Here is my review on the Garaydia T5000 which has been released in 2015 designed for the plastic ball. The T5000 is from the Garaydia series which is Butterfly’s latest line of carbon blades.
The blade is built with 5 plies and has a excellent finish. On the underside of the blade is a holographic lense to stop counterfeit products. Watch the video review below, the rubbers used on the blade are the Butterfly Tenergy 05.
Overview
The thickness of the T5000 is the greatest out of all three Garaydia blades (ALC + ZLC) with a thickness of 7.2mm as seen below. If we compare this to a traditional carbon blade such as the Jun Mizutani Super ZLC which has a thickness of 6mm. The core of the Garaydia has been developed thicker to produce greater speed.
The T5000 blade uses Japanese hinoki wood as the outer layer on the blade which gives the blade a soft feel maintaining the control of the fast blade. Tamaca Carbon is the composite used.
The blade weighs 88 grams.
Speed
Out of all 3 blades, the Garaydia T5000 definitely felt the fastest. This is due to its thicker core and harder touch which works well for the power players playing close to the table. The blade has a lot of feel even though it’s a super fast blade and would be suited for players who like to play flat, fast shots.
Arc
This blade had the lowest arc when hitting direct shots which helped on close range play such as the flick. It doesn't have the same dwell as both the ALC and ZLC. This means that the ball really rockets of the bat and has a high rebound effect which some players may struggle to cope with, for instance players that have a more all round spinny game. Again this is designed for the more aggressive power players who want sheer power.