This just might be the real deal!
Buy the Storm IQ Tour Edition Bowling Ball from Bowling.com!
Storm latest bowling ball in the Master Line is the Storm IQ Tour Edition. As usual, keep in mind that the coverstock will account for 70% of ball reaction while the core characteristics and drilling will dictate the shape of the reaction.
For our Tweener, the ball is drilled 4″ pin x 4 x 1 using the Storm pin buffer system.
For our Stroker, the ball is drilled 3 1/2″ pin x 4 1/4 x 1.
Our test pattern is the Kegel Main Street, which is a 41 foot tapered typical house pattern with a 7.2:1 oil ratio.
Please work with your local pro shop operator to find the appropriate layout that works for you.
First Impressions
When I first saw the specs of this ball, I instantly thought benchmark control ball. Some may think it’s weak. However, I’m here to tell you on count 1, I was right. On count 2, you would be wrong if you thought it would be weak.
Value 8.5/10
Although this is in the Master Line and moderately costly, it still offers good value as it appears it will be quite usable.
Core
The IQ Tour might look like it uses the original Centripetal core, but it’s modified and called C3 Centripetal core. A 15 pound ball has an RG of 2.49 and a low differential of .029. While such a low differential for this symmetrical core may imply this is a weaker ball, what it really offers is control. It does reduce the flare potential a bit, but it’s really nothing to be worried about. This core shape has generally offered a control reaction and this version still offers that.
Cover 9/10
Alright, R2S solid again. You can read a number of my Storm reviews of balls that use this cover. It simply works and is extremely versatile. Factory finish for the IQ Tour Edition is 4000 abralon. ‘Nuff said.
Reaction 9/10
I believe the core primarily dictates the overall shape of the reaction. Don’t mistake that with the role the cover plays in the overall ball motion. The key word is “shape”. How can I put this simply. With the IQ Tour Edition, you can easily see all 3 phases the ball goes through. You see where the ball moves from skid to hook and then from hook to roll. It doesn’t mean the transitions are aggressive. They are just extremely easy to read. It’s as easy as any true benchmark ball we’ve tested, maybe even better.
At 4000 grit abralon, the R2S cover still offers reasonably good length. You begin to see the ball transition to hook and then roll very easily as the core is an early rolling core.
Let’s dig in to the ball reaction just a bit more. The transition from skid to hook is very obvious yet smooth as the core is churning it’s way around. The transition from hook to roll is slightly sharper because the core is early revving, making it very easy to see the ball start to roll towards the pocket. None of this is bad. It just is.
You would also have a good option to put some light polish, allowing for slightly more length which will actually offer a slightly smoother transition from hook to roll. By adding a little length, the core would get a foot or two further down lane before transitioning.
Another option if you are on a heavier condition is to use more a more aggressive finish like 2000 or 1000 abralon. You’ll still get a pretty smooth rolling ball, but you’ll just use up more energy in the midlane.
Digitrax Analysis
If you weren’t certain what this ball can do, take a quick look at the Digitrax analysis and you will get a better sense. Kegel Main Street is a 41 foot representative of a typical house shot. It has good overall strength as over 6.5 degrees of entry angle. Of course, you will get more or less angle depending on your bowling style. I am a Power Stroker and this is the tracking analysis for the out of box finish.
The second Digitrax analysis was performed on the 2012 USBC Championship Pattern. This is a rather difficult 39 foot pattern with a 2:1 ratio of oil. If you’re not certain how difficult this pattern is, you basically have to hit the 7 or 8 board at the breakpoint to have any chance to strike. Left or right of that and you’ll be lucky to get an 8 count. Here, you will see how well this ball worked. I have to play deeper on this pattern and still had over 6 degrees of entry angle. The Tropical Heat Hybrid performed a bit above average on this difficult shot. I would definitely suggest keeping the surface as it really matched up much to control the lane, better than my Furious with the light polish. The new Manic, for example, is slightly better as the core turns over a bit sooner with a lower RG, allowing a bit more control. By contrast, the Virtual Gravity Nano works extremely well for me on this condition as the core really creates even more control with an even lower RG, making for a very consistent reaction, while the cover strength also allows for maybe a half board more room for error.
Overall 9/10
This ball has every right to be a popular ball for Storm the next bowling season. While some might not be excited by the single color navy blue, you should be excited by the ball reaction. It would be a shame if this ball isn’t popular with the masses as I’m guessing it will be popular on sport shots. This is an excellent control ball that still has lots of overall motion. You will not be disappointed by this offering if you need a ball that is very easy to read the conditions.
Buy the Storm IQ Tour Edition Bowling Ball from Bowling.com!
Coach, first off, let me compliment you and everyone at TamerBowling. You and your staff do a great job of reviewing equipment. You have made yourself available to me to bounce ideas off of and have given us all a ton of expertise that is just not available anywhere else. Having said that….
Storm is killing us with all their balls. I am all for Storm and other ball co’s releasing a whole bunch of stuff so we as bowlers have more tools and options.
But it’s almost becoming paralyzing the number of choices we have as bowlers. How does one even begin to determine whether to buy a Nano, Nano Pearl, Vivid, Marvel, Modern Marvel, Victory Road Solid, Manic or IQ Tour? I mean, all of them are relatively early, relatively hooking. How to choose between them. And for heaven sake, that is just one line from one company. There’s Ebonite brands, Roto, Global 900, Brunswick, etc etc.
Storm and other ball co’s have produced these wonderful tools, but have given the bowler no way of determining which one to buy. I cannot afford (in time and money) more than a few balls a year.
I subscribe to Bowling this Month which has reviews and CATS data. I read this site, which has excellent quality info. I read other websites, watch youtube reviews. And yet when I find myself unable to kick out the soft 10 on a house shot and want a new rock, I really have no idea of what to buy.
And I do not buy the company line, “please talk with your proshop operator”. That’s bull****. I know just as much if not more about how stuff reacts for me and others than my pro shop operator does. I think the ball co’s are doing themselves a disfavor by not giving us a way to evaluate equipment for appropriateness. There is nothing as unsatisfying as getting a new rock to solve a problem in your carry only to find out that your choice was way off the mark. I have attended demo days from Ebonite. Too bad both times they did the demo, the lanes were not oiled and played different than the typical house shot. So the feedback was not reliable.
Keep up the good work that you are doing Coach. Your site does it better than any other. With your info, I can at least narrow my choices down quite a bit and know that whatever ball I choose will not be TOO far off the mark, if not the perfect choice.
Why do the ball co’s not understand this problem? Or maybe they do, but what stops them from offering better info?
Singed,
Confused consumer.
Hi David, I feel your pain. It’s painfully true that manufacturers are putting out an obscene amount of equipment per year. Like any other business, product drives sales. Keeping things fresh helps drive sales. Yes, there’s a ton of re-use of technology which tells me that that much new equipment per year is not really necessary. But, it is what it is.
There are a couple of ways to combat this, some of which you attempted.
1. You could opt to stick with one brand. Generally speaking, it’s pretty easy to see the purpose of the equipment as you go up and down a manufacturer’s lineup as opposed to trying to fit a piece from this brand and hope it fills a gap from another. I know some of us like a certain piece from a mfg, but then don’t have interest in other pieces. You can do what you want, but you will be adding to the confusion.
2. Take advantage of demo days. It’s unacceptable that lanes aren’t oiled properly for a demo day. However, assuming this is not an issue, it’s one of the better ways to get a feel for the ball roll and whether you will like it or not. I’ve found it difficult to determine how a ball fits in my arsenal this way since the physical fit of demo balls tends to be off. Most of the time, I found a ball to be much stronger than I expected once it’s actually drilled for me.
3. Watch videos and read about the balls. I know you have good experience. While we may not be the ones actually throwing the ball, if the bowler has similar revs, speed, tilt and rotation, you are likely to get a good feel for the ball roll. I could usually tell if I’m going to like the ball based on that. Again, it takes a bit of an experienced eye, but we can try it.
4. Ebonite Blueprint. Ebonite happens to try to solve this problem for us by offering a software that can let you see what the ball will do through simulation using your specs. It’s not the same as throwing it nor will it give you a “read” on the ball roll. It’s also only available for the Ebonite International brands. Maybe a good reason to stick with their brands for those that are already using it.
5. Ask. We at TamerBowling are available to you. Your proshop operator is available to you, hopefully. Manufacturers are very open to taking technical questions about their equipment.
6. Stick with what works. Yes, new equipment comes out all the time. However, given the amount of reuse of technology, you can almost always find what you’ve thrown before.
7. Stick with drills that work for you. Experimenting too much could simply lead to frustration over a ball’s motion. Even if it may have been the right ball if drilled correctly, most of us are soured on a ball after first impressions.
Personally, I’ve had various ways of putting an arsenal together. I have to give credit to a couple of astute pro shop operators. They were able to pick out a couple of pieces that would work for me on that condition, in a particular house. The drilling matched up perfectly. I may not have realized it right away, but over time, it was proven over and over again that these couple of balls with certain drills work and are extremely versatile for me.
Now I know the core shapes that tend to work for me, the drills, and types of covers. It still doesn’t always work, but we try our best.
For example, I had a lot of success with the Storm Furious. The same core is now in the Tropical Heats. Guess what, the new Tropical Heats still work amazing for me. Why not get one? My old Ebonite V2 was my favorite ball of all time. Gamebreaker was re-released and I picked one up. Guess what, it still works. Sometimes reducing the variables is key.
Good answer and thanks for that. I do think that I need to pay more attention to the cores of the balls than I have. One can make some general deductions based on core shape, RG and cover (solid VS pearl).
Still pretty frustrating. My very knowledgeable friend wanted something to fill the gap between his Nano and his Marvel Pearl. He throws all Storm stuff. This dude is anal about everything. Watched a bunch of video, talked to pro-shop. He buys a Modern Marvel. I agreed with him before he boughtt. So far he is not happy. The Modern seems to crap out very early and hit like a noodle. Contrast to the Nano which seems to be longer and stronger. And the Marvel Pearl which has good length and snap. All 3 balls drilled pin high.
I think Blueprint is an awesome product if you get accurate readings from it. I did not own any of the 4 balls they included in the demo. So not sure how well it would reproduce my ball reactions.
None of the pro’s around me have it tho.
No doubt, it’s not the easiest thing in the world. I’m sure there’s additional frustration for your friend thinking he made a logical choice and it hasn’t worked out so far. Maybe he can try some different surfaces or even a different drill. It really depends on the shape hook he’s looking for. If you want to share more info, maybe we can help.
Other than that, we just need to try to do our best to put the right ball in our hands at the right time. We know how rewarding that can be…
Hello, Coach T.
My name is Andrew.
I have Defiant, Invasion nano pearl and taboo pearl for heavy oil.
I also have Track 300c and natural pearl for dry lane.
Currently I’m looking for a medium ball or a benchmark ball. I was just confuse which one should i choose between Hyroad or IQ tour or Crossroad…
Please give me your advise.
Hi Andrew, Thanks for your question. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself as a bowler. What’s your average, ~speed, rev rate, how do you like to play the lanes, do you bowl on house shot or sport, etc.? What type of ball reaction to do you like to see, smooth roll, skid/flip, hook/set?
The 3 balls you are looking at are all very good options as benchmark balls so if you give a little bit more background on yourself and what reaction you see from your current equipment, we could give a recommendation.
I am a right handed. average around 150-160. medium speed and rev. i think that i am a tweener. also have participate in several local tournament. currently the alley i am playing at is using a 45 ft of THS oil pattern. On a fresh oil, I always start with defiant (my defiant is drill with pin down), standing with my left foot at 25th board and the target of my arrow are 17th board. the breakpoint will be at somewhere around 13th board. the defiant will have a midlane read and then have a smooth transition hook to roll. if the lane start changing, i start to migrate to left and move the target also. so everything is fine until here. the problems come when i am playing at a already burned up lane. Sometimes without realizing i even chicken wing the ball. so i really need a benchmark ball that can give me the extra length but the same backend reaction like my defiant. obviously my 300c and natural pearl are unfit to do the job.
almost forget i use a 14 lbs 4 oz or 14 lbs 7 oz of bowling ball.