Roto Grip Gremlin Tour-X Bowling Ball

The Roto Grip Gremlin Tour X Bowling Ball is exactly what you want when you need control on tougher patterns. This ball is designed to be smooth and predictable, and that’s exactly what I’ve seen from it on the lanes. I drilled mine 4 ¾ × 4 × 4, and the reaction is exactly what I was hoping for. The ball gets into a nice roll, reads the midlane well, and most importantly doesn’t jump off the spot. Instead of that sharp “hockey stick” move downlane, it makes a smooth, controlled move and keeps going through the pins. The motion is very continuous and easy to trust. I actually drilled this ball specifically with Nationals in mind, because I sometimes struggle when balls get too quick off the end of the pattern on sport conditions. The Gremlin Tour X does the opposite—it blends the lane and keeps the reaction predictable, which makes it much easier to stay lined up as conditions change. If you’re looking for a ball that takes the over/under out of play and gives you a smooth, reliable motion, the Gremlin Tour X definitely does what it was designed to do. It’s the kind of piece that really shines when the patterns get tougher and you need control more than anything else.

The new Roto Grip Gremlin Tour-X features the V-R1 hybrid coverstock finished at 4000 grit abralon, and the Rondure Tour-X core. At 15 pounds, this ball has a low RG of 2.48 with a differential of .034 and an intermediate differential of .011. I drilled this ball at 5x5x2 putting the pin above my bridge. This ball is very different than the original Gremlin, so don’t let the nameplate fool you. Many people compare this ball to the original Stom Ion Pro, but for me the Gremlin Tour-X is a stronger overall ball and has a more angular backend motion. The new Gremlin Tour-X will provide the bowler with high usability on many lane conditions, making this a must purchase for any league bowler who bowls in a high friction center, as well as any tournament bowlers who need a ball they can rely on to provide a consistent reaction when the scoring pace is on the lower side.

As a right-handed tweener with a PAP of 1" up and 3.5" over, about 14 mph ball speed, and roughly 330 RPM, the Roto Grip Gremlin Tour-X has become a very reliable option in my league bag. I primarily bowl on a 40' house shot on synthetic lanes with built-in friction, and this ball matches up extremely well with that environment. The first thing I noticed with the Gremlin Tour-X is how smooth and predictable the motion is. It gets through the front of the lane clean without burning up early, but it still reads the midlane strong enough to avoid skidding too far. For my speed and rev rate, the reaction shape is a controlled arc rather than a sharp flip, which helps keep the ball in play even when I miss slightly right or left. On a typical house shot, I can start around the second arrow and let the ball make a smooth move toward the pocket. As the lanes transition, the Gremlin Tour-X still retains plenty of energy, allowing me to move a little deeper without losing continuation through the pins. What really stands out is how well this ball blends the wet/dry conditions that house shots tend to create. It doesn’t overreact when it touches friction, and it doesn’t quit when it sees a little extra oil. The result is a very confidence-inspiring ball motion that makes it easier to repeat shots.

Layout: 4 1/2 x 4 x 4 1/2 Surface: 4000 Abralon Rev Rate: 470 Tilt: 13* The brand-new Gremlin Tour-X is the newest "tour" ball in the Roto Grip lineup since the Tour Dynam-x. What sets this one apart is the new Rondure Tour-X core. This core provides the same low RG but higher differential and intermediate differential compared to previous tour balls. This provides a little more overall hook and backend compared to the Tour Dynam-X. The core is complemented by the new V-R1 Hybrid coverstock which helps this ball get very good continuation with the ability to blend the lanes more. I was able to test this on a fresh 43ft typical house shot. On the fresh, this ball did nothing but blend the lane out so well. Ample continuation while controlling the lane was the key to its success. I was able to be straighter up the lane due to its weaker core and strike fairly easily. As the front started to go, I started to see some early hook. As I moved in to about 20 with my feet, the coverstock came alive creating easy length and a very continuous down lane motion. It had no trouble turning the corner and going through the pins properly. As I had to get into 25+ with the ball, the weaker strength of the ball started to show and I had to slow down my ball speed to get it to hook enough in the oil. When I was able to slow down enough, my ball continued through the pins fairly well. If I got firm or missed into the oil, it struggled to get the corner out or hook enough. All of the reactions were fairly expected. Adjusting the surface to 2000 grit would allow me to get further left in the oil more successfully. On sport patterns, I would need to bring the surface down to get more traction in the higher volume of oil. I recommend this ball for anyone who is looking to blend the lanes better, get rid of that wet/dry reaction or just a weaker controllable ball for the fresh. The continuation of the ball will allow many styles to use this ball with ease. Compared to the Storm Ion Pro Solid at its Power Edge finish, I saw more midlane traction out of the Gremlin Tour-X. To me the Gremlin felt slightly stronger and not as fast response to friction.

Roto Grip Gremlin Tour-X Coverstock: VR-1 Hybrid Reactive Finish: 4000 Grit Abralon Core: Rondure Tour-X (14 pd) RG: 2.52 Differential: 0.034 Int Diff: 0.010 Layout: 4 x 5 ¾ x 3 ¼ - 2LS Layout Extras: 2 1/8 Finger Depth, “X” - 4 ½ D and 1 inch Left Tester: PAP 6 1/2 R, 1 1/4 D Review: The Gremlin Tour-X features the VR-1 Hybrid Reactive that offers a more traction footprint on the lane. The Rondure Tour-X Core enhances control and smoothness for a ball in the HP3 line. The ball’s intent is to create a ball motion not readily seen in the SPI line of bowling balls. In comparison to my Roto Grip Tour Dynam-X the Gremlin Tour-X has a touch easier time getting through the front part of the lane. Also, the Gremlin Tour-X is better balanced with it’s OOB finish for those that do not like to mess with surfaces. Rolling on a few THS patterns and on Highway to Hell this ball really does have a great balance of length and control. In my opinion, you’ll be able to stay more up the boards on the lane and be able to use various hand positions to make the ball do exactly what you want to do very easily. For me, I really desire options for sport and league patterns where control is the key, yet I want to move away from urethane due to its earlier characteristics where a lot of traffic may happen. I feel the Gremlin Tour-X might be that option over bigger balls like the RST Hyperdrive or even the Hyperdrive pearl due to my ball speed where big asyms get offline for me quickly. The cover comes out at 4K from the factory, so I simply have let it lane shined for a touch more length. Anything you desire in a ball to create earlier hook and control the Gremlin Tour-X is what you might looking for. This type of ball can be advantageous in today's bowling environment. I'm very excited about this ball being an asymmetric offering as well and its initial use has shown good results for me thus far. Michael Slatky 900 Global Staff Member York, PA

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) : 6 Shape: Medium Sharp Best Use: Medium oil/transition I was big sad when the Ion Pro OG got discontinued, but the Gremlin Tour X cures those blues! The GTX is almost the exact same ball with some key improvements. The GTX is a little bit cleaner in the fronts, but it is also a hybrid, just no nano. The GTX has a flip block, so it comes off the spot much harder too. Overall, the GTX is fairly clean and responsive on the backend. But the lower differential keeps the ball from over flaring and burning up in the fronts meaning I can keep this ball in my hands for more conditions. For those who like lower flaring balls, the Gremlin Tour X is a great addition!

The Gremlin Tour-X is Roto Grips newest HP3 line ball. The Gremlin Tour-X features a modified version of Rondure MaxD core found in the OG Gremlin which lowers the overall diff drastically. This combined with the V-R1 Hybrid cover produces a much earlier and more stable ball motion. For anyone that was a fan of the Original Ion Pro Hybrid, this feels almost like a carbon copy. The Gremlin Tour-X is now available from any Storm VIP Pro Shop! Review Video: https://youtu.be/u5niRsqpQ1E?si=Fpwhlgr4F_fUmXWa

Roto Grip Gremlin Tour-X: Ball info: Core - Rondure Tour-X, which has a lowered DIFF and RG from the original Rondure core. COverstock - V-R1 hybrid coverstock, middle of the road in aggressiveness and backend reaction, a true “straighter is greater coverstock”. The surface was prepped at 4000 grit from the factory to keep the predictability of the ball intact. 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 13/16th up 1/8th. Used on 39ft and 42 ft flatter patterns and 2025 Doubles and Singles USBC Open Championship pattern. The Roto Grip Gremlin Tour-X is the next release in the all-new Storm Bowling Tournament Collection of balls. When I saw this one being released, my thoughts went back a few years when the Rubicon UC2 was released with a 4k surface. I found out that the Tour-X was a little smoother overall, mainly because I feel lowering the DIFF and RG made the core a little more even, but not weak. The Tour-X has taken the place of my IQ Tour A.I. that I had at 3000 grit surface in my tournament bags for the medium and flatter patterns. In the past I needed to constantly adjust the surface to keep the IQ Tour to see the reaction I was looking for. So far, the GT-X, which is what I nicknamed it, has not had to undergo any surface adjustments to keep the angels closed down and really keeping the reaction even and still strong through the pin deck. The good news also is that I was also able to use the GT-X on a house pattern where the lane surface is very high friction from 2 decades of use, where everything else would hook instantly, or the Concept and LeveL is not strong enough the GT-X steps up and takes the lanes over like a true menace like a Gremlin should. Check out stormbowling.com for all the latest information, ball specs, videos and great educational material for the sport of bowling. Thank you to my long time partners: Roto Grip, Coolwick, Bowlers’ Supply, ABC North Lanes and Pro Shop, and Vise Inserts. Upcoming Matchmaker Live! Events in my area: Saturday 3/28 - Parkway Lanes - Elmwood, NJ Sunday 3/29 - Penndel Lanes - Penndel, PA — KELLY KULICK is scheduled to appear!!! Sunday April 19th - ABC North Lanes - Harrisburg, PA

The Gremlin Tour-X has such a smoother motion than the original Gremlin. It has been a great ball for me lately when I get to the middle of game 2. I love how predictable the ball motion is and it definitely keeps me out of trouble. The one thing I have noticed with this ball is that I can not move too much left but with how smooth it is I don’t really need to.

Ball Specs: Roto Grip Gremlin Tour-X VR1 Hybrid Reactive Rondure Asymmetric Core Finish: 4000 grit Abralon Layout: 4 x 4 with 2” Pin Buffer Bowler Specs: Right Hand. PAP 5” Over 1/2 up Rev Rate 300. Tilt 20. Rotation 50. Speed at release 17 Review: The Gremlin Tour-X is probably my favorite of the last wave of balls released from SPI. This ball fits ne even better than the Bionic which is very good. For me, this ball is better than the Ion Pro which was recently discontinued. The Gremlin Tour-X is stronger than I expected and is smooth and predictable but does pick up on the back part of the lane. The Gremlin Tour-X hits and carries very well. This ball seems to blend out wet dry conditions and has kept me out of trouble when my strong shiny equipment starts to bite too hard at the break point. Both gremlin balls have been rolling and selling very well, and the price point is very good for this high level of performance. I put this ball under my RST Solid but above my Hustle X-Ray in hook. I believe you will see this ball at a lot of tournaments and on the racks on league night. Summary: The Roto Grip Gremlin Tour-X is a predictable hard-hitting ball. The ball is better than the price point. The Gremlin Tour-X is a nice compliment to the original. Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JcPVr-HiJDY Glenn Wendel Storm Pro Shop Staff gwendel@comcast.net www.stormbowling.com