New, Used or Refinished balls?

[Latin Snake]

I've been playing for 2 years know and I find myself with a doubt...Which is best:

New balls

Used Balls

Refinished Balls

Thanks for the comments

[LeviTee]

Probably brand new is best, but I find nothing wrong with any of the other options. I am lucky, my buddies caddy at Sherwood CC here in Los Angeles and once a month I get a bag of Pro V's and Pentas. Lots of almost brand new balls in the rough out there and they end up in my bag.

[Fourputt]

New.

I have a friend who just decided to give recycled balls a try.  He has found out quickly that he:

1.  Doesn't get as much length from them as from a new ball.

2.  Gets inconsistent performance from one ball to the next.

We discussed it and figured that the reason is because despite an attempt by the seller to grade the balls, you have no way of knowing the history of the ball.  Whether it was just lost, fished out of a pond after just a week or two, or if it had been exposed to the elements for a longer period.  He plays Pro V1's, but he decided that if the cost becomes an issue, he will go to a lower cost new ball before he buys refurbished ones again.

[erock9174]

I thought I read somewhere, that refurbished balls technically replace the outside coating, and thus throws the manuf specs and intended performance out the window.

I havent played any recycled balls, but my buddies, along the same handicap as me typcially buy Grade B balls from Knet all the time and have no complaints.  Actually they praise the grade b as being just as close to near mint balls in condition.  So they opt for lower grades vs mint.

[shotly]

New and recycled balls are fine. Recycled balls are balls that have come out of the water or woods and have been cleaned up. They hit just fine and you may notice a little difference from used balls if you're being picky, but most probably won't.

Refinished balls, on the other hand, I'm definitely not a fan of. The covers don't seem to last near as long as a new ball. I hit several refinished Pro V1's last week and none of them lasted more than 2-3 good wedge shots. They were chewed all up. I'd go with new or recycled, but not refinished.

Justin