DV8 Too Reckless or Storm Crossroad????

[sparo76]

started bowling 6 months ago and im addicted, just cant get enough. anyway....as everyone knows its not the easiest sport to master but im on my way.

im looking to upgrade from my slingshot, will keep & use my slingshot as my spare ball. im looking at purchase a new ball in the next few days. down to the storm crossroad & dv8 too reckless.

any info will be helpful for a rookie like myself.

[tommyboy74]

The Too Reckless and Crossroad are meant for similar conditions but definitely have different ball motions.  A big difference is that the Crossroad is a hybrid and the Too Reckless is a solid reactive.  Both work well on medium and some medium-heavy conditions.  DV8's Too Reckless actually acts more like a pearl reactive where it gets a lot of length and is angular in the back.  Storm's Crossroad being a hybrid (mix of pearl and solid) will read the middle of the lane sooner and is slightly less angular.

Before making any recommendations, do you tend to play outside up the boards, or do you like to crank it and get a ton of hook?  Also, do you tend to have fast, average, or slow ball speed?  That would help us to provide some general recommendations for you.

[sparo76]

thanks for the info bro. i see i have alot to learn. i play outside, still trying to master the hook & i started with fast ball speed but sumbody told me to slow it down, it would help my hook & control of the ball so i would say average ball speed.

[tommyboy74]

I'd go with the Crossroad.  Reason being is that even with average to faster ball speed, it would be more forgiving on the lane.  The Too Reckless is good, but if you throw faster speed, it can be more prone to blowing through the breakpoint on the back end and you'd lose hook potential if that happens.  That is because that ball by design will give more length before becoming angular (probably an extra 3 feet in length compared to the Crossroad).

2 other options to look are the HyRoad and Nomad Dagger. 

The HyRoad is basically identical to the Crossroad except for a slightly modified core (HyRoad uses Inverted Fe2, Crossroad uses Inverted Fe3).  Both balls use the same R2X hybrid cover.  I throw it and it works well on most medium patterns.  Plus, this will probably save you some cash since it is an older release.  But, every time Storm has tried to kill it off, it keeps coming back every year.  That ball has been around since 2008.

The recently discontinued Nomad Dagger is a great choice also.  Made by Roto Grip (Storm's sister company), this is an awesome hybrid that performs really well on most medium conditions.  It in my opinion has one of the best cover/core matches that I have seen.  That ball just works really well for most everyone using it.  I know it did for me (throwing around 19-22mph, 380-430 revs) before I sold my arsenal earlier this year for what I have now.  Very predictable as well.

Big difference between Roto Grip and Storm is that the Storm balls tend to give a little more length and typically are more angular in the back.  Roto Grip tends to be more of an earlier read but strong consistant arc motion.  Also, the price point for RG tends to be slightly less in some cases.

Any of the 3 that are mentioned here would be worth looking at. 

However, as I always advise for someone newer, make sure you work with a good pro shop and also make sure they watch you throw some shots on the lane.  Also, make sure they measure your PAP (Positive Axis Point).  This way, they can match a layout to your game.  If a pro shop is not willing to watch you throw some shots or take the proper measurements, then find a different shop that will.

Good luck and if you have any other questions, feel free to PM me.

[sparo76]

wow. ton of info. thanks for your time & help.

[Russell]

Great advice from Tommyboy74 here.  I would add that the DV8 Reckless/Too Reckless don't seem to have a very long lifespan.  I have about 400 games on my Crossroad and it still rolls like the day it was new.