Tag Archive: jimmy martin


Storm Tropical Heat

Filed Under: Ball Reviews by Jimmy Martin — Leave a comment
May 10, 2010

The Storm Tropical Heats are one of the best bang for the buck balls on the market. Using the core from the Furious and a hybrid version on the Tropical Storm cover, the Tropical Heat is ideal for the bowler looking to start hooking the ball but doesn’t want a entry-level reactive. It is also good for the accomplished bowler who is wanting a ball for medium to dry lanes or for when the lanes start to break down. At this price how could you possibly go wrong!

Are you ready to set the lanes ablaze? Well now you can with the new Storm Tropical Heat!



First, Storm added a Hybrid version of the proven Reactor reactive coverstock, known for such balls as the Agent, Spit Fire and Fired Up. Next, they wrapped it around the Turbine Core, the engine inside the Fast, Furious and Natural. This combo is HOT! Whether this is your first reactive ball, or you're an advanced player looking for an option on drier conditions, give the Tropical Heat a shot!

The Storm Tropical Heat Black/Silver is currently selling for $94.99 and rates a 170.1 on the bowlingball.com Perfect Scale®.

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Florida State Tournament

Filed Under: Informative by Jimmy Martin — Leave a comment
April 26, 2010

For those of you in Florida that plan on going to bowl the State Tournament in Lakeland be prepared for some changes. Kegel is controlling the lane pattern and it is not a typical house pattern. It is a 43 foot pattern from the info I received this past weekend, and it plays a little tough. I started out in doubles around 7-8 throwing a Roto Grip Riot at 1000 grit. This quickly started to go away and by the 3rd game of doubles I was left of 15 throwing a Dark Star drilled 75x4x35. Singles I had absolutely nothing, so I am just going to not even go into that. The next day at team the pattern was pretty close but I did have more room right, and the pattern did not change as fast, probably due to the different lane types. I was able to start around 12 with my exit point being about 7 and never really moved till game 3. I managed to shoot around 690 in team, but should have been much higher, I just wasn’t executing good shots. I am thrilled to see this change in the types of patterns they are using, this will help people that just bowl leagues understand how different situations are when you flatten a pattern out.

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Dark Star and Riot Videos

Filed Under: Ball Videos by Jimmy Martin — Leave a comment
March 24, 2010

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Roto Grip Bowling Balls

Filed Under: Uncategorized by Jimmy Martin — Leave a comment
March 17, 2010

Over the past few years Roto Grip has come on strong with their product releases. With the initial release of the Roto Grip Cell, which was ball of the year in 2008 to the newest releases the Roto Grip Riot and Roto Grip Dark Star, Roto Grip has really put their name on the map.

In the Crown Line the Mutant Cell has become one of the top selling balls on the market. It is a strong heavy rolling ball that matches up to a lot of different styles. It is designed for heavier volume patterns and performs extremely well on longer patterns such as the Shark. Also in the Crown Line is the Roto Grip Rogue Cell. The Rogue is more angular than the Mutant and works really for players who like to use inside angles. The Mutant Cell and Roto Grip Rogue Cell are both great choices for the league bowler to wants to see the ball hook more on a house pattern.

In the Sword line is the Roto Grip Nomad and Roto Grip Nomad Pearl. These balls are also quite strong but with the symetrical cores they have a tendency to be a little smoother than the Crown series. I like to use the Nomads as a first ball out of the bag to see what the lane pattern is doing. They can be used on multiple types of patterns are a great starting point if you are looking to try some Roto Grip equipment.

The Roto Grip Riot and Roto Grip Dark Star have just been added to the Shield line to accompany the Roto Grip Mars and Roto Grip Pluto. These two balls are currently two of the best balls on the market for the money. Retailed around $135 they are absolutely hard to beat. Both balls utilize the Vision cover previously used on the Epic and Illusion series and have the new Photon core designed by Roto Grip. The Roto Grip Riot is fairly strong but very even rolling ball that can be used on many types of patterns and helps blend over/under ball reactions. The Roto Grip Dark Star is extremely clean through the fronts with a smooth but strong motion on the back of the lane that is very useful for lighter volume or broken down patterns

Overall Roto Grip has a complete arsenal of balls that give you the ability to play any condition without breaking your wallet. Going on my 3rd year being on staff with them I could not be happier with the equipment they have released. Every ball they release has a purpose and compliments the other releases perfectly. I am highly looking forward to see what they have up their sleeve for the rest of 2010.

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Riot and Dark Star Reviews

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March 9, 2010

Layout 1
45x4x60
no hole
box surface

Layout 2
75x5x25
no hole
surface changed to 1000 with reacta shine

The design intent of the Riot is to help fill the gaps between the Planet Series and the Nomad Series. This is a release I have been highly waiting on.

Layout #1 is one of my favorite layouts. I have a Nomad and a Pluto laid out this way, so I figured this would be a good layout to use to really compare the Riot with the Nomad and Pluto. This ball rolls absolutely amazing! It definitely fits in the Roto line where it is suppose to. The best way to describe it is very predictable. With this layout the Riot will definitely be a first ball out of the bag for me. It gives me a very good read of the lanes because of it\’s smooth transition from oil to dry.

Layout #2 is a layout I like to use when the pattern starts to push me farther left and I need the ball to react quicker off the dry. I currently have this layout on a Grand Illusion which has been one of my favorite rolling balls. This Riot is a completely different animal from the other. Compared to my Grand Illusion it is about 5 boards stronger and is much more angular. It is much cleaner through the fronts than layout #1 (due to the surface change) and unleashes a ridiculous move at the breakpoint. This is going to be a great choice for me when the patterns are breaking down and I have to move left still be able to get the ball to recover down lane.

Overall the Riot is a awesome piece of equipment, and for the price you can\’t beat it. If you are looking for something to replace the benchmark ball in your arsenal or looking for something strong and controllable the Riot is definitely something you should look into.

Layout:
45 x 3 3/8 x 85
Hole 2 1/2 inches down VAL
Box Surface (1500 polished)

When laying the Dark Star out I was looking for something that would be very clean through the fronts without changing directions very quick off the dry so I could play a little straighter in league. I have used this layout before on a Mars and it worked really well, but was not quite strong enough for what I was looking for.

This ball turned out absolutely perfect! The first night in league I threw it I shot 248, 249, 259 for a 756 playing about 5 and 3 right of where I normally play in this center. The area that I had was absolutely ridiculous and the ball got through the pins so much better since I didn’t have to use such wide angles through the fronts. Through the entire night I moved a total of 5 and 2 which is very little compared to the moves I normally make.

The Dark Star compliments the Nomad Series and Planet series very well. The Dark Star seems to match up better for higher rev players and for slower ball speeds. Another great release by Roto Grip!!

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DARK STAR AND RIOT COMING IN FEB!

Filed Under: Upcoming Balls by Jimmy Martin — 1 Comment
February 2, 2010

After the outstanding success of the Mutant Cell comes the Dark Star and the Riot! Using a highly successful coverstock in the Ultimate Vision and a new core these balls are going to be two of the best rolling balls on the market for the price. The release date for the Riot and Dar Star is February 24th

At Roto Grip we pride ourselves in providing a complete line of bowling balls in both value and performance.

The recent introduction of the Dark Star created a nice compliment for those medium to drier patterns, but we still needed a strong solid reactive in the Shield Line for those patterns with a bit more volume up front.

The Riot is just what the kingdom ordered. The utilization of the Ultimate Vision solid reactive coverstock is the key to this addition. The increased surface topography and greater coefficient of friction battles those medium to heavier volume patterns with fierce intensity.

The Photon core delivers the energy behind the Riot. This newly designed medium RG (2.58) and medium differential (.040) core creates greater mid-lane read and increased entry angle to the pocket than its predecessors in the Planet series.

It's time to start your Riot in the Bowling Kingdom!

The Roto Grip Riot is currently selling for $92.99 and rates a 170.5 on the bowlingball.com Perfect Scale®.

Value and Performance have always been synonymous with the Roto Grip brand, and the all new Dark Star stands to continue that tradition.

Our first goal was to develop a stronger Shield Line ball to fit into the Roto Grip line. The team felt that there was too big of a gap between the Nomads and the Planet series balls. The intent was to create more mid-lane read with stronger backend motion, so we developed the Photon Core with a lower RG value and a higher differential.

To enhance this core motion we also added the Ultimate Vision pearl coverstock to this ball. This performance proven coverstock found on the Epic and Illusion series of balls. It boasts a higher coefficient of friction and surface texture for added traction in the oil and superior backend performance.

This combination of core and coverstock was the ideal fit into the line. Our tests showed that it filled the gap between the Nomads and the Planet series balls perfectly.

The Roto Grip Dark Star is currently selling for $79.99 and rates a 168.4 on the bowlingball.com Perfect Scale®.

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MUTANT CELL VIDEO

Filed Under: Ball Videos by Jimmy Martin — Leave a comment
December 2, 2009

The Mutant Cell has quickly become one of the most popular balls on the market. It gives a ball motion that is completely different from the rest of Cell line and can be placed in almost every persons arsenal. This is our video of the Mutant Cell. It was shot on a 40-foot house pattern at River Lanes in Titusville. Enjoy!

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