As promised, this month we will review Storm Products’ latest release, the El Niño. This ball is probably the most versatile bowling ball available today. It works on a wide variety of lane conditions, is easy to drill for a wide range of bowling styles, and even looks cool.

The technical aspects of this ball are what you would expect from a product this versatile. The core is a symmetrical, multiple-piece design that complements most of today’s popular drilling layouts. The RG value of the this model is lower than most other Storms and the differential RG is relatively high, offering about seven inches of potential track flare. The coverstock is an updated version of Storm’s Curelyon formulation. They call it Curelyon 2®, and it appears to be slightly more aggressive than earlier models.

In our tests, this ball proved quite interesting. On a mild wet/dry condition with a 1:30 label drill, this ball bounced strongly off the dry but did not over-slide when pulled inside the oil line. As the condition broke down, this ball still had adequate length and back-end recovery from inside angles. Only from deep inside lines did this ball struggle to maintain hitting power, which was probably due to the milder drilling layout.

This ball performed very well for both of our ball testers. It was plenty strong for the down-and-in player but was easily controlled by the power player. For the power player, it did tend to hook a little early as the lane condition broke down.

In summary, virtually anyone can throw this ball with success. By changing the surface and drilling layout, you can produce a wide variety of ball reactions. It is the perfect choice if you’re tired of carrying six balls to your league session.

Hammer 3D Offset Tour

Another successful new release is the Hammer 3D Offset Tour. Most of you already know how popular the Violet 3D Offset and the 3D Offset Maxx balls have been. The only drawback to these balls is their tendency to hook early as the head oil dissipates. Enter the 3D Tour.

This ball is designed to take off where previous models suffer, namely lane oil breakdown and drier heads. The core design has a higher RG and lower differential RG than the earlier models. This equates to a longer break point and more sustained back-end reaction. This is perfect when you are forced to play deeper inside angles to hit the pocket.

In our tests, this ball performed very well during late shift league sessions. It glided easily through the heads and pines, retaining energy for a strong arcing back-end reaction. It did tend to hook a little early as the lanes became increasingly dry, necessitating a change to an even milder ball reaction. On freshly oiled conditions, the 3D Tour tended to skid at the break point, but this is to be expected from a ball of this design.

The Hammer 3D Offset Tour works well for straighter players
looking to stay with outside angles
and crankers looking for more control
as the night wears on.

This ball works well for straighter players looking to stay with outside angles and crankers looking for more control as the night wears on. Bowlers with excessive ball speed may need to tweak the surface texture based on the amount of lane oil. I would suggest starting with a 400-grit sand and adjust from there as needed. In general, this ball has something to offer most bowlers, especially if they bowl late at night or on drier lane conditions.

* * * *

I normally try to remain separate from the politics of our sport. In my position as a pro shop technician, getting involved in partisan activities would create a no-win position for me. However, there has been something bothering me for quite some time, and I have to get it off my chest. I can honestly say that I am tired of all the negative articles in various bowling publications from around the country. I have to believe that the people writing these articles are generating a self-fulfilling prophecy. Talk about beating a dead horse!

OK, so maybe many bowling centers are lacking in customer service, and maybe bowling is not considered a sport. And maybe, just maybe, the lack of challenge is turning customers away.

But I will tell you this: I am tired of hearing about it. If the people writing these articles would spend more time offering creative solutions and less time pointing fingers and placing blame, maybe something positive would happen. As the old saying goes: Lead, follow, or get out of the way.

Scott Bailey (xzone@erols.com) operates The Strike Zone Professional Bowling Store in Vienna.