I've read that some "recycled" balls don't perform as good as new.

[NuclearMike]

I'm a mid-handicap player and I considered buying some used balls until I read that some of the "new" looking balls are actually cleaned of the logos, waxed, and the logos reapplied. What do you guys think about how much performance is lost?  There's really no telling how long a ball might have been underwater, or in the weather, or the sun.

[GaijinGolfer]

Ive been using refurbished Bridgestone B330s this summer and dont see any difference in performance from the new ones to the refurbished ones.

The only time you are going to see decreased performance is when you buy water balls (ones that were fished out of the water hazards).  Id avoid buying used balls from the pro shop but I wouldnt hesitate to buy them from a reputable used ball seller.

[Zeph]

I have played and still play recycled balls bought from eBay. Never tried refinished/refurbished balls, but I have read about quality issues with them. I don't dispute the test done, which showed that a waterlogged ball lost distance the longer it was submerged. But I have yet to play a ball which I noticed any performance loss in. I've played probably hundred used balls, so I think it's safe to say I won't be troubled should I come across a bad one some day. I prefer playing new, high quality balls, but my game remains streaky, which means I can lose a lot of balls on a bad day. Which is why I got a lot of used balls I can use. I like the performance of mid to high quality balls, and I want to play the same ball through the round. I'd rather play used high end balls than new mid range.

[Defence23]

I always play recycled golf balls that I buy from Amazon, usually Titleist NXTs and they have always worked fine for me.  I dont see any difference in the used golf balls.

[lumpuckeroo]

I'll buck the trend, I bought used balls a couple of years ago and will not do that again.  I thought there was a significant loss in distance and performance, I bought the balls off of eBay from one of the big used sellers, just don't remember which one.

IMHO, there are too many good deals for new balls out there that I don't need to buy used.  I was just in The Golf Warehouse last weekend and they had Penta's buy 2 get one free and you could use a $10 off coupon, which means $70 for 3 dz Penta's, $23.33 a dz, I'd much prefer going that route than used.

[Gresh24]

I've bought a lot of used balls from ebay.  Mostly good experiences.  I did find that "refurbished" balls are worse, at least the ones I got.  They quickly lost the "refinished" coat and didn't last long (although I didn't notice any actual performance difficiencies).

The problem/challenge is finding a seller that has the same evaluation process, or condition rating system and expectation, that you do.  Everyone's "mint" or "near mint" or "AAAA+" and "AAA" are all different.  I bought a (single) dozen balls from a few different sellers, and when I found the one that I liked the best, went back to that seller and bought 3 dozen from them.

This process also helped me with ball selection also.  I bought different brands with the single dozens to what I liked best.  I buy my balls exclusively from ebay now.  Another thing to watch for is new balls on ebay from individuals.  Some people sell balls they get as gifts or prizes that they do not play - I just got a brand new dozen Bridgestone E6's for $15 with free shipping.