The Ion Max was first revealed in Storm’s Ion Pro introduction video as a mystery ball for comparison. While both balls share the Ion name, they are actually very different, as the Ion Max offers significantly more flare potential, a more aggressive solid coverstock, and a rougher box finish. The Ion Max uses NRG Solid as its coverstock, along with the asymmetrical Element Max AI core, which features the Amplified Inertia outer core like many of Storm’s newer products. The solid coverstock is finished at 2000 Abralon, allowing it to provide lots of traction through the heaviest volumes of oil. The more oil that was on the lane, the better our reactions were with the Ion Max, but there was actually not a big drop-off in the quality of our reactions as the patterns started to break down.

Stroker loved the amount of total hook he saw from the Ion Max on the fresh heavy oil pattern. He could play a small swing off his hand with no fear of any out-of-bounds. He could be firm with his speed, and the ball showed no signs of sliding past the breakpoint. As the front started to break down, he could shell-down into either the Ion Pro or the Phaze II. He saw this ball hook more than the Summit Ascent with both balls at their box finishes. The Ion Max started earlier and had more overall hook than his DNA, and it was strong enough for him to keep moving left with his laydown point as the pattern broke down. He really liked how much continuation he saw from this ball while covering more boards as the pattern transitioned.

Stroker needed to start farther left than he usually does on the medium oil pattern with the Ion Max. As he saw at the end of his ...