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Reviews by Michael Bauer

Roto Grip Dare Devil Danger

Roto Grip Hyper Cell Fused

Roto Grip Hyper Cell Skid

Roto Grip Unhinged

Storm Byte

Storm Crux

Storm Hy-Road Solid

Storm IQ Tour Fusion

Storm Match Up Hybrid

Storm Optimus

Storm Reign On

Storm Zero Gravity

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Roto Grip Dare Devil Danger

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by Michael Bauer on 12/6/2017

About the Bowler

League Average:

231

PAP:

5-1/4 x 1 UP

Ball Speed:

Medium

Style:

Tweener

Bowling Hand:

Right Handed

Sport Shot Average:

195

Experience:

Advanced (I have bowled in a league)

Orientation: Right Handed
Rev Rate: 325 RPM
Speed: 17.5 MPH
PAP: 5.25 x 1 UP

Location: Bunswick Harbour Lanes, Melbourne FL
Pattern: Kegel Wall Street
Layout: 70x 4.5 x 60

The Roto-Grip Dare Devil Danger is a perfect match for me between the original Dare Devil and the Dare Devil Trick. I really like the Madcap core so I was excited when they wrapped a hybrid coverstock around a core I feel very comfortable with. The Danger definitely has a stronger mid lane read in comparison to the original, and has a lot more down lane pop than the Trick. This makes the Danger a perfect compliment to the others, as it fits centered between them.

I personally found the original to be good, but I had to knock the polish off of it on most patterns to get the shape I wanted to see out of it. Now that the Danger is out I can leave my original with some shine to it and use the Danger in that spot, giving me a great option for later in the day when I now change back to the original.

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Roto Grip Hyper Cell Fused

5 of 7 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by Michael Bauer on 1/7/2018

About the Bowler

League Average:

231

PAP:

5-1/4 x 1 UP

Ball Speed:

Medium

Style:

Tweener

Bowling Hand:

Right Handed

Sport Shot Average:

195

Experience:

Advanced (I have bowled in a league)

Roto-Grip Hyper Cell Fused Ball Review - sk8sbowlingreviews
Roto-Grip Hyper Cell Fused
Cover: eTrax-H18 Hybrid
Core: Nucleus Asymmetric
Surface: 1500 Polish
Layout: 45x5x45 (hole 6" from pin, 2" from PSA)

Ball Speed: 17.5 mph
Rev Rate: 325 rpm
Axis Rotation: 65 degrees
Axis Tilt: 3 degrees

The Hyper Cell Fused was a great piece right out of the box for me. I usually end up eventually breaking the polish on most of my shiny equipment but so far I don't see needing to do that in order to get this one to see the correct area of the lane for what I was looking for in this ball.

Overall, it reminded me a lot of a Hyper Cell Skid on steroids. Similar motion, just a good bit more of it overall. I was able to move in and bank the ball off the friction and had plenty of recovery down lane, something that I tend to lack with my lower tilt and rev rate. I was surprised just how far out I could send this one and have it retain enough energy to come off the pattern and still make it back flush in the pocket.

I compared the Fused directly with the Dare Devil Danger and also the Dare Devil Trick. Overall it was a good 3-4 boards stronger than the Danger and similar in total strength to my Trick, however I could send the Fused much further to the right and see it recover down lane where the Trick I had to keep my target in front of me and keep the ball closer to the head pin down lane.

As you can see in the video I really think this ball is going to find a place into a lot of bowlers bags, as I think its going to be a great fresh THS ball as well as a very strong ball for patterns as the break down a little and you have to get in and send it to the friction.
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Roto Grip Hyper Cell Skid

16 of 18 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by Michael Bauer on 1/14/2015

About the Bowler

League Average:

231

PAP:

5-1/4 x 1 UP

Ball Speed:

Medium

Style:

Tweener

Bowling Hand:

Right Handed

Sport Shot Average:

195

Experience:

Advanced (I have bowled in a league)

Lane Conditions: Medium-Heavy Oil
Typical Conditions: Variety of Shots
Type of Lane: All Synthetic
What part of the lane did you play? Third Arrow
Did the ball track out? Normal
Weight of bowling ball: 15
Surface of bowling ball: Factory/Box
What grit was the surface of the ball? 1500
Likes: - Good energy retention - Easily creates entry angle - Color Pattern (easy to see ball motion)
Dislikes: - None to date

The Hyper Cell Skid is the latest release from Roto-Grip in their HP4 Line, the top line in their arsenal. I chose to drill my Hyper Cell Skid with ones of my favorite layouts (45x5x45) which has been a benchmark layout for me and I was definitely not disappointed.

The Skid reminds me a lot of the motion I saw out of the Roto-Grip Cell Pearl, arguably one of the best asymmetrical pearls to ever be released, and that is something I really liked right out of the box. The motion this ball creates is just so clean through the fronts and easily creates enough entry angle down lane that as the bowler chases the oil pattern inside it will not have a problem getting those corners out.

I think the Hyper Cell Skid will suit a wide range of bowlers because of its agressive coverstock and weight block, however I think it will fit really well for bowlers with slightly softer speeds or bowlers that tend to have issues with a ball not having enough recovery (pop) down lane with most equipment. This ball has shined for me so far and I don't see that stopping any time soon!

I have used the Skid on quite a few different patterns and felt it worked well on most of them, however I did feel that it performed on higher volumes slightly better when I knocked some of the polish off of the surface. For the Typical House Patterns I thought the box surface was exactly what I needed it to be, as I felt it allowed me enough length to clear the heads but still had enough teeth to transition in the mid lanes. I was also pleasantly surprised just how many games I could use the Hyper Cell Skid for without it being too aggressive for the pattern, even on the lightest of oil I was able to get the ball to hold line pretty well.

Overall I think the Hyper Cell Skid is going to be a great ball for many bowlers out there, it seems to match up well to just about any style. I would be surprised if it was not in the running for 2015 Ball of the Year based on my experience with the ball over the last month.

Michael Bauer

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Roto Grip Unhinged

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by Michael Bauer on 2/4/2015

About the Bowler

League Average:

231

PAP:

5-1/4 x 1 UP

Ball Speed:

Medium

Style:

Tweener

Bowling Hand:

Right Handed

Sport Shot Average:

195

Experience:

Advanced (I have bowled in a league)

Lane Conditions: Medium Oil
Typical Conditions: Variety of Shots
Type of Lane: All Synthetic
What part of the lane did you play? Second Arrow
Weight of bowling ball: 15
Surface of bowling ball: Factory/Box
What grit was the surface of the ball? 1500
Likes: - Smooth and continuous - Clean through the fronts - Easy to read ball motion - Doesn't overreact to friction
Dislikes:

The Roto-Grip Unhinged is the newest release from the brand in the HP3 line and is the pearl compliment to the Hysteria. This ball is a definite go to as the lanes begin to dry up in the fronts because it easily creates length and gets through even the most burnt up heads.

I drilled my Unhinged with a 60x4.25x30 layout to compliment the coverstock and core combination and play off that long and strong reaction. I personally feel this ball is similar in overall motion to the Nomad Line that Roto-Grip found a lot of success with.

I absolutely think this ball will match up to a good majority of bowlers out there and I would find it hard to believe anyone would be disappointed to have one in their bag, I sure wasn't!
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Storm Byte

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by Michael Bauer on 8/31/2013

About the Bowler

League Average:

231

PAP:

5-1/4 x 1 UP

Ball Speed:

Medium

Style:

Tweener

Bowling Hand:

Right Handed

Sport Shot Average:

195

Experience:

Advanced (I have bowled in a league)

After getting to throw the Storm BYTE (Release date: October 1st) for a couple days now I can definitely say without a doubt that Storm has another huge hit on their hands with this one! I laid mine out 55x4.25x35 (PAP is 5.25x1) and my overall goal was to get the ball to utilize its strengths, clear the heads and let it respond quickly to friction.

First day out with it I wanted to see how long the ball would be usable under standard league conditions, whether it would possible for your standard league bowler to go out and use this aggressive asymmetrical pearl for an entire set, well let's just say I was pleasantly surprised! I bowled 15 games on a fresh THS and in total I ended up moving about an arrow left at my target from the start of my set until the end.

This piece did exactly what I expected it too, it acted like the heads didn't exist and once it got to the break point it made a very strong and angular move to the pocket. The thing I was the most excited about with the BYTE was the fact that it took very well to release changes. After about 8-10 games I decided I was going to move outside the track area to see what I could make the ball do and it responded well. Taking my axis of rotation down to about 15 degrees I was able to play outside of 5 and have the ball just lay there at the pocket and it still hit quite hard. There are very few aggressive pearls that I have ever been able to say that about but this one held up quite well outside the oil line.

If you are looking to find something that can give you a little more angle into the pocket I think you might be in luck on October first because the BYTE is definitely what you are looking for.
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Storm Crux

13 of 15 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by Michael Bauer on 1/15/2015

About the Bowler

League Average:

231

PAP:

5-1/4 x 1 UP

Ball Speed:

Medium

Style:

Tweener

Bowling Hand:

Right Handed

Sport Shot Average:

195

Experience:

Advanced (I have bowled in a league)

Lane Conditions: Medium-Heavy Oil
Typical Conditions: Variety of Shots
Type of Lane: All Synthetic
What part of the lane did you play? Third Arrow
Weight of bowling ball: 15
Surface of bowling ball: Factory/Box
What grit was the surface of the ball? 3000
Likes: - Versatile - Conserves energy well for an aggressive ball - Blends the pattern well
Dislikes:

The Storm Crux is the latest release in Storm's Premiere Line and they definitely hit a home run with this ball. The all new Catalyst core allows the design intent of the ball to remain intact after drilling because it has a unique pocket in the core which keeps the thumb hole from taking out a large chunk of the weight block. Pairing the innovative core with the ERG Hybrid coverstock, the first hybrid coverstock in the Premiere Line since the Virtual Energy, was a great choice and allows the bowler to adapt the ball to the conditions they see most often qucikly and easily.

The first thing I noticed with this ball was how much the drilling angles and surface changes modified the shape of the ball motion, which makes this ball very versatile out on the lanes. Because the core didn't get modified with drilling it also allowed the migration paths (flare rings) to be more consistent, even on shots that I didn't get my hand into quite the position I wanted to.

Putting a 1000 grit pad to one of my Crux as a test made this ball really stand out against even the most aggressive equipment on the market. I had to take a big (6-3 move) step to the left in order to keep the ball on line in comparing it to the box condition. This was something I loved with the ball, I could modify it right before a block to get exactly the reaction I was looking for.

I would definitely recommend getting a Crux in your bag, I have three of them in mine and am not disappointed in any of them!

Michael Bauer

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Storm Hy-Road Solid

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by Michael Bauer on 8/24/2014

About the Bowler

League Average:

231

PAP:

5-1/4 x 1 UP

Ball Speed:

Medium

Style:

Tweener

Bowling Hand:

Right Handed

Sport Shot Average:

195

Experience:

Advanced (I have bowled in a league)

Ball: Storm Hy-Road Solid
PAP: 5”x1” up
Ball Speed: 17.5 mph
Rev Rate: 325
Right Handed
Layout: 4.25x4.5x1.25
Surface Preparation: 2000

The Hy-Road Solid is the next ball in Storm’s Thunder Line, arguably the best line in bowling. With the latest release in the Hy-Road line continuing to use the proven R2S coverstock and Inverted Fe2 core there is no way this ball wasn’t going to be an absolute monster on the lanes. Just another example of the Hy-Road continuing to prove itself in the bowling world year after year, this time in a solid version.

My thought when drilling this ball up, 4.25x4.5x1.25, was to give the Hy-Road solid enough length to keep it from burning up on lighter volumes but not to take away from its design intent. What I got was a great blend of the two, enough length to stay in play but plenty of teeth to hook up on heavier conditions. This is a great benchmark ball and layout for me and is definitely what I use to smooth out the pattern and get a gauge of what the lanes are doing.

I compared my Hy-Road Solid in my video review, which you can find on my YouTube Channel sk8sbowlingreviews, to the Optimus and also the Wipe Out. The reason I chose those two is that in most cases those will be my ball change options from the Hy-Road Solid during competition. The Optimus gives me a similar hook potential but with a completely different shape so when the heads a a little too dry for the Hy-Road Solid it gives me a good change of pace. The Wipe Out is my all around ball down off the Hy-Road Solid when there is less volume out there but I want a similar hook shape.

Michael Bauer
Sk8sbowlingreviews
Storm Amateur Staff Member

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Storm IQ Tour Fusion

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by Michael Bauer on 1/21/2014

About the Bowler

League Average:

231

PAP:

5-1/4 x 1 UP

Ball Speed:

Medium

Style:

Tweener

Bowling Hand:

Right Handed

Sport Shot Average:

195

Experience:

Advanced (I have bowled in a league)

Ball: IQ Tour Fusion
Layout Ball 1: 75x4.75x40
Layout Ball 2: 65x2.5x30
Surface Prep: 1500 Polished

Bowler Style: Tweener
PAP: 5.25x1
Rev Rate: 325
Speed: 17.5
Axis Rotation: 65 Degrees
Axis Tilt: 5 Degrees

The IQ Tour Fusion is the next in line to release in Storm's extremely successful IQ Tour Line and it definitely does not disappoint. This ball fits between the IQ Tour and the IQ Tour Pearl so well because it seems to have taken the best qualities of each ball and combined them into a single piece. The IQ Tour Fusion has the length and "pop" at the break point like the IQ Tour Pearl but still keeps that smooth mid-lane read and the versatility of the IQ Tour. This combination makes the IQ Tour Fusion a ball that is very difficult to put down.

For myself, I drilled up two IQ Tour Fusions to properly test the roll depending on what you did with the weight block during drilling and I was surprised how well this ball took to layout changes. By going with the layouts listed above I was able to create a ball with a little more length and angularity down lane and another with a more early roll that continued strong through the pins. This allows me to stay in the same area of the lane during a league set and easily modify my ball roll on the lane to ensure maximum carry.

If you have another ball in the IQ Tour Line and feel its a good ball, the Fusion is definitely a ball you want to consider for your next purchase because it might easily be the best ball out of the three. I think this ball has a good chance of taking ball of the year this year and its only January!

For more information please visit my YouTube channel (sk8sbowlingreviews) to see a video review of the IQ Tour Fusion and a more detailed breakdown of my thoughts on the ball.

Michael Bauer
Storm Amateur Staff Member
PBA Member
www.YouTube.com/sk8sbowlingreviews
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Storm Match Up Hybrid

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by Michael Bauer on 12/1/2017

About the Bowler

League Average:

231

PAP:

5-1/4 x 1 UP

Ball Speed:

Medium

Style:

Tweener

Bowling Hand:

Right Handed

Sport Shot Average:

195

Experience:

Advanced (I have bowled in a league)

After drilling the Match Up Hybrid (70x6x50) I was quite surprised at just how much this ball was able to hook and how much area we were able to create. At the price point, this ball out hooks most other balls in the same area which makes this piece very cost effective for a wide range of bowlers' abilities as well as styles.

In recording a video and comparing this ball to the IQ Tour and Phaze II, you can see we were actually able to move in deeper than both pieces and create more angle down lane and still get corners out. The fact that this ball could create that much direction change at a lower level price point was very impressive!
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Storm Optimus

6 of 8 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by Michael Bauer on 8/24/2014

About the Bowler

League Average:

231

PAP:

5-1/4 x 1 UP

Ball Speed:

Medium

Style:

Tweener

Bowling Hand:

Right Handed

Sport Shot Average:

195

Experience:

Advanced (I have bowled in a league)

Ball: Storm Optimus
PAP: 5”x1” up
Ball Speed: 17.5 mph
Rev Rate: 325
Right Handed
Layout: 4.5x4.5x4
Surface Preparation: 1500 Polish

The Optimus is Storm’s latest pearl release in the Master Line and showcases a brand new core, the Tri-Sphere, which is the first new core in the Master Line since the Centripedal Core was brought on in the release of the Marvel.

My thought when drilling this ball up, 4.5x4.5x4, was to give myself a replacement for the Marvel Pearl in my bag, and give me something with similar length but a little more change of direction down lane in comparison. With the Optimus that is exactly what I got. The ball easily clears the heads but once it experiences friction it makes a very quick and deliberate move towards the pocket, something I felt the Marvel Pearl didn’t do straight out of the box.

I compared my Optimus in my video review, which you can find on my YouTube Channel sk8sbowlingreviews, to the Punch Out and also the Fusion. The reason I chose those two is that in most cases those will be my ball change options from the Optimus during competition. The Fusion gives me a very slightly stronger overall movement but is definitely changing directions earlier and more smoothly. The Punch Out is a very similar shape to the Optimus with a much weaker core and cover combination so it is a great step down when the Optimus starts over-reacting later in a squad.

Michael Bauer
Sk8sbowlingreviews
Storm Amateur Staff Member

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Storm Optimus

6 of 8 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by Michael Bauer on 8/24/2014

About the Bowler

League Average:

231

PAP:

5-1/4 x 1 UP

Ball Speed:

Medium

Style:

Tweener

Bowling Hand:

Right Handed

Sport Shot Average:

195

Experience:

Advanced (I have bowled in a league)

Storm Reign On

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by Michael Bauer on 12/30/2013

About the Bowler

League Average:

231

PAP:

5-1/4 x 1 UP

Ball Speed:

Medium

Style:

Tweener

Bowling Hand:

Right Handed

Sport Shot Average:

195

Experience:

Advanced (I have bowled in a league)

Storm Reign On
50x3.5x60
The Reign On is definitely another winner from Storm Products in the Thunder Line. Being one of the most successful lines in Storm Product history, anything coming out within it is sure to be great for a wide variety of bowlers and the Reign On definitely didn't disappoint. The Reign of Power was one of the better balls I have owned recently and I couldn't wait to get my hands on the Hybrid version. The fact that they wrapped the extremely successful R2S Hybrid Coverstock (made famous by the Hyroad) to the already great C.A.M. Core made me even more excited as I was laying this one out!
My intent of the layout was to get the ball to read the mid lanes well and keep the ball from snapping down lane on shorter patterns. I expected the ball to be a little longer and have slightly more angle than its solid counterpart but this thing surprised me with just how well it could retain energy. I was able to play multiple angles and zones on the lane without giving up entry angle or hitting power. This thing started to move in the mid lane and just continued all the way through the pins everywhere. I have been able to use the Reign On in multiple conditions including some longer patterns (Scorpion) as well as the shorter patterns (Wolf) without issue.
The best part about this ball is that it is very easy to read as it transitions from skid through hook and into roll. The color pattern is contrasting enough to see the movement well but the cover/core combination just makes this ball behave for the bowler. Its controllable without sacrificing power or entry angle and that is something I always look for when building a benchmark ball for my arsenal.

Michael Bauer
Storm Amateur Staff Member
PBA Member
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Storm Zero Gravity

35 of 35 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by Michael Bauer on 2/19/2014

About the Bowler

League Average:

231

PAP:

5-1/4 x 1 UP

Ball Speed:

Medium

Style:

Tweener

Bowling Hand:

Right Handed

Sport Shot Average:

195

Experience:

Advanced (I have bowled in a league)

Ball: Zero Gravity
Layout: 5x3.5x3 (Pin Buffer) - 45x5x45 (Dual Angle)
Surface Prep: 4000 Polished
Bowler Style: Tweener
PAP: 5.25x1
Rev Rate: 325
Speed: 17.5
Axis Rotation: 65 Degrees
Axis Tilt: 5 Degrees
With the return of the Shape Lock HD Core that drove the Virtual Gravity towards being one of the best balls Storm has ever released and wrapping that with the newly successful ERG Solid Reactive Cover (The Byte uses the ERG Pearl Reactive) I couldn't wait to get my hands on this ball and see how closely it resembled that beloved reaction of the Virtual Gravity.
First off, this is as close to the Virtual Gravity reaction in any ball I have thrown in recent years and that bodes well for this ball matching up well on many patterns for many styles. The Zero Gravity can handle oil well, begins to transition well in the mid-lane but still creates quite a bit of angle down lane.
In my review I compared the Zero Gravity to the Byte and the Marvel-S and it definitely was a good compliment to both. The Byte goes quite a bit longer and is definitely more angular out of box; I also knocked the surface on the Byte down to see if I could recreate the mid-lane roll and break point shape of the Zero Gravity but was unable to see the Byte pick up the middle of the lane without losing a lot of angle at the break point. At 1000 sanded the Byte was about to cover slightly less boards than that of the Zero Gravity but it also created far less angle down lane, this is where the Zero Gravity shines. You can get in and swing the ball on heavier patterns without losing any entry angle, that is a win win for everyone.
In comparing that to the Marvel-S I saw a similar overall hook potential but because of the NRG cover and symmetrical core in the Marvel-S it was a lot more smooth and continuous. I had to play more in front of the head pin and keep the ball in oil longer or the Marvel-S would not make the corner. This is one reason I think the Zero Gravity takes the benefits of angular pieces but it doesn't give up that strong mid-lane read we are all after.
Michael Bauer
Storm Amateur Staff Member
PBA Member
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