I can't say that I've really seen over the top marketing from Motiv either, and Fusion hasn't even been around for a year, R2-something has been around for the better part of the last decade.  Again, if it's not broke, don't fix it, I like that Storm is making good equipment, not dumping old stuff that works just because they feel like they have to come up with something new to keep the marketing charade up.  I was a HUGE fan of the Monsoon coverstock they had about 10 years ago, but it didn't stick around very long and I was pretty pissed about it.  I'm not specifically picking on Storm, and if somebody would have gotten super crazy about a new feature of a Motiv ball, I'd have probably said something there instead. 

I AM a little surprised that Storm has stuck with certain things for so long, it flies in the face of conventional marketing and I'm curious to see how that's going to work out. 

Quote from: tkkshop on May 22, 2014, 01:18:08 PM

People like new. Take Radical for instance. Are those finger scoop cores really that much better than Storm's light bulb? I really can't say, but its new and intriguing. The persona that if its new, it must be better isn't a bad one. That "new" core could very well yield a different roll, that could very well match up better for you than me. But I would never say that it was a bad ball for me. I just never capitalized on the assets the ball possesed. It really does seem to other pksters and myself that you are talking negative about Storm because of the Optimus, yet it is ok for Motiv to rerelease an 3 year old core on the Octane? Tracks Hx05 is the 505a and kinetic pearl. Same ball released 3 times over 7 Years? Nobody cared. Motiv takes the Fusion cover last summer and puts it on the Primal Rage, amd now it is on the Tribal, Sting, Cruel Intent, and whatever else. Nobody is complaining. Why? Because we as an industry give the customer what they want. They like a certain roll and companies capitalize on what they want. So the red ball cover went onto balls from every line up. Same as storm putting the R2_ on every line up. Its a roll that people like. So if they have to redsign a core and put similar numbers on it, then so be it. Its new and will roll just as good as the last piece that sold really well. Win win for operators and clients.

Yeah, I don't see the same fervor when talking about Motiv releases.

Oh definitely.  Problem is that they're marketing the products to a consumer base 95% comprised of average bowlers on a house shot.  I've used this example many times to explain to people why their Cyclone really doesn't outhook their Hyper Cell no matter what it looks like on a house shot . . good point. 

Quote from: Gizmo823 on May 22, 2014, 01:54:30 PM

But people have already been pre-programmed to go over the moon anytime something is "new."  I'm interested to see what the new core does differently, but I'm not expecting anything revolutionary.  A small difference in the shape of the ball motion can be a big thing, and from the video posted by Bowlers Deals, it reminds me of the Byte, but the shape IS slightly different.  I just hate seeing people get over excited and then ultimately disappointed because it isn't the huge difference they were expecting, at the end of the day it's still just a bowling ball.  And it would be a shame for people to be disappointed, because it looks like a REALLY good ball. 

It's really nothing against Storm, I like what they're doing right now, but people are going nuts over this core.  It's cool, I like the concept, but I was just using that as an example of the type of consumer that sensationalist marketing has created.  I'm excited myself, but within reason, paying attention to what's going on.  I'm a huge Motiv fan, obviously, and Fusion is great, I like seeing it on stuff.  If they changed absolutely nothing about what they're doing, that would be awesome, Storm too.  I'd still eat up everything that comes out, but I'd have the right perspective on what's going on. 

A big part of the issue that you are discussing is, that house conditions are designed to hide the subtle differences in say an Optimus compared to the Marvel Pearl(two balls with similar core numbers and the same cover). When you get these balls on tour, and on more competitive patterns, then the variation is greatly enhanced, and each bowler will find the benefit of one or the other over each other. House conditions don't necessarily allow the true ingenuity to shine through. if they did, a guy who only bowls once a week and never practices wouldn't be able to average 220+.

No matter what storm uses in their cores, I think their covers is what makes them so good... You could put a damn mo rich core inside one of the good r2 covers and it would probably be pretty good too! Storm just seems to have the best formulas in the bowling world. On a positive note, I also feel all their products can outlast many of the other manufacturers by almost double.

Agreed ^^.  I remember some of the Fire and Bolt series balls dying out...  This was back when we're starting to learn about this.  For the longest time, PK18 was the standard for longevity.  I guess it's a balance between performance (surface, oil absorption, etc.) and longevity.  Urethane would seemingly last forever!

Actually the Activator coverstocks were pretty high performance too.  The difference with Brunswick back then is that their core shell matchups were much more conducive to end over end roll than to hooking the lane coast to coast.  I made thousands of dollars with Brunswick equipment on flatter patterns in major tournaments while averaging 230 in league with my Storm balls.
 

agree about the bolts.  Green Bolt was the best pearl I ever threw out of the box.  when it died I tried everything to revive it with no luck.  Also, the El Nino shell didn't hold up very long either.  X Factor, and another burgundy pearl that escapes me died quickly for me too.