Crux review by Storm staffer Tony Marino

There was a lot of hype and excitement about this release, so I could not wait to drill mine and test it out. The early talk was about the Catalyst core. Its shape is truly unique because the indentation in the core allows the core numbers to be a truer representation (after drilling) for most bowlers… yes, I am a pro shop nerd. That, along with the strong ERG hybrid coverstock makes the Crux the strongest ball is the Storm line. The Crux is by far the strongest ball in my bag. The duel angle numbers on mine are 45° x 4.5” x 35° with a neutral weight hole.

I have had a chance to throw the Crux on several medium to medium-long house patterns, as well as a few medium volume sport patterns. What I have noticed so far is that is needs oil in the front part of the lane. While the cover is hybrid, it is still very strong. I have thrown it against a lot of different Storm balls and it is a unique roll to anything in my bag. I initially threw it against my IQ Tour Solid on a house shot and it was laughable how much stronger the Crux was. I had the Crux about 8 boards stronger. Likewise with the Optimus. The Crux picked up much sooner in oil and never hesitated, where the Optimus just kept skidding. The closest ball in my arsenal to the Crux was my Zero Gravity, which isn’t that big of a surprise since they both have a similar ERG cover. My Zero Gravity at the same surface as the Crux actually grabbed the lane a little quicker, but the biggest difference showed down lane. Once I moved farther inside into the heavy oil, the Zero Gravity would hook and quit. Even after I was able to adjust with the Zero inside and get to the pocket, it would ring a lot of corner pins. The Crux on the other hand, was able to store energy in heavy oil and made a very strong move that went through the pins HARD. I believe a lot of this has to do with the stronger intermediate differential in the Catalyst core (.016 vs. .011), as well as the slightly cleaner hybrid ERG coverstock.

I have used the Crux on all kinds of different patterns, and I can tell you that it flat out hooks. I tried using it in a few medium volume, medium distance sport pattern tournaments, but I had to put it away. I am really looking forward to using this on longer PBA oil patterns and heavy sport patterns. Being left handed, the longer, heavier patterns are tougher for me to match up on, but the Crux will definitely give me a little better look.

If you need a heavy oil ball that gives a strong motion down-lane, you need to drill a Crux.

Want to see what I am talking about? Click this link to see my video which compares the Storm ball mentioned in this review.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ2z...ature=youtu.be