Storm- Crux Prime Quick Review by Edward Estrada PAP 5 1/16 and 1 1/8 Up (videos Soon to come)
- The Crux Prime is wrapped up in Storms new performance coverstock called SPEC (Storm Performance Enhancing Coverstock). This ball is at Storms Premier Line and boy it does need some oil. The numbers on this ball are 2.50 (RG) and .952 (DIFF) along with the Catalyst Asymmetrical core. This core is the same core in the Alpha Crux. I drilled this ball with a pin axis layout specifically with the Mass Bias in my track. On a house shot this ball allows me to never move too far left. It holds in all the right places when standing right of 20. It sits on the spot rather than jump and hits the pins hard. I bowled with this ball on several house shots and it allows me to have hold that most bowlers envy. Every time I would miss inside the ball would sit in that oil and drive through the pins hard. This ball bad my teammates yell hold or shim every shot and the ball would just do that. The ball would reach its limit when I would try to loop the lane or cover too much area when moving in past 25 on a house shot. The ball would make it back to the pocket but leaving corners and weak buckets would suggest subpar ball reaction when trying to hook the whole lane. On a sport shot I saw similar motion with the ball. The ball would keep the pocket in play and not do anything unexpected. A motion that is much needed on a sport shot. Motion like this is very important because angular ball motion is not ideal on 1-1,2-1, or high volume sport shots (Until the end of the block).
900 Global Honey Badger Claw (Edward Estrada)
- This ball is great for heavier house shots. With a strong cover and an asymmetrical core this ball is not what you think. This ball doesn’t burn up like most strong asymmetrical balls. This ball blends the lane well, with early hook but continuous backend. 900 Global uses the S71Solid Reactive Coverstock finished at 2000 grit abralon along with the Grapnel core, creates a reaction that is the best of both worlds. The numbers on the ball are 2.57 (RG) and .041 (Diff). With this being my first 900 Global ball. I was quite surprised on how it performed. Out of the box, I shot 660 with his ball. I was able to use this ball for all 3 games during league on a typical So-Cal House shot at Jewel City Bowl. The ball does the right things in terms of blending; it reads oil well and sees friction well. When missing left the ball spins up in the oil perfectly as an arc, while missing right in the friction it becomes angular. Previously being on Storm Collegiate Staff at San Jose State University, this ball reminds me a lot of the Stronger IQs. Particularly the IQ Tour Nano, a very versatile piece that can be used on a variety of conditions. This Honey Badger Claw in my opinion is a very underrated ball, and I see that there is a reason why 900 Global puts this in their TOUR line!
Storm AstroPhysix (Edward Estrada)
–Needing an asymmetrical pearl ball, I decided to drill the Storm AstroPhysix. I seen this ball go down the lane from a few people, most importantly a few staffers. Darren Tang used this ball at a Goldpin Tournament at Dublin Bowl and won with it. This ball would turn the corner every time for him not going too long on a heavier sport shot later in the block. I was surprised by how this ball gave bowlers like him incredible room when the heads started going away. Me personally, not having as much hand and rotation as some of the bowlers who made this ball look good, I decided to use a Rico layout. Boy does this ball go long out of the box. The Atomic Core wrapped in R2S Pearl Coverstock creates 2.48 (RG) and a .053 (DIFF). On a typical house shot this ball still goes down the lane, and loves to eat up that friction. When this ball sees friction, it does one thing described in one word….ANGULAR! This ball is ultimate Storm ball reaction! This ball is also aggressive enough to open up the lanes, later in blocks. On fresh oil I would not recommend this ball off the bat unless you add some surface. This ball is definitely a must have when you need to get the ball down lane. I see myself throwing this in the later games of a tournament or 2nd/3rd game in league. Throwing this ball makes me want to drill the original Physix! COME IN AND CHECK OUT THE NEWEST AND HOTTEST EQUIPMENT!