Ball Specs:
Pin Distance from CG: 2"
Top Weight: 2.42 oz.
Layout: Pin and CG stacked on center line with the CG falling 1/2" in thumb quadrant.

Lane Pattern: 40 foot blend with 37 units in center with 5 units outside 8. Lane surface is HPL.

On the fresh this ball skidded very easily through the front with a nice arc on the back. I had to stay soft with my hand and keep my speed down for this ball to work on the fresh. If I got a little fast with the ball speed, this ball flew through the break point. The thing I saw the most on the fresh is when I tilted the ball it was definitely over/under prone. The most successful release that worked for me was up the back.

As the lanes broke down this ball come into play for me. I was able to tilt the ball and I got a very consistant read on the back. A nice strong arc...no jerk. Basically, I bought this ball for medium patterns/broken down patterns and from what I initially see this ball would work for this type of condition. I do plan to try this ball on shorter patterns and will do another report. I do plan to drill another one with a stronger layout.

I drilled mine with the pin up against the top of the ring finger, 2.5 oz top weight, box surface.  I bowl on the JBT, so there are many different conditions for me to base this on, but here are my early observations.(check my profile fror my personal stats)

The polished surface gets this ball through the heads extremely clean.  On anything from medium-dry to medium-heavy, this ball will clear the first 30 feet without any problem(the rest depends upon the oil length).  At the house i normally practice at, which i usually get to bowl on when its fresh, it is about 38 feet or so, brunswick anvilane, with dry outside 7 but a small OOB from 2 to the gutter.  The application isnt too thick, but there is a pretty good amount of oil from around 13 to the center(i'm a righty).  typically, for the best results, i played this ball from 20 at the line out to around 13 at the arrows.  the ball revs up incredibly through the first 25 feet or so, and hits a breakpoint of around 9 before grabbing the lane.  the ball doesnt snap whatsoever, and makes an aggressive arc to the pocket.  

what i like most about this ball is the consistency.  it will do exactly what u do to it.  i rarely have had the ball react differently from what i expected.  also, the angle of entry into the pocket when coming from outside is incredible.  i have not had the carry results i had hoped for yet, but the entry angle is definitely one that makes me want to find a way to throw this ball.  my carry problems with this flash force are due mainly because this house tends to carry more from tighter lines over the oil in the middle.  i threw it in practice at a tourney, and had much better results.  the final thing i like about this ball is the price...i bought this ball on Ebay for $77 shipped, and had it drilled for another $40...if you dont have a ball for medium conditions, this ball is a great option.

as far as dislikes, i was not very impressed with the carry, but like i said i used it at a house that favored a different style.  i left alot of 8 and 9 pins, which is normal for me, and if anything this ball drives too hard, if there even is such a thing.  lastly, the light hits were not as impressive as i had hoped.  maybe i havent thrown it enough yet, but the pins seem to go flying in all the wrong directions, and i have left plenty of 7's, 10's, 7-10's, and other counts that i normally get with my Hot Wire and even Barbed Wire.  

Overall, I give this ball a 7 out of 10.  its consistency seems like something that may be good on a sport shot, but for a THS the carry has not impressed me enough YET to give it a better rating.  the angle is great, and the price is even better, but this ball has a few flaws as far as performance.  hit or miss type of ball.
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Erik Olsen - e13ez85@hotmail.com

This is a great dry-med heavy oil ball... it hits the pocket hard and has a nice hook to it... i bowl on med. oiled wood lanes and this ball eats those lanes up... the only problem that i have had with this ball is when i go to trnys and they have a heavier pattern... that causes me to go more down and in with my throws... but this ball doesn't over hook so its ok to do it.... when i 1st got it 8 out of my 1st 9 games were over 200... this is coming from someone that at the time was averaging around 145... since getting this ball, my average has rose to 163 and i have won 3 of the 5 trnys i have been in... I'm only 15 and have been bowling about a year and a half... and with this ball I'm carrying around a 212 trny ave on different lane cond... over all this ball is great till u get into the oil... i give it a 9 out of 10...

I have a X Factor Ace on the way now 4 the oil..."another great ball"

ok...this is my FIRST review of any storm ball EVER...i know that might seem kinda sad, but i never was really interested in any storm balls, especially when i heard about weak outter core material cracking and breaking, but this is my only exception(i got it for $35 shipped, i had only $35 bucks to lose). this ball is the best ball i have had for medium-light conditions, even better than my rs-1, it goes MUCH longer and not as snappy on the back and just smoothly arcs toward the pocket, for me, this is a very smooth rolling ball, and i drilled it with my fav layout! it looks something like this:

---0-0@----*--X      @=pin
---------------      *=cg
---------------      X=weight hole
---O-----------

this isnt the best graphic of the layout, i may try to get a pic posted, but this layout was on my original apex that i shot my 300 with. IMO, this is a great controllable layout. my span is approximately 4 5/16 MF 2 thumb, and 4 7/16 RF 2 thumb. drilled with a switch grip thumb.

the ball had 4 oz of tw after it was drilled, so my pro shop guy had 2 put a 4 in deep hole, bout an inch and a quarter wide to get it back to legal, but like i said earlier, this is the smoothest rolling ball ive owned. if u miss right, say bye bye, if u miss left, the ball will hold, unless it hits dry, then it will go thru the nose, sometimes crossing the headpin 4 a brooklyn strike. this ball hits hard and leaves low pins, to carry the corners better. i cant wait to use it in league next week! i have had no games under 185 with this ball yet, lets hope it stays that way!

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Roto Grip: King of Them All!

I Love Roto Grip bowling balls

Personal Hi of 209 with the Roto Grip Spare Tire.  HECK YES!!!!

I had this ball for about a year. It never made it to the "A" bag. I pulled it out recently and put some more games on it. Time for a review.

14# ball with a 2.5 inch pin. I don't recall the topweight. Cg a bit above grip center with the pin next to ring finger. No weight hole needed. I tested it in box finish which is mildly polished.

I used this ball on synthetics on a typical house shot. The ball has nice midlane and a very controlled backend. I like it on fresh as it starts early and you don't have to worry about throwing it to fast and blowing through your breakpoint. Carry is very good. Very few taps on good hits. As the lane breaks down and I move deeper inside the carry tends to go away as the ball struggles to turn the corner but is hooking to early to play the same line as when the lanes are fresh. I usually have to go with a ball with a cleaner coverstock with more backend to keep scoring.

I like this ball as an alternative to my Ki pearl. They cover nearly the same # of boards but the KI pearl is skid/snap and the Flash Force is all about arc. When one isn't carrying the other often will. Different angles of attack.  

Overall the ball is relatively early with good control late. An unusuall ball, but a good one.
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Why does everyone laugh when I bowl?

louie