Vise

What Vise does

VISE, Inc. is a privately held bowling equipment manufacturer founded in 1983 and headquartered at 2237 Stagecoach Road in Stockton, California. The company specializes in bowling ball inserts, marketed under the long-standing tagline "The Choice Of Champions," and sells a broad catalog of complementary accessory products including ball cleaners, surface compounds, polishes, silicone products, engraving fillers, color dyes, cyanoacrylate adhesives (Insta-Cure Blue and Purple), two-part adhesive systems (GI-650A, GI-650B, P-60A, P-60B), rapid-cure and CS Hybrid resin systems, slip agents, primers, and gymnastic chalk. These offerings serve both professional and recreational bowlers and are primarily consumed by bowling pro shops for ball fitting, surface preparation, and ongoing maintenance.

The company's core technical competency lies in formulating and manufacturing bowling ball maintenance chemicals and insert components used by pro shop technicians. The product portfolio documented through Safety Data Sheets covers adhesives, hardeners, catalysts, accelerators, surface treatments, and polishing compounds, indicating in-house chemical formulation and product engineering rather than simple resale. VISE does not operate software, APIs, or digital platforms; its offering is purely physical product.

VISE generates revenue through one-time product sales to its customer base of bowling pro shops, with go-to-market executed almost entirely through a channel partner model. Distribution is handled by approximately 12 named regional USA bowling distributors (including Ace Mitchell, Classic Products, Bowler's Supply, Gran Prix Bowling Supply, and Hudson Bowl) and at least 10 international distributors spanning Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom, China, South Korea, Italy, and Sweden. Marketing activity is limited to the company website, downloadable annual catalogs, and a pro shop email specials program. The company shows no signs of external investment, no parent company, and no public listing.

Name

Vise

Legal name

VISE, Inc.

Website

https://viseinserts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

VISE is a privately held bowling equipment manufacturer founded in 1983 in Stockton, California, specializing in bowling ball inserts and accessory chemicals (cleaners, adhesives, polishes) sold through regional and international distributors to bowling pro shops serving professional and recreational bowlers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Bowling Products: VISE appears to manufacture and sell bowling equipment products including inserts, ball cleaners, compounds, polishes, and related accessories to bowling pro shops.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

VISE manufactures and sells bowling ball inserts along with a complementary line of bowling ball maintenance, surface treatment, and bonding chemical products (cleaners, compounds, polishes, adhesives, resins, hardeners, primers, and silicones). The products are sold to bowling pro shops through a network of authorized USA and international distributors, serving both professional and recreational bowling markets.

Product overview

VISE is a bowling equipment manufacturer specializing in bowling ball inserts and related accessories. Founded in 1983, the company operates as a single-product-focused business with its core offering being bowling inserts, complemented by a comprehensive range of accessory chemical products including cleaners, compounds, polishes, adhesives (Insta-Cure, GI-650 series), and surface treatment materials. The company distributes through a network of USA and international distributors to the bowling pro shop market.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VISE Bowling Inserts Bowling ball inserts for professional and recreational bowling, manufactured and sold as VISE's flagship product line. Sold to bowling pro shops through authorized distributors in the USA and internationally.
• Bowling Ball Maintenance Products Cleaning, surface treatment, and polishing chemical products for bowling ball maintenance, including Ball Cleaner, Compound, and Polish. Sold to bowling pro shops through authorized distributors.
• Bowling Ball Adhesives and Resin Systems Bonding adhesives and resin systems for bowling equipment manufacturing and repair, including cyanoacrylate adhesives (Insta-Cure Blue and Purple), two-part epoxy systems (GI-650A, GI-650B), hybrid systems (CS Hybrid Resin, CS Hybrid Hardener, CS Hybrid A, CS Hybrid B), rapid cure systems (Rapid Cure Hardener, Rapid Cure Resin), and accelerators (Insta-Set Accelerator, GI-Fast Catalyst).
• Bowling Ball Surface Preparation and Finishing Products Primers, slip agents, silicones, silicone catalysts, color dyes, engraving fillers, and ancillary products (including gymnastic chalk and P-60 two-part components) used in bowling equipment surface preparation and finishing.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Storm Bowling Products: One of the largest bowling ball and equipment manufacturers in the world, directly competing with VISE for pro shop shelf space and pro-tour endorsement share in the bowling equipment category.
• Ebonite International: Bowling ball and equipment manufacturer with a long pro-tour heritage, directly competing with VISE for the same pro shop distribution channel and professional bowler endorsements.
• Motiv Bowling: Bowling ball and accessory manufacturer that sells through pro shops and distributors, sharing the same core customer base and pro-tour-driven brand positioning as VISE.
• Columbia 300: Historic bowling ball and equipment brand competing with VISE in pro shops, with overlapping product categories in bowling accessories and inserts.
• Roto Grip: Bowling ball and accessory brand (part of the Storm family) that competes directly with VISE for pro shop placement and pro-tour-driven demand.
• Hammer Bowling: Bowling ball and accessory brand serving the same pro shop and tournament bowler customer base as VISE, with comparable brand positioning around performance equipment.
• Track Bowling: Bowling ball and equipment manufacturer that competes with VISE in pro shops and through similar distributor-led GTM motions targeting professional and serious amateur bowlers.
• Turbo (Grips): Bowling accessories brand specializing in inserts and grip products, the most direct like-for-like competitor to VISE's core insert product line within the pro shop channel.

Broad incumbents

• Brunswick Bowling: Legacy bowling conglomerate that manufactures bowling balls, accessories, and operates bowling centers. Overlaps with VISE in bowling equipment/accessories but competes from a much broader portfolio including lanes and centers.

Emerging players

• Kegel: Bowling lane maintenance and surface product company whose accessory chemicals and consumables overlap with part of VISE's cleaner/compound/polish portfolio, while sharing the same pro shop buyer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ViseInserts
• Facebookfacebook.com/59512776126
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/exactacator-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vise