Butterfly Garaydia ALC vs DHS Hurricane 301: Which Should You Buy?
| Butterfly Garaydia ALC | DHS Hurricane 301 | |
|---|---|---|
| Our rating | 8.5/10 | 8.6/10 |
| control | — | — |
| feel | Crisp, hard and stiff with a direct, low-vibration touch and a notably low throw arc | medium-hard, crisp, direct inner arylate-carbon with deep dwell on power shots |
| handle | FL | FL |
| plies | 5-ply total: 3 wood + 2 Arylate-Carbon (ALC) layers, with an outer carbon construction under a Japanese hinoki surface ply | 5W+2 Aramid-Carbon (Koto outer, Ayous middle and core, inner Arylate-Carbon) |
| speed | OFF | OFF |
| spin | — | — |
| thickness_mm | 6.9 | 5.8 |
| type | OFF | — |
| weight_g | 83 | 90 |
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Garaydia ALC is an OFF outer arylate-carbon blade with a soft hinoki surface ply, crisp and stiff with a very low throw arc that excels at blocking, flicking and counter-topspins. It offers outstanding near-table stability at around 83 grams, but its low arc demands precise technique, it can feel weak away from the table, and it is discontinued.
Hurricane 301 is an inner arylate-carbon blade with a hard Koto top, offering exceptional value at often around one third the price of premium inner-ALC blades. It has a very wide gear range, controllable on touch and OFF to OFF-plus on power loops, with long dwell, high spin potential and lab-confirmed deep ball-holding on strong impacts. At around 90 grams it pairs well with tacky Chinese or fast Euro and Japanese rubbers, though it splinters when changing rubbers and has a sharp index-finger feel.
Pick Garaydia ALC if you are an upper-intermediate-to-advanced attacker who blocks, flicks and counters near the table and wants stiff, low-throw stability. Pick Hurricane 301 if you are an improving, often forehand-dominant looper wanting a spin-friendly inner-carbon blade with a wide control range at an affordable price. With ratings around 8.5 against 8.6, Garaydia leans toward stiff near-table control while Hurricane 301 leans toward spin, dwell and value.
FAQ
Which blade is better value?
Hurricane 301, cited at around one third the price of premium inner-ALC blades. Garaydia ALC is discontinued and hard to source new.
Which has more dwell and spin?
Hurricane 301, with long dwell, high spin potential and lab-confirmed deep ball-holding on strong impacts. Garaydia ALC’s low throw favors blocking and flat counters.
Which is better near the table?
Garaydia ALC. Its low throw and stiff feel give outstanding stability for blocking, flicking and counter-topspins close to the table.
Which rubbers suit each blade?
Garaydia ALC pairs well with Tenergy 05 and medium-hard tensors. Hurricane 301 pairs well with tacky Chinese or fast Euro and Japanese rubbers.