Line of Old Machines Shows How Tri-Cities Family Fun is Changing

The technology replacing these machines lined up in a Tri-Cities parking lot might be the biggest change to a fun sport that dates back to the early Egyptians.

Tri-Cities Spare Time Lanes Get a Major Upgrade

I honestly drove by the long string of metal machines lined up in Kennewick along S Garfield Street for a few weeks before even registering in my brain what they were. The almost 50-yard-long line of dark black machines looks menacing if you didn't know they were all old pinsetters. The machines are the old bowling pinsetters for Spare Time Lanes which have been removed to make way for newer and much more reliable technology called Edge String. We stopped by this week to check on the progress and learn about how this new technology will be quicker, more reliable, and easier to use.

Tri-Cities Bowling Alley First to Feature EDGE String Technology

On the promotional video made for the new pinsetter system, it says "EDGE String is the next generation in string pinspotter technology created by QubicaAMF, packaging revolutionary electromechanical design and intelligent software into a pinspotter that makes it possible for any center to deliver the fun of bowling, with peace of mind and at very low operating cost." The strings attached at 54 inches long allowing for free motion of the pins and easy retrieval and reset.

How Close is EDGE String to a Traditional Pinsetter?

When talking to the manager of Spare Time Lanes in Kennewick, engineer repair time and cost when the traditional machines break down were becoming very costly. The unique skills required to fix the machines made it difficult to find anyone locally who could regularly keep up with repairs. This is a common problem all over the US with aging bowling tech. The makers of EDGE String say "EDGE String’s simple and robust design means any member of your staff will be able to operate it. Operation is made even easier with the innovative Tech Wizard app, which proactively notifies and guides your staff if attention is needed. The bowling experience is amazing, your bowlers will think they are bowling on a traditional pinspotter." See a video of how it works from behind the machine below.

You can see daily updates on the Spare Time Lanes Facebook page. May 21st, 2024 is the target date for the new technology to be installed and for public bowling to resume.