BallReviews
General Category => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: cryinryan on November 07, 2014, 10:41:15 PM
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We have a family feud going.. Hammer vs Storm
My Son, 14 192 average is using an Assassin and is taking my Legend-- I am not thriled with it, I am adding a Nail (or Spike) to his arsenal, he uses a White dot for his spares
I have a Zero Gravity and IQ Fusion and think I am going to try the Crux-- buying it tomorrow, I use a Duece II for spares.
So who will win the Family Feud? Should I add the Crux for heavier oil and more action? Should I buy him the Nail or Spike for drier conditions. We both have about the same average--
His High game is 279 Series 726
I am 264 Series 703
Who will win?
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We have no clue what you want us to answer
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We have no clue what you want us to answer
+1
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Wasn't looking for an answer-- did not know all lost had to be in question forum-- just thought it funny that we can't decide on which company had a better selection.
Was expecting more of a GO team Storm or Go team Hammer
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Here added poll Hammer vs, Storm/ Son vs Dad
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is this a serious question? storm obviously has a better complete line.....and i dont like storm generally for my game
i think you should buy him a viral instead of a nail or spike. vibe core>everything else in that category
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Having thrown Hammer and currently throwing Storm/Roto Grip for most of my arsenal, Storm and Roto Grip have the most complete line. As said by one of the other posters, Storm has a more complete lineup where you can find a variety of shot shapes and reactions to fit your game. Their sister brand Roto Grip also has a more complete line.
For Storm, a reason I'm gradually shifting from them to Motiv is that Motiv is even more versatile yet they still have a very good overall line. Storm needs to start coming out with new covers/cores and innovate again. After all, there are only so many times where you can use the R2X/R2S covers with the Inverted Fe2/3, Centripetal or CAM cores before the customer notices that they're getting the same ball except with a new name and a reaction that may be only 1-3 boards stronger. With Motiv, they're introducing new covers/cores that actually improve upon their past releases and they have a plan for what their new releases will do/holes they will fill.
Hammer in my opinion lacks some shot shapes and they also lack a true heavy oil ball. Also, the balls from EBI in many cases (have thrown Track, Ebonite, Hammer) tend to be more condition specific. In some cases, it is tougher to build an arsenal because of that. The other thing I don't like with Hammer is that their release schedule lacks direction. They're all over the place with what comes out. What they need to do is focus on the specific holes in their lineup and stop flooding the market with similar releases.
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Having thrown Hammer and currently throwing Storm/Roto Grip for most of my arsenal, Storm and Roto Grip have the most complete line. As said by one of the other posters, Storm has a more complete lineup where you can find a variety of shot shapes and reactions to fit your game. Their sister brand Roto Grip also has a more complete line.
For Storm, a reason I'm gradually shifting from them to Motiv is that Motiv is even more versatile yet they still have a very good overall line. Storm needs to start coming out with new covers/cores and innovate again. After all, there are only so many times where you can use the R2X/R2S covers with the Inverted Fe2/3, Centripetal or CAM cores before the customer notices that they're getting the same ball except with a new name and a reaction that may be only 1-3 boards stronger. With Motiv, they're introducing new covers/cores that actually improve upon their past releases and they have a plan for what their new releases will do/holes they will fill.
Hammer in my opinion lacks some shot shapes and they also lack a true heavy oil ball. Also, the balls from EBI in many cases (have thrown Track, Ebonite, Hammer) tend to be more condition specific. In some cases, it is tougher to build an arsenal because of that. The other thing I don't like with Hammer is that their release schedule lacks direction. They're all over the place with what comes out. What they need to do is focus on the specific holes in their lineup and stop flooding the market with similar releases.
if you watch Justin W's video's on Motiv, you will see that their balls are 1-2 boards different with the same layouts. He does a nice comparison in the Forza video. Motiv has put their Fusion coverstock on about 5 balls in the last 16 months. It seems many companies are reusing coverstock technology as it really hasn't changed in a few years. If storm renamed the R2S to S2R and called it a new cover, would we ever really know?
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I have used both
Hammer is in my bag now.
It just matches up better for me
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Until I get a sponsor I don't swear allegiance to any ball company. Love storm, but the hammer low flare is the best tournament ball I have ever owned and they were the first company to fill that hole in ball motion. The smarter bowler with the most money will win the feud ;)
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Love both brands, but hammer to me always died so fast compared to the other brands.
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Storm slightly over a 2:1 lead in the voting.....
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Never considered myself Hammer guy, but I sat down the other day and realized my tournament arsenal was 3 Hammers ( Black Widow Legend, Cobalt Vibe, Blue Hammer) and 2 storms ( IQ solid Marvel Pearl )
Truthfully, I like the Hammer cores that promote a more rolly look which is much better for me on tournament patterns. You can have the hook monster shells, of which Storm makes too many, for house shots
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My take:
Whichever one of you who stops buying balls and puts that money toward a lesson with a certified coach will win.
Doesn't matter what ball you have if your mechanics aren't correct. And if you get your mechanics correct, you would probably score better with any ball.
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I was waiting for the go to a Pro answer-- so thank you Jorge300!
When I first got on the site I asked a simple question what would be a good ball to start with for someone who has not bowled in 20 years-- BOY was that dumb-- I got berated, humiliated and pounced on-- told to go to a pro, take a lesson, read up -- you’re a jerk, basically.
So 20 years ago I had a white dot and before that an AMF Voit. You know what I still bowled—really, the ball still went down the lanes -- hit the pins and the pins actually moved!! Damn-- can you believe!
All kidding aside-- yes I did go to three pros, they analyzed me - took my rev, speed and everything else you could think of. Moved me up on the approach and then back on the approach, adjust two boards to the left- right and center. They gave me several ball choices, which would fit my swing and it did help. It also helped my son.
Then I remembered this is just a game, it is fun, and everyone can play it. You don’t have to be 6’7†or 300 lbs or even have great bat speed.
So when I posed this poll- I was just curious to see what everyone was using and have a good time. I now know what a PAP is, RG, DIFF, Cover Stock, and Core all are. Why I can’t explain the exact correlation between them or exactly what they mean to the average house bowler it was fun learning!
So when my son and I bought our first bowling balls—he bought the Assassin, because he liked the name and one of the pros recommended it, I bought the Legend so we could have matching bowling balls, just for fun. Since then we have both improved. I gave him my Legend (did not like the Legend) and had it re-drilled and I went with the Storm line – I just liked it better.
So he is using the Hammer – Legend- Assassin, an old Track 503A for dry lanes and a Columbia WD for some spares. I am using a Crux, Zero Gravity, Fusion IQ and a retired Deuce II from 1992 needed for 10 pins. He will get all 3 of my balls next year—his hands are growing so fast! Has a size 14 shoe and he is 14. Eats like a horse.
The best part is we are having a ball, no pun intended! Really—joined a nice league, he is trying out for the high school team, you never know he might shoot another 279 – if not better.
So thank you all for answering the poll- it’s be fun!
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I was waiting for the go to a Pro answer-- so thank you Jorge300!
When I first got on the site I asked a simple question what would be a good ball to start with for someone who has not bowled in 20 years-- BOY was that dumb-- I got berated, humiliated and pounced on-- told to go to a pro, take a lesson, read up -- you’re a jerk, basically.
So 20 years ago I had a white dot and before that an AMF Voit. You know what I still bowled—really, the ball still went down the lanes -- hit the pins and the pins actually moved!! Damn-- can you believe!
All kidding aside-- yes I did go to three pros, they analyzed me - took my rev, speed and everything else you could think of. Moved me up on the approach and then back on the approach, adjust two boards to the left- right and center. They gave me several ball choices, which would fit my swing and it did help. It also helped my son.
Then I remembered this is just a game, it is fun, and everyone can play it. You don’t have to be 6’7†or 300 lbs or even have great bat speed.
So when I posed this poll- I was just curious to see what everyone was using and have a good time. I now know what a PAP is, RG, DIFF, Cover Stock, and Core all are. Why I can’t explain the exact correlation between them or exactly what they mean to the average house bowler it was fun learning!
So when my son and I bought our first bowling balls—he bought the Assassin, because he liked the name and one of the pros recommended it, I bought the Legend so we could have matching bowling balls, just for fun. Since then we have both improved. I gave him my Legend (did not like the Legend) and had it re-drilled and I went with the Storm line – I just liked it better.
So he is using the Hammer – Legend- Assassin, an old Track 503A for dry lanes and a Columbia WD for some spares. I am using a Crux, Zero Gravity, Fusion IQ and a retired Deuce II from 1992 needed for 10 pins. He will get all 3 of my balls next year—his hands are growing so fast! Has a size 14 shoe and he is 14. Eats like a horse.
The best part is we are having a ball, no pun intended! Really—joined a nice league, he is trying out for the high school team, you never know he might shoot another 279 – if not better.
So thank you all for answering the poll- it’s be fun!
Age 14 with size 14? You're going to have to take out a second mortgage to feed this beast!!!
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I hear ya 6'11/2" all legs and arms-- get a good whip going and when he learns to control it he might be good. The assassin lets him make that 2 board error and the house like the pocket and light hit so he has some room for error. Biggest change in his game was making the ten pin. Brought up his games and average about ten pins.
So his Hammer works for him
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I'll play the game....
In my opinion Hammer has no consistency with their new releases or line. It's like they just release stuff without a plan. Also Hammer's strongest oil ball equals the strength of Storms Wipe out which is their weakest solid. Hammer is great for high rev, low speed bowlers or bowlers that bowl on medium oil lane conditions/shorter patterns.
Storm has a wide variety of reactions and shapes. They also have consistency with their releases. However they have a huge gap between the breeze line and Punch Out line. From what I see this is caused by using a cover that's too strong. A lot of people tend to complain that Storm lacks new ideas because of the continued use of the same cover/core combination, which I would like to see a change also. It seems like they are trying to keep from making the mistake of ending a good thing until they can come up with another cover/core combination that will be accepted by the customers. Example being the Marvel Pearl being available for so many years and now the Optimus seems to be good enough to at some point allow them to discontinue the Marvel Pearl. They kept the same cover, but put a new core in the Optimus and it's a really good rolling ball.
Over the past few seasons I've drilled and thrown a lot of bowling balls and I've always tried to build the best arsenal with one brand, just because I think using one brand "should" allow a person to build an arsenal "if" the equipment covers are actually a step down from the stuff in the lines above it. Also if their is consistency, a bowler can replace certain pieces as the new version is released a year or so later without a reaction they like going away because the brand discontinued it and never replaced it with something similar.
So with all of that said... Both brands have stuff that rolls good for me and stuff that is ok. I have the majority of my honor scores with Hammer equipment, but over time have realized Hammer is condition specific for me. However, I've averaged higher with Storm overall. Storm is great until I get to that in between point when it's not dry enough for the breeze, but too strong for the other equipment. So since I can change a few things with my hand to adjust my revs, I would say at this point Storm has my vote, because they have equipment that's stronger than Hammer as well as equipment that's close to Hammer's equipment in strength and shape. But Storm still needs to stop using the same cover/cores and simply changing the name, color scheme, scent, and keeping it at the same price point.
Is that actually true? I know storm coverstocks are considered to be one of the strongest, but still felt hammer coverstocks were still decently strong