Are you bored of reactive resin bowling balls and want a ball which hearkens back to the glory days when urethane cover stocks ruled the lanes? Storm’s newest urethane offering, the Storm Pitch Black, may be just for you. Our Storm Pitch Black review will attack this urethane bowling ball beast from all angles, giving you the 411 you need for a potential purchase decision.
Is the Storm Pitch Black the right ball for you? What type of lanes is it most effective on? Read further into our extensive Storm Pitch Black review to find out!
Overview
The newest bowling ball introduced in Storm’s Thunder series, the Storm Pitch Black features a brand new solid urethane cover stock which reacts and rolls just like you’d expect a urethane bowling ball to react. Rather than being built to mimic reactive resin bowling balls’ overall motions, the Storm Pitch Black goes old school.
That means the ball hits its hook and overall motion very early in the pattern with the undeniable smoothness of classic urethane. Combined with the 1000 grit finish, the Storm Pitch Black’s cover stock hits the beginning of its hook almost immediately. That’s crucial for a true urethane bowling ball like the Storm Pitch Black. Otherwise, it won’t hook with any sort of efficacy.
The problems we ran into with the Storm Pitch Black are less indicative of any quality issues with the ball and are much more about the limitations of true urethane cover stocks. The Storm Pitch Black gets submerged in long or high-volume oil patterns. It needs friction and a lot of it to really get going, so heavy oil simply renders it ineffective.
The Storm Pitch Black is a fantastic control bowling ball and does wonders straight up the dry portion of the lane. It holds the pocket with ease and portends powerful pin carry in doing so. Simply put, this is a great ball when the conditions are right. It’s not the right ball for every lane, but it sure does the trick on dry lanes, worn out and shorter oil patterns.Features, Specs & Materials
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FEATURES:
The Storm Pitch Black sports a completely new urethane cover stock formulation. Its Controll Solid Urethane cover stock is built to react like a classic urethane cover stock without all the nuanced reactivity of newer urethane bowling ball models.
The ball’s symmetrical Capacitor core carries a much higher RG and lower overall differential than the preceding Turbine core used in Storm’s Natural series. Bowlers with higher rev rates will get a much better overall reaction and will face up to the pocket much easier when oil patterns get a little heavier.
Finally, the Storm Pitch Black’s 1000 grit finish is just rough enough to portend a bit more overall motion on lighter oil patterns. It’s a good finish for the ball’s overall friction coefficient and gives it a unique early motion on dry and medium-dry lanes.SPECS:
Color: Pitch Black
Core: Capacitor (Symmetrical)
Coverstock: Controll Solid Urethane
Finish: 1000 Grit Sanded
RG: 2.57
Differential: 0.022
Flare potential: Minimal
Recommended Lane Condition: Dry
MATERIALS
The Storm Pitch Black is a true throwback. Its Controll Solid Urethane cover stock reacts extremely early and hits with violent urgency like you’d expect from the best classic urethane bowling balls. Its ceramic Capacitor symmetrical core stores energy effectively for powerful pin impact when the ball slots towards the pocket.
Everything Storm did in creating the Storm Pitch Black was with the expressed intent of bringing the best of urethane balls from the past and updating it for efficacy and efficiency in the present. For the most part, they did just that.
Advantages & Disadvantages
Advantages:
If you need a ball which provides pinpoint control and heavy hitter potential on short and depleted oil patterns, the Storm Pitch Black is the perfect ball for you. Rather than having to adjust to your ball’s reactivity, the Storm Pitch Black acts as a pure extension of your overall shot and motion on drier lanes.
Simply put, the Storm Pitch Black provides the truest urethane experience of any bowling ball we’ve tested over the past couple of decades. It breaks early and ends its hook before it gets to the back of the lane – just like the urethane bowling balls which dominated the market in the eighties.
If you really want the urethane experience of peak control and smooth geometrically sound hooks, you can’t do any better than the Storm Pitch Black. Higher rev bowlers can get some extra oomph out of this ball on medium oil patterns too, using the rougher 1000 grit finish to their advantage for maximum friction.
Everything about the Storm Pitch Black screams classic. If you’re not getting what you want out of the newest crop of reactive resin bowling balls, blasting back to the past may be the best option for you. The Storm Pitch Black is a change of pace ball that can really do damage on dry and medium-dry lanes. It’s worth the look if you want something different.
Disadvantages:
Do not bring this ball to heavier oiled lanes or lanes with complex, long oil patterns. The Storm Pitch Black is simply not formulated to do any real damage in these conditions. It loses all of its length and becomes a complete paperweight.
Also, going back in time to a classic urethane reaction brings along some of the key disadvantages of using a pure urethane bowling ball. There isn’t much of a total hook to be had and whatever hook there is needs to be started early. Friction is this ball’s friend. Its lack of oil absorption makes it really it dependent on the friction of drier lanes.
Lower rev bowlers will also have some struggles with the Storm Pitch Black on medium-oiled lanes. In fact, it may cut the ball’s efficacy down significantly for bowlers without the extra oomph behind their shot.
In summation, oil is a true enemy of the Storm Pitch Black. Too much of it will leave this ball flagging and unable to maximize its value.
Our Thoughts
The Storm Pitch Black is a hard ball to rate. It has obvious deficiencies on heavier and longer oil patterns. It doesn’t have nearly the overall hook potential of the best reactive resin bowling balls on the market.
But, the true benefit of the Storm Pitch Black is that it revels in its limitations. It knows what it does best and it knows what it offers. It’s simply a classic urethane bowling ball which places control over angular twists and turns, pin carry and hit strength over reactivity.
If you know how to highlight a true urethane bowling ball’s strengths and keep it away from oil patterns which will deaden its potential, you can’t do much better than the Storm Pitch Black.
Overall Score: 8.5/10
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