BallReviews
Reviews => Storm => Topic started by: BallReviews-scodaddy21 on February 03, 2016, 12:19:12 PM
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Description: The Storm Phaze is a hard-hitting, fast-revving bowling ball that is sure to phase out your competition. The Velocity Core was designed to produce a lot of ball motion that will take out pin after pin. The AX-16 pearl reactive coverstock grips a medium oiled lane like no other.
Storm Phaze Features:
- Color: Royal/Yellow/Copper All colors do vary somewhat from the picture shown.
- Coverstock: AX-16 Pearl Reactive
- Core: Velocity Core (14#-16#), Centripetal Core (12#-13#)
- Finish: 1500 Grit Polished
- Lane Condition: Medium Oil
- RG: 2.48 (15# ball)
- Diff: 0.051 (15# ball)
- Fragrance: Lemon Tart
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Orientation: Right Handed
Rev Rate: 375 RPM
Speed: 16-17 MPH
PAP: 4 5/8 straight across
Location: Enterprise Park Lanes, Springfield MO
Pattern: High Volume THS
Layout: 50, 5 ½ , 40
The Storm Phaze stands out from the first time you see it! It’s a very cool looking ball, but I really like the way it rolls. It’s definitely not your typical Storm release that tends to hit the breakpoint hard and tip downlane. The Phaze was designed to pick up the midlane early and just roll continuously. And that’s what it does. I put a pin up layout on it and took the surface to 3000. It was very clean through the fronts and very rolly off the spot. It forced my feet right. I played much straighter than I expected I would be able to. But don’t be thrown by that, just because it doesn’t backend a ton. I threw lots of strikes with the Phaze. Plenty of power and motion, the Phaze is a brand new shape from Storm Bowling!
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BALL SPECS
Pin Length: 4"
Starting Top Weight: 2.3oz
Ball Weight: 15lbs.
DRILL PATTERN
Pin to PAP: 4 5/8"
PSA to PAP: 3 3/4"
Pin Buffer: 2 1/2"
BOWLER STYLE
Rev Rate: 430rpm
Ball Speed: 16mph
PAP/Track: 4 1/2" x 1/2" up
LANE CONDITION
Length: 42'
Volume: Med/Heavy
Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc): THS
COMMENTS
The new Storm Phaze is perfectly unique. This much anticipated pearl created quite a buzz with all of the videos and social media attention pre-release, and for good reason. First off, yes the coverstock is THAT tacky. However, this ball's motion is what makes it special. It's not the traditional skip/flip pearl that we are accustomed to seeing. The best way to describe the motion would be "pure roll"; meaning that when the Phaze gets to the breakpoint it simply rolls off the friction so effortlessly and so smooth. There's no "jump". No "snap". Just "roll". These are typically motions that are synonymous with solid coverstocks. However, the brand new AX-16 Pearl shell glides this ball downlane and allows the ball to easily clear the heads before making its move. For some, the out of box finish may be excessively shiny and exaggerate the over/under for higher volume house shots. I hit mine with a 3000 pad on the spinner and it gave the ball better teeth in the middle part of the lane and smoothed out the reaction even more. The way that this ball goes through the pins is incredible. I'd like to say that it keeps the pins low, and on pure pocket shots it does, but the pin action that I've seen with light pocket hits has been nothing short of explosive. Messengers galore! Match all of that with its gorgeous color scheme and you've got a ball that is quick to catch the eye and sure to boost your game. #StormNation
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For a pearl, the Phaze is definitely something different from Storm. I was expecting the traditional skid/flip reaction and that is not what the Phaze is about.
The Phaze is a pearl ball that will allow you to play straighter angles. The Phaze is clean through the front, but instead of making the big flip motion Storm balls are accustomed to, it rolls like a solid and makes a nice smooth move down lane.
The Phaze allows me to play straighter and further right when other pearls force me too deep making my angles to steep. I have used the Phaze on a variety of patterns, and it is one pearl that I can use on the fresh. The Phaze will be a great compliment to the IQ 30. When the IQ 30 is too strong down lane, but you need a pearl for the front part of the lane, the Phaze will be the answer.
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The Phaze is a ball completely unlike any other on the market. It features both a new coverstock and core, and is one of the brighter and more colorful balls available. It is both visibly and texturally different, but the biggest difference you will find is its reaction shape. The Phaze offers a lot of hook, but it is very smooth on the backend. The vast majority of balls on the market, even very aggressive sanded balls still have sharper motions on the backend. This can be problematic when looking for control on over/under patterns. The Phaze's combination of hook and control puts it in play on a wide variety of lane conditions. The slow response to friction makes it ideal for controlling wet/dry, whether on a house shot or sport conditions. This also makes it less sensitive to transition which means you will stay in or near the pocket more often. Another key result is that the ball retains more energy because it doesn't bleed much, if any when it hits friction, so it offers superior hitting power. The coverstock also reacts more to surface adjustments, giving you much more versatility with just a single ball. For me, the Phaze is a must have ball!
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Layout : 4 x 5 x 5
Coverstock: 1500 grit polished
Lane conditions: 42 ft. house pattern with 2015 Flex with Fire and Ice conditioner
Test results: Found the ball to need carry down in the track to be effective. A little bit of over / under and once the conditioners broke down a little bit, this ball turn the corner like a Dodge Hellcat. With removing the polish and putting the ball at 3000 grit, the ball work better on the fresh. I compare this ball to the IQ 30 with a stronger back end. The ball controlled the mid lane and make the reaction very predictable, but very strong. I use this ball more in centers where there are older lane panel and have a grittier panel surface.
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The Storm Phaze is part of the Master line, it features brand new symmetrical VelocityTM core, as well as the new AX-16TM pearl coverstock.
I drilled my Phaze 5†x 4†with a P3 hole. This put my pin just under my bridge.
Out of the box, the AX-16 cover is very clean and does not overreact off of the dry. I have thrown it on the 2015 USBC Open Championship team pattern, and a few different length and volume house patterns. The early hype of this ball was that it is unlike any shape that Storm has anywhere in its lineup. And it is absolutely true! The roll of the Phaze is unique. The core rolls fast and heavy, but it does not jump off of the dry like its pearl counterparts.
The smooth shape on the back part of the lane, can make the Phaze more sensitive to carry down for speed dominant players. On the USBCOC team pattern, the Phaze was way too clean on the fresh with the cover out of box. Once I hit the cover with a 2,000 Abralon pad by hand, it read the pattern properly and it went through the pins with a lot of power. On the house shot however, the Phaze out of box created some ridiculous amount of area. Much like its solid counterpart in the Master line, the IQ Tour, the Phaze generates smooth ball motion without picking up the front part of the pattern.
The Phaze is a great benchmark pearl ball and will get a lot of use for me on shorter to medium oil patterns as well as on higher friction lane surfaces. Don’t be afraid to play with surface on this ball depending on your ball speed and rev rate. Out of box, I thought this ball was “pretty goodâ€, but after playing with surfaces, I am really impressed with what this ball has to offer.
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LANE CONDITION
Length:
Volume:
Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc):
COMMENTS
Likes:
Dislikes:
PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS
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LANE CONDITION
Length:
Volume:
Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc):
COMMENTS
Likes:
Dislikes:
PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS
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I'm a 59 yr old right hander. I have medium speed with 255 rpm rev rate. I prefer to use similar layouts in my equipment. I drilled the Phaze pin up 50x4 3/4x35.with this layout it will need a weigh hole. I like the ball because it comes of the spot very strong. the phase reads the lane even if you do not put a lot of hand in it. I have shoot (5) 279s and 770 set with this ball after having it for 3 weeks. This is the ball I start with every night. The phase is excellent for lower rev bowlers that are looking for a consistently heavy roll
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Right Handed
Rev Rate - 400
Speed -17
PAP - 3 up 1 1/2
Layout 60 x 5 1/4 x 50 --- 5 1/4 x 5 x 3 1/2
The new Storm release in the Master line is the PHASE. Phase has the Velocity Core with the new AX-16 pearl reactive coverstock. The PHASE has very bright colors and great shelf appeal. The PHASE is not your typical Storm ball motion.
Storm's intent with the PHASE was to create a ball motion that would have a good midlane and just roll continuously through the backend. The PHASE is great choice to play up the lane as it is very controllable. It forces me to move right and keep my angles straighter through the heads. The ball hits with a lot of power and carries extremely well. A great addition the Storm Master Line.
Brian Watson
Storm Pro Shop Staff
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LANE CONDITION
Length: 42ft, 40ft, 38ft
Volume:medium
Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc): all THS
COMMENTS
Likes: this is another one of a kind ball from Storm. I put a 65*5*40 layout on mine. This ball is very clean with a very smoother motion than alot of the other pearl balls in the master line. I compared it to my IQ30 and my Hectic. It's not as clean as either of those and much smoother down lane. It shapes the lane beautifully. I've thrown it on several different house patterns and it has had the same reaction on all of them. It's the ultimate league ball.
Dislikes: I found that this ball becomes alittle lazy when you try to migrate towards the middle part of the lane as the pattern begins to break down, simply because of its smooth motion at the end of the pattern.
PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS
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LANE CONDITION
Length: Short to medium
Volume: Medium
Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc): THS
The February release in the Storm Master Line is the Phaze. The Phaze introduces us to a new coverstock (AX-16) and a new core (Velocity). The combination of the AX-16 pearl reactive coverstock along with the Velocity core delivers a very unique ball shape. The Phaze’s ball shape just brings more choices to the master Line.
I had the opportunity to throw the Phaze and several other bowling balls within the Master line to witness the differences. The first thing that I noticed was how tacky the coverstock and how bright the colors are in the Phaze. The next thing that I noticed was the reaction at the break point… very continuous. On medium to short house patterns the IQ Tour was a beast until the heads dry up and then I changed to Phaze. The Phaze with the pearl coverstock and high differential made it interesting to say the least! The Phaze will emphasis the DRY… With my coordinates being 5 5/8 over and ¾ up from my PAP, Ball speed is medium, Rev Rate around 300. When I missed left it would not get over the hump but I had unlimited room to the right! The IQ Tour 30 had a more mid lane motion than the Phaze but the Phaze had more backend motion. One other note, the IQ Tour and the IQ Tour 30 are both laid out the same with my favorite layout pin down with cg kicked out with low hole. The Phaze was drilled slightly different with pin in the ring finger and cg kicked out with a low hole. The Phaze’s unique ball roll will only add to the already wide range of bowling ball choices that are provided by Storm Products.
Likes:
Dislikes:
PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS
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Staffer: Keven Williams
Speed: 18 mph
Rev Rate: 450 rpm
Hand: Left Handed
Oil Pattern: Typical House Shot
The Storm Phaze might just be one of my favorite bowling balls in the bag now! The Shape that the Storm Phaze gives me really
isnt like anything else ive ever had. It is clean in the fronts while still getting into a roll, its not super jumpy off of the dry
and it allows me to play a lot straighter than i can with any other ball. When the lanes get dry and tricky this ball is perfect
since it doesnt over hook off the dry. Great ball to have in your bag!
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Layout = 75 x 5 x 35 - one of my favorite layouts. This layout gets me a decent amount of flare potential with the weight block at a good versatile angle with potential to weight hole it for more flare if needed. I left it box surface initially.
The Phaze is something different from Storm. If your looking for the go long-turn left reaction, move on to another piece. If you are looking for something that lets you close down your angles and keep your target more in front of you, now you have found the ball. I would use the Phaze on tougher patterns in the medium range or even on shorter patterns. Longer patterns are going to want to push the Phaze downlane a little too far. If you are very accurate you may be able to put something like 1000 or 500 abralon, but Storm has much better pieces in their line for that type of lane condition.
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Storm Phaze Review:
LANE CONDITION
Lane Type: Wood
Length: 41ft
Volume: 21ml
Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc): THS
COMMENTS
Likes: Strong reaction, great color scheme, Strong mid lane roll.
Dislikes: none
The Storm Phaze is Storms newest Master release. Its contains the Velocity Core and is surrounded by the AX-16 Pearl Reactive. The Phaze is finished at 1500 grit polished and has Lemon Tart for a fragrance.
The Phaze is a traditional pearl that has a much earlier roll compared to most pearls that I have thrown. I put my favorite layout on it which is 32x5.5x32. The layout gives the Phaze an earlier reaction and a smoother reaction compared to the likes of the Marvel Pearl and the IQ Pearl. This ball is very strong and has a no quit attitude when it comes to hooking. The ball hooks from any point on the lane. You can smooth out the ball reaction by sanding it down to 2000 or 3000 to take away some of the sideways action but if you like angle this is the ball for you.
I recommend this ball to anyone looking for a fun bright ball that hooks and hooks and hooks. The Phazes’s specialty is to open up the lane and give it room to hook and if that is what you are looking for then this is the ball for you. This ball is great for medium-heavy oil patterns that have enough oil in the heads to get the ball down lane before he starts to hook. For house shots I would consider a weaker layout or sanding it down a bit to make it a little easier to read.
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Storm Phaze Ball Review by PJ Haggerty
The Phaze is the latest addition to the Master line featuring a the Velocity Core and a brand new AX-16 pearl coverstock. The combination of the two has given me a very different motion than I have seen in the past from Storm. I’ve drilled one Phaze so far and have been able to use it on multiple conditions.
I put the pin under my bridge, kicked the center of gravity a bit, and put a weight hole approximately two inches under my axis. This figures to be a 5 x 3.5 layout for me. After throwing the Phaze for 10 games or so, I had to make some surface changes. On the spinner, I first started at 360, then went gradually up to 3000. My idea here was to get some teeth in the cover and smooth out my reaction.
After making the surface changes, the Phaze became more predictable and usable on different patterns. My response time slowed down, while still providing a cleaner motion. I could see using the Phaze on more medium-longer patterns because of the stronger and more responsive coverstock. I think it compliments the Alpha Crux, Eternal Cell, and Hy-Road very nicely by fitting right in the middle of those.
#StormNation
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Lane Conditions: Medium-Heavy Oil
Typical Conditions: House Shot
Type of Lane: All Synthetic
What part of the lane did you play? Third Arrow
Did the ball track out? Normal
Weight of bowling ball: 16
Surface of bowling ball: Polished
What grit was the surface of the ball? 4000
Likes:
Dislikes:
After using the new Storm Phaze for the past few weeks I wanted to post my thoughts about this ball. The layout I used on my Phaze was 3.5x4.5 off by pap. The ax-16 pearl reactive cover really helps get this ball down the lane and the velocity core gives me a heavy roll and strong backend reaction. This ball is a great complement to my sky rocket which is longer and sharper change of direction.
This is a great addition to the master line for Storm and I would recommend this ball for anyone regardless of your skill level.
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had the phase for a week layout was 4x4x2 pin over ring finger between my fight with the same layout fight hooked 3 more boards on medium conditions. phase hit like a dud no drive at all save your money gave the ball away with no regret fight so much better for your buck
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had the phase for a week layout was 4x4x2 pin over ring finger between my fight with the same layout fight hooked 3 more boards on medium conditions. phase hit like a dud no drive at all save your money gave the ball away with no regret fight so much better for your buck
nice review...don't tell much about what you tried and didn't try, lane conditions, etc
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The Phaze is the latest ball released in the Master line of Storm bowling balls. The Phaze has a brand new pearl cover and core combination. The cover is called AX-16, and the core is called Velocity. The Phaze has a unique look with the royal, yellow and copper colors. The Rg of the Phaze is 2.48 and the differential is 0.051, in 15lb balls. The Phaze replaces the Optimus in the Master line.
I drilled a Phaze with a 4 x 4 x 3 ½ layout which puts the pin just to the left of my ring finger and is void of needing a balance hole. The Phaze comes out of the box highly polished. In the box finish, the Phaze was best with squeaky clean backends. If there was a touch of carry-down, I would have to move too far left looking for dry, which then made the core roll too soon. I hit the cover with a 4000 abralon pad, and it made all of the difference in the world! It allowed me to move back right into the oil ,and have great reaction. Mind you, the Phaze still isn’t a big motion through the backends, but that is what I really like about the reaction. Storm makes plenty of bowling balls that I can make go sideways down-lane, so having a pearl ball that gets to the spot fairly easily, and doesn’t make a big move in the backend is a huge plus in my arsenal.
I like the Phaze the most when there isn’t a lot of oil down-lane or the pattern hasn’t carried-down. The Phaze helps even out and provide a little hold, when it isn’t built into the pattern. Comparing the Phaze to my Optimus, the Phaze is a little more even through the backend of the lane, and produces more track flare, which for me, evens out over under reaction.
The Phaze will be a good ball for slower ball speed players that have trouble with their bowling balls changing direction too hard. Speed dominant players, will be able to bump closer to the dry part of the lane, and keep their angles in front of them. The Phaze really looks different in how it reads the lane. The overly tacky cover makes you think this ball should go sideways, but for me, it has the opposite effect, as it uses most of it’s energy once it sees friction, so the move through the backend is much less than most balls that Storm has in the current line-up. I would categorize the Phaze as being a medium oil ball, to medium-heavy with surface adjustments. This new AX-16 cover WILL take surface changes well, so be sure to adjust your surface to get the reaction you are looking for. Thank you for taking the time to read my review of the new Storm Phaze.
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Storm has created a ball with a diverse motion from previous balls released, the PHAZE. Although Storm is known for its long and strong backend, they have created a brand new TACKY coverstock called the AX-16 Pearl Reactive. They also introduced their new highly innovative Velocity Core. With this core and coverstock combination, Storm really brings a new ball motion. While may some expect this ball to be a strong ball with an aggressive back end motion, this ball is the quite opposite. The Phaze is a very controllable ball motion that doesn’t hook at your foot and has incredible hitting power going through the pins.
I drilled my Phaze with a 5.25″ pin to pap and 4.5″ cg to pap placing the pin under my ring finger. With this ball and drilling, I saw a great consistent ball motion. I was able to control the backends and not have the ball hook off my hand. I’ve had great success with this ball on medium-drier house conditions where the backend of the lanes are very clean and hook. On tournament patterns, I was able to use this ball in later blocks or patterns where I wanted to control the pocket and play more direct. This ball adjusts to surface changes very well which is one of the best features of this ball.
Joshua Tajiri
Storm/Roto Grip Staff
Vise Staff
Bay Area Pro Shop
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The Phaze from Storm provides a smooth, hard arcing back end reaction that is best on medium oil conditions. The aggressive midlane traction of the Phaze creates a benchmark ball reaction that is very versatile. Because the coverstock is still very clean through the front part of the lane, it is not the best choice for heavy oil; the Alpha Crux or Lock are better choices for fresh or heavily oiled conditions. That length, however, does lend the Phaze to be usable even as the lanes dry out.
The Phaze and the Fight are an interesting 1-2 punch; the Fight has a very similar amount of overall hook in comparison to the Phaze, but the motion is very different. The Fight starts rolling 3-4 feet earlier than the Phaze, and is smoother throughout the lane, but still saves enough energy to go through the pins very well. The Fight and Phaze are a combination that can cover any variation of medium oil condition.
https://youtu.be/ePsLPysmA0I
Mike LeViner
BowlersMart
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Storm Phaze
OOB condition
House pattern-40 ft Avalon surface
Layout- pin above bridge, cg kicked to the right 2 inches
This ball wasn’t what I thought it would be at all in the OOB condition. I am so used to the sharp boomerang movement off the friction that when the ball made a more gradual move through the pocket I was concerned that I mis-drilled this ball. I eventually took the cover off with 3000 abralon and saw much more life out of the ball. With the very aggressive cover stock it has on it this ball needs oil. For me crossing boards was a big no-no, it would just roll out and stop on me, but playing up the boards or just a little fluff shot it became a monster. It’s not one of the bigger hooking balls I have thrown from Storm, but has a specific place in my bag. The lemon zest fragrance and colors are very appealing and makes this another great piece for Storm Bowling products. Go see your local pro shop operator today and pick one of up. Bowl up a Storm
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LANE CONDITION
Length: 42 Feet
Volume: Medium Heavy
Type (Hubble pattern, an extra long, heavier volume house shot on Brunswick Anvilane):
COMMENTS
I am a little surprised by the other posters who are saying this ball is not a skid/flip ball. Not true. This is the most flippy ball I have ever seen. It gets way, way down the lane and then "Turns Left!"
If you miss left in the oil it will hold all the way to the pocket and strike hard.
If you miss right it will come roaring back with a vengeance!
And this is on a very heavy volume pattern with a defined out of bounds to the right of 7 board.
I would not say this ball is a rolly ball. It picks up very late.
You can push it right all day and it will come flying back and this is with a lower rev (250 rpm) delivery.
If it is tight on the pocket it will carry every time.
If it is very light it will also carry.
It is only the middle pocket that will cause the corners to be left.
It is a beautiful ball going down the lane as the colors really spin.
This ball will hook hard when the Alpha Crux is not even moving.
It really is an amazing ball.
But it is very angular, so you must hit the breakpoint very precisely or it will run by the pocket or come up light.
But if you want the big fast backend jump, then this is the ball for you.