First Impressions
The Storm Concept really felt like a standout. One of the most impactful first impressions in a bit.
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Tamer Elbaga (Lefty)
Style: Tweener
RPM: 365 rpm
PAP: 5 1/8 & 3/8 up
Average Speed: 18.5 mph (at release)
Axis tilt: low
Axis rotation: medium/high
Test Equipment: 14 Pounds
Layout: 4 x 20
Tyler Church (Righty)
Style: Power Player
RPM: 425 rpm
PAP: 5 1/2 & 1/2 up
Average Speed: 19 mph (at release)
Axis tilt: low
Axis rotation: medium
Test Equipment: 14 Pounds
Layout: 5 x 40
Bryan Hoffman (Righty)
Style: Stroker
RPM: 280 rpm
PAP: 4 1/2 & 1 1/2 up
Average Speed: 18.5 mph (at release)
Axis tilt: high
Axis rotation: medium
Test Equipment: 14 Pounds
Layout: 5 x 40
“Keep in mind that coverstock accounts for 70% of ball reaction, but the core creates the dynamic shape of the reaction. Your driller will alter the shape to suit your game.”
Pattern
THS: 44ft, 25.8ml, 12:1 ratio
Sport: TBD
Specs
The Storm Concept uses the new Radius™ Weight Block symmetric inside the new ARC™ Pearl Reactive coverstock.
15 pound = RG of 2.61, diff of .20
14 pound = RG of 2.62, diff of .019
Coverstock finish: 1000 abralon
Power Player’s Perspective
Ok we will see in the video some surprising motion for what is supposed to be control. I will tell you for sure it offers the control people are more or less used to seeing out of urethane but does it a different way than we’ve seen. Let’s talk a little bit about technical things that I think are relevant. Firstly, the Arc cover has a very high coefficient of friction as well as at the max allowable oil absorption rate. So it is intended to read the lane early like urethane, while not being urethane. This ball is meant to be extremely cover dominant. Then there is the fairly weak core just meant to compliment. But the idea is that even while it has little flare potential, it absorbs oil so fast it won’t drag as much oil down as urethane, thereby not affecting the pattern as much. That remains to be seen but I have to say it didn’t blow up our pattern throughout our testing session. The Concept is also a 2-piece ball with a thick cover and core which typically raises the coefficient of restitution, i.e., better hit theoretically. That typically really affects core numbers when changing weights but what’s notable is that Storm appears to add a power ball of sorts to the 14 pound ball to keep it at about the same specs as the other weights. All that now to get on to what Tyler saw and it honestly looked great. Such fantastic lane control. It never felt like it would go long. It really matched his slightly rev dominant style. He can play basically in the track and that control motion just reads the lane so well and walks strongly to the pocket but had very good continuation, I’d say above average for sure.
Tweener’s Take
OK, so this is the first time I’ve been able to take a full approach since having hip replacement so bare with me. I’ve grown to really like the urethane-like motion for my game as I almost exclusively bowl sport shots. I’ve been able to create a just dynamic enough shape on the lane that I can effectively use that type of shape frequently to stay pretty square. The Storm Concept just seemed right at home with the balls I’ve been enjoying like the Motiv Shadow Tank and Purple Hammer. Other balls like the Black Hammer were just a bit too weak for my game and having balls like the Shadow Tank and now the Concept from Storm are exciting for me. The Level worked pretty well for me but that one seemed to really affect the lanes quickly for me. I’m hoping the Concept’s quick oil absorption holds true with my on lane experience in time.
Stroker’s Stance
For Bryan, this was a revelation. It was very clear to see how strong this cover is. You can see how quickly it reacts to friction. The interesting thing though is the surprise of what happens as he moves in. Normally these urethane-type balls kind of die if it forces him to move away from the friction even the slightest. The cover kept reading. In fact he had many more high shots than light. It was somewhat surprising that typically the very cover dominant balls don’t have torque support for him or me for that matter but this thing kept going. He had to move between the 2nd and 3rd arrow and normally no urethane-like shape is past the 2nd arrow. The Concept kept going. My thought was this was probably the best look of any slow ball Bryan has ever had however he seems to recall that the Desert Tank from Motiv was still the one standout right up there. Nevertheless, the Storm Concept really did impress.
Final Thoughts
I’ll close with the same as I opened. The Concept is an impressive piece. It seems like it could be pretty versatile for a Specialty piece. I don’t typically slot this type of motion in the traditional Strong Control or Mid Control parts of the bag but I’m guessing some will. I obviously can’t develop a longer term feeling on this yet so I’m hopeful what we see continues. We had some concerns with the first Hammer NU for example that lane shined extremely quickly. Will this cover hold up? Will it lane shine? How long does it really take to mess up a pattern? All things we can try to come back to in the future.
Thanks for watching.