First Impressions
The Storm Summit was a tale of two balls, leaving us with feelings ranging from “wow” to “huh”.
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Tamer Elbaga (Lefty)
Style: Tweener
RPM: 375 rpm
PAP: 5 & 3/8 up
Average Speed: 18.5 mph (at release)
Axis tilt: low
Axis rotation: medium/high
Test Equipment: 14 Pounds
Layout: 50 x 5 x 45
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: 50 x 5 x 45
Tyler Church (Righty)
Style: Power Player
RPM: 450 rpm
PAP: 5 1/2 & 1/2 up
Average Speed: 19 mph (at release)
Axis tilt: med
Axis rotation: medium
Test Equipment: 14 Pounds
Layout: 50 x 5 x 45
“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: 42ft, 23ml
Sport: TBD
Specs
The Storm Summit uses the Centripetal HD symmetric core inside the TX-23 Hybrid Reactive coverstock.
15 pound = RG of 2.46, diff of .056
14 pound = RG of 2.46, diff of .056
Coverstock finish: 3000 grit abralon
Overall
Alright quick overview of the Summit. Storm is using that centripetal core known as the HD version which gives it a very low RG and pretty high differential so it will be strong. Storm is using what’s called an “Amplified Inertia” outer core which appears to help yield consistent specs from 16 to 14. It sounds like a great idea but I think more is made of this on paper than we’ve ever seen on lane ball reaction. We’ve been testing 14 and 15 for years and have rarely seen any viable difference. The TX-23 coverstock is said to be a decendent of the TC-16 from the venerable Phaze II but in a hybrid version.
Straight out of the gate the Summit looked spectacular for Tyler. Full control anywhere and everywhere. The Summit had excellent midlane roll and significant backend. It has a roll that you expect the Centripetal based core to have with a round continuous roll. It’s pretty strong overall and immediately I can see it as a Strong Control ball. The car worked from outside and inside angles so he had miss room. He would get a little bit of over hook and then have to adjust in. He kept a good look for about 10 frames and then things went south. At first it started with 10 pin leaves and various attempts with minor adjustments. But ultimately once he got past the 4th arrow to get past the dry line he created, the Summit just didn’t have the giddyup to make it back. It was done. The pattern had been broken down enough by the ball in one game that it was no longer usable. That was more the issue we tried to understand. There was no good way to manipulate it back into play. It was legitimately done. That might not sound like I’m saying anything odd but it was so noticeable from on to off. Again, it could be our house pattern and lane beds with the midlane friction that exacerbates that. Tyler had a quick look comparing to the Phaze II and in short, he saw a slightly longer later response from the Phaze II that is also a few boards weaker. Phaze II looks a bit torquier vs the slightly rounder shape of the Summit. It makes sense when you compare the cores.
Bryan is up next with the Summit. It’s somewhat similar story here. The Summit is a strong ball. Bryan didn’t have too much trouble getting length with it though. He was just finding it hard to get to a sweet spot with it. I think a heavier flatter pattern would be a much better match. I know people will say play it on what it’s meant for but as said before, we bowl in typical conditions so you see what you get. Most houses don’t flood their house shot. Anyway, with the walled up condition, it’s the same tricky scenario. If he was a bit too direct, the ball had too strong backend. But if he opened up, it didn’t really shape downlane enough for him to carry well. You will see other reviews where it will carry a bit better from in but I believe your lane beds or pattern has to have a bit less midlane friction. That midlane friction really slows balls down significantly in this house. Part of me wants to really start testing on sport shots to get away from some of this heavy wall and high friction ball reaction but this is what we have for now.
Final Thoughts
How to close this out. The Storm Summit is a strong ball that easily fits in the Strong Control category. It looks great until the mids breakdown and then it’s got to be put away. That seems to happen pretty quickly though. It also lane shines pretty quickly so something to keep in mind if you want the same consistent ball reaction game to game. Well that’s it. Hopefully I’ll be able to test it myself soon.
Thanks for watching.
This is my take, having had the opportunity to test the new Storm Summit myself. Firstly, there’s no question this is a strong ball. I did a full resurface on it to hard 1000 then fresh hard 3000. I have to say this ball is clearly too strong for this medium house pattern for me and this created a challenge. As you can see, the ball has a strong amount of midlane read and that’s obvious for how hard it was for me to push it to the spot. It just kept reading early and going through the nose. Then I would force it and it would miss. I don’t want to beat it up, bottom line is it needs oil or put it away. I talked about the midlane already so then there’s the smooth but strong backend. I struggled to find the right entry consistently, mostly because of the early read which challenged the entry angle. But the good shots are ones you can see what it looks like when you, 1, pure it and more importantly, two, more what it’s likely to look like more consistently when you have the right amount of volume. It seemed fairly predictable, both when it would work and when it wouldn’t. When you don’t have the right volume, the ball telegraphs that through the early read and inconsistency of entry through the pins. The Summit is going to be a strong control ball but I don’t see it usurping the Phaze II which is already and still there in my bag after all these years. Nevertheless, Storm is offering something new and a bit of a different look in that category.