fortunate that I play on reasonable quality greens. They usually range between 12 and 14 secs, obviously not as quick as we get in South Australia, metropolitan Adelaide which range between 15 and 18 secs. When playing the heavier greens (11 to 13) I do make a few adjustments, firstly I use Classic 2's and I drop down from a size 4 heavy to a size 3. The other adjustments are in my grip and delivery stride.....I revert to a palm rather than a fingertip grip and my delivery stride is lengthened slightly.
I still think the Dreamline and Vector VS would be suitable in most conditions over there as both have a banana curve and break across straights and other imperfections.

[vaio]

When I come over to England to play Pennant bowls I am fortunate that I play on reasonable quality greens. They usually range between 12 and 14 secs, obviously not as quick as we get in South Australia, metropolitan Adelaide which range between 15 and 18 secs. When playing the heavier greens (11 to 13) I do make a few adjustments, firstly I use Classic 2's and I drop down from a size 4 heavy to a size 3. The other adjustments are in my grip and delivery stride.....I revert to a palm rather than a fingertip grip and my delivery stride is lengthened slightly.
I still think the Dreamline and Vector VS would be suitable in most conditions over there as both have a banana curve and break across straights and other imperfections.

You must have been lucky, agree some of our greens are brilliant and straight woods are handy, then some are agricultural at best, and in the later stages of some comps you can end up on one of these and straight woods can be a nightmare, I've tried8-)

[Scrum]

Think if Bowls was a sport to start from scratch, just one set of bias for all wood sizes.

It would make the sport truly fair for all and of course far more skillful, think the trouble would be not a lot of money in it for the bowls makers!!

[foxyone2]

Think if Bowls was a sport to start from scratch, just one set of bias for all wood sizes.

It would make the sport truly fair for all and of course far more skillful, think the trouble would be not a lot of money in it for the bowls makers!!

Spot on!.:wink:

[Del]

Brilliant!, can you imagine every Club could have a supply of standard bowls ready to encourage new bowlers etc!

Can you imagine the Bowl Manufacturers they wouldn't be making money out of finding ways to make tighter skittling woods etc, nothing wrong with various colours providing they were the standard bias!!

Sounds to good an idea!":eek:

[Team Player]

Not a bad idea would stop that griping about straight woods ruining the game etc, but have to agree to much invested interest in making money from bowls would stop this happening!!!

[keith]

Played last night, on another rink against us an opposition bowler was using, Taylor Redline, travelling home in the car they were saying NO bias just skittling up the middle, green was dry and fast, not a lot of skill in that:mad:

[foxyone2]

Played last night, on another rink against us an opposition bowler was using, Taylor Redline, travelling home in the car they were saying NO bias just skittling up the middle, green was dry and fast, not a lot of skill in that:mad:

You don't need Taylor Redlines, anybody can achieve the same result with 'old wide drawing bowls'. The secret is to polish them with liquid 'Viagra'........they then go very straight and stand up longer!.:wink:

[syd]

Great, just played against guy last night and he had edge bowls. They are soo easy to use, must get them. Any idea where I can buy them.

[Del]

Hi Syd,

Most bowls shops stock them justbsearched the net, looks like about £139 new
have put link below,

http://www.johnforseybowls.co.uk/bowls_almark_edge.html

Don't know anything about the shop just info about the price, I have tried them and really struggled, weightbhas to be spot on no good for back end bowling etc:cool:

If you haven't I would try a set before you shell out any money:wink:

[vaio]

Everyone seems to be playing with Tigers these days, are there any views on this, I am looking to change from my old Classics quite a swing to a tighter wood as this seems the only way to compete:D

Know there are tighter woods but I play 3 in the rinks so do need abit of a swing but not too much!

Before I shell out doing a bit of research outside my team mates.

Thanks

[wombat]

I have had my Edges for 6 or more years stamped 2014.

I play mostly on greens 13 to 16 seconds in Brisbane and my Edges have given me good service. But everyone I knew who bought them back then have given them the flick.

Around Xmas 2011 I played in Adelaide and skipped against 2016 Edges and they were a lot different especially drawing up against the wind. Mine repeatedly drew around bowls into the head and the 2016 just sailed on by.

Now it is all about Edge Factors with the Naive style graphics. They are getting great reviews but I am not sure about them so I bought Drakes Direct which seem to do it for me.

[Hooker]

Hi Wombat,

Here in the UK we are getting more and more artificial greens outdoors with a few on the home side using edges!!

Do see quite a bit of variance in the greens but put it down to the delivery etc, trouble is when the wind is blowing across the greens the only way I can handle it is bowling with the 'bias' facing the wind, if the wind is constant great for holding the wood up etc, the other hand anything can happen:o

[wombat]

Hi Wombat,

Here in the UK we are getting more and more artificial greens outdoors with a few on the home side using edges!!

Do see quite a bit of variance in the greens but put it down to the delivery etc, trouble is when the wind is blowing across the greens the only way I can handle it is bowling with the 'bias' facing the wind, if the wind is constant great for holding the wood up etc, the other hand anything can happen:o

Hello Hooker, wind is a problem with narrow bowls the more they are wind affected the more they vary with gusting. My mate had Edges for years and has bought the Edge Factors and says they suffer less from the random finish on windy days. I have not played with him or against him but I have been told they have improved his game by a huge amount.

[Hooker]

Hi Wombat,

Thanks for info, we have one artificial green in our County that is quite exposed, on windy days straight woods do hold up, anything like Tigers are a true nightmare.

Do understand what you mean about straighter woods, but I don't find that.

Big problem is that National qualifying games can be on the artificial, I use to dread it especially playing on grass all season, If I'm draw on the artificial I get down there a few days before the game and get some practise in.

If it's windy it's a great leveller anyway!!,