Zero Gravity
Review Date: 4 March 2014
Reviewed by:
Storm/Roto Grip staffer John Brockland
Style: Stroker Rev Rate: 280-310
PAP: 5.25" over and 1" up
The ZERO GRAVITY is a descendent of the VIRTUAL GRAVITY and the VIRTUAL GRAVITY NANO, both of which were big successes in a lot of bowlers' arsenals. I never had the VIRTUAL, but I did have the NANO and loved it for heavy volume, tight playing patterns and lane surfaces.
In the ZERO the coverstock is new -- ERG™ solid reactive. It's an upgrade in strength from its predecessors and is more than strong enough to suit its position in Storm's Premier Line. What was first noticeable to me about the ZERO relative to its coverstock, left at box 4000 grit finish, is the way the ball hugs the lane even and most importantly on tight playing surfaces and heavier volume patterns. That's crucial to my stroker game.
The core is also new - the Shape-Lock™ LD. What's different about this lower density (LD) core is that it has uniquely low differential for a pretty high RG asymmetrical core. Because of that design the ZERO flares less (4" to 5") than the typical high-performance asymmetrical ball and that makes for easier length while storing up energy for a powerful move at the break point.
The layout I put on my ZERO may seem counterintuitive given the uniqueness of the ball and its design assets, but my decision resulted from where the gaps in my arsenal were when I drilled it. The ZERO's optimal milieu is medium heavy to heavy volume and/or a tight playing lane surface. For those situations, I already had my DEFIANT SOUL with the pin over the bridge and mass bias next to my thumb which gives me easy length and a pretty angular motion down lane. I also had my HYPER CELL, again with pin above the bridge and mass bias next to my thumb, which gives me an earlier read than the SOUL and a smoother, but stronger and more continuous arcing motion through the pins. What I didn't have was something more akin to my DISTURBED, which is stacked under the ring finger and gives me an early rolling strong read through the mid-lane a pretty good kick sideways through the pins at the end of a pattern because of the stacked layout. What I needed was something similar but which would give me stronger overall hook and maybe less sideways motion at the breakpoint than the DISTURBED's stacked layout gives me.
Storm says "with its dynamic design the ZERO GRAVITY offers versatility in layout selection with increased striking power," so I trusted that with my layout decision. My ZERO is drilled with the pin about an inch under my ring finger (4.5 from PAP) with a 65 to 70 degree drilling angle and a weight hole nearly at P4.
I've used the ZERO twice in league circumstances on house shots. One is a center where the shot is somewhat blended with a lot of volume in the middle and where the backend reaction is historically a sluggish one. The ZERO had no problem overtaking that sluggish back-end situation. As the night progressed and there was need to move deeper and deeper into the volume, the ZERO had no problem taking to the lane enough to get through the puddle while still keeping enough energy stored up to turn the corner and create large-pocket carry. The second situation was in a center with more of a hooking house shot, still lots of volume in the middle but much stronger back ends. In that instance, as things got to the point when moving deeper that the ASYLUM I started with wouldn't plow through the heavy corner at the end of the puddle, the ZERO hugged the lane through that heavy volume well enough not to skid out in the mid-lane and made an awesome move plowing through the corner at the end of the pattern through the pins. I haven't yet had a lot of opportunity to use the ZERO much on tougher sport patterns. I wish I had had it with me with me at the Fusion Realtors Open last month (39ft, 28ml, 2.33 to 1 pattern) where the lanes played a little tighter down lane than I expected. Many were using the ZERO successfully and I think it would have been a big help to me as well in that instance. On shorter and lighter volume patterns like the 2013 USBC Open Championships Doubles/Singles pattern we're bowling on this quarter in our Sport league, the ZERO has been too strong and lacked enough length to be usable with the layout I have on mine.
In sum, with a decent rev rate and medium speed or less, I think the ZERO needs some volume or a tight playing surface to perform optimally. Depending on your game and the layout you choose, the ZERO is versatile enough that it could work well as the first ball out of your bag as you begin league or tournament play or it could be a go-to weapon between your favorite slick condition ball and the medium volume part of your arsenal.
 
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