Today’s subject of scrutiny is the latest addition to Storm’s master line: The X-Factor Vertigo. This one has been promoted as a ball for oily lanes that can also handle the carry down.
First off, the technical data. The Vertigo is all about revving up in the mid lane. It’s rg (2.47) is significantly lower than that of the Triple X line (2.52) while a slightly higher differential of .056 (.055 in the Triple X’s) will help the Vertigo continue strong in the back end. It is wrapped in Storm’s newly formulated SFX cover stock and comes out of the box with an 800 grit matte finish.
Our sample Vertigo came with a 3 ½ inch pin and 2.5 oz’s of top weight. We placed the pin 4 inches from the PAP and cg 2 ¾ from the PAP. A weight hole was drilled ½ inch past the axis and 1 inch below the mid line and left us with about 1/8 oz of positive side weight.
Test pattern number one was a fresh house shot, 40 feet long and heavy 10 to 10. Once our tester got loose, he was able to play right in the sauce, crossing the arrows around 16 or 17 and getting the ball to the 7-8 boards at 40 feet. The heavy, early roll of the Vertigo was easily noticed, as was the strong back end arc. Shots that got right early did tend to over react a bit, but balls that missed left of target did not have much trouble handling the heavier oil, and the strong rolling core really made it up in the back end once the Vertigo got past the pattern. Carry percentage was very high for nearly 3 games worth of bowling. Oil carry down became evident at this point and a slight decrease in ball speed coupled with a few board creep to the left was all the Vertigo needed to begin smacking pins around again. By the end of 5 games, we were crossing 20 at the arrows swinging to about 9 or 10 down the lane, and striking A LOT.
The second pattern we used was 42 feet in length, much flatter in regard to oil application, wetter on the outsides with a slight bump around 12 and 13. After a few shots to get our bearings, we got lined up playing fairly directly crossing 11-12 at the arrows with a break point around 5-6 down the lane. An “up the back” hand release was used to control the direction change once the Vertigo got out of the pattern. Results were impressive. The Vertigo’s cover really dug into the heavy volume, showing no signs of wanting to “squirt” and the pin action and carry percentage were excellent while using the outside angle of attack. For reference purposes, we threw a few shots with a Triple X-Treme that was laid out in a similar manner. The Triple X-Treme clearly did not rev-up as fast and we had to move several boards to the right to get it to the pocket, however, its back end was noticeably more angular.
As we broke the pattern down, incremental moves to the left were required to supply the Vertigo with a clean skid through the front part of the lane. On this rather tight condition, the Vertigo thrived and showed no signs of straightening out, even after about seven games worth of shots had moved some oil down the lane.
The bottom line on the Vertigo is mid lane control. As with most aggressive shell, quick revving balls, the Vertigo will work better when oil volumes are heavier. Those bowlers with less hand may like this on some medium conditions and big crankers may need to polish the surface a bit to help the Vertigo save energy. Storm has another winner for sure, however, this is definitely the heaviest, earliest rolling X-Factor to date.
Huge thanks to Steve Kloempken and Storm for the comped equipment. Also big thanks to Flamingo Bowl for all their help and cooperation.