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Author Topic: Storm Optimus and Hy Road Solid Videos  (Read 14588 times)

TamerBowling

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Storm Optimus and Hy Road Solid Videos
« on: May 22, 2014, 10:18:38 PM »
In case it gets buried in the long debate about releases, I've posted these vids separately to discuss ball reaction.

http://tamerbowling.com/index.php/new-storm-equipment-optimus-hy-road-solid/

We tested the Optimus and Hy Road on a heavier volume THS and Scorpion. 

The Optimus rolls so much like the Marvel Pearl.  I would imagine we are going to see lots of pros throwing this ball.  I'm not much for all those swirly colors but if you can manage to get past that or really like it, there it is.  I personally prefer the darker colors of the Marvel Pearl.  Nevertheless, low RG core that helps the ball get into a roll as well as a fairly aggressive coverstock makes this a controllable but strong ball.  The R2X is smoother than the previous generation reactor covers since it seems to have a bit more surface friction.

With the Hy Road Solid, we compared it to the original Hy Road which everyone seems to still have.  It's exactly as you would expect.  Recognizable reaction that reads the midlane a little better which smoothes out the backend and makes it very continuous and controlled, but less boomy.

Our tester is Jeremy Overdier of Pure It Pro Shop in Lebanon PA.  He's about 400 revs and averages around 225. 

Let me know what you think.
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northface28

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Re: Storm Optimus and Hy Road Solid Videos
« Reply #1 on: May 23, 2014, 07:04:23 AM »
In case it gets buried in the long debate about releases, I've posted these vids separately to discuss ball reaction.

http://tamerbowling.com/index.php/new-storm-equipment-optimus-hy-road-solid/

We tested the Optimus and Hy Road on a heavier volume THS and Scorpion. 

The Optimus rolls so much like the Marvel Pearl.  I would imagine we are going to see lots of pros throwing this ball.  I'm not much for all those swirly colors but if you can manage to get past that or really like it, there it is.  I personally prefer the darker colors of the Marvel Pearl.  Nevertheless, low RG core that helps the ball get into a roll as well as a fairly aggressive coverstock makes this a controllable but strong ball.  The R2X is smoother than the previous generation reactor covers since it seems to have a bit more surface friction.

With the Hy Road Solid, we compared it to the original Hy Road which everyone seems to still have.  It's exactly as you would expect.  Recognizable reaction that reads the midlane a little better which smoothes out the backend and makes it very continuous and controlled, but less boomy.

Our tester is Jeremy Overdier of Pure It Pro Shop in Lebanon PA.  He's about 400 revs and averages around 225. 

Let me know what you think.

This was probably the first time I didn't gain anything from your videos, first, those layouts are not on par with what your testers usually use, hated the layouts used. Totally vain, but seeing those clown yellow thumb slugs annoyed me as all. Overall, I was disappointed in the videos. Sorry.
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Gizmo823

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Re: Storm Optimus and Hy Road Solid Videos
« Reply #2 on: May 23, 2014, 07:36:27 AM »
I don't like being super critical, especially since I love your other reviews, but I'm kind of on the same page with northface.  I'm sure those layouts make those balls usable in certain situations, but for showing them off on a video . .  It looks like the house pattern had a lot to do with the nearly horrific reaction for both balls, they acted quite a bit better on the Scorpion, but those layouts definitely weren't helping anything.  Honestly with as bad as the balls look on that house pattern, if I was the average consumer, I may not have made it to the Scorpion footage on the back half of the video.  I know you've already posted the videos, but if I were you, I may go back and reshoot the house pattern part.  It's a great production as always, well shot, well edited, great video quality, but I think we can all agree that both balls look absolutely horrific on that house pattern. 
What would you be if you were attached to another object by an inclined plane, wrapped helically around an axis?

tkkshop

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Re: Storm Optimus and Hy Road Solid Videos
« Reply #3 on: May 23, 2014, 07:45:23 AM »
On a 12:1 ratio, play the friction, not the soup!

Gizmo823

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Re: Storm Optimus and Hy Road Solid Videos
« Reply #4 on: May 23, 2014, 08:00:26 AM »
That was another comment I forgot to make.  With the balls doing virtually nothing in terms of hook, I'm not sure why you'd play 4th arrow.  I'm betting it has to do with angles for the video camera, but evenso, just another contributing factor to the unimpressive reaction. 

On a 12:1 ratio, play the friction, not the soup!
What would you be if you were attached to another object by an inclined plane, wrapped helically around an axis?

ccrider

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Re: Storm Optimus and Hy Road Solid Videos
« Reply #5 on: May 23, 2014, 09:09:39 AM »
The videos were helpful for me. I saw nothing wrong with the layouts chosen. Granted, you could have laid the balls out to skid flip. I guess the tester good have stood on top of the dry and seemingly covered more boards flinging it at a much higher speed with increased axis rotation. Nothing wrong with this.

I would rather see the balls rolled within the testers comfort zone showing the reaction from skid to hook to roll.  I purchased a Marvel Pearl and laid it out similarly to use when I wanted to move in and keep the shot in front of me. Worked out well until it cracked. I see the Optimus filling the same slot.

Jesse James

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Re: Storm Optimus and Hy Road Solid Videos
« Reply #6 on: May 23, 2014, 11:32:50 AM »
I'm really not sure what all the beefing is about. The vids helped me similarly with a reaction I had been trying to get from my T-Road solid. I saw the surface-play versus the pearlized movement. Not a horrible reaction at all, just different!

In the end, it's all about strikes and carry, not how you did it. The testers played the middle of the lane primarily which is similar to how I play. I am not a shoot down 10 kind of guy all the time; nor am I a deep inside line kind of guy, and I never even noticed the thumb slugs. (Really??)

These vids gave me a good insight into the dynamics of each of these balls. Overall, it was good for me.
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tkkshop

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Re: Storm Optimus and Hy Road Solid Videos
« Reply #7 on: May 23, 2014, 11:44:05 AM »
I want to clarify my post. I am not at all knocking anything on the video. I just wish as a staffer, he would have gave these balls a little more bounce. The carry would have improved and the audience would have appreciated the "motion" more. The hits were flat because of the volume and length of the pattern. The balls really came alive on Scorpion when it read friction. Great videos, just some friendly comments. Keep it up!!!

Gizmo823

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Re: Storm Optimus and Hy Road Solid Videos
« Reply #8 on: May 23, 2014, 12:33:06 PM »
I felt the same way . .

Of course all the shots knocked the pins down, it was edited that way, but it was obvious he was getting pretty bad reaction.  Yeah it's about strikes and carry, but I'd like to see the unedited video.  You get more carry and more strikes when you play the lanes the right way, I really didn't like the look he had with either ball.  Again, sometimes you find yourself in that situation where the ball WILL react like it does in the video, but for the vast majority of bowlers, who has that same look at their home center?  Who is going to watch the footage on the house shot and say, "Wow, I need to get me one of those!"  ? 

The footage on the Scorpion was great, if that was the whole video it would have been great.  I just don't see a lot of people getting much out of the stuff on the house shot . . some people will, but when you're showing something new off, you want to show it at its best. 

I want to clarify my post. I am not at all knocking anything on the video. I just wish as a staffer, he would have gave these balls a little more bounce. The carry would have improved and the audience would have appreciated the "motion" more. The hits were flat because of the volume and length of the pattern. The balls really came alive on Scorpion when it read friction. Great videos, just some friendly comments. Keep it up!!!
What would you be if you were attached to another object by an inclined plane, wrapped helically around an axis?

ccrider

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Re: Storm Optimus and Hy Road Solid Videos
« Reply #9 on: May 23, 2014, 12:36:30 PM »
I totally agree that the video would be more informative if the bad shots were not edited out. But, how often do you see that?

Gizmo823

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Re: Storm Optimus and Hy Road Solid Videos
« Reply #10 on: May 23, 2014, 02:07:36 PM »
Lol never . . but that just follows my point of wanting to show the ball at its best.  Of course it's not going to strike every time, and we all know that, but I can pretty well guarantee with that reaction and where he was playing that the videos took longer to film than most . .

I totally agree that the video would be more informative if the bad shots were not edited out. But, how often do you see that?
What would you be if you were attached to another object by an inclined plane, wrapped helically around an axis?

TamerBowling

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Re: Storm Optimus and Hy Road Solid Videos
« Reply #11 on: May 23, 2014, 03:57:12 PM »
Thanks all for your comments.
As mentioned in the review, the house shot was not playing as it typically does.  You play for what you have.  For whatever reason, that pair on this night played this way.  There was no friction to be had on the outside so Jeremy had a legitimate reason to play where he was.  Now I realize that it may not look pretty to everybody but I figured some folks might want to see how these balls play when the condition is soupy.  I'm sure there will be a bevy of videos demonstrating how these balls hook the whole lane.  Well at least you now have something to show you how they look when it's not a 17:1 38 ft desert :-)
Don't get me wrong, I can understand why you might think the videos don't show off the prowess of the balls.  However, that's also why I added the sport pattern.  These balls can and do hook quite a bit.  In fact, it's part of the reason why we played deeper at the arrows and down lane.  From farther right, they hooked too much but the way the pattern was playing, outside was not coming back.  In fact, you can see how well the Hy Road solid helped smooth out what was difficult playing pattern.  Isn't that useful information?

In terms of the layout, not really sure there's much to justify.  Layouts are designed for each bowler specifically and to match up to the typical condition they face.  It just happened on this night, they may not have been a perfect matchup.

Regardless, I hope it has added some value to you all who might be considering these pieces.  Like I said, there will be other videos from others eventually that show the balls hooking much more.  If we get a chance, I will consider a reshoot of the house shot and add it to our video library.  We do everything we can to make these useful to you, the bowlers who would consider buying these balls.  I am not on Storm staff and I don't get paid to do this work.  I just enjoy the game and hope tamerbowling.com continues to be a useful resource to bowlers.
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billdozer

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Re: Storm Optimus and Hy Road Solid Videos
« Reply #12 on: May 23, 2014, 04:17:16 PM »
Everyones reaction, form, release etc.  Is different from the next....like signatures or snowflakes...

Gotta love the "professional pro shop guys" that know it all.  How dare any of us play the lanes wrong, throw it wrong!
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Impending Doom

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Re: Storm Optimus and Hy Road Solid Videos
« Reply #13 on: May 23, 2014, 04:33:14 PM »
CAN'T I JUST LIKE A BALL BECAUSE IT'S PRETTY???????

TamerBowling

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Re: Storm Optimus and Hy Road Solid Videos
« Reply #14 on: May 23, 2014, 04:43:27 PM »
Why yes, of course  ;)
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