Bowlers Journal International - February 2008 - (Page 66) NOHOLESBARRED BY JOE CERAR JR. TESTING BALLS WITH PLENTY O' PERSONALITY NONE OF THIS MONTH'S BATCH WERE ANYWHERE CLOSE TO BEING 'SYBIL,' BUT EACH HAD INTERESTING TRAITS. PERSONALITY: WE ALL HAVE ONE. FOR THOSE WHO REMEMBER SYBIL, SHE HAD 16! ESSENTIALLY, PERSONALITY means the fundamental character of a person. I often will write of a bowling ball’s personality in my reviews, throwing grammatical correctness to the winds. In that regard, I am merely trying to convey the traits a particular ball exudes and the feelings it gives off during testing. I’m sure some of you know what I mean — some balls just feel right, or display a motion with which we feel comfortable. They quickly become a close friend, someone on whom we can depend. We also know when balls just aren’t right. They are either too finicky on the patterns on which we bowl, or just don’t give us a "look" we like. Like people, bowling balls can be exciting and even vivacious, while others are droll and boring. Some balls have a very narrow corridor of use, while others have a much wider range of usability. As with humans, a few initially could be perceived as perfect, at least until their flaws rear their ugly heads and we realize what their imperfections might be. So what do my gut and intuition tell me about this month’s latest and greatest money makers (we're also rooting that they be cash-makers for us as well, and not just for the manufacturers)? Here’s a quick take on some personality traits or gut-feelings for this month’s orbs. Storm Gravity Shift: Mean-spirited, yet admirably dependable. Storm Rapid Fire: Very friendly and multi-faceted. Roto Grip Pluto: Specialized skills, all for less than minimum wage. Columbia 300 Wrath Dead Flush: A fast talker with pleasing results. For those who prefer an alternative approach — Gravity Shift: Tom Cruise behind the wheel of a Dodge Viper. Rapid Fire: Everyone’s favorite rich uncle. Pluto: Wally Cox with an Uzi. Dead Flush: Helio Castroneves doin’ the Jive. STORM: GRAVITY SHIFT 53 Hook 14.5 Length 16.5 Breakpoint Shape Core Design: The Gravity’s core features an all new Shape Lock HD (high density) asymmetric design. The RG is low at 2.48, the Diff strong at .052 and the mass bias healthy at .020. This core is designed to rev quicker than the Shape Lock cores in the previous two Shifts (2.55 RG). Coverstock: The newly shaped core is surrounded by a newly formulated pearl reactive coverstock called R2X. The coloring is Storm stunning with its silver, cherry and violet mixture. Surface is sanded at 800 and finished with Storm’s 1500 Polish. Manufacturer's Intent: Steve Kloempken of Storm had this to say: “The Gravity Shift is our newest development. The new Shape Lock HD core creates a lower RG for heavier midlane roll. While the Shift performs best on medium conditions, the Gravity handles more oil better. The Gravity Shift creates more midlane friction and a more predictable back-end reaction. The new R2X cover creates a comparable amount of hook to the R2S, but gets higher friction numbers in the midlane. With respect to the chemistry of the shell, it was developed to create better cross-link density, and designed to be tougher, yet still flexible. It’s easy to make a very strong material, like conventional urethane, but to perform on oil and create hook is more challenging. Surface roughness plays a role, too. So we are looking to keep the performance and increase durability and longevity.” Test Results: The Gravity has its own unique personality, somewhat mean and nasty, yet it was very dependable throughout the transitional phases of lane pattern decay. The Gravity is clearly easier through the fronts than the recently reviewed Attitude Shift. It also displays a quicker and earlier move off friction compared to that ball, as well. Total hook will be slightly more than the Attitude on some patterns and slightly less on others. Compared to a similarly-drilled Domination, the Gravity was two feet earlier and had 3-5 boards stronger total hook. This piece is all about opening up a pattern due to its length and aggressive nature off friction. When to Use: Use on medium- to heavily-oiled patterns when a quick, strong breakpoint motion is warranted. Longer pins (4 ¾ to 6”) will create more length, but not necessarily more flip back-end tilt. Higher speed-to-rev rate players will fall in love with the strength in the midlane and strong, mean arc after the pattern ends. Carry-down did little to deter the aggressiveness of this new R2X cover formula. Dulling the surface provided a look more similar to that of the Attitude, but we easily preferred box polish on the majority of our test patterns. 66 bowlers journal international FEBRUARY 2008
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