The Storm Crux Prime pairs a proven asymmetrical core design with an aggressive new coverstock built to navigate the deepest oil patterns around. Our Storm Crux Prime review will look at this groundbreaking new high-performance bowling ball from every angle, giving you a complete overview so you can make a more informed purchase decision.
What style of bowlers will benefit most from the Storm Crux Prime’s wild hook potential in the heaviest of oil conditions? Does the ball’s crowd-favorite asymmetrical core design work in the new coverstock’s favor or against it? Dive into our extensive Storm Crux Prime bowling ball review for the answer to these questions and much more!
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Overview
Storm formulated a brand-new aggressive coverstock for the Storm Crux Prime, introducing the intriguing SPEC Solid Reactive coverstock to the greater bowling world. This new coverstock is paired with a rough box finish to provide bowlers immense hook potential in the most complex and heavy of oil conditions. It’s simply built to burn up oil and use it as fuel for angularity and back-end creativity.
The Storm Crux Prime’s new reactive solid coverstock is paired with the same asymmetrical core design used in the older Crux models. What that means is an undeniable boost in hitting power and an increase in entry angle possibilities off the breakpoint. Furthermore, it works magnificently in concert with the coverstock to store energy for some interesting theatrics upon pin impact.
The trend of scented balls continues with the Storm Crux Prime, as well. The Pomegranate Cider fragrance is a hard scent to place at first, but it’s undoubtedly pleasing to the senses. It’s a lovely counterbalance to the violence and off-kilter sharpness of the Storm Crux Prime when it gets cooking in heavy oil.
What really gets the Storm Crux Prime good marks is how well it consistently reads the middle of the lane and holds onto its energy for sharp reactions off the spot. This ball is unreal when it comes to opening up entry angles at the back end, especially for higher-rev bowlers who can force the ball’s slower response to friction. It’s not back-end firepower in a box, but the right bowler can make it so on complex and deep oil patterns.
Features, Specs & Materials
FEATURES:
The Storm Crux Prime’s status as a heavy oil hook monster is thanks to the volatility and oil-absorption aversion of the new SPEC Solid Reactive coverstock. This coverstock burns through oil and absorbs very little, staying long in the middle of the lane and holding energy efficaciously for a sharp angular finish.
The ball’s angularity and mid-lane traction is given a massive dose of oomph thanks to the return of the Catalyst asymmetrical core design. Its low RG design keeps the ball’s center of gravity low and leads to some tantalizing pin trajectories when this ball is slotted into (or near) the pin pocket.
This ball is topped off with a rough 2000 Abralon box finish which rips through the freshest of oil fronts with ease. It’s the box finish equivalent of studded snow tires when oil patterns are at there deepest and most daunting.
SPECS:
Color: Red, White, Purple
Core: Catalyst (Asymmetrical)
Coverstock: SPEC Solid Reactive (Reactive Solid)
Finish: 2000 Abralon
RG: 2.50
Differential: 0.052
Flare potential: Significant
Recommended Lane Condition: Heavy
MATERIALS
The Storm Crux Prime’s SPEC Solid Reactive coverstock is truly a modern marvel of tactile bowling technology. Not only does it do a fantastic job reacting in the heaviest of oil, it does it with a coverstock which is built to burn much more oil than it absorbs. This leads to a unique level of durability and a longer play life which is invaluable with high-performance bowling balls.
What really gives the ball an extra edge of violence and angularity unpredictability is the distinct shape of the Catalyst asymmetrical core. A previous hit for the folks over at Storm, this core is extremely sturdy and dense for added hitting power and leverage underneath the pins.
Advantages & Disadvantages
Advantages:
We can count the number of high-performance bowling balls on one hand which are this durable and this aggressive in the deepest and longest of oil patterns. Rather than absorbing oil gulp by gulp and weakening the integrity of the coverstock as games pass, the Storm Crux Prime is simply built to create external traction in the deep stuff for fantastic lane length and peak angularity late.
The new SPEC Solid Reactive coverstock also brings with it a much-improved friction response over recent high-performance bowling ball offerings from Storm. The vast majority of heavier oil bowling balls on the market bleed energy in the middle of the lane and burn up on forced friction. The Storm Crux Prime is not one of those balls. It holds long and strong, keeping its energy for down-lane juts and twists.
You’re not going to get the familiar early reaction of other reactive resin offerings with the Storm Crux Prime. Instead, the ball offers a very smooth ride into the middle of the lane and can blend wet and dry with the best of them on its way to some late action. If you want a ball which ignores the volatility of oil patterns in favor of a much truer read, you’ll have fun with the Storm Crux Prime.
The Storm Crux Prime is controllable while also being undoubtedly aggressive, strong without much energy displaced early in patterns. It’s versatile enough to dominate the dry parts of a pattern just as well as the wet, provided there is some oil around to give it a boost. You’ll love how this ball cuts and turns in oil without falling into the traps of more porous high-performance offerings.
Disadvantages:
While the Storm Crux Prime is versatile enough to tackle dry spots in complex patterns, it is not built to play on dry or medium-dry lanes. This ball’s breakpoint reaction and cornucopia of entry angles is predicated upon having enough oil on the lanes to burn through. Without it, this ball’s reactivity gets muted and its lane length gets cut dramatically.
The Storm Crux Prime can also be very speed sensitive. Those bowlers who throw with a higher speed/lower rev combo will likely see this ball as flat and uninspiring, or they’ll have a hard time getting this ball to sit and cut through the oil late.
Our Thoughts
The Storm Crux Prime offers atypical durability for a high-performance bowling ball while still providing great hitting power and some fantastic angularity late down the lane. It needs some juice and revs behind it to unlock its full potential, so we’ll dock the score just a bit for that.
However, the fact remains that the Storm Crux Prime will give the right bowler a fantastic ball to dominate oil conditions when they’re at their freshest and deepest.
Overall Score: 8 out of 10
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