Storm Lightning Blackout Bowling Ball

Storm – Lightning Blackout 14-pounds Layout 4 x 4 x 1.5 Style – stroker Ball Speed – 14-15 mph at pins Condition – house pattern - HPL surface Surface – box condition I just recently switched to 14-pound equipment after an injury. This is my second new ball at that weight. Always been a big fan of the REX Pearl cover. I’d drilled a Hustle RIP previously at 15 pounds and really liked that motion. When I started looking at numbers, the Blackout and RIP are very similar with the huge difference being that cover. Decided to go ahead and drill the Blackout instead of another RIP. Glad I did, the window will be a little larger with this ball given the stronger cover. Very pronounced motion off the end of the pattern for me. Will be a transition ball after some breakdown. Would be way to sharp at the breakpoint on fresh conditions. I wouldn’t want to try and control that motion. This should be a ball that appeals to a wide variety of bowlers. The price point will be an issue for some. As I said, very similar numbers to a Hustle that you can purchase at a cheaper price. If you really like the REX Pearl cover then spend the extra money and pick one of these up. If you don’t have that strong of an opinion on the cover, then save a few dollars and pick up the RIP. Both are wildly useful pieces that can fill that bottom of the bag, transition piece.

Ball was a lot stronger than I thought it would be.

Layout: 40 x 4 1/8 x 40 The combination of a low-flaring core with a shiny, high-traction coverstock creates a unique ball reaction that is killer on medium to medium-light oil conditions. The medium-RG core revs up in the midlane stronger than expected and creates a more predictable reaction than a lower differential core would usually possess. Even with the strong REX coverstock, the Lightning Blackout is very clean through the fronts, and as such, will not work very well on heavier oil conditions in its shiny box finish. In the Storm lineup, this ball sits in between balls such as the Summit Peak and Virtual Energy Blackout which are for medium-heavy oil, and balls such as the IQ Tour Ruby or the Electrifies for lighter oil.

Ball Specs: Storm Lightning Blackout ReX Pearl Polished Cover Reacta Gloss Polished Warp A.I. Core (Symmetric) Layout 4.5 x 4.5 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: I read the info and was a bit confused as to what I would see on the lanes with this ball. The REX cover and some ball info alluded to an angular ball. The core numbers and other information made me think control and smooth. I love black bowling balls and the scent of this ball is very nice. To find out how it would roll, I drilled one up and went to my regular practice house. I first tested this ball on a house shot and the Lightning Blackout was weaker than I expected. This was not a bad thing since most of the latest releases have been very strong. I had my best look keeping my speed up and playing far outside with this ball on house conditions. I sub at another house that has a flatter dry pattern and the LBO was a much better fit on this pattern for me. I was able to move pretty far left and swing the ball a pretty good amount. As long as I was consistent with my ball speed the ball read the lane well and hit good. I had a couple pretty good games so far with this ball but have not really found it to be as forgiving as I wanted on what I bowl on. I would put the Lightning Blackout between my Surge Pearl and The Road in total hook. I am not seeing a big difference in hit from the A.I. core in this ball as I do in some other balls. I have drilled this ball for folks with slower speeds or who bowl on higher friction lane beds and this seems to match up very well. Summary: The LBO seems to be a good choice on dryer conditions. The color and scent of this ball are very nice. Slower speeds and higher rev rates seem to benefit from this ball. Glenn Wendel Storm Pro Shop Staff gwendel@comcast.net www.stormbowling.com

Orientation: Right Handed Rev Rate: 400 RPM Speed: 16-17 MPH PAP: 4 ½ over and 1 1/8 up Location: Enterprise Park Lanes, Springfield MO Pattern: High Volume THS VLS Layout: Layout 1: 4 5/8 x 4 x 2 ½ (Pin above bridge) Layout 2: 4 ¼ x 4 x 4 (pin below bridge) The Lightning Blackout is a great HyRoad Pearl replacement. It’s WEAK! But good weak. SOOO clean, and super smooth backend. Part of the reason I think the Hyroad Pearl went away was it was too clean and too sideways off the spot. It always needed a weight hole to slow it down on the back a little. The Lightning Blackout solves that problem. It’s clean clean clean but it doesn’t go SIDEWAYS on the back, which I like a lot. I legit have it below my Hustle RIP but it fits there GREAT. I can literally throw it as slow as I want and it really doesn’t ever get too quick. It’s a staffer’s dream IMO, but the price point may throw some people off! What I can say to that is if you need it, you better have it because it’s a very unique shape!

HAND: LEFT (ONE HANDED) PAP: 4 3/8 OVER / 1/16 UP BALL SPEED: 16MPH REV RATE: 420 AXIS TILT: 20 AXIS ROTATION: 50 LAYOUT: 60X4.5X40 The Lightning Blackout has an RG of 2.53 and a differential of .029 putting this ball in similar territory as the IQ Tour but it features a stronger cover stock in ReX giving it a little more traction in the mid lane. This ball has the same layout as my IQ Tour that way I can use them as a good 1-2 punch when I'm able to use them. This ball surprised me a bit with how strong it was, it is cleaner going down lane than the IQ Tour and it has a similar shape off the friction, I'm able to stay in the same spot with my Lightning when the lanes breakdown a bit and my IQ starts up too early. For me this ball makes my tournament bag when I'm trying to keep my angles more in front of me and there is a decent amount off hook in the pattern. Players with a higher rev rate who are looking to control the friction on their house shot will love this ball and the tournament players who are looking for something cleaner with a similar shape to the IQ Tour make sure to go to your local pro shop and pick up a Lightning Blackout.

It's a BLACK pearl ball!!! Rolls very nice! For myself, I had to hit it with a 3000 pad to tame down the out of the box shine. It just went to long and had the back end snap. To place it between bowling balls, hooks less than the Roto Grip Attention Star, Hook more, reads the lane a little sooner then the Storm Revenant and hooks a little more. Then the 900 Global Xponent Pearl, same, it reads sooner, and almost the same on the back end. I liked the Blackout Lightning a little more deeper (with the surface) and rolls very well on the back end. Its a ball I like in my bag to say the least. It's a very readable bowling ball! Storm did wonders with this ball! Thank you!

Sam Cooper. Roto Grip Amateur Staff. Layout 55x4.75x35. The Storm Lightning Blackout features the REX pearl cover which is found on the Virtual Gravity Blackout. I am personally a big fan of REX coverstocks. This ball features the Warp AI Core which is a medium-high RG core with a differential of .029. This core is not as high of an RG as a Hyroad but not a lower RG ball like the IQ Tour. Initial thoughts about where this ball fits in IQ Ruby territory. This ball looks and smells great. I want Storm to make more balls with darker colors and the 3 logos. Just looks so good going through the pins with the logos flipping. The first testing session with it was burned up house. It allowed me to stay closer to the friction but when I had to move into the soup on the house shot it was too clean. Had to go to a stronger ball but the Lightning Blackout came back around since we bowl a 4 game set on burn. On house it made a quick yet rounded motion. I would not say hockey stick motion and that could be because of the layout. Another notable testing session was the 36ft Del Ballard pattern. I could you play right down the gutter with this and the strength of the cover would get the ball moving strong off the gutter. Or I could move left and slow down throw it at the gutter and it would react nicely to the pocket. This ball would be usable late in blocks or someone that has lower ball speed. I will admit this ball was much cleaner than anticipated some surface prep is required for me anyway.

Introducing The Lightning Blackout! Featuring a unique low differential A.I. Core and the proven REX Pearl cover, this ball provides a smooth, continuous motion complimentary to that of the IQ Ruby, but with a stronger cover formula that can handle more oil. If you like the IQ Ruby but need a shell up from that piece, or if you found that the Ruby was too clean or too over/under for your house condition, Lightning Blackout will fill that spot in the bag with a unique a new take on an old favorite! -Chase Valenzuela

Storm Lightning Blackout Coverstock: ReX Pearl Reactive Finish: Reacta Gloss Core: Warp A.I. (14 pd) RG: 2.55 Differential: 0.029 Layout: 5 x 4 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 Lightning Blackout (LBO) features the newer Amplfied Inertia (A.I.) core technology. This core as you would expect will help the Lightning Blackout in providing a predictable shape at the end of the pattern. As A.I. core technology has been previously tested that means a few extra percentage points of carry can be anticipated. For my review I compared the LBO to the the Hy-Road Max. I must note here that these categories of bowling balls allow you to keep in your spot on the lane longer and help avoid steeper angles that can get a lot of players in trouble on many conditions. The Hy-Road Max in concept was a great idea on paper, but did not quite have what I was looking for as the lanes transition. The LBO coverstock combination is much more suited for today's environment. Both of these balls try to fill in the players arsenal where straighter is greater but as the front part of the lane starts to go. These balls will shine when getting steeper is tricky. The LBO coverstock at box finish is a tad clean for me so I recommend a 2K to 3K finish on this ball. This recommended surface adjustment should allow you to feel the ball is not getting away from you down the lane. If more angle is your flavor I'd say The Road is a better option for you over the LBO. Do not sleep on these type of bowling balls where you want to play up the boards for better scoring. The A.I. part of the equation will kick in as well where close hits will have a better tendency to carry. I recommend the the Storm Lightning Blackout for the player seeking straighter angles longer as lanes transition. I'm definitely excited about this ball from Storm. Please be sure to visit your favorite pro shop today or https://youtube.com/channel/UC1VA-MgFBo9mIZde-G3T11A for my occasional ball videos. Be sure to grab you Storm Lightning Blackout today! Michael Slatky 900 Global Staff Member York, PA