Storm IQ Bowling Ball

Hello all and thanks for reading. As always my video review can be found here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPpvBIMBLW8&feature=BFa&list=UUUdapKcbpNzp3PGwdo7P6GQ The IQ is the epitome of midlane strength. The core has been proven over and over again in balls in the Marvel series and the Prodigy but with this upgraded coverstock it is now at the next level. Layout used 55 x 5 x 50 (roughly). I wanted to use this ball on the medium patterns and on a high friction lane surface. Combined with the midlane strength I got just that. This ball rolls heavy in the midlane and maintains energy with a smooth arc into the pins. Ball is best on fresh or if the lanes transistion with oil carry down for me. Speed dominant players or high speed high rev guys who are looking for more breakpoint control down lane. As you can see the ball picks up in the midlane and makes a very smooth arc into the pocket. I have used this ball on cheetah and chameleon patterns with much success with a lightly polished surface because it allows me to predict the breakpoint easily over and over and over again.

The IQ is the replacement for the original Marvel for Storm. It features the same low rg, high differential core with a new solid cover. It is designed for heavier oil volumes. I went with a 55 x 4 ½ x 65 with a low hole to accomplish heavy midlane with control in the back. The new cover is super strong. It seems to get moving right off my hand, even with the box 3000 Abralon finish. For me, this is the ball to use on heavy oil and fresh sport shots. It reads the midlane consistently and makes a strong, controlled move into the pocket. Control is the name of the game when the lanes are screwy, so this ball is king. Compared to my Modern marvel, the IQ makes a little stronger move in the back of the lane. I would say the overall hook difference between the two is about 2-3 boards, with the IQ being the stronger. Players who like to play in the track are will love the IQ for its strong hook and consistency. Higher rev players who like to swing the ball will find the IQ useful to blend out tougher, high-volume conditions.

The !Q ball details are here: http://www.stormbowling.com/products/balls/iq I drilled a 3-4 inch pin out placing pin above fingers on center line 5 1/2 inches from PAP and "MB" 4 1/2 inches from PAP with hole on mid-line 6 inches from grip center. This ball is very smooth compared to the Nano solid and Vivid. Would recommend using on fresh patterns to heavy volume patterns. Keeping in the oil to retain energy off the entry angle, !Q tends to lose that energy in the dry area. The cover is very versatile. When polished with Step 2 I can you use on medium wet dry patterns which is very nice.

The IQ ball details are here: http://www.stormbowling.com/products/balls/iq You can find a picture of my IQ on my blog here: http://www.11thframe.com/page/reviews_id_5 The IQ is Storm's latest strong ball for heavy oil. It features a new PFT (Progressive Friction Technology) coverstock (3,000 Abralon box finish) and symmetrical Centripetal core that can produce 6 inches or more of flare. My favorite ball for heavy oil remains the VIRTUAL GRAVITY NANO and I continue to use the one I used when our Turbo 2-N-1 Grips team won the 2011 USBC Open Championships team event. It's well into triple digits in games but I clean it after every use and am constantly hitting it with Abralon or using the great Turbo sandbagger system on it to tweak the cover and keep it fresh and strong. But the NANO is asymmetrical and sometimes is simply too much ball for my moderate speed and tweener rev rate, so when I read up on the IQ I immediately saw it as a NANO replacement when the NANO was a tad too much. So I drilled my IQ just like that favorite NANO – pin over my ring finger and CG kicked right at about 60 to 75 degrees and a 7/8 hole between P2 and P3, which should kick the flare up a touch. The PIN to PAP is 4 3/4, PAP to "MB" is 4 3/4, and pin buffer is 3 1/4. I initially used the IQ on a wet-dry house shot on Brunswick ProLane synthetics and the PBA Chameleon pattern in a PBA Regional on older Brunswick synthetics. I've since used it on many more conditions from soft to difficult. The IQ turned out as expected: a smoother version of my NANO that is easier to control by not being as dynamic. There definitely was no point at which the IQ went "nuts" and it should be a great ball for me for fresh, heavy oil where I want to stay fairly straight to the pattern. I think it particularly excels on heavy oil with strong back-end due to its smoothness versus the NANO. It's also good when you need to keep a tighter line as it doesn't need to be played inside/out. The IQ definitely hit weak when I threw it out into the dry boards on the house shot but rolled nicely in the oil. And it was excellent the first couple games on Chameleon at the Regional. If you're looking for an oil ball that is easier to control than a strong asymmetrical like the NANO, the IQ should be for you ... unless you have a very high rev rate and slower speed. But leave it in the bag when there isn't plenty of oil on the lanes ... unless you have few revs and need the hooking power. (Or you might be able to smooth/shine it, which is something I have not had a chance to try.)

My IQ layout: 75 x 4 1/2 x 35 My PAP: 5 7/8" over, 1/8" up The new Storm IQ combines the new PFT™ (Progressive Friction Technology) coverstock and dynamic Centripetal™ core with tremendous results. I have had the chance to throw the IQ on a fresh 40' heavy oil house pattern, Kegel's Broadway (37' Challenge Series) pattern and the PBA's 37' Viper pattern. The IQ handled the oil very well on all three patterns and produced excellent entry angle leaving very few flat tens in the process, something we all fear when throwing a strong solid. Something that has been very noticeable about the IQ's brand new cover technology is it's durability. There hasn't been any self shining going on so far and I've bowled about 15 games with it on heavy oil. I see the IQ and IQ Tour being a great 1-2 combination in anyone's bag. The IQ Tour when a sharper reaction is needed off the spot and the IQ when you need an earlier read and smoother backend reaction. When both balls were fresh out of the box the IQ out hooked the IQ Tour by 4-5 boards which is right in line with Storm's comparison chart. Storm is continuing it's domination of the 2012 PBA season with Pete Weber claiming his 47th PBA Regional title on June 24th. Weber used the brand new IQ. http://www.stormbowling.com/news/2012/06/3751 Find out more information about the Storm IQ here: http://www.stormbowling.com/products/balls/iq