Gewo Aruna Hinoki Carbon

I was shocked to see this blade have so many reviews, but no written ones. I bought this blade and got the chance to play with it for about 3 hours. I used my (slightly worn down) sheet of Gewo Nexxus Pro EL SuperSelect 53 on the forehand and Yinhe Qing OX on the backhand. Prior to this I was using the Koki Niwa Wood with the same rubbers. First off, although both blades are listed as expected to be ~90g, my two Niwas were both 81g, while the Aruna was 86g. Although you can find Niwas in higher weights, the Aruna itself has a larger head size which likely contributes to the weight difference. First off, the Aruna is dramatically faster than the Niwa. I'm genuinely surprised how low the speed rating is here. With the Pro SuperSelect 53, you can absolutely rocket the ball past your opponents, and the sweet spot is enormous compared to the Niwa (which isn't surprising given the construction differences). Smashing and power looping are definitely the greatest strengths of this blade. Hitting through your opponents spin becomes almost trivial, and the pace you can add on will leave them befuddled. The softer outer layers allow for good touch in the short game, although the Niwa is superior here. It's slightly stiffer and harder, with a clear speed boost and larger sweet spot, without much drop in control. It's a bit harder for me to use the OX long pips compared to the Niwa, but it isn't drastic enough that I would go back. The Nexxus Pro SuperSelect 53 blends perfectly with the Aruna, and I'm happy I made the change as the blade overall suits my game even better.