I picked up one of these last weekend and what can I say. It has a big backend reaction. Mine has been drilled 4x4 with a 2" pin buffer plus balance hole and it is aggressive (Pro Shop did warn me it would be).

I'm standing around 28 and throwing to about 5 - 7. The VG will get back to the pocket without trouble. It is also forgiving in that if you throw is wide (outside of 5) it will still come back (may come up light). I bowled a few games in practice with it and managed to shoot a 268 (double, nine spare, 7 in a row, 9 miss).

Someone earlier on mentioned this is going to be in everyone's arsenal and I can agree with that.

Stuart

Mine is back-ordered. Is here yet? Let me check...nope, it's still back-ordered!

I have a feeling this is going to compliment my Cell really well. I've found that the Cell is great on Sport/PBA patterns when they are fresh. However, as breakdown starts and I chase the oil line in on patterns like Shark and Scorpion, the Cell starts to run out of gas on the back-end. I'm hoping the Virtual will be able to provide that extra pop.

After my first night in league with the ball all I can say is it hooks and hits hard as advertised - 183-213-256 = 652. I got more comfortable with it as I went along.

tried the virtual today, to me it is nothing but a gravity shift that has been sanded rough. just my opinion

That's the way I feel about the Hammer balls. One ball is just a polished or sanded version of another which can be done at home with a spinner. This is the first Storm ball I've ever thrown so I can only compare it against my Hammers. I originally bought my Hammer Raw Anger to be a heavier oil ball, but I just can't seem to get that ball to move even after experimenting with cover changes. It just walks in with a very tame arc to the pocket, but sometime doesn't finish very well. The Storm VG so far will almost come out of the gutter and hit the pocket rolling. I just hope it stays that way after it soaks up some oil.


I gave up trying to judge balls by those ball reaction videos because the guys throwing the balls can crank the snot out of them. In order to judge a ball you have to throw it yourself and compare it to what you've thrown in the past and what you want the ball to do. So far so good with the VG...

Basically, that is what it is. If you look at the tech specs, they have the same weight block. The only difference is the coverstock. Instead of the pearl R2X coverstock, it is the solid version. Storm does this a lot. They take a core and put different coverstocks on it. A lot of time, through trial and error, they find a really good match that will be a great ball. They get feedback from the staffers and put it into their equipment. Some of the pros will really like the way a coverstock reacts to different surfaces but the ball doesn't hit quite right. Then there are other balls that the ball hits like a ton of bricks but the surface is really touchy (original Shift). Storm then takes the recommendations and applies it to their equipment.

Take a look at tech specs on other companies equipment. I am sure that most of them do the same exact thing.

Hi Chubbs,

The VG appears to have a good range of playability. As yet I haven't bowled on freshly oiled heavy lanes, just worn in and burnt out house shots, but the VG still copes with these.

On Tuesday night I bowled with it for the first time. The lanes had been oiled and a league had bowled on them so they we worn in. I managed a 541 (or something) over 3. So by this point the lanes had had six games on them and were starting to break down. One of my team mates was around and watching me. I then bowled a fourth game on the same pair with him watching me and where my ball hit and with his advice shot a 268.

Tonight I had another practice set with the VG and shot 613. The first game was with the VG and shot 258. The second and third games I had to move to the Brunswick Smash and the VG was starting to come up high, but that doesn't surprise me as I was probably bowling on a very burnt out house shot.

From what I have seen tonight, the VG carries through beautifully. Plenty of power when it hits the deck. If it can do this on burnt out house shots I can't wait for a tournament condition.

Stuart,

Got mine drilled up yesterday with pin 6" from PAP which puts it about .5" above and between fingers. I only rolled it a few times last night in league and was not making good pitches at all, but I think I'm getting exactly what I hoped for. I wanted to see a touch more length and a more snappy reaction than I get from my 4"x4" Cell, and that's what I saw when I did roll it well. Like the Cell, this ball is a monster in the mid-lane, but it offers much more strength coming off the spot and through the deck. The Cell is still awesome on fresh, soupy lanes, but I can see this being a Shark and Scorpion killer once the pattern start to transition a bit. I was playing on very worn wood lanes last night which don't match up so well with strong and sanded balls, so I can't wait to try this piece on the tighter synthetics at my normal house.

I'm not sure about the orange/mint scent. Mine smells more like a Christmas tree, but it could just be the time of year.