My Byte Layout (#1): 55 degrees x 4 3/8" X 2" (or 30 degrees)

October 22, 2013 will be a day for Anarchy fans to rejoice. The Storm Byte will be released that day. The Byte, to me, is similar to the Anarchy in terms of ball reaction with possibly more continuation. The core numbers are different with a lower differential (.043 vs .054) but still my Anarchy was the first ball to come to mind after throwing some shots with the new Byte. The Anarchy was one of a few balls I have had in recent years that could provide enough power through the pins even if I pinched it in a bit and still get the 10-pin out. The Byte appears to be that next ball that really helps open up the back part of the lane with its ability to recover and continue through the pins.

The polished ERG cover provides excellent response to friction without giving away the midlane. The ERG cover first appeared on the Lucid with a matte finish at 4000. On the Byte it comes with the proven Storm 1500-grit polished finish you see on most Storm pearls.

The G2+ core has the same shape as the G2 core found in the Sync but has a lower density resulting in a lower differential (.043 vs. .058) and a slightly higher RG (2.52 vs 2.47).

I really didn't know what to expect before throwing it, all I knew was Chris Forry at Buddies Pro Shop told me he was really impressed with the one he had drilled. Once I threw a few shots with it before shooting the demo video I knew this ball would be special, the way it rolled and went through the pins was different than anything I had in my bag.

I have not shot 700 every night since drilling the Byte but darn near close to it. I have had a couple high 700s and quite a few sets over 720 since the end of August and almost exclusively throwing the Byte in both leagues.

Because I liked the ball so much I drilled two more, layouts:

Byte layout #2: 45 degrees x 4 1/8" x 65 degrees

This layout is probably my favorite, the pin is below my ring finger, no extra hole. This layout gets rolling a touch sooner with a little more arc than the 55 degree layout.

Byte layout #3: 65 degrees x 3 1/2" x 30 degrees

This layout provides great length and a very continuous arc. It is the layout I used the least just because I need quite a bit of friction for this layout to become useful to me.

The one characteristic all three layouts share is they are all very continuous.

Conditions I have used the Byte on: Most of my experience with the Byte has come on various house shots or modified house shots but I don't think that should take away anything from what the ball does. I have used them on 40' to 43' house shots on both AMF and Brunswick surfaces with a sharper downlane reaction on the softer AMF lane surfaces.

Where the Byte fits in my bag:  This is the first ball I go to since drilling it. If I have to ball up it will be a Reign On, Reign of Power, Marvel-S or Sync depending on what I have with me or how much more surface I might need. The next ball out of my bag if I need to ball down is the IQ Tour Pearl which is a little less angular for me.

When I use the Byte: As I mentioned above, I use it whenever, wherever and as long as possible. It is possilby my favorite ball Storm has released since I signed my contract with them two years ago, no lower than top 3. That's saying something because they have released a number of great pearl balls in the last two years.