Ball Specs:
Roto Grip Idol Pro
Cover stock eTrax-S19  Solid Reactive
Weight Block Ikon Core (Symmetrical)
Color Ocean Blue
Finish 3000-grit Sheen
Layout 55 x 3 x 35

Bowler Specs:
Right Hand. PAP 5” Over 1/2 up
Rev Rate 300. Tilt 20. Rotation 50.
Speed at release 17

Review:
The new Roto Grip Idol Pro is a very unique and surprisingly angular addition to the Idol line. I have drilled a lot of Idol solids and Idol Pearls with great success so I was confident in this ball being good. What I didn’t expect was the awesome move at the breakpoint. This Idol is very different than the solid in the fact it goes longer and makes a stronger move at the break point. The Idol Pro reads the lane sooner than the pearl but in my testing has a better back end move. I am not a high rev player but because of how the Idol Pro reads the mid lane and finishes I was able to move inside on different conditions and still maintain excellent carry. It’s nice when a guy like me can get a few messengers!
I was also able to roll this ball on a typical house shot and the Pro came back to the pocket easily from outside of board 5. I have only drilled a few of these so far for my customers but they all feel they are getting more performance than what they paid for.  It is hard to pigeon hole this ball because of the unique motion but I put it between my Halo Vision and Idol pearl in hook. I look forward to rolling this ball a lot especially when I need a bit more pop in the back end of the lane.

Summary:
The Idol Pro has a very good and unique motion.
The solid cover is deceiving for a ball with such a nice backend.
The hit is very good due to the entry angle.
The Idol Pro is a lot of ball for the money.

Glenn Wendel
PBA Member
Storm Pro Shop Staff

gwendel@comcast.net
www.stormbowling.com

Layout: 60 x 4 5/8 x 40

The IQ Tour 30 is one of my favorite Storm balls of all time, so I was extremely excited when I saw the impending release of the IQ Tour Emerald. Just like the IQ 30, the Emerald has a strong backend but is still quite controllable. The Emerald is best on medium oil patterns, as it is a bit too clean for fresh or heavy oil patterns; when the lanes break down is when this ball shines. It is more responsive to hand position changes than most balls - getting up the back of it allows me to go down-and-in and a bit straighter, and getting around the side of the ball allows it to come off the end of the pattern quite strong and allows me to open the lane up considerably.The Emerald is 3-4 boards weaker overall than the Astro Phsyix, making those two balls a great 1-2 punch that covers most lane conditions, especially house shots.

The effect is going to be slight and probably barely noticeable.  If it was all that then every other manufacturer would have had their own version out by now as the Brunswick guys/gals would be dominating on tour.  Big B has some good balls out but whether a ball had dynamicore would be like item 78 on my list on whether to buy a ball.

Hype.

Take two different shaped cores, but with the exact same numbers, say 2.50 - 0.042, use the same cover stock, drill them identical and have ThrowBot do it's thing. All things being equal, they should roll identical. Numbers are numbers, science is science.

There is no magic core or cover stock. A core defines spin (early spin, late spin), the cover stock defines length, the bowlers axis rotation, axis tilt and speed define everything else. It's the magic combination of a particular core and cover that matches your physical game that makes a ball special.

Not saying I don't agree with the "hype" opinion, but Dynamicore is the outer core (filler). It supposedly hits harder than traditional filler. It also (again supposedly) replaces the need for 2 piece equipment, thus retaining the core shapes at multiple weights.

I wanted something a little stronger than the twist when it stops hooking. I went with the hustle ink. I couldn't find a Brunswick ball that wasnt a lot more hook. I was tempted by the counter attack solid but the ink was proven with high praise