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Author Topic: X Factor  (Read 31767 times)

admin

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X Factor
« on: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM »
Ball NPS Score: Not Available
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Color: Blue/Red

Coverstock: Reactive Pearl

Core: 2-piece Asymmeterical

RG: 2.53

Differential: 0.058

Factory finish: Polished

Weights: 14 thru 16lbs

 

Bob Hanson

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Re: X Factor
« Reply #1 on: November 27, 2002, 11:26:57 AM »
I picked this ball up on a whim, partly because I just plain liked the look of it and partly because Storm says it will be a replacement for the Trauma which was one of my favorite Storm balls.  I layed this out pretty close to a 4x4 stack with a large weight hole 2 inches below my PAP.  After 2 leagues session I have gotten 2 different looks out of the ball.  My first go was on a long oil armor plate that has a real defined track.  Even the power guys don't let the ball drift outside 10.  On the other hand the hold area is good and the shot plays like a funnel to the hole with generally exceptional carry.  I played just to the right of 15 out to 10 on this shot, getting a very smooth arc from the mid lane to the pocket.  Carry was incredible due to the arcy move          ( carried my last 33 pocket hits ).  The second condition was newer anvil lane with stronger midlane and back end.  Again the best shot is to hug the oil very deep ( usually 4th arrow ). On this condition I got much more of a skid snap look and the ball truly did remind me of the Trauma.  I had a difficult time creating good entry angle and the ball looked super, but over powered the pocket often for a poor carry percentage.  On this shot I had better luck with my SmashR which read the mid lanes just a little earlier.  

While I hesitate to call the X Factor a pure skid snap ball, it certainly has some of the look of the Bolt, Wrath, and Trauma that preceded it.  It revs great, is clean through the heads, and makes a strong but not totally out of control move off the dry.

CaughtbySTORM

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Re: X Factor
« Reply #2 on: November 27, 2002, 12:28:28 PM »
DANG!  I was gonna be the first one to review it when it was available to review!  Oh well.  I can't say enough good things about this ball, it's incredible.  The best way I can describe it is a Pearl LRG ball.  On fresh conditions, it snaps like a normal pearl would, but on a little bit oilier condition, it has the arc of an LRG.  And like any normal pearl ball, it's not going to do that well in oil, but due to the early roll, if you start out with a fresh shot, it's going to last longer in carrydown than any other pearl ball.  It recovers well, carries well, and while not being as truly versatile as many other balls, it takes added speed extremely well if the lanes start drying out.  The only problem I've found is with spotty lanes, but what ball doesn't have trouble on spotty lanes?  

As far as styles, it will give a low rev low speed player the extra hook to get the ball into the pocket.  For a stroker, like I am, it makes playing virtually any line possible, it can truly play just about any line you want it to, if the line is there to begin with.  Crankers will love this ball, it's got the pin shredding rack decimating power to send all ten into the pit.  I very rarely go light with this ball, just on oilier patterns.  Overall, it's a definite 10.  Hits like a Buzzsaw (dare I say it) and for those of you familiar with Storm, it rolls differently than most other Storm balls I've seen.  

First night out with it practicing I shot 290-770 on a semi difficult oilier condition.  Couple days later, I shot 280 on a totally different condition, about the same level of difficulty but a bit drier with decent backends.  If you have any backend at all, this ball will find it.  This last Saturday in league I shot 279-724, and I had the last 11 in the 279 (4-6-7 first frame, adjustment, 11 out).  I can see how it benefited Randy Pederson, as long as you're on normal league conditions or even a Sport Shot, this is going to be the ball to go to.  Excellent ball, my favorite.

BowlGuru

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Re: X Factor
« Reply #3 on: November 27, 2002, 09:16:48 PM »
BEAUTIFUL piece of work from Storm...
We hosted the first Rolling Thunder Tour this last weekend. For those of you who haven't heard of it,If there's a chance that it comes to your town....
Sign up quickly and expierence all that there is too offer.
Where else can you have a ball custom fit for your hand,Have a Dartfish 11 step
break down of your game,And be able to roll your new X-Factor and test ride it.
We had 2 weeks for promotion signing bowlers up for the weekend,After 4 days we had each location filled and had to turn bowlers away...
My review on this ball will be based off drilling for many different types of players who utilize just about every release there is,Keeping that THIS ball can be used by ANYONE. Just about any layout works as long as you keep in mind the surface (low-friction pearl) a very powerful core (Strong Y spin) in the back of your mind,There should be a happy owner 100% of the time.
Keep in mind,This cannot be compaired to any other ball that Storm has ever released,So for those of you who may have stayed away because of past dislikes,You will love this one!... Pure Raw Power at it's best!  
Congrats Storm!
Another j o b well done!  Herb of Somoff-Proshops!

Doug Sterner

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Re: X Factor
« Reply #4 on: November 27, 2002, 11:19:37 PM »
First the necessary specs:

Ball Specs...
Predrill top weight...3.36
Pin distance: 3-1/4"
Drill pattern: 4" pin to PAP, RAD at lower left edge of thumbhole
Weighthole: 3/4" x 2" 2" below PAP on PAL

This was not my first choice for drill pattern but the CG was kicked out of line far enough that this was the only drill I could get in the ballpark with and not end up with 2-1/2 oz of finger weight.

Lane conditions:
Shot 1....after junior leagues, spotty
Shot 2....after womens' league, nice shot but dry track area
Shot 3....SPORT type pattern, 39 feet, slight crown, outside of 8 is no man's land

The ball didn't do much on shot 1. The hit was failry weak and it did not impress me much at all. There looked to be significant carrydown and toasted heads.

Shot 2 was better. I was able to play up the boards and let the ball filp into the pocket. Managed 2 decent games with a 5 bagger in each game

Shot 3...I almost didn't try it on this shot. I have been using Vicious and CorePower HRG the last few weeks wioth success and was not sure if the X would work on this pattern. I saw the owner was using his in practice so I tried mine too. The ball worked great!!! I had to be quite precise with speed and accurate with my mark and the ball was a killer. Very playable shot...stand 22 throw 14 to 10. Not a big swing but I had room light and heavy to carry. As the oil moved the X allowed me to move slightly (a board at a time) and I never did have to make a big jump. My Vicious and HRG required large moves to get into the oil again. The X helped me to my high SPORT series of a 579 (201, 202, 176). If I could only make spares :-)

Overall this is a great ball and I cannot wait for Storm to release a solid reactive version of this ball. We know it is coming right?? :-) (PS....all of you Storm reps reading this....MAKE IT HAPPEN !!!!! I was right about the Erase It and I am right about this!!!!).

I am very impressed with the X-Factor and can reccommend it to most customers in my center that have a solid game.

--------------------
Doug Sterner
Doug's Pro Shop
Owego, NY
www.dougsproshop.net
Doug Sterner
Doug's Pro Shop
Owego, NY

Proud Member of the NRA
Fighting to uphold the Constitution of the U.S.

stormy311

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Re: X Factor
« Reply #5 on: December 02, 2002, 08:26:39 PM »
I have had my X-Factor for about 2 weeks now.  The ball is purely amazing.  I was having some difficulties with my game and I started seeing my coach from the past again, and One night i started using his X-factor(thanks Mike Rose). Then bam 17 out of 18 strikes.  i eagerly waited for the release of the ball seeing it was not out yet (he had his because he is a staffer).  I finally got mine the day it came ou and with the combination of the ball and the work I have done in the past few weeks, I shot my high series in 5-6 weeks.  The ball Rolls heavy on the midlane and then puts it's left hand turn signal on and exploids.  It annihilates the pins, and leaves nothing behind.  I bowl on a variety of conditions in my 3 leagues, and this ball has been nothing less than impressive.  On the dry shot I can move real deep and watch the ball recover from anywhere.  On the wet shot with a little backend the ball starts to roll and still makes a good turn to the pocket.  I have not been able to use it on anything with no backend, but we will see.  Since i purchased this ball I got more confidence to start bowling again, Cannot wait to get in some tournaments.  I bought my second one today, drilled it a little weaker to try to control it a little more on the burn.

I have good spead 17-18 mph
Average to above average revs
And average between 210 and 215

I give the ball an 11 out of 10!!

clutch

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Re: X Factor
« Reply #6 on: December 04, 2002, 07:04:40 AM »
I'm no expert but I'll give it a try.  I am a right handed tweener with good revs and 16 mph ball speed.  I drilled the X with the pin just below my ring ringer and the CG out about 2" from my palm.  I wanted good length and a strong backend. I got it.

Speed is very important to this ball but it allows you to be versatile. What does this mean? Well, I could move inside and throw the oil line and slow the ball speed a bit and she'd still come back strong and hit the hole.  Or I could move outside and play down and in with more speed and she'd go longer and have a little tamer backed and spank the hole.  

Overall I am very pleased with this ball. I had 18 stikes in a row with it and my first and only set so far I had one count of 7 and everything else was 9 count or strikes.

I hope this helps someone. Basically the ball is an Eraser with a stronger backend.
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Something new is on the horizon.
The wonder, the true beauty that women hail as the King of Kings. All hail Clutch!

medang

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Re: X Factor
« Reply #7 on: December 05, 2002, 08:45:45 AM »
Drilled up a new X Factor and tested it last night along side my eraser and tour power. All 3 balls have the same drill. Lane conditions here are medium light oil 40 feet.

On this condition i can not use the eraser as it is to much ball with my high ball speed and power release. As others have stated on here the X Factor is very speed sensitive. With my high ball speed and revs the X-factor didn't come close to the reaction of my eraser. So like the trauma this ball is not for me and my game.

Had another bowler with lower ball speed and less revs test this ball and it worked great for him. Had more power than his eraser with his release and style.
Looks like he will get this ball.

If you like the trauma you will love the X-factor. If you didn't care for the trauma then you probably wont care for this ball either.

As i said this ball is not for me but for the other tester the ball worked great and he carried very well. He gives it a big thumbs up.

BowlPro

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Re: X Factor
« Reply #8 on: December 05, 2002, 09:46:42 AM »
The X-Factor is a great League Condition Ball!

This ball has been out for a couple of weeks now and we have already put about two dozen on the lanes! I will get to the point on this one!

a Pearlized Reactive ball that provides great control and hook!

Hitting Power is Good to the point that it is useable, but NOT as good as we have seen from other Storm balls! I felt the ball in my hands just did not have the same punch as my other storm balls! But those of you who can put more hand into this ball, will get more out of it! Corner Pins were laughing abit at this one for us but we still believe that this ball will have its right condition.

This ball seems to be at its best on Medium oil lane conditions! As the lanes break down, this ball actually gets stronger! Corner pins stopped showing up!
and the hit and carry was much better.

We are pleased with this ball to the point that we are recommending it to our Proshop Customers, and we have already had several reports of great scores with this ball! I believe that many bowlers will find a place for this one in there bags. This ball is very driller friendly, so go ahead and use your favorite drilling pattern and take it to the lanes and enjoy!

BowlPro
www.discount-proshop.com
Bowlpro

BaseDogg

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Re: X Factor
« Reply #9 on: December 05, 2002, 02:58:14 PM »
My very first post, how exciting.

Thanks to the useful reviews of the X-Factor I chose it over the Icon 2 and Reaction Rev from Columbia. I was looking for a ball to take care of business better in oil, so we sanded it to a 500 grit and it made all the difference in the world.

Lanes laid out heavy oil 40ft, with the factory polish the ball didnt do much of anything, had to slow it down(see profile for ball speed). Sanded the ball down to 500grit and it attacked the lanes like a champ. This ball carries incredibly well when it makes its move. However the move is not jerky and sudden, and reads very well through the midlane. I would imagine the same result would occur on med-dry lanes and a factory finish on the ball. The ball was drilled to move with a leverage setting. It does not move all that hard, but its perfect for the way I release the ball, as it takes out every pin no matter where in the pocket you are.

Extremely impressed...
X-Factor 8.5/10

SKIP

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Re: X Factor
« Reply #10 on: December 05, 2002, 03:20:36 PM »
I drilled this one w/ the pin above my ring finger and the CG kick out about 1.5 inches from my grip line, no weight hole needed.  First game on a fresh league shot 38ft I just have to square up a little bit and trust the ball.  2nd and 3rd game I can open the lanes up if needed.  This ball does not lope for me as it did for BTM, but revs up nicely.  I have not experience any over-under like I did w/ my Eraser.  This ball is very controllable w/ a tremendous back end and powerful hit.  This monster does get stronger every game for me just the way it does for a previous poster.  I have owned a lot of balls but this one is by far the best.

bowlinggod4

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Re: X Factor
« Reply #11 on: December 07, 2002, 02:18:43 PM »
very good ball shot 2 300 games with it in first week i got it best ball i have had if u are a cranker i recommend this ball if u throw the ball out toward the 3 board it will come back and hit the pocket very hard.

CyCoSiS

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Re: X Factor
« Reply #12 on: December 08, 2002, 08:36:27 AM »
my ball was suppose to come in yesturday but it didnt so my friend had it and i threw his because we have just about the same span and everything and i was amazed how long it went the lanes we bowled on was just left over oil from the other night so they were some what dry and i threw it out and it just slid for what seemd like forever then i heard the truck horn blow and it just crushed the pins its a very good ball for crankers like me i have been lookin for a ball to do this for a while and i finally found it.

K_Korner

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Re: X Factor
« Reply #13 on: December 10, 2002, 07:58:47 AM »
Hmmmm, 213 average on Mondays, last 2 weeks 744 & 709.  200 Average on Fridays, 712.  I think I like it.  3 1/2 inch pin, over the ring finger with a 1/2" label shift.  I have decent revs, 17-19mph speed, swinging from 20 to 8 or 5 and carrying everything light or high.  Great Ball!
Vinny
The Perfect Fit Pro Shop
http://www.theperfectfitproshop.com
http://www.usedbowlingballs.com

BowlGuru

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Re: X Factor
« Reply #14 on: December 10, 2002, 11:17:38 PM »
Hey All BBR loyals!
I've kinda been holding back my exprience with my X-Factor til I've seen and have drilled enough of them...So here we go.
My personal axis 5-1/4 over & 1/4 up
My rev rate 350-400

Ball used #16 3.66 top
Pin-Out 3-1/2
RAD posistion INLINE

Layout with the PIN 3-1/2 from axis
RAD below my thumb 5 1/2" from my axis
Lane used  24' guardian/last part wood in very worn condition

First time I used this for league,With fresh pattern-I thought I was going to be in heaven with the reaction I was seeing.Slowly as night night went on-So did the backend reaction. So tonight,Thinking planning ahead I would go ahead and give the surface a nice scuff (haus machine using the grey pad) and take it out after the first shift had bowled. LOVELY! I think what I had missed was the quick change in the lane pattern (carrydown) and the MIDLANE...Now it has exactly enough surface too match up. Very powerfull core,And just the right ball surface. As Steve K (storm-tech had noted) the surface of the X-factor can easily be changed too match with each bowler and key on the lane condition used on. The combination of true power from the core and the abililty of the coverstock will make this and nicely balanced performer...
Nice job Storm,You have the right combo between POWER and BEAUTY!
I'll give it 10 since Storm has been gracious enough too take the time
here lately helping bowlers out!
Herb@SomoffProshops  aka  Bowlguru