First Impressions
The Storm Trend feels very familiar ala Hyroad Pearl, Idol Pearl, etc.

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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: 4.5 x 40

Bryan Hoffman (Righty)
Style: Higher Tilt Stroker
RPM: 280 rpm
PAP: 4 1/4 & 1/8 down
Average Speed: 17.5 mph (at release)
Axis tilt: high
Axis rotation: medium
Test Equipment: 14 Pounds
Layout: 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: 40ft, 23ml
Sport: Kegel Arsenic 41ft, 26 ml, 1.3:1 ratio

Specs
The Storm Trend uses the Piston™ Core (symmetrical) core inside the R2S Pearl coverstock.

15 pound = RG of 2.52, diff of .049
14 pound = RG of 2.53, diff of .051
Coverstock finish: 1500 grit polish

Overall
I can see the Trend ticking a lot of boxes for many bowlers. Sometimes signature lines tied to a particular bowler can be polarizing however, there is no doubt Belmo is the best in the world and having his name on the ball is going to help sell them. With that out of the way, here we go. R2S pearl, where have we seen this before? Everywhere. HyRoad Pearl, Emerald IQ, Astrophysix to name current balls. It works and its going to keep coming back as long as it does. It lasts a pretty long time and still matches modern conditions. We saw the Piston core in the Pro-Motion. I was a fan of that motion and you can tell the core created a strong reliable downlane shape. Here we seem to get a combination that on paper would appear to be the bees knees. Honestly, I first thought this is definitely reminiscent of the Hyroad Pearl but the more I threw it the more it felt like the Idol Pearl. As you expect from the 1500 grit polished R2S, it’s clean. The core has definitive shape as did the Ikon core in the Idol Pearl. This is basically like getting an Idol Pearl in the R2S cover. That is to say the cover is a touch weaker. It makes it more over/under out of the box than the Idol Pearl was for me. I would definitely work this cover to a light scuff or 4000 spinner to smooth it out. Once you do that, I see it being very similar to the Hyroad Pearl. Will take a bit more time with it but that’s where I’m seeing this ball which can theoretically make it a staple.

Bryan also tested the Trend. We did this during the same session as the Parallax and I mentioned there is some overlap with shiny Storm balls for Bryan. You will see that he can certainly play the same shot to the pocket around the 2nd arrow fairly direct up the boards. He was able to miss a bit in and out with good forgiveness. He slapped out a couple of stone 9 pins. The Trend definitely felt like it had punch but forgiveness for Bryan. He had more recovery and continuation over the Parallax. Where the stronger asymmetric Parallax would kind of stand up a bit more, the Trend kept arcing which is a hallmark of a symmetric over the assymetric core. Bryan enjoyed tossing the trend and while on the surface it might not look vastly different than the Parallax, it was much easier to use. He didn’t have to work to hard to manipulate his physical game to get the ball to work. It just worked.

Sport Shot
Coming soon

Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, the Storm Trend looks like it’s got the makings of a hit. If this were to go in my bag, it’s slotting in the Mid Late category. As a lefty I’m a little on the fence if it’s too quick downlane for me but will experiment with some surface to see if it smooths out enough to land it in my arsenal. For Bryan, it would be the same slot. I’m going to give the Trend a B+ and hopefully we’ll be back with a longer term look and a view on the sport shot.