LANE CONDITION
Length: 41 ft
Volume: Medium-Heavy
Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc): THS
COMMENTS
After thinking about the ball I wanted to fill the gap between my Nomad Dagger and Virtual Gravity Nano, it came down to 2 choices: the Storm Anarchy and the 900 Global Bank Pearl. Testing both through my pro shop guy with interchangeable grips, I decided to go with the Anarchy.
I have nothing bad to say about 900 Global at all; the Bank Pearl is a solid choice. However, I found that the Anarchy gives me about an extra 4-6 boards, which makes a difference in heavier volume. Mine was drilled 4x4x2 with no balance hole, and the pin above.
Throwing a few practice games, I noticed that the ball was flat out great on medium-heavy oil. I was able to start more towards the outside, throwing from 15 to 8. The backend reaction is simply great and the ball saved the energy, hitting the pins hard. As I went further into the afternoon, the oil carried down. No problem with the Anarchy. I ended up moving 5 boards further left, going from 20 to 10 and the oil kept the ball on target without any problems. Also, on a few shots that I pulled, keeping the ball in the oil helped with keeping it on line. Finally the far outside was playable, being able to go from 10 to 5 and still having a strong backend with good results.
I have no doubt that this ball will complement my VG Nano very well, and it gives me a 1-2 punch for attacking heavy and medium-heavy oil. It's another great ball from Storm. If you're looking for a strong pearl that can play multiple angles, you won't go wrong with considering the Anarchy.
Likes: Very clean in the front, strong backend, excellent carry, plays well with multiple angles
Dislikes: None so far
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Update as of 6/26/11: Now after having thrown approximately 30 games on this ball, I have started to notice some issues that are making me consider trading this ball.
The big thing is consistancy with the reaction. I've noticed at 5 different houses that the ball will not consistantly read the lane properly. In some cases, it will go too high, in others it won't come back. This past week where I had to be deep on dry lanes to make it playable, my Rising Star was actually outhooking the Anarchy which is not supposed to happen.
I have tried a few things to see if I can get the Anarchy back to where it originally was for about the first 10 games or so. I did resurface the ball twice, once at 1500 and once at 2000. So far, the resurfacing at 1500 may have helped a little bit, 2000 made things worse. Also, I did try baking the ball at the pro shop and oil absorption was not a problem as there was very little oil that came out of the cover.
As of this point, I plan to take it back to the house with drier lanes where I can get in the oil and play deeper with high friction on the backends to see if the resurfacing to 1500 worked out (500 grit + gray scotch brite pad + Storm Step 2). If it doesn't, then I will probably be looking to trade it for a Roto Grip Infinite Theory. It may simply be that being a higher rev player (400-430) in addition to higher speed (19-22mph) may not be the best fit for this specific ball. This is after having it drilled similar to my Storm VG Nano, which has no issues whatsoever and gives me a lot of recovery. Also, I have no issues with either of my 2 Roto Grip hybrid balls.
I don't want to say the Anarchy is all around bad, because it isn't. I have seen people throw it successfully, and it was good for the first 10 games that I used it. It may just be a fluke in my case.
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Update as of 7/13/11: I went ahead and did a huge resurfacing on the ball. The process I used was sanding all sides with 500 Siaair, and then hitting it lightly with the gray scotch-brite pad. Once this was done, I finished it off with Storm Step 2. After doing this, it was time to head to 1 of my favorite houses.
This house uses a 43ft house shot which is relatively flat but heavy in volume. After throwing my VG Nano for the first 1-1/2 games, that ball was starting to leave flat 10s. Out came the Anarchy. Finally, it was back to original factory condition where it was long and strong. With the Nano, I played 26 to 12. The Anarchy, I made a move where I went to 23, but was keeping the breakpoint around 12-14. It flat out excelled with having some of the higher volumes of oil. Even better was once I found that line, I was able to stay with it, and then just make small 1-2 board moves at a time as the pattern started to transition.
My lesson learned with the Anarchy is that it does need oil to shine, and it is a little more condition specific than some other balls out there. The attempt at the initial surface change didn't really do me any favors. Then using Xtra Shine to make it even longer didn't help also. For me, the OOB finish does work best. Only thing I hated all night with the Anarchy was back to back solid 10's in the 10th frame of my 3rd game. That 10 pin got what it deserved...being crushed by a spare ball clocked by the radar gun at 25.74 mph. As for trading it...it will stay in my arsenal.
My arsenal
Heavy Oil: Storm Virtual Gravity Nano: 4000 AB
Medium-Heavy Oil: Storm Anarchy: 1500 polished
Medium Oil: Roto Grip Nomad Dagger: 1500 polished
Medium-Light Oil: Roto Grip Rising Star: 1500 polished
Edited on 6/26/2011 at 10:38 AM
Edited on 7/13/2011 at 7:32 PM
