Spinny but non-tacky grippy topsheet with white sponge.Sponge is slightly softer and slightly more dwell time than tibhar aurus.Tibhar aurus is faster and bouncier. Feel free to comment.
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The quality of the blade is amazing. It can be compared to the expensive premium products of other brands.
A true successor of the old Banda Waldner with the same feeling.
If you like to read my complete review (german), then visit also my blog.
Donic Waldner Offensive 2016 complete review (german)
- Speed
- Control
- Hardness
- Durability
Joola Aruna OFF Blade
Weight: 84g
Thickness: 5.8mm
Type: Carbon OFF
Composition: 7 ply (Hinoki, Koto, Carbon, Kiri Core, Carbon, Koko, Hinoki)
Rubbers used with blade: Joola Rhyzm
Hi everyone, during our recent visit to the 2016 World Cup in Saarbrucken we met up with world number 25 from Nigeria Quadri Aruna to review the Joola Aruna Off blade. Together with Aruna, Joola designed this personal blade for powerspin players in mind. Watch the full review in the video below:
Video Review:
Written Review:
This premium carbon blade feels very well balanced, has a comfortable handle and smooth edges. The blade design uses the colours of the Nigerian national flag, which adds a nice personal touch. The composition of the 7 ply Aruna OFF blade has hinoki as the outer layer. Hinoki is a prized Japanese wood which is both soft and bouncy at the same time. Hinoki is used as the outer layer to absorb incoming speed and spin and to give the blade soft feeling and touch. The second ply used is koto, which is a harder wood to add more zip to the blade. The Koto is followed by a carbon layer and finally the kiri core.
The Aruna blade series comes in 2 types. The Aruna off and Aruna Off+. Quadri chooses the slightly slower Off version as his blade of choice. The Aruna OFF+ is the faster version of the two and is composed of 5 plys.
The Aruna blade weighs 84 grams and has a thickness of 5.8 mm.
Speed
Aruna is renowned for his powerful forehand topspin and I noticed early on I was able to control the ball with ease. This hasn't always been the case when I've reviewed blades with other pro players, where it has taken more getting used to their speed, with more responsive, harder blades. The blade has a soft and solid feel on impact which gave me the control to keep the ball on the table.
When playing a topspin stroke I produced a medium throw with good safety and control in my shots. The blade has good dwell and soft feel when topspinning, the Aruna OFF is softer than a Carbonado or a Timo Boll ALC for example.
Control
When blocking for Aruna, I had superb control and feeling even with Quadri rocketing his verocious topspins at me. The Aruna OFF is not as fast as a Butterfly ALC or a Joola Wing Carbon for example however packs bundles of control. When playing a harder stroke the speed was more than enough to play out right winners due to the harder inner koto layer. (Aruna also demonstrates he can hit the ball at extreme speeds, using slow mo cam with this one.)
Spin
The blade has lots of dwell, the top hinoki veneer soaks the ball into the blade producing lots of rotation on the ball. Minimal effort was needed to topspin heavy backspin balls, a quality I really liked about this blade.
Serving
Quadri Aruna talks about serving in the video.
Backhand flick and spin
The spin capabilities this blade has work just as well in the short game as they do when serving. With the blade being more control based rather than purely speed based, it grabs the ball well over the table producing high levels of spin especially with the modern backhand flick.
Touch play
When touching short, the blades soft outer ply allows for good dwell in the serve and receive game.
Counter topspin
When Aruna made a forehand counter topspin it was pretty much game over for me. Aruna mentioned how he liked this blade for counter attacking shots due to its control and stability against spin.
Top to top
When away from the table I had to put a bit more effort into my shots to get good speed over the table. A bit more kick in spin and speed would have helped me a bit more when away, however the control and safety in the stroke was excellent.
Conclusion
Our overall impressions after playing with The Joola Aruna OFF is that it is a well designed, high quality 7 ply carbon blade. With its main attributes being good control and spin due to its soft Hinoki outer layer. The blade is fast however it is no rocket and possesses a very good balance between control and speed which helps especially with service/return and opening attacks. The blades high levels of feeling gives good stability in your strokes in point play and for close range punch type shots.
The soft hinoki top ply also helps when playing spin shots against backspin. As mentioned throughout the review, I felt very comfortable with this blade especially when blocking. As the increased dwell time and reduced responsiveness, gave me that control I needed to keep the ball on the table even when playing against the world class player Quadri is.
Due to Aruna’s superior technique and the ridiculous power he possesses the Aruna OFF is easily fast enough for him. However for mere mortals like me who are used to a harder blade the Aruna OFF+ may be a better choice if you still wanted something within the Joola Aruna range.
This blade is suited for players who want that bit more control and spin than a faster, harder carbon blades provide.This blade will also work for power players who can get that extra speed through technique. We feel that Joola and Quadri Aruna have definitely Combined well and created what seems to be an advancement to the popular Joola Rosskopf blade.
Weight: 84g
Thickness: 5.8mm
Type: Carbon OFF
Composition: 7 ply (Hinoki, Koto, Carbon, Kiri Core, Carbon, Koko, Hinoki)
Rubbers used with blade: Joola Rhyzm
Hi everyone, during our recent visit to the 2016 World Cup in Saarbrucken we met up with world number 25 from Nigeria Quadri Aruna to review the Joola Aruna Off blade. Together with Aruna, Joola designed this personal blade for powerspin players in mind. Watch the full review in the video below:
Video Review:
Written Review:
This premium carbon blade feels very well balanced, has a comfortable handle and smooth edges. The blade design uses the colours of the Nigerian national flag, which adds a nice personal touch. The composition of the 7 ply Aruna OFF blade has hinoki as the outer layer. Hinoki is a prized Japanese wood which is both soft and bouncy at the same time. Hinoki is used as the outer layer to absorb incoming speed and spin and to give the blade soft feeling and touch. The second ply used is koto, which is a harder wood to add more zip to the blade. The Koto is followed by a carbon layer and finally the kiri core.
The Aruna blade series comes in 2 types. The Aruna off and Aruna Off+. Quadri chooses the slightly slower Off version as his blade of choice. The Aruna OFF+ is the faster version of the two and is composed of 5 plys.
The Aruna blade weighs 84 grams and has a thickness of 5.8 mm.
Speed
Aruna is renowned for his powerful forehand topspin and I noticed early on I was able to control the ball with ease. This hasn't always been the case when I've reviewed blades with other pro players, where it has taken more getting used to their speed, with more responsive, harder blades. The blade has a soft and solid feel on impact which gave me the control to keep the ball on the table.
When playing a topspin stroke I produced a medium throw with good safety and control in my shots. The blade has good dwell and soft feel when topspinning, the Aruna OFF is softer than a Carbonado or a Timo Boll ALC for example.
Control
When blocking for Aruna, I had superb control and feeling even with Quadri rocketing his verocious topspins at me. The Aruna OFF is not as fast as a Butterfly ALC or a Joola Wing Carbon for example however packs bundles of control. When playing a harder stroke the speed was more than enough to play out right winners due to the harder inner koto layer. (Aruna also demonstrates he can hit the ball at extreme speeds, using slow mo cam with this one.)
Spin
The blade has lots of dwell, the top hinoki veneer soaks the ball into the blade producing lots of rotation on the ball. Minimal effort was needed to topspin heavy backspin balls, a quality I really liked about this blade.
Serving
Quadri Aruna talks about serving in the video.
Backhand flick and spin
The spin capabilities this blade has work just as well in the short game as they do when serving. With the blade being more control based rather than purely speed based, it grabs the ball well over the table producing high levels of spin especially with the modern backhand flick.
Touch play
When touching short, the blades soft outer ply allows for good dwell in the serve and receive game.
Counter topspin
When Aruna made a forehand counter topspin it was pretty much game over for me. Aruna mentioned how he liked this blade for counter attacking shots due to its control and stability against spin.
Top to top
When away from the table I had to put a bit more effort into my shots to get good speed over the table. A bit more kick in spin and speed would have helped me a bit more when away, however the control and safety in the stroke was excellent.
Conclusion
Our overall impressions after playing with The Joola Aruna OFF is that it is a well designed, high quality 7 ply carbon blade. With its main attributes being good control and spin due to its soft Hinoki outer layer. The blade is fast however it is no rocket and possesses a very good balance between control and speed which helps especially with service/return and opening attacks. The blades high levels of feeling gives good stability in your strokes in point play and for close range punch type shots.
The soft hinoki top ply also helps when playing spin shots against backspin. As mentioned throughout the review, I felt very comfortable with this blade especially when blocking. As the increased dwell time and reduced responsiveness, gave me that control I needed to keep the ball on the table even when playing against the world class player Quadri is.
Due to Aruna’s superior technique and the ridiculous power he possesses the Aruna OFF is easily fast enough for him. However for mere mortals like me who are used to a harder blade the Aruna OFF+ may be a better choice if you still wanted something within the Joola Aruna range.
This blade is suited for players who want that bit more control and spin than a faster, harder carbon blades provide.This blade will also work for power players who can get that extra speed through technique. We feel that Joola and Quadri Aruna have definitely Combined well and created what seems to be an advancement to the popular Joola Rosskopf blade.
- Speed
- Control
- Hardness
- Durability
I recently changed form Ebenholz to Apolonia due to the polyball. I felt that I needed a faster blade yet has woody characteristics. I picked my 2 year old Mizutani Super ZLC and posted it online for sale, the blade is a first gen but pretty expensive. I changed it from for sale to for trade and someone offered me a brand new Tiago Apolonia ZLC blade. I agreed and waited for three days because the blade will be coming from Japan. When the blade arrived I glued a Hurricane 3 Provincial and Evolution MX-P aaaaand if you read my MX-P review I replaced the Hurricane with MX-P due to injury and fatigue issues.
Comparison:
For the record this would be my second "Innerforce" blade as the Akrasia I previously used was IF style. I also tried my friend's Samsonov Stratus Carbon which like the Akrasia is Arylate Carbon. I noticed that the Apolonia is bouncier, has more vibration(better feel which I like), and has a larger sweetspot than the two. If compared to traditional carbon blade wood-carbon-wood-core-wood-carbon-core setup my traded Mizutani for example, the Apolonia has better dwell and makes spin production easier.
Spin/Drive:
The control of this blade is ridiculous cause I can topspin consistently and felt like I was still using my Ebenholz but faster and a little harder(in power shots). When I loop the ball it feels like it is stucked in the blade for a moment then shoots it. Backhand looping never felt easier and I felt my consistency went up. I can produce stable, spinny, and fast shots in my forehand and backhand.
Blocks/Punches:
This is where I excel at especially in my backhand, as a left-handed player my backhand is abused with attacks lol. Blocking with Apolonia feels very stable whether passive or active blocking. I also found the blade in conjunction with MX-P really easy to punch the ball. During matchplay with the Apolonia blade when my opponent powerloops I rarely block the ball because punching is the better choice. When the opponent heavy loops the touch and great feel of the blade makes is easier to absorb the incoming spin and redirect it to the other side of the table.
Short game:
My short game includes pushing and flicking. Pushing with the Apolonia feels familiar because I feel I am still using an allwood blade. I can push the ball really short and sometimes with no spin which confuses my opponent a lot. I also do the banana flick as my main weapon to receive service, due to the dwell mixed with the bounciness of the blade the success rate of my banana flick rose(lol cause in an allwood blade you need a really precise timing).
Speed:
I really like the combination of MX-P with Apolonia because the abnormal power of MX-P is manageable and it doesn't feel that fast. It doesn't feel that fast due to the feel yet the ball shows otherwise. Looping and powerlooping with Apolonia is the best because the ball is somehow held by the blade for a moment then shoots out like a cannon. P.S. This is subjective with the rubber used lol
Conclusion:
The blade is best suited for my style of play, close to mid distance attacker that is ready to block the ball when returned. If you are looking for a faster blade that has woody characteristics (e.g. feel, dwell, and control) this blade is a great choice. IMHO the hande is too small that is why I used a grip tape to compensate. Finally, the blade is beautiful +1 pogi(handsome) points as we filipinos say
Comparison:
For the record this would be my second "Innerforce" blade as the Akrasia I previously used was IF style. I also tried my friend's Samsonov Stratus Carbon which like the Akrasia is Arylate Carbon. I noticed that the Apolonia is bouncier, has more vibration(better feel which I like), and has a larger sweetspot than the two. If compared to traditional carbon blade wood-carbon-wood-core-wood-carbon-core setup my traded Mizutani for example, the Apolonia has better dwell and makes spin production easier.
Spin/Drive:
The control of this blade is ridiculous cause I can topspin consistently and felt like I was still using my Ebenholz but faster and a little harder(in power shots). When I loop the ball it feels like it is stucked in the blade for a moment then shoots it. Backhand looping never felt easier and I felt my consistency went up. I can produce stable, spinny, and fast shots in my forehand and backhand.
Blocks/Punches:
This is where I excel at especially in my backhand, as a left-handed player my backhand is abused with attacks lol. Blocking with Apolonia feels very stable whether passive or active blocking. I also found the blade in conjunction with MX-P really easy to punch the ball. During matchplay with the Apolonia blade when my opponent powerloops I rarely block the ball because punching is the better choice. When the opponent heavy loops the touch and great feel of the blade makes is easier to absorb the incoming spin and redirect it to the other side of the table.
Short game:
My short game includes pushing and flicking. Pushing with the Apolonia feels familiar because I feel I am still using an allwood blade. I can push the ball really short and sometimes with no spin which confuses my opponent a lot. I also do the banana flick as my main weapon to receive service, due to the dwell mixed with the bounciness of the blade the success rate of my banana flick rose(lol cause in an allwood blade you need a really precise timing).
Speed:
I really like the combination of MX-P with Apolonia because the abnormal power of MX-P is manageable and it doesn't feel that fast. It doesn't feel that fast due to the feel yet the ball shows otherwise. Looping and powerlooping with Apolonia is the best because the ball is somehow held by the blade for a moment then shoots out like a cannon. P.S. This is subjective with the rubber used lol
Conclusion:
The blade is best suited for my style of play, close to mid distance attacker that is ready to block the ball when returned. If you are looking for a faster blade that has woody characteristics (e.g. feel, dwell, and control) this blade is a great choice. IMHO the hande is too small that is why I used a grip tape to compensate. Finally, the blade is beautiful
+1 pogi(handsome) points as we filipinos say- Speed
- Control
- Hardness
- Durability
The most common Forehand rubber in China which is used by almost the entire Chinese National Team, earned itself an exalted reputation amongst players in Europe. I wanted to find out why and decided to give my two cents concerning the performance of the rubber and talk about some parallels to european/japanese rubbers.
General
The NEO Hurricane III is a typical chinese rubber and shows two main differences when compared to rubbers made in Europe or Japan. Unlike the Butterfly Sheets or ESN rubbers, the topsheet is relatively grippy and tacky. The sponge does not look like swiss cheese like on the high-end models of Andro, Tibhar, Donic or Joola, but instead has a lot of miniscule pores and gives a very robust and non-flexible impression. Because of those two factors, the rubber plays slightly different and requires an adjustment by the player in terms of technique. Whereas the "Tensor" rubbers do perfectly fine with a more frontal stroke, a typical chinese rubber works best with a tangential hitting point.
Speed
I rated the rubber at a maxed out speed of 10/10, which definitely requires some explaining. You will often read that the main issue of the rubber is it's lack of power and lack of speed, completely contradicting my evaluation. As already briefly mentioned, it depends a lot on what you're doing. During passive, more "frontal" strokes, such as a Drive or a passive Block, the rubber is indeed very dead. It starts to shine once you involve rotation, and thus both, the tacky topsheet and the sponge. Compared to an ESN rubber, the tacky topsheet takes out a lot of speed when your blocking or driving with a very frontal contact. When you're brushing the ball however, you're giving it an extra "oomph", there's a bit of a kick to it. Once you figure out the contact point required and adjust your technique, the speed you can generate on passive strokes is atleast on par, if not greater than with "conventional" european or japanese rubbers.
The same principle applies to active/aggressive strokes. The philosophy needs to change, you don't generate velocity with brute force, but instead with rotation.
Spin
Here is one of the biggest advantages of this rubber. Long story short, the amount of spin the rubber generates is absolutely ridiculous. This is most noticeable when looping and serving in my opinion. The tacky topsheet really comes into play here and grips the ball well, resulting in an amount of return mistakes on the opponent's side which I have never experienced before. The reason why I "only" gave it a 9.5 out of 10 here is simple: The topsheet of the "normal" Hurricane III, the non-NEO version, is slightly tackier. The effect is even more prominent with that rubber.
Control
If the previous two factors couldn't convince you to give it a try, this one might. The reason why so many people fall in love with this rubber in particular (me included) is it's linear behaviour. Essentially, your nput equals to the output received 100%. If you don't do much and play halfarsed, the rubber won't do much and just be a mediocre rubber. If you work your ass off and put in the effort, the rubber will become the best thing on the planet. What does that mean in practical terms? Well, if you're playing short-short and you induce no force, the ball won't fly off to africa. I've had issues with various ESN and JP rubbers ranging from the Evolution Series, to Acuda, Bluefire and Tenergies, to keep the ball REALLY short and not give the opponent an opportunity to flip or loop at me. A chinese rubber makes your life much easier in that regard.
Same thing goes the other way, if you're looping and you swing your entire arm at the ball, you will pretty much launch a rocket that is guaranteed to make you feel good. If however you're the kind of guy who likes to wiggle his wrist a bit and expect a murderous topspin, you won't be happy with a chinese rubber, or the Neo H3 in particular for that matter.
Durability
After so much praise, some critique has to follow. As many are probably aware, there are about a gazillion (actually 4) different "versions" of the Hurricane rubber, each varying in "Quality". The commercial version (the one being reviewed), the domestic version, the provincial version and a national version. I myself have only tried the commercial version so far, however as far as I can tell, there is no factual QUALITY difference between those different version. All that differs is the QUALITY CONTROL that the rubbers pass through. A rubber that goes through all instances of QC with excellent results will end up as a national version, the top notch rubbers specifically selected for the Chinese National Team. A rubber that is slightly worse will be handed down to the provincial teams. Everything with "average" quality will end up with the "average" customer, a commercial version. The domestic sheets aren't any different from the commercial ones, it's a matter of labeling (sponge hardness, thickness, etc.)
Right, so what does that mean for the layman? Basically, I personally haven't had any issues with quality or durability of the commercial version YET. But I've only tried 3 sheets in total, and I am still expecting to see some issues pop up, hence I rated the durability at a rough 6/10. Those issues most commonly appear as bubbles between the topsheet and the sponge due to poor glueing or a topsheet that isn't as tacky as it's supposed to be. If you don't run into any of these problems, a sheet of Neo H3 can last you for 125-140 hours of playtime easily. Considering a price range of $16 to $25 depending on where you order, I think that is a VERY reasonable lifespan.
Summary
The Neo Hurricane III is a great rubber for anybody who wants to put in the effort and strives for a flawless technique, as such is definitely required to get the most out of the rubber. It convinces with linear behaviour, where the input given is near equal to the output received, resulting in a predictable style for the player and yet a dangerous and spinny game for the opponent. The rubber reacts really well with any kind of Booster, specifically Haifu Seamoon. Below you can see how the rubber looks like once glued down
General
The NEO Hurricane III is a typical chinese rubber and shows two main differences when compared to rubbers made in Europe or Japan. Unlike the Butterfly Sheets or ESN rubbers, the topsheet is relatively grippy and tacky. The sponge does not look like swiss cheese like on the high-end models of Andro, Tibhar, Donic or Joola, but instead has a lot of miniscule pores and gives a very robust and non-flexible impression. Because of those two factors, the rubber plays slightly different and requires an adjustment by the player in terms of technique. Whereas the "Tensor" rubbers do perfectly fine with a more frontal stroke, a typical chinese rubber works best with a tangential hitting point.
Speed
I rated the rubber at a maxed out speed of 10/10, which definitely requires some explaining. You will often read that the main issue of the rubber is it's lack of power and lack of speed, completely contradicting my evaluation. As already briefly mentioned, it depends a lot on what you're doing. During passive, more "frontal" strokes, such as a Drive or a passive Block, the rubber is indeed very dead. It starts to shine once you involve rotation, and thus both, the tacky topsheet and the sponge. Compared to an ESN rubber, the tacky topsheet takes out a lot of speed when your blocking or driving with a very frontal contact. When you're brushing the ball however, you're giving it an extra "oomph", there's a bit of a kick to it. Once you figure out the contact point required and adjust your technique, the speed you can generate on passive strokes is atleast on par, if not greater than with "conventional" european or japanese rubbers.
The same principle applies to active/aggressive strokes. The philosophy needs to change, you don't generate velocity with brute force, but instead with rotation.
Spin
Here is one of the biggest advantages of this rubber. Long story short, the amount of spin the rubber generates is absolutely ridiculous. This is most noticeable when looping and serving in my opinion. The tacky topsheet really comes into play here and grips the ball well, resulting in an amount of return mistakes on the opponent's side which I have never experienced before. The reason why I "only" gave it a 9.5 out of 10 here is simple: The topsheet of the "normal" Hurricane III, the non-NEO version, is slightly tackier. The effect is even more prominent with that rubber.
Control
If the previous two factors couldn't convince you to give it a try, this one might. The reason why so many people fall in love with this rubber in particular (me included) is it's linear behaviour. Essentially, your nput equals to the output received 100%. If you don't do much and play halfarsed, the rubber won't do much and just be a mediocre rubber. If you work your ass off and put in the effort, the rubber will become the best thing on the planet. What does that mean in practical terms? Well, if you're playing short-short and you induce no force, the ball won't fly off to africa. I've had issues with various ESN and JP rubbers ranging from the Evolution Series, to Acuda, Bluefire and Tenergies, to keep the ball REALLY short and not give the opponent an opportunity to flip or loop at me. A chinese rubber makes your life much easier in that regard.
Same thing goes the other way, if you're looping and you swing your entire arm at the ball, you will pretty much launch a rocket that is guaranteed to make you feel good. If however you're the kind of guy who likes to wiggle his wrist a bit and expect a murderous topspin, you won't be happy with a chinese rubber, or the Neo H3 in particular for that matter.
Durability
After so much praise, some critique has to follow. As many are probably aware, there are about a gazillion (actually 4) different "versions" of the Hurricane rubber, each varying in "Quality". The commercial version (the one being reviewed), the domestic version, the provincial version and a national version. I myself have only tried the commercial version so far, however as far as I can tell, there is no factual QUALITY difference between those different version. All that differs is the QUALITY CONTROL that the rubbers pass through. A rubber that goes through all instances of QC with excellent results will end up as a national version, the top notch rubbers specifically selected for the Chinese National Team. A rubber that is slightly worse will be handed down to the provincial teams. Everything with "average" quality will end up with the "average" customer, a commercial version. The domestic sheets aren't any different from the commercial ones, it's a matter of labeling (sponge hardness, thickness, etc.)
Right, so what does that mean for the layman? Basically, I personally haven't had any issues with quality or durability of the commercial version YET. But I've only tried 3 sheets in total, and I am still expecting to see some issues pop up, hence I rated the durability at a rough 6/10. Those issues most commonly appear as bubbles between the topsheet and the sponge due to poor glueing or a topsheet that isn't as tacky as it's supposed to be. If you don't run into any of these problems, a sheet of Neo H3 can last you for 125-140 hours of playtime easily. Considering a price range of $16 to $25 depending on where you order, I think that is a VERY reasonable lifespan.
Summary
The Neo Hurricane III is a great rubber for anybody who wants to put in the effort and strives for a flawless technique, as such is definitely required to get the most out of the rubber. It convinces with linear behaviour, where the input given is near equal to the output received, resulting in a predictable style for the player and yet a dangerous and spinny game for the opponent. The rubber reacts really well with any kind of Booster, specifically Haifu Seamoon. Below you can see how the rubber looks like once glued down
- Speed
- Spin
- Durability
- Control
