- Dark Phaze

First Impressions
The Storm Dark Phaze immediately catches the eye with its deep black and purple hybrid design. At its center works the powerful symmetrical Velocity core, which shows a 2.480 RG and a strong 0.051 differential. This core is wrapped in a modified R2S Hybrid coverstock finished with a 1500-grit polish. This combination of an extremely quick-revving core and a smooth hybrid cover should let the ball clear the heads effortlessly and save its energy for a massive, symmetrical kick in the backend. The specs point to very dynamic ball motion.
Comparison
Compared directly to the original Storm Phaze, which was often felt to be a bit sluggish, the Dark Phaze gets through the heads considerably more freely thanks to its polished R2S cover and offers drastically more backend reaction. Against the Storm Phaze II, the Dark Phaze delivers far cleaner length, but builds a similarly strong, arcing hook from the same core. When friction on the lane is high and transition dries up the front part of the lane, the Dark Phaze holds its energy very well and punishes misses out to the outside boards less harshly.
On the Lanes
The Storm Dark Phaze is best suited to lane conditions with medium oil volume. For strokers and bowlers with moderate ball speed, it offers the chance to play the boards confidently from a variety of angles. The steady drive toward the pocket should deliver convincing carry, since the ball keeps driving through the pins. On fresh, extremely heavy oil, however, this ball can come up short on traction because of the polished finish. It's a brilliant benchmark ball for patterns that have been played in a bit.