900 Global Viking Bowling Ball

900 Global Viking: Strobe A.I. sore with RB90 Hybrid coverstock - surface finished at 2000ab with Power Edge finishing product. Layout: 5 ½ x 2 ½ x 3 ½ My Specs: Rev rate 420’s, ball speed 15.3 to 15.8 mph off the hand, axis tilt of 16 degrees and axis rotation of 70 degrees, PAP is 3 15/16th up 3/16th. Tested on Pro-lane surface on a 43ft medium volume house pattern and HPL with a 44ft house pattern. The 900 Global Viking was a breath of fresh air for me in my traveling league bags. Bowling in 2 completely different houses with different lane panels, length and volume of oil, and even conditioner and cleaner differences the Viking is a great second ball out of the bag in both centers. As the guide on stormbowling.com points out, the Viking for me is a transition to burn ball for me. Being left handed, I usually don’t get to see the “burn” like my right handed team mates do, but I do cross with plenty of lefties every week. So the Viking does make a nightly appearance during the 3rd game, and sometimes earlier. I have used the Viking during tournaments when we bowl 5 or more games. The Viking has also been the 1st ball out of the bag in a center where the lanes have a TON of friction due to age and has a BIG cliff at the end of the pattern so the front part of the lane is controlled by the solid part of the coverstock and the backend is is strong arch, not an super angular reaction like a pearl cover would give. Seeing over 200 people in recent weekends use the Viking at Storm Matchmaker Live! events in Pennsylvania, I tell them to warm up with a solid or the ball they were looking to try first, then I put a Viking in their hands, and everyone was surprised how the ball responded for them once the lanes got a little lineage on it during the demo. We even had the Viking outsell the #1 demanded ball in a decade, the Phaze II Pearl at some demos. DO NOT look past the Viking as a ball to add to your current arsenal or to replace an older hybrid or pearl coverstock ball. Stop by your local pro shop to get the new Viking from 900 Global.

LANE CONDITION Length: 40 Volume: Medium-Heavy Type: THS COMMENTS Likes: Control. 15lb - Layout is 4x4x4 VLS pin under Storm website description: The Viking is built for battle. Created in small batches with precision and pride, the Viking pairs the Strobe A.I. Core with a responsive hybrid shell for motion. It's the kind of ball you can trust to show up every time. My take: Out of the box, the Viking gives a smooth and predictable reaction through the front part of the lane. It clears the heads easily without feeling too clean or skid-flippy, which is perfect for my speed and rev rate. The cover reads the midlane confidently, allowing me to see the ball pick up before making a strong, continuous move toward the pocket. What really stands out is how controlled the backend motion is. Instead of a sharp snap, the Viking provides a strong arcing shape, which helps keep the ball online and reduces over/under reaction—especially on typical house patterns. With my lower revrate and speed, I can trust it to blend the wet/dry and still carry well when I miss slightly right or tug it inside. Carry has been excellent. The Viking drives through the pins with continuation, mixing the rack well and keeping the 9-pin and flat 10s to a minimum. It’s especially effective when the lanes have medium oil or when I need something that doesn’t overreact as the pattern starts to transition and I can still play straighter thru the fronts. Overall, the 900 Global Viking is a great benchmark-style ball for bowlers with similar specs to mine. It offers a reliable, readable motion that works on a wide variety of conditions and pairs well with both stronger and cleaner pieces in an arsenal. If you’re looking for a ball you can start league with and trust shot after shot, the Viking is an excellent choice. (My comparison balls were all 900G hybrids asyms: Volatility, Reality Check and Origin. The difference in my eyes The Viking is 2 parts pearl while its predessors were 2 parts solid) #StrikingWorldwide

The 900 Global Viking has been a bit too long for me during league, so I took it down to 2000 and applied smooth edge. Ever since I did this it gave me a much better reaction down lane. I am able to play a lot straighter with this ball which is what I prefer if the lanes are really tight. I keep this ball in the shop at all times because it is a life saver most of the time.

The Viking is the newest hyrbid asym from SPI, and it is STRONG! The medium RG and strong cover formula have made this ball super useable for me. It has enough teeth for the fresh, but it creates enough length through the front part of the lane that I can use it all 3 games in league and just chase the shot in. I can always trust this ball to clear the front part of the lane and bang off the spot! Although it creates strong downlane motion, it isn't too sharp or uncontrollable. Having a ball this clean and this versatile is such a game changer because I can throw this on so many different conditions and for such a long window. You do NOT want to miss out on the Viking! The more I throw it, the more I love it! -Chase Valenzuela

The 900 Global Viking with a 4-4-2.5 VLS layout is a very simple, reliable ball that gets through the front part of the lane clean, starts to read in the middle, and then makes a smooth but strong move to the pocket without being jumpy. This layout keeps the reaction easy to control, so it works great on medium to medium-heavy oil when you want something predictable instead of a big snap. You can play it straighter or move a little inside and it will still hit and carry well, making it a good “trust it and throw it” ball when you don’t want surprises.

900 Global Viking Coverstock: Reserve Blend 90 Hybrid Finish: Power Edge Core: Strobe A.I. (14 pd) RG: 2.52 Differential: 0.051 Int Diff: 0.014 Layout: 5 1/2 x 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 - 2LS Layout Extras: 2 1/8 Finger Depth, "X" - 4 1/2 D and 1 Inch Left Tester: PAP 6 1/2 R, 1 1/4 D Review: The Viking features a Reserve Blend 90 coverstock and a core design that will provide the bowler more length and more pop down lane. The Viking has been a huge hit at recent MatchMaker events. The reason? More forgiveness with miss hits both inside and outside of the spot. As compared to the 900 Global Origin you can anticipate more length, more reaction off the spot and more longevity as transition occurs. In my opinion, the 900 Global Origin was fantastic when the bowler had the look, but once it went away the Origin time was short. However, the Viking you can move more inside and maintain good reaction with this ball. My speed tends to be slower, so "bigger" asymmetrical balls burning up early can be a common occurrence and get forward quickly. The Viking gives me what I need without messing with surfaces. This hybrid blend is exactly what I need in the bag for my starter asym equipment. One final note to point out is that lane beds in the eastern region are continuing to get older and older. The need to create length and control with bowling ball offerings is continuing to grow. Please be sure to visit your favorite pro shop today and don't forget to check in on Hit the Lanes with Danelle and Mike at: https://youtube.com/channel/UC1VA-MgFBo9mIZde-G3T11A for occasional video reviews. Be sure to grab your 900 Global Viking today! Michael Slatky 900 Global Staff Member York, PA

Introducing the 900 Global Viking with the Strobe AI Core and hybrid reactive coverstock. This ball is ideal for medium to heavy oil conditions when you need strong and continuous backend I am slightly speed dominant, rev challenged 220-250ish, low tilt and high rotation. I drilled mine 25 x 3.75 x 20. My axis point is 4 3/8 over 1 3/8 up. This ball is good for me on medium oil conditions. I made a small surface adjustment hitting the cover with a used 2k pad to get my ball to read the midlane more and it worked like a charm. Go get yours at your local Storm VIP shop today! Check out my video at: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17WsRyevLU/?mibextid=wwXIfr #StrikingWorldWide #sm2proshop

For me, out of the box the 900 Global Viking was not one of my favorite new releases. I found the reaction to be too much over/under for my liking. Asymms are very hit or miss for me. I did find a much better reaction when I scuffed the surface and removed the polish. That blended out the reaction and made the ball much more forgiving for me. It works well on my house shot, but it has been looking great in my sport shot league on our 40 foot pattern we are currently bowling. On the sport pattern it gives me a rounded shape and it very forward at the break point. This allows me to keep my angles straighter and not worry about the ball jumping off of the back of the pattern.

Orientation: Right Handed Rev Rate: 400 RPM Speed: 16-17 MPH PAP: 4 1/8 over and 1 up Location: Enterprise Park Lanes, Springfield MO Pattern: High Volume THS VLS Layout: Layout 1: 4 3/8 x 4 x 2 ½ (Pin above bridge) Layout 2: 4 x 4 x 3 7/8 (pin below bridge) Strength Rating (out of 10) : 7.5 Shape: Skid Snap Best Use: Medium/Heavy Oil Transition The Viking is a new Hybrid Asym from 900 Global. It replaces the Origin and basically its cleaner and quicker and more forward. It feels more like a Pearl than a Hybrid, and I can use it to get more cleanly through the fronts and backend more. The Origin felt more like a ball 1, the first ball out of the bag. The Viking can be used like that but you’re going to have to move more towards the friction and if the backends are too sharp you’re not going to have throw something else. But if you need a ball for transition or just overall friction, the Viking is going to be great!

900 Global Viking Cover: RB90 Hybrid Cover Core: A.I. Core RG: 2.51 #15 RG: Diff. 0.052 PSA 0.016 #15 Finish: Power Edge Factory Finish Fragrance: NA Rt hand Speed 14 MPH PAP 3 7/8 1/4 over Drilling: 5" x 4" x 2 VLS The new 900 Global Viking, a ball looking to move on the back. This new asymmetrical hybrid from Storm for me is a better version of the original Origin. Threw my favorite layout on it, 5 x 4 x 2 pin over bridge. Out of the box clean with a hockey stick backend motion. Really opens up angles for me at my slower speed. Impressive part of this ball is the continuation. There's no quit or forward for me. The free skid and clean motion along with the hard arc backend is something that fits my style. The motion also allowed me to keep moving left but still have the continuation to carry out corners. This is a transition ball that will help me keep up with the competition. I also tried the Viking with a cover change to 2000 on a heavier condition. The cover seems very versatile, earlier motion but still had some of the hybrid pop out of box. Definite ball of the year opportunity for 900 Global, a must have for the bag.