Storm Ion Pro Bowling Ball

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

The Ion Pro is Storm's newest addition to the benchmark line, surpassing the success of the IQ Tour and the Phaze 2. With the all-new Element Tour AI core and the TX-16 Hybrid coverstock, the Ion Pro takes the benchmark series to a whole new level. I drilled mine at 45 x 4.5 x 30. Testing it on a 42ft house pattern at my home center of Cortlandt Lanes, the Ion Pro tends to pick up a little earlier in the friction, but still has that smooth, controllable finish as it goes through the pins, something that's interesting enough for an asymmetrical ball. I compared it to my IQ tour (shined for a solid, goes longer and cleaner) and Phaze 2 (controllable and smooth finish) and find the Ion Pro to be right in the middle between these two balls. Definitely a game changer in the benchmark series and will find this ball to be most useful for all levels of competition. Be sure to drill one from your local pro shop!! Thomas Coco (storm staffer)

Welcome back as we have a great one for you from Storm! If you're a fan of these reviews I want to thank you for watching and reading these reviews and videos and hope it gives you some information to take back when looking to get your next bowling ball. TESTING ENVIRONMENT Length:42 Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc): Broken Down House Shot BALL: Storm ION Pro Coverstock: : TX-16 Hybrid Core: : Element Tour A.I. Finish: 4000 RG: 2.51 (14 Pounds) Differential: .036 (14 Pounds) MB/PSA: .10 (14 Pounds) ME: Right-Handed Tweener Speed: 14-15mph Rev Rate: 210 PAP: 4 7/8 right 5/8 up Ball Layout: 5X3X4 Pin Down This ball is gonna be the new way to look at the benchmark ball. Being someone who never threw a Phaze II and not many of the IQ’s this ball is marketed as that in between ball AKA your benchmark piece. The testing was done at Castle Lanes in Racine on a used oil pattern. For me this was likely to be the best case when I would use the ION Pro. Due to my lower rev rate/higher speed I tend to throw the bigger balls to start even on house shots. I was able to move around the lane some but when on top of the friction this ball started to hook up really fast so as I moved left I was able to roll it into the friction and it was still responsive. Shots that I did get left of target were a little lazy but didn’t overhook as you see with much bigger balls. I was able to play with the surface and this ball took these changes very well without being too clean or burnup. This ball will have a place in anyone's bag as this ball is extremely bowler friendly. The ION Pro is available today at Bowlers Choice Pro Shop inside Castle Lanes in Racine, WI or your local STORM VIP Pro Shop #Storm #SquadRG GoGlobal #VISE #BowlersChoiceProShop #3GShoes #IAmBowling (Code HIRSCH gets you 20% off) Check out my full ball reaction video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Gpvk0-ijyY4?si=KvtA3zc97xgPgKt3 Brian Hirsch