Ball NPS Score: 100.00
- Color: Gold Pearl All colors do vary somewhat from the picture shown.
- Coverstock: R2Sâ„¢ Pearl Reactive
- Core Type: C³™ Centripetal Control Core
- Factory Finish: 1500-grit Polished
- Radius of Gyration (RG): 2.49
- Differential (Diff): 0.029
- Hook Potential: High
- Length: High
- Recommended Lane Condition: Medium-Heavy

Description: Now bowlers can have the best of both worlds, introducing a ball with both control and strong back-end. Storm now introduces the IQ Tour Pearl. This ball will read really well down the lane and then break longer towards the back-end with a strong arching hook. Storm is considering this IQ TOUR line one of their benchmarks, meaning every bowler needs this in their arsenal. This ball is recommended by bowlers like Jason Belmonte who need both high Rev's and low RG's to control the break-point, which is found in the C3 Centripetal Control Core. The major differences in this ball from the others in the Tour line will be the way this ball reads the mid-lane, it won't over-respond to the oil but yet slide straight towards the pocket with a smooth arching hook.

Hand: Left
Ball Speed: 16-17mph
Ball Weight: 15lbs
PAP: 5 left 7/16 up
Degrees of Tilt: 17
Layout: 5 x 4 x 2

I drilled my !Q Tour pearl pin above my ring finger with the cg out with a very small hole about 1 ½ inches down from my midline. For a pearl cover it is super smooth and controllable like I have never seen before. The !Q Tour pearl is very predictable and you know when the ball is going to make a move and when you have to move when the lanes transition. The first time I used it at a tournament which was basically a house shot but modified a little bit with a little more oil outside the 10 board. I played up the boards and let the oil take it and once it hit the back ends it does not jump hard it makes a nice smooth roll to the pocket, hits hard and mixes the pin ups as if it was a big asymmetrical weight block ball. I bowled 2 squads and shot back to back 279s on game 1 of each squad and avg a little over 240.

Compared to the !Q Tour solid, which is drilled the same as the pearl, the pearl it gets down lane and can be used more on a burn pattern once the solid tour starts to hook too much or gives you up and down reaction. Depending on the pattern I am about 5 to 6 more boards left (being left handed) with the pearl than the solid which is good because I can play more of my comfort zone and once it dries up even more I can just move right and still be around the pocket and not giving it away too much and having to worry about corner pins. If you love the !Q Tour solid then I recommend you get the !Q Tour pearl! You won’t go wrong!

If you have any questions about the !Q Tour pearl email me at garrett.richardson@pinolebowlerssupply.com

Garrett Richardson
Storm/Roto Grip Amateur Staff
Vise Inserts Amateur Staff
Pinole Bowler’s Supply
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Storm IQ Tour Ball Review by Storm Staffer Casey Murphy
Storm Lucid Ball Review
by Storm Staffer Casey Murphy

Right Handed
Rev Rate:  375-400 Rpm
Ball Speed:  16 mph
PAP:  4 5/8 straight across

Location:  Sunshine Lanes
Lane Pattern:  Typical House Shot
Layout:  65, 5 ½, 35

I loved the IQ Tour and was excited when I saw the spec sheet.  But my jaw HIT THE FLOOR when I saw the spec sheet for IQ Tour Pearl.  Gold?  And Pearl with the Centripetal Control Core?!  I couldn’t wait. 

I drilled the IQ Tour Pearl to clear the heads and create angle on the back.  I threw it on a house shot and was not disappointed.  The coverstock got the ball through the heads and the fast rev’ing low RG core generated plenty of mid lane.  It was surprisingly strong overall and I had to play 5 or 6 boards deeper than any other ball in my arsenal.  First league set with was 804!

Gold, beautiful, unbelievably strong.  The IQ Tour Pearl is a must have.

BALL SPECS
Pin Length:  3 ¾”
Starting Top Weight: 3.12oz
Ball Weight: 16.0
 
DRILL PATTERN
4 ¾ x 4 ½ x 2 ¾
Weight hole: 4” straight across

 
BOWLER STYLE
Rev Rate: High per C.A.T.S
Ball Speed: 18
PAP/Track: 5” across ¾ up
 
SURFACE PREP
OOB
 
BALL REACTION
The IQ Tour ruined the surprise that the IQ Tour Pearl [IQTP] would react better than expected. The IQTP went from the press to the lanes and it did not disappoint me. It cleared the heads and just recovered on the 43’ house pattern with ease. This ball retains a lot of energy as the pins were flying like they were escaping from the devil. Night two, I used it at a house with a pronounced wet-dry and while the ball came harder off of the spot, I still knew where it was headed. As the lane became more over-under, the ball started to look more at home as it refused to wiggle down the lane. The third time out, I used the ball at a center I’ve been using my Lucid and the IQTP allowed me to play straighter than the Lucid to start the night. By the end I was pressed against the ball return and delivered two bad shots that left me looking at 10 strikes knowing I could have had 12.

You can expect the “Butterscotch Beast” to give you a clean look through the fronts, a predictable transition off of the dry and just continued through the pins strong. This ball does a great job of energy retention which translates into better carry. And she’s versatile enough to play straight or with your body against or in front of the ball return.

COMMENTS
Likes: Color, strong predictable transition & the versatility
Dislikes: I don’t smell enough butterscotch!

IQ TOUR PEARL review by Storm staffer Jeff Richgels
 
The IQ TOUR PEARL ball details are here:
 
http://www.stormbowling.com/products/balls/iqtourpearl

Picture of my IQ TOUR PEARL in my blog here:

http://www.11thframe.com/page/reviews_id_9
 
DRILLED Nov. 17, 2012
 
The drilling is the same as the VIRTUAL GRAVITY NANO I’ve been using since early 2011 — the ball I used the last 2 games of team event at 2011 USBC OC. It measures out at 4.5 Pin to PAP x 4 “mb” (it’s a symmetrical ball) to PAP x 3 3/8 pin buffer. The pin is above the ring finger and the drilling angle is about 60 degrees. There is a weight hole at P1 just to get it back to static legal. (Picture at end of my blog.)
 
I have found over the years that solid and pearl coverstocks rapped around the same core often perform completely differently for me, with one being great and the other just not working.
 
Such appears to be the case with the IQ TOUR and IQ TOUR PEARL.
 
If you read my updated review of the IQ TOUR at http://www.11thframe.com/page/reviews_id_6 I simply could not find a way to use it successfully, even with multiple coverstock surface changes and two drillings. This despite the fact that so many have raved about the ball, notably Bowling This Month magazine.
 
My issue with the IQ TOUR is that it either went too quick for me and quit, leading to plaque 10s, or when I then got more left and into the oil (if it was there), it didn’t slow down enough and left solid 9s, ring 10s and 4-pins.
 
Of course, I joked when I ordered the IQ TOUR PEARL that I probably would love it … and that looks like it might be the case - at least on a house shot. (Read down for where it might not be the best choice.)
 
In fact, I would say from what I have experienced and seen that the IQ TOUR PEARL may be one of the greatest house shot balls ever.
 
Storm describes the IQ TOUR PEARL as “the perfect combination of midlane control and backend hook” with the low RG, low differential C3 Centripetal Control Core.
 
And that’s exactly what it has provided me on a house shot. I’ve now used it in practice and tournaments on different house shots and it was a monster each time. The IQ TOUR PEARL rolls strong in the midlane and continues with a very strong move in the back-end.
 
When I saw him at the Senior High Roller in Las Vegas, famed coach Mike Jasnau said exactly what I said: The IQ TOUR PEARL is the strongest pearl ball ever.
 
I initally had a little trouble with squirt in the puddle, but after hitting the box shiny surface with a 4,000 Abralon pad, that went away.
 
What I really love about the IQ TOUR PEARL is how hard (for me) and straight I can go with both hold and swing and great carry. Yet, I’ve also seen bigger hand players (with and without higher speed) get in and wheel it and strike at will.
 
The most impressive part was the smooth roll through the pins, which produced awesome carry — it was almost exactly the opposite of what was the problem for me with the IQ TOUR! Although it makes a strong move in the back-end, the pins stay low on the deck, which for me usually produces better carry than flying up and about.
 
I would agree 100 percent with what Storm says: “You’ll be able to see the difference as this ball reads the midlane without over-responding to the friction at the end of the oil pattern. Then the real magic happens; it reads the backends with unparalleled consistency through the pocket”
 
I do have one huge caveat with the IQ TOUR PEARL: I have been unable to use it successfully on a Sport shot.
 
I tried it on the 2012 USBC Open Championships pattern at a tournament, on the Senior High Roller pattern, and on Team USA Montreal in the league I bowl in and found it tough to control. On the heavier oil Sport shots, it went too long and was inconsistent getting into a roll. On the lighter Sport shots, I found it difficult to consistently get it to the breakpoint.
 
I did see others using the IQ TOUR PEARL at the two tournaments with success, including Rob Aimers, who I think led the tournament on the 2012 USBC OC pattern. But he has higher ball speed, more revs and a heavier roll than me.
 
So I am not saying it won’t work on a Sport pattern, I’m saying to be cautious in your expectations.
 
But if you’re someone who is looking for a strike machine ball on house shots, I highly recommend the IQ TOUR PEARL.

no need to reoeat what has only been posted, other than to confirm too that I'm very happy with the IQ Pearl. My only comment is that it slides very well through the heads as long as there is some oil, and works very well with any back end,  will hook firmly in heavy as well as light oil (mids) and carrydown doesn't syop it, the only thing that will put this ball in the bag (and quickly) is if thrown on fried heads, there the ball will ready immediately upon encountering friction, and burn up very quickly leading to weak, rolled out hits. Because of the ease through the fronts, I use this always on any fresh shot, and move on to the Marvel pearl when the heads start to go (to control the break point better (slower)), and cycle on down to a Tropical Pearl as the heads really go away.

Just a bit more info, drilled mine 4 x 4 x 2" pin buffer, a layout that matches a Columbia300 Outburst, and a Storm Tropical Pearl (blue/Yellow) that have been favorites of mine. I concur with StoRoto 2013 in that this ball NEEDS oil in the heads to keep from rolling out. Pin carry is wildly different rolled out (corner festival) vs not rolled out (very solid hit) This ball is truly exhausting to thow on anything other than medium - very heavy oil at least for me. I have medium high revs, and 13.2 mph average @ the pins. This combination (when using Storms Matchmaker program) pairs this ball with me to oily (heavy) conditions, so I'd have to agree. I've recommended this ball to quite a few bowlers, with various releases and speeds (they saw some huge series from me and went out to get the ball for themselves) A 11.5 mph low track medium rev player loves the reaction, for him it's much more controlled than for me, and actually outhooks his like drilled Nano by a few boards. We've all seen with horror, Osku Palermaa use this as a spare ball,  so the match is all important I'd say. Got this ball 'cause I'd bungled up the layout on a Marvel Pearl (pin down for my very high track, caused finger hole tracking) and my initial layout on the Marvel was pin over bridge stacked, which for me is nearly a 7" pin up, so it would only flip on the driest of conditions, prompting the pin down fix. I was overall very happy with the pin carry and reaction of the marvel, and figured that the slightly weaker (not for me with the pin down) cover-stock of the IQ Pearl, I'd get the energy retention of the pin way to out (on the marvel) with the control and carry of the centripital core (well if the oil is heavy enough it is controlled some, but on medium to lighter medium it hooks with a frightening snap) In all the IQ Pearl really works for me as a heavy - medium ball (though I already had enough of those) and good enough in that area that when usable (oil present in front half of lane) everything else stays in the trunk (of the car). Still looking to find the right drill layout for my Natural Pearl for very burnt - light oil shots (seems most tournaments break down to this in the third game/ squad)

Lay Out: 5" from PAP at 65* PAP angle and 30* VAL angle. Dual angle measurement would be 65/5/30. I have a weight hole 5" straight across the grip center.

Ball Surface: I started box finish which is 1500 Reacta-Shine. I have also touched up the surface with a used 2000-abr pad.

Lane Condition Observations: I have thrown this on a couple of different patterns: Our league pattern which is around a 38' shot. I also threw this some on a Kegel Sport Pattern that was 43'. On our league pattern, the OOB finish was kind of snappy off the spot. I left several 9 pins with this. I decided to hit it with the used 2000-abr pad to slow it down in the back a little more. This did well and let me edge closer to the friction line since the ball would stop more in the back of the lane than in box finish. On the 43' pattern, it gave the appearance it might be in play once the heads really went away. We never got enough games in to dramatically alter the front of the lane, so the IQ Tour Solid and the Lucid were much better choices on that condition.

Other Ball Comparisons: I did get to throw it some side by side with my Fire Road, IQ Tour, and Lucid. The Lucid is earlier than all of those as the surface lets it slow down more. The IQ Tour is a little smoother of a look for me than the Lucid and I was 3 and 2 right compared to the Lucid. Where the IQ Tour Pearl shone for me was when I put it head-to-head with the Fire Road. Now this ball was blowing racks and just sawing up pins compared to the slower to medium response of the FR. Head to head with the IQ solid and the pearl was sharper off the spot in the back of the lane but the solid was earlier in the mid lane. There is the primary difference in both balls: one is a smooth surface solid and the other a shined pearl. The IQTP was more skid/snap in box. The look with the IQTP was more closer to the original when I put the 2000-abr on it.
 
Final Thoughts: I see a lot of IQ Tour Pearls on ball returns in our area. Several of the centers have defined wet/dry house conditions and the IQTP rolls enough in the oil and hooks back sharply if sent right of target. The guys who are really hitting league shots in our area with the IQTP are the ones who have slightly hit their ball with a 4000-abr pad. This lets them get closer to the friction and cuts down on the 9 pins left.