Here is my take on the four test balls from Storm.  I have thrown them for a couple weeks now on a few different lane conditions.  The following is similar to what I reported to Steve Kloempken.

There were four different balls: Orange Pin, Yellow Pin, Green Pin, and Blue Pin (light blue shell).

I tried to track results using 3 different releases: A-soft hand, more up the back, B-normal soft hand with some side turn, C-full on trying to catch it the most I could (old urethane release from 10 years ago).

All four balls were within about 5 boards of each other on most conditions.  Using release C got more differing results.  Blue Pin did hook more than the others, was best suited for B release or C with some oil.  The Yellow pin was next, a little bit longer but with less back end.  Orange Pin was about the same as Yellow pin, but had even less back end.  Green Pin was the longest of them all, and had the most back ends.  I liked the Green Pin the most.  This ball reacted how I thought an X Factor should.  Very long with monster back ends.

Blue Pin was pretty good all around.  Dry lanes hurt it some.  I didn't see this ball as the hook monster that others on this forum have called it.  Rolled pretty similar to X Factor Duece to me, early and often.  It still worked pretty well when moving inside and trying to open up the lane.  Struggled to make the corner from 5th arrow.  This ball hit kinda funny to me.  I think Green and Yellow pin carried better.  Blue pin is more versatile to the pocket than orange or yellow pin.

Yellow Pin was really a pretty nice ball.  A little lazy on the back end, but not bad.  Should help on a wet/dry condition.  Had a Brunswick hook/set type roll to it.  Fairly clean through the front, except when they broke down.  Didn't respond well to me trying to twirl it through the heads.  Very well suited for going up the boards, would also probably be nice on a gutter/outside shot where angle to the pocket is created by the line played and not the bowler.  Ball burned up alot in the first 2/3 of the lane, allowing for a smooth arc type break point.

Orange Pin was my least favorite.  Hooked the least.  Started up about the same as the Yellow pin, maybe slightly earlier, and had no back end.  I could 5 pin from 4th-5th arrow with this ball, there was no opening up the lane and creating something from nothing.  That said, this ball might be great when the lanes are nasty.  Very controlled break point, because there wasn't much of a break point.  I could make this ball roll out with release A, right in the dirt.  This ball might also be nasty off the right gutter.

Green Pin is my favorite.  This ball is great.  I could not find a failure point with this ball.  I got left to 50 with my feet looking at about 21 at the arrows, slow hooking release C, and the ball would come back from everywhere.  Finished all the way through the pins.  Left back to back stone 7-9 splits once.  Brutal power.  This ball responded well to release B, and I could play all around the shot with no problems.  This ball didn't really like release A too much.  Tended to get over/under on fresh oil with release A.  Great length, great back end movement, very sharp break point.  Would like to try this one with the pin over my middle finger, or at about 5 1/2 inches from PAP.  This ball didn't really like the gutter very well.  There are probably better choices for playing the right crack.  Green Pin was very happy from in front of the ball return, lots of come back.
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Mike Austin
Mike Austin's Precision Pro Shop
Houston, TX
strikes4days@sbcglobal.net

Onward through the Storm!!!!
Coming Soon!!  www.bowlingthunder.com

Charlest,

I posted this mainly because I had a number of people that asked me too.  There are a few guys around the country that got to test these balls also.  I actually drilled them for another Storm Staff player, Donna Conners, before I fixed them for myself.  She bowled with them for about a week, and then sent in her paperwork.  Our spans are similar, and I just drilled my grip right over top of hers, no plug work involved.

I originally thought I was doing testing for the Reloaded.  Storm (David Garber) told me I was getting the test balls before the Reloaded came out.  The only other thing that I was told, was that all four balls had the X Factor weight block, but with four different shells.  Storm did not tell me what the shells were, or what ball we were working on.  I have since asked and was NOT told whether the shell materials were resin, particle, or mud.  Maybe cuz I have a big mouth, I don't know.  So, I don't know where people get their information from about this one is resin, and this one is particle......  Yellow and Orange drilled like a resin ball texture wise.  Green wasn't much different.  The drill bit cut through the Blue pin like butter.

Hope this helps ya....

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Mike Austin
Mike Austin's Precision Pro Shop
Houston, TX
strikes4days@sbcglobal.net

Onward through the Storm!!!!
Coming Soon!!  www.bowlingthunder.com