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Reviews by Jason Hoff

Roto Grip Bandit

Roto Grip Crown Clear Polyester

Roto Grip Dark Star

Roto Grip Grenade

Roto Grip Mars

Roto Grip Mutant Cell

Roto Grip Mutant Cell Pearl

Roto Grip Nomad

Roto Grip Nomad Pearl

Roto Grip Outlaw

Roto Grip Riot

Roto Grip Rogue Cell

Roto Grip Shooting Star

Storm Frantic

Storm Hy-Road

Storm Invasion

Storm Marvel Pearl

Storm Tropical Breeze Pearl Kona Blue/Silver

Storm Tropical Breeze Solid Black/Teal

Storm Victory Road Solid

Storm Virtual Gravity NANO

Storm Virtual Gravity NANO Pearl

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Roto Grip Bandit
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
5

About the Bowler

Layout- Pin next to fingers, cg stacked with a medium size/depth hole out and just below the midline.

I was super excited to throw this ball (probably the ball I was looking forward to the most out of all the new Storm/Roto releases) and it absolutely did not disappoint. This ball is absolutely my ideal benchmark ball. It clears the fronts clean, it is super controllable through the midlane, it corners well enough to be able to use it in, but not so much that it precludes it from being used out and it continues as well as anything I’ve ever thrown. I threw it up against my Hy-Road and they were comparable in terms of strength, but what surprised me is that the Bandit was earlier, smoother, more controllable AND more continuous than my Hy-Road and these are all things the Hy-Road is known for. The reaction reminds me most of the Storm Eraser, which is my favorite ball of all time (hint hint powers that be, give me the Eraser again! Haha). It has a look that stands out on the lanes too. Countless people came up to me asking what that “Cool black and yellow” ball was. Overall this ball is about as close to a must have as any ball really can be in my opinion. It’s versatile enough to use on a multitude of conditions for a multitude of people and that’s rare in today’s hper-specialized game.


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Roto Grip Crown Clear Polyester
15 of 15 people found this review helpful
5

About the Bowler

I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t all that excited about this ball. I just needed a new spare ball, so I ordered one. What really surprised me was how cool this ball actually looks! It gets comments from all sorts of folks. It seems to share in some of the Mars’ iridescence and also keeps kind of a rugged medieval look at the same time.

We all know that all plastic balls perform in a pretty similar manner, so why not buy one that looks rad? Why not rep one of the top manufacturers on the tour last season? Why not declare yourself King of Them All?

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Roto Grip Dark Star
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
5

About the Bowler

Layout- 4 3/4” from pin to PAP, pin under ring, no hole.

I was surprised by the length that was there in this ball, even with a pin down drilling. What I was even more surprised by was the level of continuation I got. At Seattle city, scores were relatively low this year, but I averaged around 230 once I had the Dark Star in hand, even having to loft gutter caps by the end. This thing not only cornered enough to carry (again, even with a quicker rolling, lower flare layout), it did it better than most anything else being thrown in the tournament. I’ve been able to use this ball on a large variety of conditions, on basically anything but the heaviest of conditions, and been very impressed. This ball has a tremendous amount of value overall and offers tremendous bang for your buck. It is visually stunning and has great shelf appeal. Great work again from Roto Grip!

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Roto Grip Grenade
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
5

About the Bowler

Let me start by saying that I have been looking forward to this release for some time (giggity). I actually got even better results than I had hoped for. This ball is cleaner through the front than many of the other urethane balls on the market, but still maintains the smooth ball reaction I associate with urethane balls. I heart it very much. The reaction I get looks superb on the house pattern in the center in which I have my shop, but has also looked good in the early stages of Chameleon and on Cheetah as well. It is an excellent compliment to my Boomered Dark Star as well- providing a ball which starts a little earlier and is a little smoother. A very logical transition is to use the Grenade in the early part of a shift on Chameleon or Cheetah and go to the Boomered Dark Star as the lanes break down. This is totally a usable and solid piece with a throwback look and a rad logo design.
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Roto Grip Mars
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
4

About the Bowler

Layout- Pin 5” from PAP, hole wide/shallow 1” up the VAL

I was actually pretty surprised on how weak this ball was, but I’ve noticed that when you drill them stronger than I did (my layout is pretty weak) they roll pretty strong, so this tells me it’s pretty much par for the course for the Planet line- flexible and a good value in comparison to many other companies’ product lines. I polished mine and it looks great up the lane, I sanded it and it looked good from further left- still maintaining its motion through the rack. Honestly, who couldn’t use that kind of flexibility from a middle-entry type ball? The cool thing is (and those who know me know that I almost never reference this sort of thing) how awesome this ball looks. Don’t let the description fool you, yes it is black and orange, but the ball looks like it has a chameleon paint job. When the light hits it it looks purple, but the sides still look orange and black. This thing looks super on the shelf, on the rack, going down the lanes and in the black light. Who doesn’t wanna look good when they’re bowling? Plus, from a pro shop perspective, balls that look good on the shelf and grab people’s attention sell like gangbusters, which is good for local business and the industry as a whole. Personally, I see this ball as a great fit for Medium to dry for your scratch bowler, but also a sweet looking entry ball for everyone.



Jason Hoff
Area 300 Pro Shop
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Roto Grip Mutant Cell
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
5

About the Bowler

Layout- 5” X 3.5” with a medium width/depth hole just outside the PAP.

I expected this ball to be strong, but holy crap is it strong. I’ve hardly found a house shot where I can even throw it (then again, I throw the ball like 15 mph with a 350 RPM rev rate and create minimal tilt/side roll, so I don’t use strong balls on house shots often). That being said, this ball was an absolute BEAST on Shark. I was able to move about 6 and 3 left of my Rogue on Shark pattern, keep my speed higher and still had more recovery on a miss right than I have ever had on Shark. For your rotationally impaired, this ball looks like a complete godsend. It has also been my most pre-sold ball in the history of my shop. It also looks cooler than it’s given credit for, as long as you are okay with a little yellow in the ball. I could also see this ball being a dominant force at Nationals next year.

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Roto Grip Mutant Cell Pearl
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
5

About the Bowler

I was a fan of the original Mutant Cell, but one thing I noticed was how flippy the core was with the layout I had on it (roughly 5” x 4 ¾” should memory serve me correctly), so I wanted to shift the pin closer to the VAL to smooth out the read off the dry in the pearl. Mission accomplished. This ball provides me with super clean length through the front and a very angular yet smooth transition off of the dry. I was very impressed. It compliments both my Mutant Cell and my Cell Pearl well- giving me a little more length and more angularity than the Cell Pearl, which should allow me to make the jump further left as lanes transition in long-block tournaments and giving me a ball to go to with a similar yet longer look from my Mutant Cell when the Mutant Cell is burning too much energy. The pastel colors are kind of cool looking, even though they wouldn’t suit me ordinarily. Color-wise it kind of looks like the demon offspring of a Cell Pearl and a Rogue Cell….. I guess that’s just yet another mutation!
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Roto Grip Nomad
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
5

About the Bowler

Layout- Pin 4 ¼” off of PAP (4 ¾” straight out) with a ¾” x 2 ½” hole 5” out and 3 ½” down.

I have been anticipating the release of this ball for months. Why? Several reasons really-

1. I loved the Silver Streak line (I sold dozens of all of the Silver Streak releases in my shop and I used my Silver Streak Particle so much I literally wore all the labels off of it). 2. I love me some neon green.
3. I love symmetrically cored bowling balls.

Even with my innate giddiness and mediocre reasons for anticipating such a release (not to mention my unrealistic expectations for most bowling balls), the Nomad actually managed to exceed my predetermined implication of what it would perform like. Believe it or not, it actually out hooks my Cell and my Rogue Cell (no seriously, I’m not joking). This may be due partially to the fact that it’s drilled stronger than my Cell and is newer than both, however it did catch me off guard.

This rock is a great compliment to the Nomad Pearl as well- Pearl going a little too long? Maybe ringing some 10s? Simply go to the solid, problem solved. You can never go wrong with solid reactive covers wrapped around symmetrical cores anyway, but this particular ball is a real gem, delivering staggering angularity, continuation and hit out of a mid range solid. I actually think I saw bruises on the pins when I got done with them (okay, so not really, but they sure didn’t sound too happy when getting demolished by the random nomadic stranger).

I would like to add that the ball looks sharp, albeit I wish mine had a little more neon green (see number 2 above), but overall, I can’t complain. It’s kinda like pizza, it’s always good, you could always use more, but you’re thankful for what you got…. Lol

Victory is Mine!

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Roto Grip Nomad Pearl
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
5

About the Bowler

Layout- Pin 3 3/8” off of PAP (4 ¾” straight out) with a 7/8”x 1” hole 5” straight out.

I have been excited about the release of the Nomad and Nomad Pearl for a while, but in all honesty, both balls have exceeded my expectations. Believe it or not, my Nomad Pearl is stronger than my Cell Pearl (albeit it is also drilled a bit stronger and is newer) by roughly an arrow. What’s nice is the increased length this ball has over the middle and high end stuff Roto has released lately. It gives their lineup a completely different look they were lacking before. You can still get the smooth, archy reaction with the Cell line, but now the mid range stuff covers the longer stronger reaction missing from the line for so long. The Illusions were good, but the separation from the Cells wasn’t enough in my opinion. This ball, even with a stronger drilling, is clean through the front for me (a must considering I’m a high rev/medium speed player that is very “up the back” of the ball) and really aggressive on the back. The continuation is more than adequate and the ball punishes the rack in an almost violent manner. It makes me happy inside… lol..

The color is sharp, very reminiscent of the old Silver Streak Pearl (a ball sharing the same core as the new Nomads), but with blue instead of purple. It looks sharp on the rack, in your hands and going down the lane, not to mention on the pro shop shelf. The great part about this ball, as well, is its versatility. You can put this core in the hands of pretty much anyone and have success on a large variety of conditions, making it a must stock in the pro shop and a must have for bowlers looking for a little more from their benchmark ball.


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Roto Grip Outlaw
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
4

About the Bowler

Layout- Pin above and right of ring finger, CG stacked with a narrow/deep hole out on the midline.

The new mid-range Roto Grip balls were the 2 new releases from the Storm brands I was most excited to get my hands on. The new weight block looked like a nice middle ground between the angularity in the Storm Victory Roads and the rolliness in the older mid-range Roto balls like the Mystic, Illusion and Grand Illusion. What ended up surprising me was how angular the Outlaw turned out to be for having a solid cover and a weight block that was pretty big around the equator. After throwing it a bit, I added the hole and some polish- the reaction reminded me A LOT of what my Roto Grip Riot had rolled like, except on steroids (quite a bit stronger). What is totally counterintuitive is the fact that adding the polish (and the hole) smoothed out my reaction quite a bit (I know what you’re thinking and it made little sense to me, but it’s true)- which is ALSO similar to what I got from my Riot. It actually does a really good job of blending out over-wall now- a lot like my polished Theory and 2 polished Riots, so the reaction is quite handy to have in my bag. I think folks with weaker hand that like to pla up the lane will really like this ball the most because of its relative strength in the price point and its ability to round the corner pretty well for a solid (see Storm Reign of Fire).

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Roto Grip Riot
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
4

About the Bowler

Layout- 4 ¾” from pin to PAP, pin up and right of the ring, hole 5 ¾” inches straight out from center of grip, 7/8” wide by 2” deep, pitched away from weight block.

I really struggled with this ball out of the box as it was just flat too strong for most anything I was running into. A lot of that had to do with the surface. At box, it read the friction too quick for me (albeit I’m very soft with my speed and get on the ball pretty good). I did a few things like adjusting the hole a touch, but what really helped me with this ball was to polish the surface. Once I polished it, it started to be a lot more controllable/useable. Now it is a great compliment to both the Dark Star and Nomad, fitting between them perfectly. It provides a stellar amount of hook potential for the price point and has one of the coolest looking logos the market has seen in some time. I’m pretty pleased that there is a solid in this sort of price point now as well, offering a ball that should compete in price with balls like the Freeze, Tropical Storm, etc.

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Roto Grip Rogue Cell
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
5

About the Bowler

Layout- 4.5” X 4.25” Pin Over and Right of Ring, Hole 5” straight out small/shallow

I have to say, I had high expectations for the Rogue Cell and amazingly this ball has surpassed them. I expected that what I had heard was true, that it would have a breakpoint shape and length between the 2 prior Cell balls with a little more overall reaction (at the very least on house patterns) than both, but this ball has opened up the lane for me like nothing else I have ever thrown. In my scratch league they lay out a very over/under pattern and pretty much nobody can get left on it because there is such a massive flood in the middle- but now I can. I’ve hardly lost a match play point in that league the few weeks I’ve thrown it. Quite frankly, it feels like cheating, much like the Cell did when it was new- but that much more. Furthermore, it wants to create an ideal ball reaction on every condition I’ve thrown it. If I back out of it I can still throw it on burnt heads and it still wants to clear the front, roll in the midlane, pop on the back and continue for the rack. There is not a better value on the market. Plus the ball looks dreamy too. From a pro shop perspective, this ball is gonna move too. I got two early from Roto Grip’s pre release program- one lasted 10 minutes and the other lasted an hour and a half. I didn’t even try to sell them. Bowlers walked in and just asked for it the second they saw it. It’ll be nice to have a shot in the arm from a bowling ball (in terms of performance and sales) in March. How often does that happen?

Jason Hoff
Area 300 Pro Shop
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Roto Grip Shooting Star
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
5

About the Bowler

Roto Grip Shooting Star
Pin Under Bridge, CG swung positive, medium width/depth hole down.

I have a Rising Star drilled identically that I wanted to try to compliment with something that
blanded the spot just a little better and maybe hook a touch more and this piece with the same
layout did so beautifully. It provides relatively good reaction strength considering the price
point along with controllable ball motion, good continuation and great hit (always a concern with
"weaker" weight blocks). I love this ball. It also is a good looking ball as well, nice appeal on
the shelf and visually appealing as it rolls down the lane. Another EXCELLENT release from Roto Grip.


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Storm Frantic
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
5

About the Bowler

Storm Frantic
Pin and CG stacked next to ring finger, medium width/depth hole just below midline.

First off, I LOVE the color of this ball. Some don't, but personally I LOVE orange and neon green. It
smells great too. Now on to the thing that REALLY matters- performance. I was shocked by just how
smooth and controllable this ball was. Usually the shinier Storm stuff is so strong off the spot that
I find a lot of conditions that I have to revert back to surface or a Roto Grip ball, but this ball
totally breaks that mold. Clean through the front, strong roll in the midlane, excellent continuation
and enough hit to get the job done (I have issues getting really poppy balls to carry the 10, but no matter
how this ball seems to get to the 1-3, the pins seem to fall, UNREAL). It was versatile enough to
knock 2 other balls out of my regular rotation of equipment, so it's a space saver for me too! Gotta
love it!
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Storm Hy-Road
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
4

About the Bowler

Layout- Pin under ring, cg shifted positive, medium width/depth hole down by the thumb.

Lets face it, I am a staff member who never had drilled one, so I just had to. I was pleased with the way the ball rolled- it actually cornered more than I had anticipated considering the Hybrid cover and reputation this ball has for being smooth and controllable. All that really means to me is that I’m more apt to use this ball from the track in and not from the track out when playing the lanes. I love the way the ball looks and smells (I like the fruity scents better than the aromatherapy scents for sure), it just feels….. Familiar. That’s a good thing for bowling, because it makes you more comfortable and relaxed. I was stoked to see that this ball is going to remain in the line this year- it is still prolly my best selling mid-range ball.


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Storm Invasion
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
5

About the Bowler

Layout- Pin over ring, cg in the palm, mass bias by the thumb hole, no hole.

I was given one of these by a supplier after they were discontinued. I had been looking to add more Storm stuff to my arsenal, so anything I could get a hold of was a plus. What surprised me about this ball was how angular it was for a high-end asymmetric solid. Every time I had drilled one of these for someone else they rolled quick and smooth and looked great as a ball to throw outside on a flood, but mine looked more like a medium ball in terms of breakpoint location and shape and looked like something I would throw from the track left. I sanded the cover down to 1000 and it made it a lot more versatile for me. I was also surprised how strong this thing was- it’s every bit as strong as my Nano- at least for ME, whereas the Nano seems to hook more for just about everyone else. I dig the colors and scent as well.

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Storm Marvel Pearl
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
5

About the Bowler

Layout- Pin above/right of ring, cg stacked and a hole down by the thumb, narrow and deep (longer pin).

I had been worried, prior to drilling, that this ball might be a little too long/strong for my game, but my mind was put at ease after throwing it- not because it wasn’t long and strong, because it certainly was, but because the breakpoint shape on it was surprisingly controllable. It cleared the fronts clean, picked up some roll in the midlane and banged on the back, but most importantly it continued well. For someone looking for a medium-strong ball with both angularity and control- this ball is a winner for sure. It is also nice to see a strong symmetrical ball like this that is buyable- because there are so few true “high-end” symmetricals in general, let alone one that is as useable as this on a variety of conditions for a variety of styles.

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Storm Tropical Breeze Pearl Kona Blue/Silver
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
5

About the Bowler

Layout- Pin under ring, cg swung positive with a hole down by the thumb, medium width/depth.

I’m not sure how optimistic I would say I was about this ball when I first heard about it because I tend to have so many issues with weaker balls (especially the older weak Storm stuff) being too poppy off of the spot, but I was pleasantly surprised with this ball. It was angular yes, but it didn’t jerk once it made its move. It was angular but relatively smooth at the breakpoint. This ball is a far more useable piece than I had imagined and is a great compliment to my Roto Grip Rising Star- if the Rising Star gets a little to flat on the back to carry the 10, I switch to the Breeze (and likely move a couple boards right) and out the 10 goes. It looks pretty cool too and smells just like Old Spice deodorant….. Yum? Well my wife doesn’t complain I guess…


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Storm Tropical Breeze Solid Black/Teal
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
4

About the Bowler

Layout- Pin under ring, cg swung positive with a hole down by the thumb, medium width/depth.

I was sure this would be the better rolling of the 2 Tropical Breeze cover options for me, but I actually like the pearl more. That being said, this ball gave me a look that is quite helpful for me on patterns like Cheetah. It is exceedingly smooth for a “weak” ball, which is far too uncommon in today’s bowling ball market. That’s most helpful when playing out by the gutter on patterns like the PBA Cheetah or Kegel Boardwalk. It also would be nice for those that kinda get on the ball and want something to help them play straighter (when most of the time ball manufacturers create balls that either hook a whole lot or are way too poppy). It has an understated look and scent that many will find appealing as well, considering the bright colors we often see on equipment nowadays.


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Storm Victory Road Solid
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
5

About the Bowler

Layout- Pin next to finger, CG stacked with a medium/deep hole out on the midline.

I was skeptical on this ball because the Victory Road had been a little too angular for my liking- was this ball still going to be too angular? The answer was a resounding NO. This is one of the more versatile medium solids I’ve seen in some time- it rolled a lot like my Roto Grip Nomad did after I took the polish off of the cover of that ball, except it was around an arrow stronger- helpful on slicker surfaces like those released by Brunswick and also helpful on heavier volume oil patterns. When I was testing this ball out, it gathered a crowd- it looked that good. For those of you who bowl on lighter friction surfaces looking for a benchmark ball or those that are looking to replace or fit a ball over-the-top of their old Victory Road or Nomad Solid, this is a fine choice.

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Storm Virtual Gravity NANO
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
5

About the Bowler

Nano Review

Layout- Pin Up and right of ring finger, CG in the palm, mass bias by thumb (essentially label, but with a 4" pin).

I have taken FOR-EVER to write this review because I've been just so darn busy. Finally, I get around to it. There really isn't anything
I can say that really does this ball justice. This piece rolls amazing! Cleaner than I expected through the fronts, reads friction quickly and
changes direction pretty swiftly- but isn't overly flippy (so it is pretty controllable even though it's so strong). On the shot they use
for my scratch league it sets up perfectly on my dumps in order to still carry all 10 and pops just enough on my tugs to do the same. I averaged almost
250 in the last 5 weeks or so of my scratch league after punching one up and shot 650+ in singles at nationals with one (lets not talk about the other
events lol). Outside of the very rev dominant (who never need strong stuff anyway), this ball is pretty much a must-have (a rarity amongst high end bowling equipment).
I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who isn't going to be bowling against me.. lol
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Storm Virtual Gravity NANO Pearl
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
4

About the Bowler

Storm Virtual Gravity Nano Pearl
Pin over ring, CG towards palm, MB by thumb, no X hole.

Well, if you're looking for a lot of back end with a really strong read off of friction, this is the ball for
you. This ball is at it's best when in the hands of the rotationally challenged in a situation where they
need to create "big boy" angle. Visually this ball is stunning and I love the new scent! It was the best selling
high performance ball in our shops the month it came out and is getting solid reviews from those in the center
in which I spend most of my time. Another HIT from Storm!
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