Main thing for me is that D05 is ridiculously durable and this makes it really cheap to play with. I applied tackiness enhancer to my D05 and it plays even better than new after 1.5 yr of play.
D05 is very, very good for flicks and topspin-topspin rallies (see for e.g. Harimoto), because it has a lot of sudden speed which can overwhelm opponents quickly. What it is not good in is short pushes. It takes tremendous amount of technique and control to do short pushes unlike with say Hurricane where the rubber does the job of momentum absorption for you. You have to absorb the momentum with excellent technique and not the rubber. Long fast pushes are actually quite decent with D05. For me if I receive with D05 it will be mainly flicks, chiquita, sideswipes with the aim to get to topspin rally ASAP. I only do short pushes occasionally as a variation. But I trained enough to be able to short push with D05 against all serves even sidetopspin and no spin serves.
OK a lot of ppl say power comes from body which is true, but what if you're jammed or out of position? These same ppl will be forced to retreat away from the table to use their full body strokes. With D05 you can in fact maintain the close table stance easily because you simply don't need so much body commitment to play a quality shot, and you can play "half strokes" with a lot of quality to avoid compromising your body position. This makes you a lot faster in terms of shot connections. But of course if you take the ball late consistently then this is a moot point anyway.
For me the ultimate style of D05 is a bit like Harimoto and Lin Yun Ju style where you aim for the topspin rally and then overwhelm them with sheer speed and placement. If you play more spin based style I think D05 is simply not as good as D09c or boosted Hurricane.
Great feedback! Really good to Know, I think D05 is probably good for me.
Regarding your points:
Short game: Is it much worse than T05? T05 is generally bouncy, and therefore short pushes need technique, you have to cut the ball to maintain it low and spinny, otherwise it pops or drifts half long and you're dead. Is it a similar story?
On half shots - again here T05 provides great help - half shots give 80% quality. I heard D05 does not do quite as well here, but better than D09c and of course better than H3. In balanced games, or games where I am not favourite, inevitably you get such situations, you cannot always be in the best position, therefore it's very reassuring to know D05 helps out.
To recap my style:
Dangerous service + 3rd ball with the aim to finish, if 5th ball comes the aim is to shorten the rally through power - I have a very powerful FH, my BH has to be a bit more controlled, but I still loop or punch when attacking.
When returning, I normally play very all round, mixing flicks, long deep pushes, short touches to find my opponent's weakness. Often I allow them to attack (through a deep long push) and then block with as much speed and placement I can do - once their footwork breaks down, they give a 70% shot and I counter with the aim to win there and then. Against all long serves I attack, mostly powerloop if I am sure I read it well, or maybe a bit safer loop if there's some uncertainty.
For reference Rubbers I use and like:
T05 (only FH, I might like T19 BH), V22 (I find this a very very good rubber), Ventus Extra (only BH), Victas 401 (only FH as it's a bit slow for BH), Fastarc G1 (both sides, great but lacks any outstanding property, so I get bored), HK1997 Gold (FH is amazing for spin with very decent speed), in the good old days Sriver EL (BH) and Mendo MP (FH) with speed glue.
I have always played the same style and even with Victas 401 which is meant to be a chopper's rubber - I simply attack and it works really well - for me it's a better easier H3.