Back II Life: The Evolution of Bowling Ball Restoration

Back to Life Performance Restoring Mist 

How to Fix a Dead Bowling Ball Without Soaking, Heat, or Surface Changes
If you don’t like to read, watch this:
 
Purchase Back II Life HERE

Bowling Balls Don’t Die. They Lose Access to Friction.
For years, The Clear helped bowlers restore performance by removing oil that had migrated deep into the coverstock. It worked. It built a loyal following. And it proved something important:
Bowling balls don’t have to “die.” They can be restored.

But bowling has changed. Modern reactive coverstocks absorb oil faster than ever. Performance loss happens sooner
USBC testing and scrutiny have evolved, so we evolved too.

We are changing the game when it comes to bowling ball restoration. Better, faster and it works on all reactive bowling balls, even brand new ones.

Now We Are Back II Life
Back II Life is not The Clear in a different bottle. It is the next evolution of bowling ball restoration, built from the ground up using new chemistry, new testing standards, and a deeper understanding of how modern coverstocks actually create motion.

Why We Moved Beyond The Clear
The Clear was based on a simple and effective concept:
Remove absorbed oil so the coverstock can behave closer to how it did when new, using immersion as the driver.
Over time, testing and real-world use taught us three critical things:
Oil removal alone restores some performance
It does not fully address how efficiently a coverstock responds to friction
It does not future proof restoration against modern USBC scrutiny

At the same time, the industry began pushing restoration further using:

• Immersion and soaking

• New Heat based systems

• Illegal or aggressive chemicals

• Extreme extraction methods

Some of these methods work, but they also can introduce:

• Long term ball damage

• Consumer safety risks

• Inconsistent results

• Regulatory grey areas

We didn’t want to chase shortcuts.
We wanted a solution that:

• Was faster and more effective

• Restored performance without resurfacing

• Avoided immersion, illegal chemicals, and heat

• Passed modern USBC testing

• Worked on brand new and old reactive bowling balls

• Was repeatable, controlled, and measurable

That meant starting over chemically.

Reactiv8: A New Direction in Coverstock Chemistry
Back II Life is built on a new chemical structure, not the formulation used in any other product we’ve released. During development, we tested Clear based concepts with our VIP group. It helped, but the results were limited.

The breakthrough came with Reactiv8.
What Is Reactiv8?
Reactiv8 is a proprietary friction-enhancing additive designed to improve how a bowling ball responds to the lane.

Not by:

• Coating the ball

• Softening the coverstock

• Changing hardness

But by improving friction efficiency once oil is displaced.
This is why Back II Life works on:

• Old bowling balls that have lost reaction

• New bowling balls that haven’t yet absorbed significant oil

• New balls don’t need oil removal.

They benefit from enhanced friction response.
That distinction is everything.

Absorption into the coverstock is required so true urethane and polyester balls will not see the same level of performance impact.

This is a two part system.
Back II Life Requires That Wow Factor HM
Back II Life is not designed to be used alone.

That Wow Factor HM + Back II Life = Restoration
Here’s why.
Modern reactive coverstocks are porous. Over time, those pores become:

• Filled with oil

• Partially closed

• Less responsive to friction

What That Wow Factor HM Does
That Wow Factor HM:

• Opens and enhances the pore structure

• Accelerates oil displacement at the surface

• Restores and improves access to the coverstock’s internal structure

Once that access is restored, Back II Life delivers Reactiv8 into the coverstock, where it can do its job.

Think of it this way:
HM prepares the surface
Back II Life restores friction response
Used together, the system produces repeatable, measurable performance gains that last approximately 20–30 games, based on testing.
These results can be maintained and even improved by stacking (multiple applications) and continued use.

What Back II Life Actually Does (And What It Doesn’t)
Back II Life DOES:

• Restore and enhance access to friction to reactive coverstocks

• Improve downlane response and total hook

• Enhance continuation

• Work without resurfacing

• Work without soaking

• Work without heat

• Stay within USBC approval limits

Back II Life DOES NOT:

• Change hardness beyond allowable thresholds

• Work effectively on Urethane bowling balls

• Work effectively on Plastic bowling ball

• It is not a bowling ball cleaner 

USBC Approved and Why That Matters
Back II Life is USBC approved for use before and after certified competition.

During testing, it:

• Passed hardness change limits

• Passed FTIR similarity testing

• Passed visual residue inspection

• Passed on plastic, urethane, and reactive coverstocks

This matters for two reasons:

• It removes the grey area

• It validates the chemistry driven approach we took

USBC approves Back II Life as a bowling ball cleaner, because products are classified by function, not outcome.
Functionally, however, Back II Life is best understood as a performance restoring mist when used as part of the complete system.

Why This Is the Future of Bowling Ball Restoration

• The industry is moving toward:

• Outcome based testing

• Method scrutiny

• Consistency and repeatability

Back II Life was designed for that reality.

It does not rely on:

• Extreme extraction

• Illegal chemicals

• Immersion

• Heat

• Grey area processes

It relies on:

• Chemistry

• Surface science

• Measured results

That’s intentional.
Our background in bowling ball design, coverstock behavior, and chemical interaction goes back decades. We even hold a patent related to performance restoration on a bowling ball.
This product reflects that experience.

What to Expect (Setting Expectations Matters)
When used correctly with That Wow Factor HM:

• Expect a noticeable increase in motion, friction response, and total hook

• Expect results to last 20–30 games

• Expect older balls to respond more like they did when new

• With continued use and proper surface maintenance:

• Expect longer lasting performance

• Expect ball longevity that most bowlers never thought possible
  
  

The Bottom Line
Back II Life is not a replacement for Life After Death or any other bowling ball cleaner.

• It is not a bowling ball cleaner.

• It is not any of our other products 

It is the evolution of bowling ball restoration and performance enhancement:

• Chemically

• Legally

• Measurably 

Instructions for use

1. Prepare the surface. Use your desired TruCuT Surface Maintenance Product to get your ball back to its desired finish. If no surface prep is needed, skip to Step 2.
2. Clean the entire surface using Incredible Clean and a TruCut Scuff Mark Remover.
3. Spray 1/2 of the ball with That Wow Factor HM.
4. Flip the ball over and spray the other half of the ball with That Wow Factor HM.
5. Allow the HM to sit for two minutes, wipe off any residual with a DuraBlenX Towel.
6. Spray Back II Life on half of the ball, making two passes up and down across the entire surface.
7. Flip the ball over and repeat the process with Back II Life, making two passes up and down.
8. Allow the Back II Life to sit for two minutes, wipe off any residual with a DuraBlenX Towel.
9. Go Bowl, no wait time needed.

Purchase Back II Life HERE

Here is a video demonstrating the process performance differences, Specto data, and system. TruCuT Ceramic Sanding Pads are coming by Q2 2026