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Reviews by Derek Craig

Columbia 300 Enigma

Columbia 300 Wicked Encounter

Ebonite Pivot

Hammer Taboo Deep Purple

Roto Grip Mutant Cell Pearl

Storm Anarchy

Storm Invasion

Storm IQ Tour

Storm Lucid

Storm Victory Road

Storm Virtual Gravity

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Columbia 300 Enigma

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by Derek Craig on 6/30/2013

About the Bowler

League Average:

215

Ball Speed:

Fast

Style:

Tweener

Bowling Hand:

Right Handed

Sport Shot Average:

190

Experience:

Advanced (I have bowled in a league)

I have owned this ball 4 months and I have had very mixed results with it. It was good out of the box but shortly after I got unpredictable ball reaction and that's not good for good consistent scoring. The cover stock is versatile as you can polish it or sand to higher or lower grit. I did everything imaginable to the cover stock but still got inconsistent results as this ball lived up to its name it was a total "Enigma".
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Columbia 300 Wicked Encounter

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by Derek Craig on 10/8/2012

About the Bowler

League Average:

215

Ball Speed:

Fast

Style:

Tweener

Bowling Hand:

Right Handed

Sport Shot Average:

190

Experience:

Advanced (I have bowled in a league)

I was looking to give another ball manufacturer a try because I have been disappointed by the last few Storm releases i purchased (Virtual Gravity Nano & the Anarchy). I was looking for a versatile hybrid coverstock that was strong enough to play in oil and still play in lighter oil (2nd & 3rd game) of league play. I have read the other reviews about this ball needing oil but if you are speed dominant (16mph+)down & in bowler here is a good alternative that was suggested to me by a gold level coach & pro shop operator to diversify my arsenal as most of my equipment is drilled for skid flip reaction. He suggested a shorter pin for pin down drilling below middle finger as this drilling promotes a smooth arcing motion,this advice has helped me enormously, during second and third games the ball does not overreact and gets through the heads cleanly but you must maintain speed of 16 mph+. This ball is an absolute beast. My league scores with this ball are 275,228,265,264,226,222. My avg in 3rd games is 248. I would recommend this ball to anyone.
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Ebonite Pivot

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Reviewed by Derek Craig on 3/24/2014

About the Bowler

League Average:

215

Ball Speed:

Fast

Style:

Tweener

Bowling Hand:

Right Handed

Sport Shot Average:

190

Experience:

Advanced (I have bowled in a league)

The last few balls I have purchased I bought after watching the ball motion of others with similar style and rev rate. The Pivot is my first Ebonite purchase and boy did this baby hit the pocket like an 18 wheeler. For a high end hybrid this piece is angular. The center I bowl at lays down a 42 foot house shot with heavy volume and only the high rev players can successfully cross boards early (1st game). The Pivot performs extremely well in oil and gives you more angle then most high end balls in its class. I shot 700 out of the box with no practice for my Thursday night league and followed that up with 740 the next week. The ball motion is continuous through the pin deck which is essential to consistently scoring high. I was so impressed with the Pivot that I ordered up the Pivot Point and will write a review on that ball after a few weeks of league play. The Pivot is also a versatile ball as I "chased the oil inside for 3 games. My opinion is the Pivot performs better away from the gutter with a soft hand versus playing straight up the gutter (1-5 board).
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Hammer Taboo Deep Purple

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by Derek Craig on 8/22/2013

About the Bowler

League Average:

215

Ball Speed:

Fast

Style:

Tweener

Bowling Hand:

Right Handed

Sport Shot Average:

190

Experience:

Advanced (I have bowled in a league)

I have owned the Taboo Deep Purple for 1 year now and have been extremely pleased with it's performance. After years of reviewing balls right after I buy them and later the ball not performing after the "out of box" factory finish which cannot be exactly duplicated wears off I decided to wait and start reviewing balls after at least 30 games. Well 1 year later this ball still performs great. I found the best reaction for my style (stroker avg speed 16.5mph 400 rev rate) is on a blended oil condition (second game). Very predictable reaction , pin above ring finger ball goes clean through the heads with a very controllable angular backend . I highly recommend this ball.
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Roto Grip Mutant Cell Pearl

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by Derek Craig on 8/17/2010

About the Bowler

League Average:

215

Ball Speed:

Fast

Style:

Tweener

Bowling Hand:

Right Handed

Sport Shot Average:

190

Experience:

Advanced (I have bowled in a league)

League avg 205. Ball speed fast 16+ power stroker.
What i was looking for before buying this ball was a ball that was very angular at the backend to compliment my current arsenal of smooth arcing balls (invasion & VE). What i got was more than i bargained for with this selection, very strong back end which took some getting used to and playing parts of the lane i never played (standing on 25 throwing to 10) and watching my ball consistently working its way back to the pocket to shred the rack.The big surprise came when I threw this ball in fresh heavier oil and still got a strong backend reaction as i am a medium rev player. It is the first pearl ball that I have been able to use in heavier volumes of oil. If you are in the market for a strong angular pearl this ball is probably the strongest pearl on the market right now.
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Storm Anarchy

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by Derek Craig on 11/13/2010

About the Bowler

League Average:

215

Ball Speed:

Fast

Style:

Tweener

Bowling Hand:

Right Handed

Sport Shot Average:

190

Experience:

Advanced (I have bowled in a league)

League average 205.Ball speed fast (16-16.5)Power Stroker medium - high rev. Pin at 12 o'clock over ring finger. My benchmark ball being the Storm Invasion I have eagerly awaited the release of a pearl twin. What I was looking for is the ball to cleanly get through the heads, store energy, and make a sharp left turn to the pocket. That is exactly what I got from the Anarchy. It is a great compliment to the Invasion which has a smooth arc and reads the heads a bit earlier. First game out of the box with the Anarchy was 257. It is a very versatile ball that can be played from inner our outter part of the lane depending on conditions. I must admit I favor the storm products and have purchased the last four releases. If you are looking for an aggressive pearl to use on fresh oil this may be the ball for you.
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Storm Invasion

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by Derek Craig on 6/4/2010

About the Bowler

League Average:

215

Ball Speed:

Fast

Style:

Tweener

Bowling Hand:

Right Handed

Sport Shot Average:

190

Experience:

Advanced (I have bowled in a league)

190 league avg stroker Fast ball speed 17.5-18

I have owned this ball for 3 months now and it is still the first ball out of my bag. Excellent medium to heavy oil ball
with a smooth predictable backend reaction.Bowled my top 4 games in the first 4 weeks of owning this ball (two 279's & two 278's). Once the fresh oil is blended into the lane surface usually halfway through game 2 or beginning of game 3 I switch to the perfect complement to this ball (Virtual Grafity) drilled indentically to the Invasion. The Invasion is very versatile as i can also use it on low oil volumes by moving inside and playing a swing shot. Execellent ball.
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Storm IQ Tour

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by Derek Craig on 11/15/2013

About the Bowler

League Average:

215

Ball Speed:

Fast

Style:

Tweener

Bowling Hand:

Right Handed

Sport Shot Average:

190

Experience:

Advanced (I have bowled in a league)

The IQ Tour is a very reliable ball with very predictable backend motion. I find predictable ball motion essential for long term success. It took a little time to get used to but once I got used to it the high scores followed (300 game included). Usually I am not a big fan of lofting the ball, however, this ball still delivered consistent results with some loft. This ball will not overreact due to its symmetrical core and made a good addition to my asymmetrical arsenal. Excellent ball.
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Storm Lucid

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by Derek Craig on 6/30/2013

About the Bowler

League Average:

215

Ball Speed:

Fast

Style:

Tweener

Bowling Hand:

Right Handed

Sport Shot Average:

190

Experience:

Advanced (I have bowled in a league)

I was late to the party because I was not happy with the last few Storm releases. I have owned this ball for 2 months and all I can say is numbers do not lie. It is the best rolling ball I have ever owned. This ball gets through the heads very easy and makes a very predictable strong left turn. Now for the numbers. For the first time in my bowling life I was in "The Zone" 268,276,289,256. The 3 and 4 game sets are the best I have ever put together (833/1089).In 2 months I have thrown more 250+ games than I have over the last year. This ball works great on fresh oil and is versatile enough to move inside when the pattern gets burnt on the outside. A must have ball for anyone.
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Storm Victory Road

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by Derek Craig on 4/19/2012

About the Bowler

League Average:

215

Ball Speed:

Fast

Style:

Tweener

Bowling Hand:

Right Handed

Sport Shot Average:

190

Experience:

Advanced (I have bowled in a league)

I needed a ball in my arsenal that could give me a sharper angle to the pocket so I asked my pro shop guru for a recommedation. He recommended the Victory Road (purchased pre-Crossroad) and this ball did not disappoint. I found the best ball reaction after the fresh oil has broken down or during the transition period (usually after first game of league play)and when there is oil "carrydown" this ball will snap predictably at the backend of the lane. It is the most reliable pearl ball that I have ever thrown.
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Storm Virtual Gravity

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by Derek Craig on 7/18/2009

About the Bowler

League Average:

215

Ball Speed:

Fast

Style:

Tweener

Bowling Hand:

Right Handed

Sport Shot Average:

190

Experience:

Advanced (I have bowled in a league)

A high average bowler observed one of my practice sesssions and made a few suggestions on technique but offered up one piece of advice based on style (power stroker 17.25 - 17.90)and high rev rate. My previous go to ball aggressive in it's own right was not consistently flipping to the pocket. He suggested the Virtual Gravity as it was too much ball for his style (stroker low speed high rev)but felt it would be ideal for mine. Well that was the best piece of advice I got all summer. I had a 175 fall season average, had to adjust to the ball as my first game out of the box was only 159. Second game moved my line from 15th board to the 25th and what a big difference 236 , 228, 244 after. I love this ball , greater margin for error on light hits and crossover hits as the ball drives through the pins without losing energy.Have bowled 45 games with this ball (over 3 weeks) and have bowled more 200+ games(32)and 16 of those games north of 220 than i did over 92 league games. If you are a high speed high rev bowler you owe it to youself to give this ball a try.
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