User Specs:

Left handed, 375 rev rate, 17mph speed, 45 degree angle of rotation, 7 degrees tilt

Layout: 4 x 2

The Revenant is a new symmetric ball in Storm’s Thunder line.  It’s basically a reskin of the Spectre, which featured the R3S Pearl coverstock, which is a step up in strength from R2S Pearl that’s on the Phaze 5.  It also features the medium RG high diff Vector core that splits the difference between a strong symmetric core and something like the core in the Hy-Road series.  It allows the ball to get further down the lane before revving up, but the amount of flare engages the cover to help get traction for stability and a strong move on the backend. 

I’ve used the Revenant at several different surfaces on several different conditions.  First, the box Reacta Gloss surface combined with the cleaner nature of the cover just made it too long and inconsistent for me, so I took it to 3000 grit by hand initially.  This made it more controllable and consistent, but it’s difficult to get very deep by hand, so as I continued to bowl, it shined back up and was still cleaner than was comfortable for me.  I resurfaced it to 1000 grit on a resurfacing machine, and then finished it with Storm’s Step 2 compound.  After that, the reaction was much improved, still clean and sharp, but much more stable, much more controllable, and the more games I got on it, the stronger and better it reacted.

The Revenant has been the perfect daily driver in league ball.  I like my Fate quite a bit, but it’s often just a touch too strong for regular use.  The Revenant reacts very similarly but is a step down on strength.  The round and punchy shape splits the difference between control and response, which maximizes forgiveness from left to right on the lane.  It’s smooth enough to give me hold on misses inside, and responsive enough to give me recovery on misses out.  While I see a slight difference in overall shape from the original Spectre, I used the Spectre frequently in the time I was able to, and the same is true for the Revenant.  It’s rare for me to get through a set on a house shot without it getting extended use or at least making an appearance.