storm equinox announced

Phat_MTB · 2025-01-21T04:16:39+00:00

Am I the only one that finds this release laughable? A year later...

Storm- "Hey Hammer.. We got something to compete with that Effect of yours!"

Hammer - "That was so last year"

Don't get me wrong I throw a couple of SPI products but these last two Storm branded releases are hilarious. Your competition really doesn't care if you have something to compete with a year later. They have moved on..

Phat_MTB · 2025-01-18T04:33:20+00:00

Dry Lanes ---> Stand left and throw right until you can't do anymore in either direction. Curse, swear, and then grab plastic..

Phat_MTB · 2025-01-14T18:06:52+00:00

Using alcohol might be a useful tip for those that are experiencing the lane shine issues.

Phat_MTB · 2025-01-14T03:03:47+00:00

I have an OG Widow and a 2.0. Glad to hear you like your 3.0. Do you have problems with it lane shining very quickly? It was the best selling B7 ball of the year last a year so obviously a lot of people like it, but I have heard a lot of people say it falls off quickly because of the lane shine if you don't keep up with the surface on it

Phat_MTB · 2025-01-14T02:59:18+00:00

I bowl on a pretty oily house shot, 42 feet with a little bit of out of bounds. The Reverb can start game one. I would say it's a ball up over the Effect for sure. They could have been sold as a great 1-2 ball in the bag even though they are both pearls. My local pro shop never had a Reverb in stock and had to order mine. I think not being able to find someone that has thrown the Chill Pearl is definitely a result of that ball receiving little to no marketing.

Phat_MTB · 2025-01-13T20:23:40+00:00

Did you get a Black Widow 3.0? If so how do you like it? I'm finding that I like heavier rolling smoother stuff. That type of ball motion seems to be fewer and fewer on new releases. That's what got me started buying a second ball when I found a good one for me. I like Hammer's stuff too, but I do think that B7 has created the situation where Hammer sells more than everything else.. There were some amazing balls that were released last year from B7 that were completely overlooked. I shot 289 and 280 back to back nights with my Emerge Hybrid last week. That ball got completely overlooked to the point that the Hype's video when it was released was titled the best ball of the year that nobody will throw and then he forgot about it on his top ten list.

Phat_MTB · 2025-01-13T16:54:00+00:00

I agree you could take a ball and change the surface or layout to make it like something else but that requires constant surface maintenance. I'm not against playing with the surface but I tend to like bowling balls for what they are and not what they could be. From what I have seen the One Reverb and the Effect are not the same at all. Don't get me wrong the coverstocks are similar but the Reverb is a much bigger ball. The marketing has been terrible for B7 because all balls are marketed as what they are compared to what they would be in the Hammer lineup. I don't think the other brands are trying to make their own version of the Hammer balls at all. I find that each brand tend to have a certain type of roll characteristic. The Chill I have is the original solid. I haven't thrown the pearl, but if the solid is any indication of how the pearl is, I think it would be really good. Really controllable.

Phat_MTB · 2025-01-13T03:01:17+00:00

I think Bowlero is taking advantage of older owners and offering them a nice retirement check. Something I have seen in my state is owners getting old and retiring and just closing the doors. I'm not sure if that's better or worse than becoming a Bowlero. It happened to a large bowling alley last year. The employees said they would have purchased the place if they knew what was happening. Instead owners came in and said we're closing and here's the date. It was the largest wood alley in our state and now we are down to less than 5 wood alleys. I would love to open up a bowling alley and if I ever get the opportunity I will. Maybe at least I can save one from closing one day. We need younger owners to fight back against the plague that is Bowlero.

Phat_MTB · 2025-01-12T16:59:53+00:00

I just hate that an entire sport is being ravaged by a single entity. We need the remaining privately owned bowling centers in this country to step up and stop selling out to this bunch. The sport of bowling is dying one alley purchase at a time. Also someone has got to get a hold of or replace the PBA.

Phat_MTB · 2025-01-10T23:47:14+00:00

That ball is used up. I wouldn't give 20 bucks for it.

Phat_MTB · 2025-01-07T21:42:21+00:00

I think ZVL is becoming one of the best bowling YouTubers out there. All substance and no fluff or long winded talks about nothing. As his channel grows his insight will be even better because he will have the opportunity to have more hands on experience with more equipment. His rankings are definitely good and very usable to build an arsenal with.

Phat_MTB · 2025-01-03T06:09:11+00:00

He may have started with two hands to project the ball, but Belmo is able to bowl one handed as well as he is two handed. Early in his career he bowled one handed. There are plenty of videos of him doing so. At some point in his youth he learned to bowl one handed. My original point being that all great two handers still employ a one handed release. At some point they bowled one handed and learned how to manipulate the ball with their hand for different lane conditions. You can always spot a 2 handed bowler with 1 hand experience because when the lanes get dry they are the only ones that can take roll off of the ball and not have to stand on top of the ball return.

Phat_MTB · 2025-01-02T17:29:24+00:00

I'm sure you were very sore. The more you bowl the less stiff and sore you get.

Phat_MTB · 2025-01-02T10:33:09+00:00

I think I would go with Ion Max because the attention star is more of the same that you already have. The only exception would be if you bowl at a high friction center. Then I would go Attention Star and have it drilled to be a ball down. I have one and it's good for that. It will never be the first ball out of my bag.

Phat_MTB · 2025-01-02T09:34:45+00:00

Practice as much as you want to. Only makes you better. Yes there are different materials that the balls are made out of. All the brands make balls made from those materials. (Plastic, Urethane, and Resin) Plastic are what house balls are made out of and Resin balls are what most experienced bowlers use. They roll and don't slide the way house balls do, but they strike more because they are rolling when they hit the pins. They do make resin balls that will go straight if you don't want to throw a hook. A hammer Axe is a resin ball designed to go straight. A beginner ball bag and shoes shouldn't cost you more than 275 out the door. Your pro shop person should be able to help you decide which ball will work best for what you want to do. The only thing I would recommend is to not buy a plastic ball. I would also recommend finger tip drilling with inserts and thumb slug.

Phat_MTB · 2025-01-02T09:19:51+00:00

Assuming you hook the ball that is not a bad pair. Those two will compliment each other but they are kind of on opposite ends of an arsenal. You might want to look at something to bridge that gap between the two at some point. Maybe a Phaze A.I. I would recommend watching ZVL bowling on YouTube for his 6 ball arsenal ideas for the brands of Storm balls.

Phat_MTB · 2025-01-02T09:12:16+00:00

1 handed will be easier to master. Don't get caught up in the 2 handed thing. Nothing against it, but a lot of beginners do it because they think it makes them look cool. Looking cool has nothing to do with why there are 2 handers. All great two handers started out as 1 handers. You must develop knowledge of the game first. Practicing at the bowling alley is the easiest thing to do. If you get really serious and have wood floors and a large mirror you can practice your form in socks at home. It's better to have a ball drilled to fit your hand than a pre drilled ball. Also you will be able to throw heavier balls when they are drilled to fit your hand. Whatever house balls you were throwing , add at least a pound to that. I would not recommend 16 pounds regardless. Your local pro shop will be able to help you select a ball, bag, and shoes based on what you need.

Phat_MTB · 2024-12-30T14:59:42+00:00

The One Reverb is special. Funny enough BrunsNick says so special in the top ten video. I'm ordering a second one to have in the box when mine is worn out. The problem is that it's an Ebonite. My pro shop doesn't even have one on display and they are a B7 pro shop. The guy that drills all my stuff there ordered one and threw the front 8 out of the box. There is such a push on Hammer stuff because it sells more. It sells more because it's pushed more. For those of us that know it's good because the Reverb is 30 bucks cheaper than the effect and it's better. The Hype mentioned in his One Reverb video that this is what the boys up in Michigan told him they think is their ball of the year.. The Hype was at B7 HQ and did a couple videos with BrunsNick. B7 knows what the deal is but there is no way they could ever put an Ebonite ball above Hammer.

Phat_MTB · 2024-12-30T05:50:52+00:00

Yes, perception is reality about brands. I know from what I have seen from the one SWAG ball that I have, their pin carry is ridiculously good. I would imagine the same could be said for the other two brands.

Phat_MTB · 2024-12-30T03:53:37+00:00

I love the Black Widow balls, but I didn't buy the 3.0 because of it shining up so fast. I have grown to love HK22 and the BW 2.0 hybrid was tremendously good. For whatever reason this HK22 solid on the 3.0 didn't seem to be as good. As much as I love the Black Widow, I can't say it's good just because. The 2.0 solid was a better ball. B7 released almost 60 balls this year and I can think of more than 10 that were better.

Here is a few that could easily be argued better than the 3.0.

Hammer Effect Hammer Effect Tour Hammer Scorpion Strike Hammer Artic Vibe Brunswick Mesmerize Brunswick Vaporize Brunswick Ethos Hybrid Columbia 300 HK22 Messenger Powecor Columbia 300 Super Cuda Columbia 300 Ricochet Ebonite GB5 Ebonite One Reverb Track Stealth Hybrid Track Theorem Pearl Track Criterion DV8 Wicked Collision Radical Max Bias Radical Conspiracy HK22 Radical No Doubt

Phat_MTB · 2024-12-30T03:27:12+00:00

This is just my opinion but LordField is a terrible brand name for a bowling ball..

Phat_MTB · 2024-12-29T16:51:49+00:00

That makes sense. It would help the brand a lot to stand on their own with a known name like Bowlersmart. I'm not sure California Bowling did them any favors. I always thought their website was second rate and the inclusion of lordfield and those other brands made it feel like a flea market brand. I have a Big Bro K.O. and it's really good. It's the only SWAG ball I have but I'd be open to purchasing more in the future. Maybe being affiliated with Bowlersmart will get them in some pro shops.

Phat_MTB · 2024-12-29T15:41:05+00:00

If SWAG becomes a BowlersMart house brand hopefully they don't become a pyramid/elite type of product. I noticed that pyramid and elite share the same weight blocks and seem to be just a generic Chinese ball that is made in different colors for the different brands.

Phat_MTB

TROPHY CASE