Storm Lightning Blackout Bowling Ball

I drilled up my LIGHTNING BLACKOUT (LIBO) with my standard 4.5 x 4 x 2 layout that I use on lower diff balls. I have tweaked the surface at 1500 to 3000. The LIBO is a good piece for the center that I bowl at with their 20+ year old synthetic panels. With the 1500 surface, the LIBO is just under my THE ROAD & it might have just a little more pick up than my IQ TOUR RUBY. The LIBO is one that I can keep in front of me and still get good roll off the medium/dryer patterns when they get a little wet/dry. I can also ball up to THE ROAD when I get pushed left or ball down to the IQ RUBY when I need to open up the lane to the right. Put this one in your bag if you are bowling on worn surfaces and your IQ Ruby is still not enough off the spot to carry with.

Bowler Stats: Speed: 15.5 MPH Rev Rate: 250 RPM Tilt: 6.6 degrees Axis Rotation: 80 degrees PAP: 4 5/8 over 1 5/8 up Layout: 41/2 X 41/2 X 2 VLS Video Ball Review: https://youtu.be/hRbmiQagHhU I usually don’t drill the weaker symmetrical releases since my rev rate is lower and I would rather drill stronger pieces weaker to fill that gap in the arsenal. With the addition of A.I. technology to the core of this ball I wanted to see if this will help with the core strength or overall ball motion. The REX pearl coverstock is my favorite pearl blend so I decided to give the Lightning Blackout a try. Even with the stronger layout this ball does not flare a lot so I need plenty of friction down the lane to have the ball motion I’m comfortable with. On the house shot I can stay to the right in the dry and have a good reaction but when I move into more oil I need to add more surface to help the ball cut through the oil and read the dry the correct way. I always use a 1000 grit abralon on all the REX pearl releases. With the way lanes transition on patterns I have not needed to use the Lightning Blackout in PBA 50 events. If you bowl on a lower volume house shot or an older lane surface then this ball would be a good choice along with the Hustle line. Pete Dohan Storm Bowling Amateur Staff #StormNation

LANE CONDITION Length: 41' Volume: Medium Type (Pattern): After League THS COMMENTS The Lightning Blackout is a blast from Storm's past with a new cover wrapped around the AI technology. REX pearl make a low end ball high performance on the right conditions. Built to bail you out when the lanes get scorched in the fronts and the backends are screaming for control for me. Drilled mine 5 1/2 x 1 1/2 VLS it did give me the length and strong predictable motion I rely on. I needed a ball to replace my trusty 900 Global Boost, I can say it did and then some due to the updated inner core and cover. Floats with ease thru the fronts and hockey sticks off the dry. Off hit strikes are up (AI) which gives all the confidence to use without hesitation. I see this ball as a crankers dream and stroker/tweener savior. A variety of styles can afford to add this ball to there league and tournament arsenal. Watch some of the youtube videos for styles closer to yours for better comparison. It will make your decision easier to add this ball to your bag. Visit you VIP Pro-Shop today.

The Storm Lightning Blackout is a piece that I was particularly excited to drill. I primarily bowl on drier house shots, so the symmetric core with .029 differential were things I knew would be a good fit for my game. I have an average speed of 16mph, with a rev rate of 470rpm. Not astronomically high, but enough to where control is always a welcome attribute. I used a 4.5x2x1 layout which was right on the money for what I'm looking for. I love seeing versatility out of my equipment, and this allows me to manipulate the reaction with my hand and play anywhere from 2nd to 5th arrow comfortably. It can be used on fresh conditions, but I feel this ball is most at home once some transition has taken place and there are some dry boards to help it get started. A good pin up layout will afford most players the room needed to open up the lane and have some miss room the last game of league, which is never a bad thing!

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.