Coming June 15th the Intense Fire from Storm Bowling

Video:
https://youtu.be/xS4nNoQkQp4

Ball Review:
Unfortunately, I did not get to try this ball on a pattern that I would typically use it on although here are my thoughts on the upcoming release.
I tested this ball on pretty beat up conditions. There seemed to be a substantial amount of open play before I did this video. I was essentially on significantly dry conditions. It was pretty difficult to find the hold in the middle part of the lane no matter how far left I went on the approach.

I ranged between 25-32 on the approach and threw it to about 7 down lane as my break point. The ball had to be at 7 for my breakpoint otherwise I would see an over/under reaction. This was not the balls fault. It was just not the right environment to be throwing it in.

This is a very strong ball and you can see how continuous it was off the spot. I believe this will be a good ball to blend out those medium to heavier fresh oil conditions when the night begins and the original Intense is too angular and not early enough.

LANE CONDITION

Length: Medium

Volume: Medium

Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc): THS

The Intense Fire is the newest release in Storm’s Premier Line of Bowling Balls.  The Intense Fire features the sixth generation RAD-E Core.  Rad-E Core is surrounded by the R3S Hybrid coverstock.  The combination of Core and Coverstock generates generous length with a powerful backend motion.  I was able to throw the Intense and the Intense Fire on a Typical House Shot.  I was surprised by the overall reaction of the Intense Fire.  The Intense Fire picked up earlier in the mid lane because of the R3S Hybrid coverstock and the aggressive (not flippy) backend motion was more than expected. I had a little room when I moved in and kept my angles tight with the Intense Fire.  I could never do that with the Intense because it would squirt to the Friction or would not turn the corner.  As I continued to bowl and conditioner started to move around and break down the Intense Fire really showed its true power.  I could just chase the oil left and keep the friction to the right.  However, the dryer the fronts became the earlier the Intense Fire would start up.  I went to the Intense and moved a little right and right back into my comfort zone.  The layouts that were used on both bowling balls were pin over the fingers with the mass bias kicked out with an extra hole on the mid line.  The measurements are approximate for dual angle people 70 X 5.5 X 45.  My PAP is 5 5/8 over and ¾ up, Rev Rate was 300 and my ball speed is around 15 mph.  If you liked the Intense, the Intense Fire will Light Up Your World!
The Intense Fire is a very good compliment to the Premier Line.  Power and Versatility at your fingertips with the Intense Fire!



Likes: Versatility

Dislikes:


PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS

Storm Intense Fire
Layout: 5 inch, no weight hole
Rev Rate: 300 rpm
Testing information: 41 foot THS (medium to light volume)
Bowling Center: Fulton Bowling Center
Kegel Machine – Brunswick Anvilane

The Intense Fire, the sequel to the Intense, one of my favorites, is finally here.  I am already hearing about good results out of this ball from other Storm Staffers at the USBC Open Championship in Syracuse and other bowling venues.  The Intense Fire features the RAD-E core and R3S hybrid coverstock.  The colors in the Intense Fire are aesthetically pleasing and Storm hit a home run on the lava spice fragrance.  The thing we noticed most about the Intense Fire was the strong but controllable motion at the backend of the lane. 
We compared the Intense Fire to the original Intense.  The pin distances were not the same and the Intense had a lot of mileage on it (no re-surfacing) since it was one of my favorite balls.  In addition, there was a 9-Pin  league just before I practiced so not a controlled test session.   The Intense was more angular so it had better recovery down lane.  The Intense Fire allowed me to challenge the dry area to the right without overreacting.   The two balls had different ball motions so they will compliment each other.  The Intense Fire will be a good second ball out of the bag when that hook spot starts to develop down lane.  I look forward to getting some more lane time with it in tournament action.

Storm Intense Fire
During the initial testing of the Intense Fire we tried many different coverstocks that all performed admirably, but R3S Hybrid shined above all else. Radial Accelerating Disk™ (RAD) technology is now in its sixth generation with the RAD-E and earns some of the highest marks on the Professional Bowlers Tour. The “E” stands for ENERGY as the elongated ellipses near the pin increase the separation of mass as well as the potential energy of this dynamic beast.
The Intense Fire is the is the newest ball in the premier line and the second ball in the Intense line. This piece comes at 1500 grit polished and the R3S Hybrid cover stock is easy and responds to different surfaces meaning that this ball can be used by players with a lot of hand and like to hook it to guys that may not have as much. This was a fun ball to test and with the box finish I was able to stay right on top of the track on a “THB” typical house shot, but the ball was still responsive when I took the shine off and was able to get left and play the middle of the lane.
Do not miss out on getting this one as this ball has much more bang for the price point.
Go get the new Storm Intense Fire and #BowlupaSTORM!
BOWLER STYLE: RH - Stroker Rev Rate: 320 - 350 Ball Speed: 15-16 PAP: 4 7/8 right 5/8 up.
Storm - Roto Grip - VISE - Logo Infusion Staff Member
Brian Hirsch

LANE CONDITION

Length: 44ft

Volume: medium

Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc): Modified


COMMENTS

Likes: The Intense Fire for me is just acouple feet cleaner through the front part of the lane than the Hyper Cell Fused and at the same time alittle smoother but still continues. I put the same layout on both balls and the Fused seemed to pick up alittle quicker and hit the spot harder than the Fire. Compared to the regular Intense, the Fire has a quicker response on the lane but still good continuation. I went with my normal 65*5*45 layout (pin over my ring finger with the mass bias just to the right of my thumb with no weight hole) and saw 3 different shapes from the balls. For my game the Intense Fire is a better fit than the other 2. I felt the Fused came off the spot alittle too hard at times and never laid off and the Intense liked to go past the breakpoint. The Intense Fire is that happy medium between those 2. Very good ball for multiple pattern lengths. I have used it on a 44ft modified pattern and a 41ft pattern and it reacts very well on both.

Nick Smith
Storm/Roto Grip Amateur Staff
Bowling Connection Pro Shop

Dislikes:


PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS

The Intense Fire is a hybrid companion to the Intense, but I don’t find the two have much in common.  Where the original was very early and aggressive throughout the lane, the Fire is much easier through the fronts, getting even an extra foot or two further down the lane than you expect, before delivering an above average backend move and covering nearly all the boards it’s going to at the end of the lane.  The RAD-E core keeps the ball very continuous, there’s no burning of energy or standing up with the Fire, even when the lanes start to dry up, it doesn’t get weak, it just hooks more.  For a full and detailed review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCNCEitMJqM 

My stats: 16.5 mph ball speed, 285-315 rev rate, up the back type release with a high track. To summarize, medium speed - forward roll type of release with moderate revs.

I put the INTENSE FIRE at 55 x 4.5 x 35. This layout ended up with close to 2 oz of side weight which now doesn't require a weight hole as of August 1, 2018. I may still add one as I doubt that I will have this come 2020 when weight holes are eradicated from the game. I may add one to get this one to slow down some on the back.

I have used my INTENSE FIRE on many house and some on longer sport conditions. On the longer sport, it was squirty in box finish. A quick hit with a 2000 pad took a lot of that right out of play. The pad helped blend the heavy push in the front down to where the back end wasn't so jumpy when the INTENSE FIRE seen the friction of the end of the pattern. On house, the INTENSE FIRE is mucho ball. It really comes off the friction at the end of the pattern hard almost uncontrollably. The 2000 pad really helped to get it to slow down some but if I just use it in league play, I may need to smooth that up to 2000/4000 to get the ball to lane shine.

Compared to other piece in my bag and progression: I have been also using the new RG HALO. I am positioning the INTENSE FIRE as the ball down from the HALO when I am moving left away from the pocket. I have the original INTENSE also. I see the FIRE with the 2000 as much earlier and the INTENSE is a good ball down for my game when the FIRE is starting to dig in too hard and I want to keep a strong shape downlane.

I think that straigher/tweener players will like this one. Get the shine knocked down to suit your game if this one plays squirty out of the box. Power players may not like the hard backend of this one and may want to tone down their layouts on this one. All in all looks like a great compliment to the original and to someone wanting a ball down option from their big hitters in the bag.