Ball: IQ Tour Fusion
Layout Ball 1: 75x4.75x40
Layout Ball 2: 65x2.5x30
Surface Prep: 1500 Polished

Bowler Style: Tweener
PAP: 5.25x1
Rev Rate: 325
Speed: 17.5
Axis Rotation: 65 Degrees
Axis Tilt: 5 Degrees


     The IQ Tour Fusion is the next in line to release in Storm's extremely successful IQ Tour Line and it definitely does not disappoint.  This ball fits between the IQ Tour and the IQ Tour Pearl so well because it seems to have taken the best qualities of each ball and combined them into a single piece.  The IQ Tour Fusion has the length and "pop" at the break point like the IQ Tour Pearl but still keeps that smooth mid-lane read and the versatility of the IQ Tour.  This combination makes the IQ Tour Fusion a ball that is very difficult to put down.

     For myself, I drilled up two IQ Tour Fusions to properly test the roll depending on what you did with the weight block during drilling and I was surprised how well this ball took to layout changes.  By going with the layouts listed above I was able to create a ball with a little more length and angularity down lane and another with a more early roll that continued strong through the pins.  This allows me to stay in the same area of the lane during a league set and easily modify my ball roll on the lane to ensure maximum carry.

     If you have another ball in the IQ Tour Line and feel its a good ball, the Fusion is definitely a ball you want to consider for your next purchase because it might easily be the best ball out of  the three.  I think this ball has a good chance of taking ball of the year this year and its only January!

     For more information please visit my YouTube channel (sk8sbowlingreviews) to see a video review of the IQ Tour Fusion and a more detailed breakdown of my thoughts on the ball.

Michael Bauer
Storm Amateur Staff Member
PBA Member
www.YouTube.com/sk8sbowlingreviews

The !Q Tour Fusion is one of the most anticipated releases that I can think of in some time.  Those that know me well know that I think the !Q Tour Solid is probably the best ball ever made.  The Solid version I find to be very versatile and can be used on most conditions.  I have been throwing the Fusion for a few weeks and I find this ball to be another hit from Storm.  In the past the hybrids from Storm have been great(Hyroad especially).  I usually have to drill these with longer pin to pap drillings to get the best reaction for my game.  I drilled this with my typical layout with places the pin 5 inches from my pap and the mass bias 3 inches from my thumb.  This ball has good length and booms on the backend!  I used this over the weekend for a few games and this ball was very strong off the spot.  I find this ball to be just as clean through the fronts as the pearl and stronger off the spot with more continuation than the pearl.  I think this could be the strongest of all of the balls in the !Q line.   My personal opinion is that the heavier handed guys will like this even more than usual.  Like any other ball in the !Q line it is a no brainer. 
http://s1297.photobucket.com/user/Storm-Dustin/media/A83353F7-8D76-4727-BD9C-2735D1803479_zpsixlhjngl.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0#/user/Storm-Dustin/media/A83353F7-8D76-4727-BD9C-2735D1803479_zpsixlhjngl.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0&_suid=1391561574750029445820727571853

LANE CONDITION

By STORM staff: Dan Higgins
Right Handed
PAP 5 1/8 up 3/8
Rev rate 380-415

STORM IQ Tour Fusion link:
http://stormbowling.com/products/balls/iqtourfusion

I have drilled 2 IQ Tour Fusion’s

Pin up 5 ¼ x 3 ¼ x 3 or dual angle 40 x 5 ¼ x 42

I usually use my IQ Tour as a benchmark with this same layout.  I now have more backend than needed! That’s ok though I can use less hand and let Fusion and lane guide me to the 1-3 pocket for STRIKING!!!, I like using this layout for more down and in play on typical house patterns or something 39-42 foot.   I have this layout numerous bowling balls, EX: Marvel S, IQ Tour, Freak N Frantic and decide if I have to ball up or down based on desire reaction/carry. Now with the Fusion I have made eyes wander as this will be the ball to have.

The other IQ Fusion I drilled is the “Motion Hole” theory.  With my Pap being over 5, I place the pin next to ring finger and drew a line from the cg through the pin and placed a hole 10inches from the pin. I like the layout and motion prior to the hole and with the hole I got a little more distance and more arch of the ball. I find it a little to responsive off the dry.  I would suggest you to play with and older ball to see if you like the desired reaction. 

I’m going to drill a third IQ Tour Fusion with what is called the reverse 130 layout(Pin above fingers on center line cg kicked left and inch from center grip and a 7/8 hole about 40-45 degrees  9 inches from center of span, which is above and left of my middle finger and left of my last flares).  I have this layout in a Reign On, Modern Marvel and HyRoad, produces better length and continuous motion for me and I like better than the “Motion Hole” layout.

   IQ TOUR FUSION review by Storm staffer Jeff Richgels
      Drilled January 22, 2013
     

      The IQ TOUR FUSION specs are here:
   http://www.stormbowling.com/products/balls/iqtourfusion     

   You can see a picture of it in my blog here:
   http://www.11thframe.com/reviews/29



Unlike so many bowlers, the IQ TOUR solid simply wasn’t good for me, as I explained in my review here.

http://www.11thframe.com/reviews/6

But the IQ TOUR PEARL “Gold Magic” has been one of my favorite balls of all time, particularly on house shots. So long as there is not a huge puddle in the middle, it’s one I’ll always try on a house shot. And I have used it some on Sport shots — there just needs to be some dry area for it to work. My review is here.

http://www.11thframe.com/reviews/9

Storm said the key to the PEARL was that it created a lot of entry angle with a long transition, which usually isn’t seen. That's an excellent description of the motion!

The IQ TOUR FUSION fits right between the two, just as it was designed to do. The core is the same as the other two — the C3 Centripetal Control Core, "which is engineered to yield ample midlane roll and smooth out the transition.”

The FUSION makes the same basic move, but with the hybid cover it is intended to be less sensitive to oil than the PEARL and it is. Storm says the surface roughness of the new R2S hybrid mixture on the FUSION is about 12 percent higher than the PEARL.

Luckily for me, it is not as early as the IQ TOUR solid, which was so aggressive it typically forced me inside too quickly, too often creating a 4-pin/2-pin reaction.

I drilled two FUSIONs and have used them on house shots, the USBC Blue 1 pattern, a Kegel version of the flat PBA Bear pattern, and a WTBA Sport pattern that is very similar to PBA Cheetah.

One is very similar to my favorite IQ TOUR PEARL with the pin over the bridge and the CG kicked right about 60 degrees. The numbers are 4-5/8 pin to PAP, 4-1/4 “mb” (it's a symmetrical) to PAP, and 3-1/4 pin buffer with my PAP at 5 1/8 over and 3/4 up. The weight hole is almost on my PAP.

The other is a pin-in-the-palm, a drilling that often has been great for shorter patterns like Cheetah, as it blends out the often wicked over/under reaction, enabling me to swing it to the dry boards without it jumping high and get it in the oil without a squirt-snap reaction. The numbers are 5-1/8 pin to PAP, 3-3/4 “mb” to PAP, and 5-1/8 pin buffer.

The weight hole is on a 45-degree line down and right from my CG.
I’ve had much success with that drilling in other balls like the FURIOUS and SPECIAL AGENT on short patterns. And the FUSION worked great in the tournament I used it at, giving me control and striking power.

http://www.11thframe.com/news/article/6427

The FUSION’s coverstock is noticeably stronger than the PEARL for me, but with more skid the original IQ TOUR solid. If anything, it is stronger than I expected. I have to really get into a deep puddle to see it skid too much to make the corner, which happened frequently with the PEARL if there was too big a puddle. And the FUSION rolls very heavy through the pins if it hasn't rolled out. Where the PEARL was skid, move, and sometimes quit, the FUSION is much more of an even and more continuous motion unless it's totally thrown to the dry and quits.

I especially like how the pin-in-the-palm one rolls, even on conditions where I often haven’t used that drilling in the past, such as the flat pattern in the league I bowl in.

I have not touched the coverstock, but my doubles partner and ball guru Steve Richter said he hit his with a 3,000-grit pad and it rolled even better. So I may try that. The R2S is famous for working well with any surface treatment, so change the FUSION with confidence.

Even without changing the cover, I've found the FUSION to be usable on everything but very heavy oil with no dry area and very dry or burned out conditions. It's extremely versatile.

I think it’s real simple to say who will like this ball: If you liked the other IQ TOURs, especially the PEARL, odds are you are going to like this one. If you didn't like them, you probably should look for something else. If you liked one and not the other (like me), the FUSION probably is worth a shot.

I have a feeling the FUSION is going to be a contender for 2014 Ball of the Year.

Right Handed
Ball weight:  14
Rev Rate:  378
Ball Speed:  18.2
Axis Tilt:  6.67
Axis Rotation:  45*
PAP:  4 1/2 horizontal, 1 5/8 up
Layout:  45 x 3 x 55 (hole P2)

I decided to drill the Fusion to be one of my benchmark balls.  I want to be able to carry this ball pretty much anywhere and find a look, or at least give me a good read of the lanes.  The drilling listed uses my benchmark ratio of 1:1.25, using a 100* sum.

First game out of the box on our THS was 289, with a terrible 11th ball.  I was able to play the track with leak and tug.  I had plenty of room and if the ball was around the hole, it mixed the pins great.  For me, the roll is quite similar to the Tour Pearl, but just a bit earlier.  The ball has a nice shape down lane, it isn’t too sharp and doesn’t rev up too soon.  Just a nice smooth curve.  If it encounters friction, it wants to move, but it’s not erratic. 

There is a reason everyone seems to like this ball.  The roll is predictable and it carries quite well.  I can play up the boards if there is oil in the track, or I can swing it when something like the Hyper Cell or Zero Gravity has eaten up the shot.  It recovers really well down lane when stronger equipment burns up.

Because most THS tend to have dry boards right and a taper at the end of the pattern, this may be the perfect ball for a benchmark.  With the games I have rolled, I am overly impressed, even more so than I was with the Pearl Tour.

I’m not sure there’s any company that has a hybrid cover as good as the R2S hybrid.  The cover/core matchup on this ball rivals the HyRoad.  I try not to put a blanket statement on my reviews, but this is a must have.  This ball is going to be good on a variety of conditions and should be a welcomed addition to most, if not all, arsenals.

Storm IQ Fusion Ball Review

When I first heard the best ball company in the world was combining two of their great pieces into one, I couldn’t wait to order a couple of them and make some dust!  I have been so impressed thus far with the IQ Fusion.  There were times I thought the IQ Tour and IQ Tour Pearl were too sensitive to oil and friction.  Finding a happy medium with surface and drilling with those two rocks presented challenges but I was still able to use them.  So far, the IQ Fusion has been nothing but impressive. 

The IQ Fusion provides that happy medium I was looking for where it’s a stronger, symmetrical motion.  It’s a perfect compliment to a Zero Gravity, Hyper Cell, or Marvel-S.  The one I drilled is approximately 5 ½ x 4 ½ with a hole under my axis.  I took the shine off with a light 1000 pad by hand.  That helped the reaction be less sensitive to friction and oil, creating a smoother, but clean and powerful shape.   I’ve been able to use it on many different conditions, but mainly when the lanes start to transition and I need to create some angle and shape down lane.
 
In my opinion, this ball is stronger than most people think.  Because of the pearl, its response time is quicker which will help both the lower rev players and rev dominant players.  I’ve also had success putting weight holes in balls with lower differentials.  Weight holes help the ball read the lane a bit more and thus creating a better reaction.   This ball, quite possibly, could be the ball of the year.  I’m excited to win some tournaments with this bad boy in my hands!
 
Go drill one!

#StormNation