So this thread stuck in my head. I am having some friends house sit and wanted the BorKade to shine. I took all the balls to the bench grinder with the buffing wheel.
A few balls actually had pits. I buffed them down a bunch so they would not scrape and beyond. Those divots will cause wear in the form of extra friction. Nothing like a rough ball, but more than I feel comfortable with.
So I guess keeping good balls shined with a buffing wheel is awesome, but some balls cannot be saved. And at a buck a piece it is a no brainer to replace.