Bowler Information:
17.5-18.0 mph
Medium Revs
Low Track
Ball Drilling:
2" pin
Leverage Drilling
Pin to the right and slightly above ring finger
Typical Line to the Pocket:
Straight up first arrow or slight point to the pocket
Ball Summary:
Controllable ball reaction with average carry. Surprisingly strong movement for a non-particle ball. Watch out when the lanes start to dry out.
There are two myths of mine that were destroyed by this ball. The first is that I need a particle ball to generate hook on most oilier lane conditions considering my speed, track, and rev rate. The second is that Storm doesn't produce a ball that suits my game. I couldn't have been more wrong on either count.
I had asked my Pro Shop operator for a recommendation to replace a dead MoRich Total Annihilation (you can check out my review of that ball). I said specifically that I did not want a particle ball because of their short longevity. What he came up with was the Storm XXX series. I was leery because the last Storm ball I threw was the Storm El Nino Wrath--it might as well have been a plastic ball. However, I gave my Pro Shop operator the benefit of the doubt. After some research on the internet and Bowling This Month, I saw that there were two XXX balls that caught my attention. The first was the XXX Extreme and the second was the Vertigo. I chose the XXX Extreme over the Vertigo simply because the length of the Extreme was shorter than the Vertigo--10 versus 12, according to Bowling This Month.
This ball has a wonderfully controlled reaction, partly due to the choice of drilling. Mid-lane read is excellent, and energy release at the pins is very good. The XXX Extreme outhooks any particle ball I have thrown (MoRich Total Annihilation, MoRich Mayhem, Track Freak), which not only surprised me, but my teammates, also.
Carry is a little tricky with this ball--especially on flush hits. It leaves a few more ten pins than I would like. But I can't get upset with the ball because when I pick it up to shoot the spare, the strawberry fragrance soothes my frustration. Seriously--this is the first fragrance from Storm that I do not find annoying.
This ball holds its line well as the bowling night progresses, until about mid-way through the third game. It becomes quite obvious when this ball starts to over-react, as the reaction of the ball changes from skid-roll-flip to just skid-flip. There have been a few times when this happens without the warning of at least a tripped four. However, moving more into the oil with a textbook 2 and 1 adjustment solves this problem quickly.
Overall, I am very happy with the reaction of the ball, and it has produced some very good scores for the 25 or so games I've thrown with it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it lasts longer than my recent balls with particle shells.
