Aero Quantum Lawn Bowls Review

6 reasons to buy/NOT buy Aero Quantum lawn bowls.

Bottom Line

My Verdict

The Aero Quantum is a great all-round bowl. Perfect for lead bowlers on outdoor UK greens, especially on quality greens. It is also a brilliant versatile bowl indoors.

If you are looking for something a bit wider, then the Aero Groove will be ideal.

Line analysis

Aero sell the Quantum as a duel purpose bowl. So far I have played with my set solely outdoors.

The manufacturer do offer a word of warning that the Quantum my be too straight in UK conditions – however to my surprise they offered ample swing for a lead on a decent, dry green.

For my review I played in three different conditions:

• Mid-day on a dry green
• An evening triples game – affected by dew
• A heavier wet green

For the first two tests the Quantums performed fantastically. In the dry conditions they offered a decent amount of turn, and even when the dew developed late in the evening game – which can often change the line of a bowl – the draw line was hardly affected.

As expected, on the heavy wet green the line did narrow up. The draw would be too narrow for some – however overall I would not want others to be put off by the Quantums, especially if you are a lead and play predominantly on good quality greens.

The line across the set was incredibly consistent. Aero offers a “same line, every time” guarantee, and I can see the difference compared to previous sets I’ve had from other manufacturers in the past.

The draw line starts mid-way through the shot, and drifts in gradually into the centre. This is a lovely line in my opinion – as there is no hoping and praying, waiting for a “hooked” finish to get your shot into the right place.

After a couple of weeks playing with the Quantums I felt pretty confident as to where my shot would finish after a second or two after it left my hand.

It is an unfortunate fact that there are a lot of bad greens at club level and these will always make things tricky when selecting a bowl to perform every week. However if you are playing lead then I would have no hesitation in recommending the Quantum model to you.

If you are concerned that the greens you play on will be too heavy, and the line may be too narrow for you, then the Aero Groove model would be an ideal option.

Sizes and Weights

• Available in heavy.
• Sizes 00 – 5. Also available in half sizes

I played with a set of size 2 heavy. The size 2 felt much heavier than size twos from other brands. I compared them to an old set of Drake’s Pride Professionals and the Quantums were heavier. The Quantum bowl was only 30g heavier than the older Professional model, but this would almost be the equivalent of an extra half size. This could be due to them being a new set compared to an older model – however this should be something to look out for if you are upgrading from an old set.

I personally loved the extra weight in the hand. It ment my shots carried more momentum, meaning I didn’t have to “push” so much in my action. This is especially true for the slightly heavier early season greens I have played on so far.

Once I got used to the feel of the bowl my weight and line control came much easier.

Grips and colours

Aero offer 4 unique grips.

• The Zigzag
• The Dententions
• The Z-Scoop
• plain rings

For my test I used the Z-Scoop – the Z-Scoop is the Zigzag grip, but slightly embedded into the bowl. I’m a big fan of the latest trend for embedded grips as I feel they help maintain control of the bowl.

The depth is subtle, so it doesn’t feel too strange in your hand, and it doesn’t restrict your finger placement. But the bowl does feel smaller in the hand – this is great as it helps when playing on days when your grip doesn’t feel as secure as normal – such as in the wet.

Previously I have used dimple grips in the past, so was entrigued to see how the Zigzag grip would perform. I was really surprised by how well my fingers slotted into the grooves of the Zigzags.

I also use Grippo on my bowls to help my grip. The grip sits in the grooves of the grip better than on a dimple bowl, which is also a great benefit to the grip.

Aero offer their bowls in 7 different colour styles:

• Solid colour
• Speckle colour
• Duo colour
• Trifecta colour
• Quad colour
• Picasso colour
• Rainbow colour

I got my Quantums in the “Arctic” Trifecta option. The colour looks great in the sun, and distribution of the speckles is nice and even.

The “Build a Bowl” feature only shows how the affect looks from the side, and doesn’t show what the running surface looks like. It’s a shame as the join of the colours on the running surface is one of my favourite features.

The stripes on the top and bottom are intentionally uneven on the running surface. It looks like the colour has been painted on with a brush – which is an affect I really like.

Conclusion

I love the Quantums. They will definitely become my “go-to” bowl going forward. Their line offer more than enough turn for me, for what I use them for.

I play a lot in the lead position – but I also play 2 in triples, and the Quantums have performed brilliantly in both roles. If you are looking for a quality set of lead outdoor bowls, then the Quantum should be at the top of your list.