Ball Review STORM:
Pitch Black Hook 43 • Length 11 • Breakpoint Shape 12
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Manufacturer’s Intent: Storm wanted to create a ball for shorter oil patterns because not everyone is always looking for a strong back-end reaction. You have to have a complete arsenal, and the Pitch Black is designed to produce mid-lane roll with a lot of control. Core: The Pitch Black uses the symmetrical Capacitor Core to drive it. It has a high RG of 2.57 with a low differential of .022. We saw about 2 inches of flare. Coverstock: The Pitch Black is surrounded by the old-school Black Control solid urethane cover. It is factory finished at 1000 grit. Out of the box, the Pitch Black has a Ra of 98.68 with an effective surface grit of 60 on the scanner. Overview: The Pitch Black is Storm’s newest version in the urethane family. This ball is probably the closest to old-school urethane I have seen in quite a few years. Even when preparing the ball, it drilled and smelled like old-school urethane. It gave us strong roll in the midlane with continuous roll on the lighter house pattern. One tip: The first shots really hooked until we got some oil on the ball and started to get the true reaction. We also were reminded that the oil lays on the ball until you wipe it off, unlike how it’s absorbed into the reactive resins. On the USBC Open patterns, there was too much volume for us to really use the Pitch Black, but it could come into play if the lanes got really ugly and you wanted something to play the dirt (and you are a higher rev player). I see this ball coming out of players’ bags, for sure, on lighter and shorter PBA or WTBA patterns. It would be a great choice for house players with very slow ball speeds in a high-friction house. The Pitch Black was about five boards left from the Tropical Breezes (reviewed next) on our 39-ft. lighter house pattern, with a smooth arc off the breakpoint. The hitting power is similar to the old-school urethanes, but with a little more kick as the ball drives through the pins, probably due to the Capacitor Core. The Pitch Black is earlier than the Natural (August 2009) and Natural Pearl (January 2011).
THE SKINNY ON THE LATEST AND GREATEST
STORM:
Tropical Breeze Pearl Hook 47 • Length 17 • Breakpoint Shape 15 //////////////////////////////////// //////////
Manufacturer’s Intent: The Tropical Breeze is Storm’s entry-level ball at an affordable price and with sharp color choices. For better bowlers, it’s still a great option on hooking lanes and especially drier heads. Core: The Breeze is powered by the symmetrical Camber core, which produces a high RG of 2.57 and a low differential of .009. We saw about 2 inches of flare with our layouts. The Camber core is the same core used in previous Breezes (July 2011, June 2012 and May 2013). Coverstock: Both Breezes come out of the fac- tory sanded with 1500 grit, then polished. Our scanner measured a Ra of 2.81 and an effective surface grit of 5100. The teal and blue Reactor pearl reactive coverstock has a melon mint scent. The orange and teal ball is scented like orange chocolate. Overview: There have been times when a ball has come out in two color schemes, and the two have reacted a bit differently. In this case, they are vir- tually identical, with the Blue/Teal perhaps being a little earlier and maybe a board stronger. So, we have combined the reviews. The Breezes provided us with a lot of length and strong drive through the pins. We were able to play more to the outside on Stone Street and in the track area on the 39-ft. lighter volume house pattern. They’re a great choice for someone who needs the ball to get down the lane easily on a shorter pattern or when there’s a lot of friction. On the USBC team pattern, we had to wait until the lanes really opened up in the track area. The Breeze would be a great game six ball for singles/doubles at the USBC Open. I would suggest drilling it a little more aggressively with a balance hole if you need to create more hook, or adding surface to bring the breakpoint closer to you. Players with slower ball speeds will love the low differential and high RG when they need a ball to get down the lanes.
STORM:
Wipe Out Hook 52 • Length 16 • Breakpoint Shape 15 //////////////////////////////////// //////////
Manufacturer’s Intent: Storm has used proven technology with both the core and the cover- stock to produce an affordable ball that’s great for heavier oil, especially for those with higher ball speed. Core: The Wipe Out is driven by the Turbine symmetrical core. The Turbine produces an RG of 2.55 and a low differential of .038. We got more than 4 inches of flare with our chosen layouts. This is the same core used in the Lights Out (May 2013), Punch Out (reviewed next) and Natural (August 2009, January 2011 and May 2013) balls. Coverstock: The Wipe Out is covered up by the green and navy solid version of the R2S reac- tive, this time scented with a cool spearmint fragrance. It is finished out of the factory with a 3000 Abralon pad. This is the famous coverstock of the Hy-Road (December 2008). We measured a Ra of 17.96 and an effective surface grit of 1400. Overview: The Wipe Out is the solid offering in the Hot line for Storm (Lights Out, Punch Out and Naturals), and is more aggressive than you would think. On the Stone Street house pattern, it cut through the oil and opened up the pat- tern nicely from the start. On the USBC team pattern, it created some miss room right and, according to the CATS, was able to get back for a swishing strike from the 5-board. We were playing around 12-board at the arrows to 8-board at the breakpoint at the start, and were able to move in and open up the pattern once it broke down. On the USBC singles and doubles pattern, the ball was a little too strong for my liking, and forced me farther left than I like to play on the fresh. Although it starts up earlier, it is considerably smoother than both the Lights Out and the Punch Out, but it was way too strong on our light-volume house pattern. The Wipe Out keeps pins low, helping our carry percentage. It reminds me of a cleaner Reign On (October 2013) with a stron- ger back-end reaction. It held its energy well until we had to get really deep into the lane. This is the ball for bowlers looking for hook and not wanting to pay for a top-shelf ball.
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