Storm Ion Pro Solid Bowling Ball Review

The Storm Ion Pro Solid is the second Ion Pro release and the third under the Ion nameplate. This ball uses the same asymmetrical Element Tour AI core design as the original Ion Pro. The changes come in the coverstock material and the box finish. While the Ion Pro used a hybrid version of the TX-16 cover, the Ion Pro Solid features TX-16 Solid, which is the same solid coverstock as the Phaze II. Instead of a rough box finish like those two bowling balls, the Ion Pro Solid uses Power Edge polish, making it much more responsive at the breakpoint and the back end. We saw much more shape downlane than the IQ Tour AI, Phaze AI, and EquinoX. We found the Ion Pro Solid to be very versatile, allowing it to be used with success across all four of our test oil patterns.

Cranker

Cranker really liked the Ion Pro Solid on the fresh medium oil pattern. He had easy length and a strong move off the end of the pattern. The ball picked up enough in the midlane to keep it from wiggling at the breakpoint on shots that weren’t projected quite as far right as he wanted. While the original Ion Pro offered him a good reaction on this pattern, the stronger cover and polished box finish of the Ion Pro Solid gave him more area, especially on off-pocket hits. He tripped the 4 pin forward on slightly high hits and got the headpin to mix around the left side of the deck a little better on light hits. His reaction improved as more shots went down the lane. The track area opening up let him get even farther left with his laydown and open his angles to go around the lane more. The box finish was very good for him, and he didn’t want to make any surface changes and risk losing the downlane motion