Storm IQ Tour Pearl Bowling Ball

This ball rolls very smoothly and consistently and really seems to thrive when the lanes get a little dry. If the oil gets a little bit heavier I have found this ball to leave flat corner pins pretty consistently. This probably isn't your ball if you're looking for a strong back end in oil (and even more so in carry down)...however...If the back ends are a little on the drier side this ball is a champ. Don't expect it to overreact and hook through the nose. It handles that well. It does seem no matter the condition that this ball is very responsive to the bowler and doesn't tend to have a mind of its own as some others do. It's a great benchmark ball and worth your money if you're in the market for one.

The IQ Pearl Tour - This is the best looking pearl ball on the market and a must have in your bag. I can best compare it to the Storm X-Factor in that it has a very predictable ball roll. My ball is drilled with the pin above both fingers, and the CG kicked out about an inch and a half with a weight hole on my axis. This ball reads the front end of the lane great and has a really strong backend motion. This ball is great for tournaments; it never over reacts, and I always know what it is going to do. I have seen other people throw this ball and have the success I have had with it. Thanks Storm, for the best pearl ball since the X-Factor

IQ Tour Pearl Ball Review by Storm/Roto Grip Pro Shop Staffer Rob Aimers. I drilled my first IQ Tour Pearl on November 19th. I put one of my Benchmark layouts on it. Pin above the ring finger with the CG straight below or in “Old School terminology” stacked on the ring finger. In today’s world that equates to a 5 ¼” Pin to PAP x 4 ¾” PAP to MB x 4” Pin Buffer using the Storm system. If you use Dual Angles it’s 60° x 5 ¼” x 40°. I bowled one game with it as I always do with a new ball before using it in any competition. That is basically just to make sure it feels good and get an idea about how it rolls. The real test would be the following night in league on the 20th. I proceeded to shoot 258-269-249=776 off the press. Needless to say I already loved it. This was on our THS named Final King Pattern. It’s 42 ft with a total of 19.8 ml. I participated in a local Thanksgiving Scratch tournament held Sunday the 25th. The tournament is held on a different type of pattern every year. This year it was on the 2012 USBC OC Pattern. There were 51 entries and I qualified 3rd at +135 for 6 games. Unfortunately I wasn’t the Top qualifier as Jeff Richgels had mentioned in his 11thframe.com blog. However, there were only 3 IQ Tour Pearl’s in the building that day and 2 of them qualified 2nd + 3rd. The ball went through the front part of the lane with no problems at all but started that nice mid lane read so it wasn’t squirty. Even after all that it still had the ability to recover while watching others struggle with over/under. I backed up my performance from the previous Tuesday with 278-268-205=751. I thought the final test would be Thursday on the Kegel White 2-Roller pattern. I shot 258-248-245=751. Then I was asked to sub in another house on Friday. I managed to go 299-242-237=779 on their THS. It starts out as the Kegel pattern Easy Street with 20 ml. In my eyes that made this ball very versatile or user friendly. Over the course of a week or so, that included 4 league sets and 1 tournament on 4 different patterns, my league average was over 254 and I qualified 3rd and finished 4th. I don’t think I ever had a ball give me that much success that quick on varying shots in 3 different buildings. All I could say is “WOW!” I then drilled my 2nd IQ Tour Pearl on February 26th. I drilled this 1 with another of my faithful layouts. With the Storm or Pin Buffer system it’s 5 ½” Pin to PAP x 3 3/8” PAP to MB x 5” Pin Buffer. Using Dual Angles it comes out to 40° x 5 ½ x 45°. That puts the Pin up above the bridge of my fingers and the CG is kicked out at 35°. There’s a small hole on my PAP for static reasons only. This layout seems to go through the fronts a little cleaner for me. Where the first layout used starts up more in the mid lane. I have not even been working on freeing up my arm swing and going straighter for a month yet but I can already see the difference in it. With that in mind I had to consider changing up my layouts to match up better. So I drilled a 3rd IQ Tour Pearl like I would have never imagined before. It is 4 ½” Pin to PAP x 3½” PAP to MB x 3” Pin Buffer. Dual Angles puts it at 35° x 4 ½ x 70°. This puts the Pin under my ring finger and the CG is again kicked out at about 35°. This creates a large amount of thumb and side weight if you can imagine. So I have a very big hole in a P4 position or on what would be the MB. Off the press last Thursday I shot 246-216-268=730 on the White 2-Roller pattern. Last night was my first test on our THS Final King pattern. I ended up with 203-246-245=694 surviving a couple untimely splits along the way. I know this is quite a long review but I wanted to capture the full versatility of this awesome ball. I hope this will be helpful to all who read it. Thank you very much. Rob Aimers

The IQ Tour Pearl does well for me when the back ends have a little carry down and the heads have some oil on them. The IQ Tour Pearl is a perfect complement to the IQ Tour. When the IQ Tour starts to read or hook too early and lose some of its energy for the backend the IQ Tour Pearl is the Ball to go to! IQ Tour Pearl conserves enough energy to make the turn on carry down and is explosive through the pins. My axis point is 5 5/8 over and ¾ up and my ball speed is around 15 mph and my rev rate is around 315 very little axis tilt. The layout that I used on my IQ Tour Pearl was 60 x 5 ½ x 75 or just pin below the fingers and the cg kicked out enough for a low hole on my P3. I slightly scuffed the surface with a 3000 pad, just to get some of the shine off of it. The first pattern I threw the IQ Tour Pearl on was a fresh house pattern and the IQ Tour Pearl gave me decent length and a drastic reaction at the break point. I had over under from the start so I went and threw my IQ Tour which is laid out the same but in box condition and the ball smoothed over the over/under nicely. Game 2 I switched back to the IQ Tour Pearl and was amazed at how much room I had with this ball!!!! The over/under was gone and the IQ Tour Pearl looked unbelievable and was exploding through the pins with reckless abandoning. In conclusion the IQ Tour Pearl for me needs a little carry down because of the aggressiveness of the backend. I am a tweener and the first games on house patterns are always tricky for me so I am not surprised by the over/under… However, I am surprised in a good way by how controllable but aggressive the IQ Tour Pearl is. The last pattern I threw the IQ Tour Pearl on was the Earl Anthony Pattern and was pleasantly surprised by the length and reaction I had with the IQ Tour Pearl. The reaction was aggressive and I did not have enough hold for my liking so I chose to start with another ball. Which I believe was a not so good idea. After fighting a few frames I switched back and again the IQ Tour Pearl opened up the lane for me. The IQ Tour Pearl is the mix of both worlds for me when there is a little carry down…. Power and controllability!!! I might rough the cover up some (hand scuffed at 3000, I was thinking spinning it at 2000) and see if it will allow me to start with the ball and stay with it all night! However, If you own an IQ Tour and looking for a ball that will complement it…. The IQ Tour Pearl is that ball with same controllability mixed with more length and backend motion. Dan Schaden Jr Storm/Roto Grip Pro shop Staff Vise Staff

The IQ TOUR PEARL ball details are here: http://www.stormbowling.com/products/balls/iqtourpearl Picture of my IQ TOUR PEARL in my blog here: http://www.11thframe.com/page/reviews_id_9 DRILLED Nov. 17, 2012 The drilling is the same as the VIRTUAL GRAVITY NANO I’ve been using since early 2011 — the ball I used the last 2 games of team event at 2011 USBC OC. It measures out at 4.5 Pin to PAP x 4 “mb” (it’s a symmetrical ball) to PAP x 3 3/8 pin buffer. The pin is above the ring finger and the drilling angle is about 60 degrees. There is a weight hole at P1 just to get it back to static legal. (Picture at end of my blog.) I have found over the years that solid and pearl coverstocks rapped around the same core often perform completely differently for me, with one being great and the other just not working. Such appears to be the case with the IQ TOUR and IQ TOUR PEARL. If you read my updated review of the IQ TOUR at http://www.11thframe.com/page/reviews_id_6 I simply could not find a way to use it successfully, even with multiple coverstock surface changes and two drillings. This despite the fact that so many have raved about the ball, notably Bowling This Month magazine. My issue with the IQ TOUR is that it either went too quick for me and quit, leading to plaque 10s, or when I then got more left and into the oil (if it was there), it didn’t slow down enough and left solid 9s, ring 10s and 4-pins. Of course, I joked when I ordered the IQ TOUR PEARL that I probably would love it … and that looks like it might be the case - at least on a house shot. (Read down for where it might not be the best choice.) In fact, I would say from what I have experienced and seen that the IQ TOUR PEARL may be one of the greatest house shot balls ever. Storm describes the IQ TOUR PEARL as “the perfect combination of midlane control and backend hook” with the low RG, low differential C3 Centripetal Control Core. And that’s exactly what it has provided me on a house shot. I’ve now used it in practice and tournaments on different house shots and it was a monster each time. The IQ TOUR PEARL rolls strong in the midlane and continues with a very strong move in the back-end. When I saw him at the Senior High Roller in Las Vegas, famed coach Mike Jasnau said exactly what I said: The IQ TOUR PEARL is the strongest pearl ball ever. I initially had a little trouble with squirt in the puddle, but after hitting the box shiny surface with a 4,000 Abralon pad, that went away. What I really love about the IQ TOUR PEARL is how hard (for me) and straight I can go with both hold and swing and great carry. Yet, I’ve also seen bigger hand players (with and without higher speed) get in and wheel it and strike at will. The most impressive part was the smooth roll through the pins, which produced awesome carry — it was almost exactly the opposite of what was the problem for me with the IQ TOUR! Although it makes a strong move in the back-end, the pins stay low on the deck, which for me usually produces better carry than flying up and about. I would agree 100 percent with what Storm says: “You’ll be able to see the difference as this ball reads the midlane without over-responding to the friction at the end of the oil pattern. Then the real magic happens; it reads the backends with unparalleled consistency through the pocket” I do have one huge caveat with the IQ TOUR PEARL: I have been unable to use it successfully on a Sport shot. I tried it on the 2012 USBC Open Championships pattern at a tournament, on the Senior High Roller pattern, and on Team USA Montreal in the league I bowl in and found it tough to control. On the heavier oil Sport shots, it went too long and was inconsistent getting into a roll. On the lighter Sport shots, I found it difficult to consistently get it to the breakpoint. I did see others using the IQ TOUR PEARL at the two tournaments with success, including Rob Aimers, who I think led the tournament on the 2012 USBC OC pattern. But he has higher ball speed, more revs and a heavier roll than me. So I am not saying it won’t work on a Sport pattern, I’m saying to be cautious in your expectations. But if you’re someone who is looking for a strike machine ball on house shots, I highly recommend the IQ TOUR PEARL.

Typical Conditions: Mostly House Shots so far Type of Lane: All Synthetic Weight of bowling ball: 15 Surface of bowling ball: Factory/Box What grit was the surface of the ball? 1500 Likes: It is a great compliment to the IQ Tour Dislikes: None so far My layout: 65 x 4 1/4" x 2 inch pin buffer My PAP: 4 3/4" over 1 5/8 up I firmly believe the IQ Tour ranks up there as one of the best balls ever made. I drilled my IQ Tour Pearl the same exact way as my IQ Tour. Because of the difference in the coverstock, the IQ Tour Pearl gets through the fronts easier then the IQ Tour, it also tends to store more energy and therefore is sharper in the back for me. The IQ Tour Pearl adds a great option for me in my tournament bag. It won’t take long before people realize this ball is a weapon! This ball really worked great on the transition on my 39-40 foot league pattern. I struggle to get a consistent 3 game reaction because the back ends get tamer as the night goes on. I started my league on 12/4/12 with my IQ Tour and shot 279. The second game the transition kicked in and I lost the angle to the pocket, which affected my carry, and I shot 214. I decided I was tired of fighting the transition, and switched to the IQ Tour Pearl in the 10th frame. The IQ Tour Pearl hooked in the back where the IQ tour didn’t and I shot 300 the last game. I know 300’s are cheap these days, but I didn’t shoot 300 in that house in over a year. I therefore credited the ball for making the difference. 5 days later my partner picked up his IQ Tour Pearl right before our doubles tournament. He came out of the box shooting 800 for the first 3 games. During the tournament there were already a number of bowlers throwing the IQ Tour Pearl. I can tell you the ball looked great in everyone’s hands. I feel every serious bowler should consider the one two punch of the IQ Tour and the IQ Tour Pearl. You won’t be disappointed! Video of Ball http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5mqihqIHBY

Hand: Left Ball Speed: 16-17mph Ball Weight: 15lbs PAP: 5 left 7/16 up Degrees of Tilt: 17 Layout: 5 x 4 x 2 I drilled my !Q Tour pearl pin above my ring finger with the cg out with a very small hole about 1 ½ inches down from my midline. For a pearl cover it is super smooth and controllable like I have never seen before. The !Q Tour pearl is very predictable and you know when the ball is going to make a move and when you have to move when the lanes transition. The first time I used it at a tournament which was basically a house shot but modified a little bit with a little more oil outside the 10 board. I played up the boards and let the oil take it and once it hit the back ends it does not jump hard it makes a nice smooth roll to the pocket, hits hard and mixes the pin ups as if it was a big asymmetrical weight block ball. I bowled 2 squads and shot back to back 279s on game 1 of each squad and avg a little over 240. Compared to the !Q Tour solid, which is drilled the same as the pearl, the pearl it gets down lane and can be used more on a burn pattern once the solid tour starts to hook too much or gives you up and down reaction. Depending on the pattern I am about 5 to 6 more boards left (being left handed) with the pearl than the solid which is good because I can play more of my comfort zone and once it dries up even more I can just move right and still be around the pocket and not giving it away too much and having to worry about corner pins. If you love the !Q Tour solid then I recommend you get the !Q Tour pearl! You won’t go wrong! If you have any questions about the !Q Tour pearl email me at garrett.richardson@pinolebowlerssupply.com Garrett Richardson Storm/Roto Grip Amateur Staff Vise Inserts Amateur Staff Pinole Bowler’s Supply www.facebook.com/grstorm www.facebook.com/pinolebowlerssupply www.stormbowling.com www.rotogrip.com www.viseinserts.com

<strong>Storm's Intent:</strong> The IQ Tour Edition quickly became the new standard for benchmark balls in the industry. The C3™ Centripetal Control Core is engineered to yield ample midlane roll while smoothing out the transition. People have loved the unique combination of low RG and low differential as it allows even high rev players to better control the breakpoint. We added a new highly polished, pearl R2S™ coverstock to this phenomenal core to create a combination that makes this a MUST HAVE ball in everyone’s arsenal. You’ll be able to see the difference as this ball reads the midlane without over-responding to the friction at the end of the oil pattern. Then the real magic happens; it reads the backends with unparalleled consistency through the pocket. <strong>My review:</strong> My layout is 50 degrees X 4 1/8 inches pin to PAP X 2 1/2" pin buffer My PAP is 5 1/2 inches over and 1/2 inch up I chose this layout because it's an exact match to an IQ Tour that I have and love the reaction I get from it but most of the time I can't use it because it kicks too hard off the dry. I was hoping to see a smoother a slightly later reaction. What I ended up with was exactly that and I'm very happy with the results. So far I have thrown the IQ Tour Pearl on a 44' house shot in league and 38' Atlanta sport shot at the NEBA Tournament of Champions and the ball performed very well on both patterns. The reaction shape is smooth, doesn't overreact when hitting dry, but continues through the pins very well. This reaction was very evident when bowling on the shorter 38' Atlanta pattern. On Atlanta I started the day farther right but once I got settled in the last 3 games of qualifying I played 14 at the arrows and was getting the ball out to 6 at the break point. Looking around I thought the IQ Tour Pearl gave me a great chance to make a run in match play but unfortunately I ran into a buzz saw and was high loser in the round of 16. On the 44' house shot I finished the night playing 20 at the arrows and getting the ball out to 8 at the break point. Typically on this house shot I can get into trouble with under/over as the night goes on. The IQ Tour Pearl got better as the night went on, striking more in each successive game and allowed me to create some room to the right at the break point without diving through the face. Overall this is my new go-to pearl and benchmark ball. I will definitely be trying some other favorite layouts on this ball in the near future. Don't be afraid to try a stronger/earlier rolling layout on this ball, it may be exactly what you're missing in your bag. Ball video: <a href=" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pftpagl7iCA" target="_blank"> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pftpagl7iCA</a>