Pyramid Phoenix Personal Bowling Ball Revivor

The Pyramid Phoenix Ball Revivor, uses a forced air heating system to heat a bowling ball to extract oil from the ball by circulating heat evenly around the ball. About me I've been bowling for almost 30 years and have had a lot of experience using many ball cleaning and surfacing products, I even pieced together my own DIY ball revivor which I used for many years. So I feel I have a good eye for what works and doesn't in regard to ball cleaning. The unit I got worked as advertised, it only required some simple assembly before use. Operation was simple I just placed my ball in the unit and pressed the on/off/ button to start the preset 30 minute heating cycle. The unit automatically shut itself off at the end of the cycle, I opened it and wiped the now oil covered ball off, turning the ball over I replaced it into the unit and started a second heating cycle. At the end of the cycle I removed the again oil covered ball and sprayed some ball cleaner on it and wiped away the oil. Thee ball was now clean and the surface “tacky” again. I'll give it 5 Stars. Pros: 1: The heating unit is at the bottom of the Revivor, I like this because since heat naturally rises I believe the ball will heat more evenly (This is like my DIY one). Similar devices heat from the top down so have to force the heated air downwards. 2: Construction is fairly solid and of good quality. 3: The big ball cup in this can be taken out and used on your table if you need to have something to set the ball on. 4: It's made in sections which allow for easy cleaning and ball placement. 5: Price is lower than other similar units. Cons: 1: This is a small nitpick the lid is just a little fiddly when you put it on, you might have jiggle it around so it seats fully. How I reached my 5 star rating: I've tested the Phoenix's operation for eight hours and with 7 balls from different mfg's, Checking internal and ball surface temperatures during this period. I started with a internal temperature test (using a digital thermometer w/probe ) without any ball in it. Over a half hour cycle the temperature slowly rose to a final temperature of 153° which I figured was within the operating range. With a ball in the unit, the internal temperature still reached 153°. (Note: I found probe placement could affect readings. Such as against the cylinder wall.) Using a low cost IR thermometer ball surface temperatures measurements fell in the 120°-130° range which is about where you want it and where most other home revivor type machines reach. This a new product from Pyramid Bowling and functions well IMO. I have several of Pyramids products and they are decent also and Bowlingball.com and Pyramid Bowling are pretty good about helping customers if they have a problem or questions about a product.

Tried it as soon as I received it. Put one of my bowling balls in and timed it to 30 minutes. (Has two timer settings, 30 and 45 Mins.) And yes, much oil came out of the ball. Wiped it down with a microfiber towel, turned the ball over with the holes face down and repeated the 30 min procedure and still more oil came out of the ball. Felt the warm air coming from the top cover vents. I'm happy with the Pyramid after the first try, but we'll see how long the unit will last. (I think: A bit pricey, but worth it if you're a serious league bowler!) I would recommend surfacing the ball: 500 or 1000 grit to open the balls pores to help dispense the oil, and cleaning it before putting it in the Pyramid. Wipe the oil off with a micro towel, and clean it with a bowling ball cleaner once you're finished detoxing it. Then resurface it to your preferred grit, and the ball is ready to roll!

Does a good job driving the oil out of the ball. I have used it every 2-3 weeks at the max temperature and time without any problem.

I have had this machine for several weeks. It came well boxed and it was easy to put together. The instructions are easy to follow. I put my ball in and set it for 45mins. Then turned it upside down and repeated. The ball was soaked with oil. It worked very well. I would recommend it.

So far so good. This revivor arrived in TWO DAYS! Easy set up. Be sure to read those directions.. some folks might jump right in and plug it in and start. Take your time to understand what is supposed to happen. The balls need two sessions of heat. I did two balls, total two hours ( 30 minutes, twice). Old oil came out, and then you clean. So, let’s bowl and see how they react.