Been looking for a ball to go to when the lanes are dry and have been leaning towards one or the other of the Naturals but then I saw that Storm is coming out with the Pitch Black in May, which sounds like what I'm looking for.  But then I read the last couple of posts here regarding the Super Natural and how some are using it for dry lanes and as a spare ball, which would be nice because as someone already stated; kill two birds with one stone.  So I'm wondering; how are the two Naturals different and has anyone heard anything about the Pitch Black yet other than what Storm has on their website?

Thanks,
Aaron

Oh yeah, one other question.  What's the difference between the Natural and the Natural Pearl, besides the obvious?  Do they both react about the same, etc....

I have the super natural and it was stronger than I expected.  The key is ball motion. 

The best way I can explain it is if you have a natural and a super natural drilled the same and throw them on the same line on the lane, the natural will begin making a move on the lane sooner.  The super natural will probaly roll 2-5 feet further down the lane before making its move.  Now, the amount of move is different as the super natural will move more boards once it begins to make its move.

So you must have enough head and midlane oil to get the natural to the break point you desire and on some drier lanes, the natural will just move too soon.  And then when you move in to find oil to get it down the lane enough, it doesn't have enough recovery to carry consistently.  The super natural gives you extra length and move backend reaction, but not nearly as strong of a reaction as any reactive ball.

The new one Storm is releasing appears to attempt to fit a void in that the core/cover combo will go longer down lane than the natural, and have some finish.

It is my hope, it would have the length of the super natural or even longer and then the backend finish not be anywhere near as strong as the super natural.

If it comes close to the old pink hammer that was available in the 90s, I think it would be very popular.  That was a hard shell urethane with a lightbulb core.  The extra hardness of the shell gave it length that other urethane balls couldn't achieve.

Nevermind, looked like that at some point!

As for the OP question: it really depends on your personal ability to flatten out your hand. I know guys that throw the strongest stuff on the market at their spares because they can really flatten out their wrist and stop it from hooking. I personally prefer plastic for spares but I'm sure you could make any of these urethanes do the job with the right adjustment. It all depends on what would help you the most in your bag for both strikes and spares.

Thanks for the replies!!  Still haven't decided which way to go but at this point I think I will wait another month to see what kind of reviews the Pitch Black gets then go from there.  My main goal though is to get a ball for dry lanes.  Right now it seems I've got two very similar balls in the ThunderStruck Pearl & Hyroad Pearl which go crazy when the lanes dry out.  I actually shot a higher game using my spare ball (Team Storm, that was given to me) during open play because the lanes were so dry.  The only thing with the Team Storm is that it just doesn't seem to get the pin action you'd like for a first ball.  Very controllable though.....

Thanks again!!

 

Well, it may not be exactly what I was looking for, but my stepson gave me his Roto Grip Mars after I shot a 600 series with it yesterday during open play on some pretty dry lanes.  It might be a little stronger than what I really want (for dry lanes), but it's definitely more controlable than either the HyRoad or Thunderstruck.  Will still wait to hear reviews on the Pitch Black, but until then the Mars will be the ball to use on dry(er) lanes.

Thanks,
Aaron   

Quote from: Impending Doom on April 10, 2014, 12:03:54 PM

Is it me, or does that weightblock look like the one in Scream and Shout?

 It still does on certain sites.   http://shop.teamtuba.se/inkommande-nyheter/storm-pitch-black

I knew that Pitch Black core looked familiar, and, no, it looks nothing like the Shout core (only the vaguest resemblance to my eye.). It does look EXACTLY like the shape of the core in the COlumbia300 Hyde,
http://www.123bowl.com/ball.cfm?ballid=1877
and the Dr. Jekyll,
http://www.123bowl.com/ball.cfm?ballid=2717
Which were solid and pearl twins.
Yes, the core's specs are different but the shape is identical.

Jeff,

 I believe the link you posted, and the reference to the Hyde core, are correct.

 The link I posted still has a picture of the original core picture, which was entirely different.