Storm Rolling Thunder 3 Ball Roller (Picture Review)

[ArtVandelay]

Sorry for the new thread. There's another thread about this bag, and one of our members asked me for a review. I wanted to do a good review for you guys, so I took some pictures and wrote some stuff only to find out I am only allowed 4 pictures per post. So I decided to just start a new thread and try to put these posts in an order that makes sense.

Here we go!



I'll admit, I'm not easily impressed by most things. Especially when it's something like this, where the test of time is the only true indicator of an items quality. But my first impressions of the Storm Rolling Thunder 3 ball roller are pretty positive.

One thing I was NOT impressed with were the lack of photos on the internet for this bag. Most lacking were the pictures of the interior of the bag. To remedy that situation I've decided to do a picture review and include my thoughts. Here it goes!


This picture is the first I took and how the bag looks straight out of the box. The Storm logo is embroidered, as are all the markings on the bag. There is one metal Storm badge on a pocket. This badge was listed on the websites as a selling point. I don't understand why.

Overall, the fabric seems strong enough. It has a bit of a plastic kind of feel on the outside. Im no fabric expert, so I couldnt tell you what it is... You can see how the flash kind of makes the bag look shiny, thats because of the fabric. I dont think it will be a problem, and I actually feel like that kind of material might be useful in helping the interior stay dry during rainy days.
It appears to have multiple layers on the compartments, and Im satisfied with most of the stitching. It appears they double stitched almost everything. I think the fabric and stitching will stand the test of time. There is ONE place Im concerned about (over time, i feel the stitching can fail in one area), and we will get to that later.


This is the bags interior. There are dividers to protect the bowling balls from bouncing against each other, as well as a clear plastic arm designed to go over the top of each ball and hold it in place during transit. The plastic fastens with velcro, and is fairly thick.
I do feel like the sides of the bowling ball compartment could have been reinforced better than they were. On my Ebonite bag the sides were almost hard. On this bag, the sides are not as well reinforced, and that may prove detrimental to its longevity.
On the right side of this picture, you'll notice zippers. We will revisit that later.


Here's a close up of the plastic arm. While the plastic is fairly thick, I do have doubts as to how long it will last. My concern is the stitching along the sides more than the plastic itself. It fastens to the bag using velcro, and you can see the velcro strip it attaches to on the bottom right of the picture. That velcro strip goes along the entire bag.


Pockets are in no short supply. There are two pockets on the side, two larger ones on the cover, and one on the top by the handle. If any complaint is to be made about the pockets it's their current state. The flimsy nature, combined with the stiff fabric and lack of structure, makes it difficult to operate the zipper (especially around the corners). I have confidence the fabric will break in over time, and this will not be an issue.
On the pocket to the right, you will notice the metal Storm logo badge which Storm lists as a selling point. I hope that helps you feel better about spending your $122(ish).

[ArtVandelay]

Yuck... Out of focus. Sorry about that. Anyway... In that first picture you will remember the zippers. This is the same inside of the bag. At first, when I saw those zippers I only saw the top one and assumed that was the shoe compartment. I was a little upset and thought that was a very odd way of doing things until I realized there are zippers on BOTH sides of the cover. I'm quite happy with that and think it's a nice touch! In this picture I have unzipped both so you can see clearly through the shoe compartment. The bottom storage unit does this as well.
To clarify: you can reach your shoe compartment and main storage compartment either with the top open or closed. There are zippers on both sides for added convenience. I would have been happy if the zippers were only on the outside, I would have been annoyed if the zippers were only on the inside, but Im pleasantly surprised and pleased to find you have an option of opening those compartments either way!



Here is a picture of my shoes in the shoe compartment. I wear a men's size 11, and the shoes fit quite comfortably. While they look tight in this picture, the sides of the compartment offer some flexibility, and I think fitting a larger pair in there wouldn't be a problem.
The shoe compartment also has two ventilation pieces sewn into the side (which can be seen clearly in the 3rd post that has the bag standing straight to show you the angle). I do not feel like two are sufficient. I would have preferred more ventilation. On one hand, less ventilation keeps the smell on the inside, but it also doesnt give as much air to dry the shoes quickly. Two more on the other side could have been a good thing. Perhaps 6? I dunno... Im sure its by design, and maybe Im the only one whose feet tend to sweat in 100+ degree Texas weather.
On one of our threads, I remember someone asked a question about a bag that can fit TWO pairs of shoes. I don't think this one could, in the shoe compartment, BUT if the second pair of shoes are small enough, I do think the bottom compartment could be an option if you work it right.


Here is a picture of my bowling balls in the bag (and The Fonz, who is quite interested in my new toy). Not much to see... I have always used my towels to wrap up my bowling balls and provide a little extra protection to them during transit (and a tighter fit to prevent movement). This was no problem at all. They are in there snug, and I don't feel like they would be in any real danger during reasonable transport.


Here is a picture of the wheels. They are a soft, clear, rubber and roll very smoothly. The bearings spin freely, and the base is at least a few inches wider than my 2 ball roller I used to have. I am VERY happy with this, and the soft rubber wheels were one of the strongest selling points when I decided to purchase this bag. My old 2 ball Ebonite Grand Tour had larger (oversized) wheels and that made a difference, BUT they were still that hard plastic and made for a difficult roll at times. These wheels are slightly larger than those on my 2 ball Ebonite bag, and I anticipate the material used will make a substantial difference over the hard plastic wheels I hate.

[ArtVandelay]

So are there any complaints? We shall see! The most important thing, to me, is how it stands the test of time. I do not want to purchase another bowling bag for at least 5 years. I hope this will last me the rest of my life, if that's even possible!


My biggest complaint, so far, is how it stands:

It stands at quite an angle, and can be tipped over if nudged. The smallest of nudges will probably not make it tip, but my dog did bump into it from the side and it sent it over. I do wish it was more stable. I think Storm could have taken off a half inch (or so) on the supporting arms down bottom and a slightly more upright position could have solved this problem. This MAY become a factor as time progresses, if I'm constantly finding it tipping over. Right now, it's simply a concern more than a problem.


Do I regret my purchase? Not as of yet. On first impressions, I am actually pleasantly surprised on the whole.
How would I rate it? Get back to me in about 5 years!

[billf]

Nice review!

[steven408]

why not try to sand a little bit off?

[Brother_jd]

This is a very nice review.

[ArtVandelay]

why not try to sand a little bit off?

I would drive myself crazy trying to do that... Im a bit of a perfectionist, especially when it comes to new stuff (and even MORE especially if I deem the item to be expensive, which I do...). By the time Id be done sanding, there might be nothing left. Hahaha. Id want it to be as close to perfect and level as possible. But if it keeps tipping, I might just have to do that.

[Perrin]

Awesome review. Thank you.

The only concern I could see with sanding that down to make it stand taller is that it looks like at that angle you could open it and not have the balls fall out.
But if it were much more vertical I think the balls would roll out when you open it.

[Cochese]

Great review. I have the 2-ball version in the red/white and I have been very happy with it too. The 3-ball looks even nicer and makes me wish I would have gotten it instead.

[75lockwood]

I think the picture host took down your pictures