I feel that I have thrown this ball enough now to post my review.
First a little about me:
Lefty, Stroker, 15-16 mph, medium revs, high tracker, throw 16's, last years book average 228.
I had this ball drilled with the pin below the ring finger, and the cg kicked out to the left, with a small holes a couple inches below my axis.
The reasoning for doing so was to get the Hy-Road to start up a little bit earlier and be a little more smooth through out the lane, rather than a hard snapping back end.
FIRST LANE CONDITION: Old Wood House, 39-40' of Medium Oil, A Pretty Standard House Shot, w/out the super puddle in the middle. A pretty easy shot.
After throwing the Hy-Road for a few shots, I was getting irritated because it wasn't reacting, and if I did hit the pocket it was deflecting like nothing I had ever seen. I moved inside a few boards and played more of a slow swing shot, and it started to come to life.
I was suprised at how smooth the ball was on the back ends considering it's polished finish. The hit was average for a brand new ball, but the reaction impressed me the most. I figured once I got used to the ball I would see some fine results.
SECOND LANE CONDITION: Same House, Tournament Shot, 39-40' Heavily Oiled, not much room for error.
I bowled in a team tournament that had us bowling 6 games one day and coming back for another 5 the following day. The alley oiled heavily to ensure there would be oil left for all 6 games on the first day of the tournament.
In practice I did not like my look with the Hy-Road, so I went with the Black Widow Solid instead. After struggling through games 1-3, I made a switch to the Hy-Road, and went more direct up the boards. It turned out to be a good move. I put up scores of 207-266-223 and won the 5th high game, and got 2nd place in King of the Hill.
The ball again moved through the front part of the lane with ease, and made a nice controlled move to the pocket. The carry was again very nice.
THIRD LANE CONDITION: Same house, tournament shot, 39-40' of lighter oil, lanes were hooking a lot more.
This was day two of the tournament, and we had to bowl another 5 games. The lanes were hooking a lot more than the day before, so I started with the Hy-Road. The ball was getting down the lane okay, but turning really hard on the back. I have to move pretty deep inside, and wasn't having much luck. I put up a horrible score in game 1, after leaving 4 weak 7's and missing 3 of them. Just one of those games.
In game two I decided to stick with the Hy-Road because my Black Widow was checking up way too early and I needed the polished cover of the HR to help get the ball down the lane. Now I don't know if it was the change of lanes or what, but the ball was now pushing, turning hard, and carrying. More snappy than the day before due to the lighter oil and fresher back ends. I shot 243 after throwing the front 6.
As we moved further down to the high end of the house, the lanes tightened up again and I had to migrate left and go straighter. The ball did everything it did the day before and then some.
I ended the day with 243, 235, 245, 267. Won more money and now this ball has paid for itself.
FOURTH LANE CONDITION: Same House, Light Oil League Shot, With FLYING Back ends. They had just redone the lanes the day before, and wow it was sick!
The Hy-Road was flying. Every ball was flying. As soon as it got about 5 feet past the arrows it started to turn. I had to stick with the HR though, because the BW didn't stand a chance. I would definitely not recommend this ball for a sick shot like that. Way too much hook and way too early. Had to grind out a 183, 197 the first two, before trying something new. Stand middle, throw left, hard, spin it, do whatever I could to stay on the left side of the head pin. Shot 222 the final game to salvage what could have been a horrible night.
SURFACE CHANGEAfter throwing the Hy-Road on a few different shots, and feeling more comfortable with it, but still not 100% I decided to take off the polish. I used a scotch brite pad and lightly scuffed the surface until it was dull. I then took it to my pro shop and had it taken to 4000 grit abralon.
LANE CONDITION: Synthetics, 39' House Shot, Not a lot of friction on the outsides. A little tougher, but not hard.
I threw the Hy-Road a few times in practice and thought I had a better look with my Black Widow, so I decided to start with that. The Widow gave me no recovery to the left, and was coming in light on most shots. After the 9th frame sitting at 183, I decided to pull out the HR at 4000 grit abralon.
The shot at this house with my type of hand was straight up the 8-10 board as leaking shots left made it hard to recover. I threw 3 in the 10th with the Hy-Road and decided to stick with it the rest of the night.
Comparing the Hy-Road to the Black Widow both at 4000 grit, the Hy-Road gave me more recovery, and finished better than the BW. The hit was more solid, and overall the reaction was better.
REVIEWERS NOTE: The BW is 3 years old and has well over 500 games on it, with one resurface coming last year around January. It also has the MB in a weak position for smoothing out tougher shots.
What I saw was great push down the lane, with a very nice strong arc back to the pocket. Carrying power again, very nice. It seems the more I have thrown this ball the better it carries. I believe it's because I am throwing it much better now that I trust the reaction more.
2nd game 237. 3rd game XX9/XXXXXX9/X-258 Two 7 pins. The 7 pin in the 10th cost me over $200. The 7 pin in the 3rd could have gone either way, but as most bowlers know (or at least remember) is that it rarely ever goes your way.
I haven't put up any huge numbers (267-708) with it yet, but I really like what I see so far. The best part is that any money I happen to win with it now is all bonus as the ball has already paid for itself.
I'm not a huge Storm fan, as most of the time I don't match up well with their equipment, but this ball is definitely a winner in my book. I give it a 9.5/10, and will change it to 10/10 if I can shoot 300/800
I tried to be as thorough as possible in my review, so I apologize in advance for the long read and any figjamming that may have occured.
If anyone has any questions about this ball, or any others I have reviewed, please do not hesitate to PM me.
As always, good luck, and good bowling...oh yea, Bowl Up A Storm!
--------------------
Ahhh Disco Biscuits!
