Hi, I want to order a new ball soon and I've cut down my chooses between the Storm Virtual Gravity Nano or Storm Virtual Gravity Nano Pearl. I'm a beginner that currently bowls with a Storm Hy Road. I want more hook on my ball so I think upgrading to Virtual Gravity Nano or Pearl would help. Most of the time, the lanes I bowl in have heavy oil.
If you are a beginner, may I pass on this bit of bowling info -
There's heavy oil and then there's heavy oil. The idea is "heavy" oil is relative to what you see on a daily basis. If the Hy-Road is barely making it to the pocket or you're playing between the 1st and 2nd arrow with the HR and it's barely making it back to the pocket, then you probably are on heavy oil and can use the Nano. If you're already playing between the 2nd and 3rd arrows and the hR is making back to the pocket, then you not on true heavy oil.
Be aware that unlike older style urethane balls, resin balls need oil to perform. Stronger balls are not just big hooking balls, they are balls that only perform on heavier oil patterns. House oil patterns (as opposed to Sport oil patterns) often hide the difference between balls; you can often use balls like the HR and the Nano on the same condition, if you have the right ball speed/rev rate ratio.
But, often, if you only have medium oil, the Nano, being so strong and grippy, may burn up in the midlane, trying to hook early and could have nothing left by the time it gets to the pocket, if it does get to the pocket. In this case, the HR, being a step down in strong AND being a polished ball, will react properly to medium oil and make a strong turn at the breakpoint. It may very well hook much more than the Nano, on oil for which it was designed.
On the other hand, if you do have heavier oil, the Nano will hook properly and have plenty of hook and power by the time it hits the pocket. The HR will probably skid too far and not be able to make the turn because it's not finding enough dry. In this case the Nano will appear to hook the most, but more importantly to hook properly.
So you get the Nano to complement the HR NOT BECAUSE it hooks more but because it handles more oil.
The factory finish on these balls are different. The Storm Virtual Gravity Nano has 4000-grit Abralon while the Storm Virtual Gravity has 1500-grit Polished. Which of these balls perform better with heavy oil? Why do bowling balls come with different grits? And what is the difference between Abralon and Polished? Thanks 
http://www.stormbowling.com/products/balls/classic/virtualgravitynanopearl
http://www.stormbowling.com/products/balls/classic/virtualgravitynano
http://www.stormbowling.com/products/balls/hy-road
Abralon is an abrasive pad that is an effective and more efficient replacement for sandpaper, (SiaAir Pads are another alternative, as are 3M Scotch-Brite non-woven pads.) sandpaper is still also used. It creates a rough surface on the ball (described either as "dull" or a "matte" finish) to enable the ball to better handle oilier lanes OR to make the ball more easy to handle (a less violent reaction). Polish puts a very fine finish on the ball, creating a shiny look; it is much finer than the rougher or dull looking sanded balls.
Polished balls will skid USUALLY much further down the lane than dull balls. Of course, a polished very strong ball, like the Nano, may not skid as far as a dull Tropical Breeze (Storm's weakest resin ball, which comes highly polished.)
You can sand any ball, from the mildest to the strongest; you can polish any ball from the mildest to the strongest, depending on how much oil you are bowling on, what your ball speed is, what your rev rate is, among the many other factors involved.
Dull balls comes from the dullest, 500 grit to the finest, 4000 grit; these are called the grit levels. (As numeric grit level numbers go higher and higher, the actual finish is finer and finer, with smaller and smaller grooves from the abrasive.)
Check the Ballreviews FAQ at the top of the MISCELLANEOUS Forum for a lot of details about sanding and polishing ball. It's a good primer; I'd have to rewrite a book here to explain all that can be done with the surface of a bowling ball.
