The original Gnarwhal was an amazing yo-yo and one that I praised quite a bit when I reviewed it back in 2010. It just had that perfect level of performance and comfort that I look for at the time. At the end of the original Gnarwhal review I said that it would find a place in my collection… and soon after sending the review unit back to its owner, I ended up purchasing a 28 Stories version of my very own. It stayed in my collection for quite a few years and was on my short list rotation of daily carries. Fast forward three years from that initial Gnarwhal review and CLYW does something that I was totally not expecting… they redesigned the Gnarwhal, a midsized yo-yo that I considered darn near perfect. To say I was apprehensive would be an understatement. Is this another case of a company messing with a good thing or will lightening strike twice for CLYW’s cetacean named series of yo-yos?
Was looking forward to this review even though I already own a Gnarwhal 2 (the same colorway in fact). The review echoes most of my own opinions, aside from the fact I didn’t care for the original Gnarwhal much at all. If a person just looked at a Gnar or Gnar 2 from afar instead of side by side they might be hard pressed to tell a difference but for me the play couldn’t be more different and the slight increases to the width and diameter make it feel just great in the hand whereas the original had a sort of awkward feel for me.
Hopefully more people give it a try, I feel like I have read more “the Gnarwhal wasn’t the yoyo for me” posts than I have for any other CLYW model and I suspect a lot of them will miss out on a yoyo that definitely IS for them. I almost did, but my inner shopping addict saved me.
Excellent review! You saved me the time and effort because those were all of my thoughts exactly. It is an amazing yoyo and should not be missed or skipped by anybody. I also learned Spaceship on my Gnarwahl 2 and thought it was amazingly fun.
@ Oops, sounds like you and I have the same opinion of the Gnarwahl and Gnarwahl 2. Nice opinion! 
If I was given an original Gnarwhal now I would probably pass on it after the first throw. When it came out three years ago it fit my level and style of play perfectly. That is the thing about throwing, you evolve just as much as the yoyos.
Yeah, or yoyos evolve along with you ^^. I’ve been dying to try any of the new 2014 CLYW, they all look very appetizing.