Storm Ion Pro Bowling Ball

Ball Specs: Storm Ion Pro TX-16 Hybrid Reactive A.I. Asymmetric Core Finish 4000 Abralon Layout 4.5 x4 with 1.5 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 have never really been able to do well with the I.Q. Tour Navy, I know weird right? But then I totally love the Phase Two and completely trust it. So not knowing what to expect from the Ion Pro we drilled it up and went to the lanes. It only took a few shots to know I was going to be very happy with this ball. The 4000 grit surface helps the ball go long enough and the Mass Bias does not pull the ball down too soon. The A.I. Core hit is noticeable on this ball and the pins seem to bounce around quite a bit upon impact. Sometimes the A.I. hit seems to be enhanced with certain balls for me. The roll is stable and predictable, with just the right amount of motion on the back end. This ball creates a unique and better angle for me than the Tour Navy. I hear the term benchmark a lot but feel Storm nailed that reaction on this one. In my opinion benchmark balls have more motion today than we expected on them a few years back. I put this ball between my Gem and Tour Dynamix in total hook.This ball should work well for many styles of play. I did most my testing with the Ion Pro on a house shot and this ball blended out the pattern without skidding on the wet or jerking on the dry, this ball is a keeper! Summary: The Ion Pro has a great benchmark motion. The hit and carry are excellent on the Ion Pro. This ball could be essential in a lot of player’s bags. Glenn Wendel Storm Pro Shop Staff gwendel@comcast.net www.stormbowling.com Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke717aOMGd0&error=0

Storm Ion Pro Layout: 4.0 x 4.5 x 2 Storm Pin Buffer Layout Rev Rate: 325 rpm, 7 degree of axis tilt, 40 degree of axis rotation Testing information: 41 foot THS (medium to light volume) Bowling Center: Fulton Bowling Center Kegel Machine – Brunswick Anvilane Storm’s Ion Pro utilizes the TX-16 hybrid coverstock and the Element Tour AI core. My first thought was Wow. I drilled the Storm Ion Pro before I left for the PBA50 WSOB. I wasn’t sure what to expect with the lower differential number. The Storm Ion Pro was fantastic on the Ballard oil pattern playing outside of board 10 and it was the answer on the longer Petraglia oil pattern from inside board 15. I was very impressed with the Storm Ion Pro’s versatility. I left it at box finish and I think that is where I will leave it. I think it is in that same range as the iQ Tour solid and below a Phase II. Visit your local Storm VIP Pro Shop! #Stormnation #SquadRG

The highly anticipated Storm Ion Pro brings the next evolution in cover technology with the TX-16 hybrid cover, a variation of the TX-16 solid cover found on the Phaze 2. What is unique about this ball, in addition to A.I. outer core technology, is an asymmetric core in the "benchmark" category. Upon first throwing it, my initial impression was a stronger, "torque-ier" IQ Tour. Definitely earlier and smoother, but still able to handle 4th arrow without any issues. Flattening my hand, the ball had no trouble rolling off of friction going up 8 board and having a controlled reaction. I personally love equipment in the .025-.040 diff. range so this one was at the top of my list to get drilled up. It can absolutely be the first ball out of your bag for league if you have any kind of friction to use. Probably not the ideal choice for something super heavy, but for most typical league conditions I can see this being ball #1 80% of the time. Comparing directly to the IQ Tour Solid on the same lane, the IQ was longer and sharper down the lane compared to the Ion. Those two could possibly make a good 1-2 combo, though I think the Ion and IQ Tour Pearl would have more separation.

Storm Ion Pro Coverstock: TX-16 Hybrid Reactive Finish: 4000 Grit Abralon Core: Element Tour A.I. (14 pd) RG: 2.51 Differential: 0.036 Int Diff: 0.010 Layout #1: 3 x 5 x 5 - 2LS Layout #2: 2 x 6 x 5 - 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 Ion Pro features the newer Amplfied Inertia (A.I.) core technology. This core as you would expect will help the Ion Pro 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 my Ion Pros to the famous and long standing !Q Tour. As advertised by SPI, the Ion Pro falls between the Phaze II and !Q Tour. For me, the Ion Pros lean more toward the !Q side of the arsenal. Also, the layouts I chose for my Ion Pros allow me to keep my angles tighter and less steep for sport patterns I prefer to play on. Both of my Ion Pros I did roll on a standard 43' house pattern to test with the !Q Tour. Ion Pro layout #1 is new for me and I was impressed with this one. Basically it is a great option for me when jumping out of urethane or need good control off the spot. It allowed me to blend the wet/dry as a rev dominant player. Ion Pro layout #2 simply transitions smoothly through all phases of ball motion. In comparison, my !Q Tour gets offline a touch quicker. I feel the Ion Pros give me more strength and reliability overall. If I could make one change I would adjust layout #2 to more of my standard 5 x 4 x 3 - 2LS. Simply to see all the versatility these Ion Pros have. I recommend the the Storm Ion Pro for the player seeking straighter angles 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 your Storm Ion Pro today! Michael Slatky 900 Global Staff Member York, PA Storm Ion Pro Coverstock: TX-16 Hybrid Reactive Finish: 4000 Grit Abralon Core: Element Tour A.I. (14 pd) RG: 2.51 Differential: 0.036 Int Diff: 0.010 Layout #1: 3 x 5 x 5 - 2LS Layout #2: 2 x 6 x 5 - 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 Ion Pro features the newer Amplfied Inertia (A.I.) core technology. This core as you would expect will help the Ion Pro 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 my Ion Pros to the famous and long standing !Q Tour. As advertised by SPI, the Ion Pro falls between the Phaze II and !Q Tour. For me, the Ion Pros lean more toward the !Q side of the arsenal. Also, the layouts I chose for my Ion Pros allow me to keep my angles tighter and less steep for sport patterns I prefer to play on. Both of my Ion Pros I did roll on a standard 43' house pattern to test with the !Q Tour. Ion Pro layout #1 is new for me and I was impressed with this one. Basically it is a great option for me when jumping out of urethane or need good control off the spot. It allowed me to blend the wet/dry as a rev dominant player. Ion Pro layout #2 simply transitions smoothly through all phases of ball motion. In comparison, my !Q Tour gets offline a touch quicker. I feel the Ion Pros give me more strength and reliability overall. If I could make one change I would adjust layout #2 to more of my standard 5 x 4 x 3 - 2LS. Simply to see all the versatility these Ion Pros have. I recommend the the Storm Ion Pro for the player seeking straighter angles 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 your Storm Ion Pro today! Michael Slatky 900 Global Staff Member York, PA

The Ion Pro is truly a gamechanger for my bag. I have ironically never owned a Phaze II or IQ Tour, so I cannot compare it to those but the versatility of this ball is more than I have ever seen from any other ball I have owned. I have been able to play straight up 10 which is where I prefer to start but the other day I moved in and played around 17 at the arrows to around 12 and was pleasantly surprised how well this ball handled that line and the backend was amazing. If I get in normally, I struggle to get the ball to get the 10 out but saw no issue with that using this ball.

Ion Pro is a fresh take on a must-have shape! This reinvention of the benchmark ball provides a smooth shape that is both predictable and dynamic. This ball feels like a torquier IQ Tour Solid with a slightly stronger cover. The TX-16 formula feels familiar, yet the hybrid version featured here creates a little more length and allows this ball to handle more oil than the IQ Tour without being as strong/early as the Phaze 2. This ball is exactly what I want out of a benchmark ball: early, smooth, and predictable. And like any true benchmark ball, it fits right in the middle of my bag! This ball is one-of-a-kind. Available now at your local Storm VIP Pro Shop! -Chase Valenzuela

Storm – Ion Pro 14-pounds Layout 5 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 first new ball at that weight and it’s everything the promotional information states. Sometimes we over-hype something or people think staffers must pump up the new products. In this case, all the hype is correct. There’s not one style of bowler that can’t benefit from this ball. For the ultimate benchmark ball, I went with my standard layout when trying to get a read on a ball. It was easy for me to get the ball through the fronts and is the ultimate reaction shape for me as it picks up its roll. Mind you, this ball doesn’t have any trouble making a corner if you really wanted to get your hand in it. My summer team and all of us were using the Ion Pro last night. One senior player with a very low rev rate, myself newly minted senior with still a fair amount of roll and my son, a two-handed, high rev rate player. Again, this ball fits any type of style. The Ion is very receptive to rotation changes, speed changes and the versatility to play across the lane. When you can appeal to that wide of range of player, the team in Utah has outdone themselves. I’d be interested in polishing one up to see what type of reaction shape it gives. I no doubt will drill multiples of this piece. If you’re in the market for a new ball, I can’t recommend a ball any more highly than the Ion Pro.

The next benchmark ball is here with the Ion. Not as weak as a IQ Tour yet not as clean as a Phaze 2; the Ion fits between both those selections. When you need earlier than a Phaze 2 the Ion is a great option to go to. The Ion is versatile as you can close your angles and open them based off what the lane is giving you. This ball has become a staple in my bag and comes with me wherever I go, whether it's to league or tournament play.

With all the hype around the debut of this ball after the success of the original IQ, who wouldn’t drill one? Mine is drilled pin down and does not disappoint. As advertised, a true controllable benchmark shape with added cornering power here. If you don’t have one now I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t have one in the future.

Love the ball