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I met this back when I was an equipment geek in my student days, and I've used it for years ever since I fell in love with its performance.
I own quite a few of the famous top-tier single-ply hinoki blades - several from the Speed series, Chotokusen A, Cypress, Olympus, Genesis, and so on - but this one had enough charm to make even those look like museum pieces by comparison.
I think it's common for players who've racked up years of experience without ever really nailing down their technique to suddenly discover how great a classic blade or rubber is, and I think this is the kind of Japanese penhold racket that can play that role.
If you change rubbers to match your level, I'd say this is a racket that works from beginner all the way to advanced.
As for whether it's similar to a single-ply blade - aside from the thickness and the feel, I think it's quite different. In particular, when it comes to power and distance, it doesn't come close to a single-ply and isn't really comparable.
On the other hand, it should give you the benefits of a multi-ply construction for fine technical work like serves and the short game.
If you're an intermediate-or-above player who's hopeless at anything besides drives and smashes, I think using a racket like this will teach you a lot.
Why not pair a classic blade with a classic rubber and get back to building your technique, training to win matches once again?

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