Project X HZRDUS G5 Black Review: Is It Worth $225?

The HZRDUS Black name has lasted long enough to become a buying trap. You can find original Black, Smoke Black, Smoke Black RDX, G4 Black, and G5 Black listings that all look related in a search result. They are related. They aren't the same shaft.

Original Black arrived in 2015 as a stout profile aimed at stronger loads. Smoke became a separate branch, and Smoke Black RDX added its own construction story. G4 later introduced Dual Torsional Design, with True Temper describing different torsional behavior through the shaft. G5 moved the headline technology to 4D Optimized Carbon in the midsection. True Temper says that angled weave is intended to improve torsional resistance in the area that sees substantial load.

That timeline matters before you spend a dollar. An online listing can use a generic “HZRDUS Black” title while the product photo, technology copy, flex, and price belong to different generations. Read the label, ask for close photos, and match the actual graphics and specifications against the current manufacturer page. Don't assume a Smoke RDX listing is G5 because both shafts are black and use Project X branding.

The images in this article need the same warning. They show HZRDUS-family shafts, but their graphics don't match the current official G5 product reference closely enough to prove the exact generation. That's why the corrected alt text and editorial copy stay generation-neutral unless the product identity is independently verified. Buy the printed model and build information, not a familiar paint scheme.

This also protects your comparison shopping. G4 remains a real $79.99 product on True Temper's site. It isn't simply a discontinued shaft that G5 replaced everywhere. If a retailer offers G4 at that price, compare it as G4. If someone asks $225 for G5, verify G5. The naming discipline is boring, but it's what keeps a $145.01 comparison from turning into the wrong purchase.

G5's construction claim is specific. True Temper places its 4D Optimized Carbon weave in the midsection and angles the material to improve torsional resistance. The company also says the intermediate-modulus fiber is about 33% stiffer than the material it used before.

That 33% figure describes a material comparison. It doesn't mean G5 is 33% more accurate, 33% tighter, or 33% better for your swing. Marketing numbers get dangerous when they jump from a material property to a guaranteed ball-flight result. Your clubhead still arrives with the speed, path, face angle, delivered loft, and strike your swing creates.

True Temper pairs the construction with a stable middle and stiff tip, then places G5 in its fast-tempo, low-launch, low-spin category. “Fast tempo” is more useful than a universal swing-speed cutoff because it describes how you load the shaft. A player can swing quickly with a smooth transition. Another golfer can have less speed but apply force abruptly. Those swings may need different mass or bend behavior even if a chart puts them in the same flex.

The feel evidence is encouraging but limited. An exact-product reviewer at Driving Range Heroes found G5 smoother and more alive than older Black models while still stout and controlled. That's a useful distinction because some golfers hear “HZRDUS Black” and expect a shaft that feels dead. But feel is personal. One golfer's smoother load can be another golfer's late kick or poor timing.

So think of 4D Optimized Carbon as a reason to test G5, not a reason to order it blind. Your test should keep the head, loft setting, playing length, grip, and ball as consistent as possible. Then compare strike location, face-to-path, launch, spin, peak height, carry, and left-to-right pattern. If G5 changes those in a repeatable way you prefer, the technology has done a useful job for you.

Project X sells G5 Black in 60-, 70-, and 80-gram classes, but those labels aren't the exact raw weights. The 60 class weighs 65 to 67 grams. The 70 class runs from 71 to 77 grams. The 80 class spans 80 to 85 grams. Flex and torque change inside each class.

The 60 and 70 classes offer 5.5, 6.0, 6.5, and TX. The 80 class starts at 6.0, then adds 6.5 and TX. There is no 80-class 5.5 in the current manufacturer table. Torque runs from 3.5 at the softer end to 2.5 in the 80 TX. The old article's 2.3-to-4.0 range doesn't match this exact G5 wood shaft.

Every listed option is 46 inches raw with a .335-inch tip. Most butt diameters are .600, while 80 6.5 moves to .605 and 80 TX to .610. Those details affect your finished build. An adapter adds its own head compatibility and orientation questions. Tipping, butt trimming, playing length, grip weight, and head mass can all change how the club feels and balances.

That's why I wouldn't tell you that 60 grams is for one speed and 70 grams is for another. A lighter shaft can help one golfer find speed and cause another golfer to lose the clubhead. A heavier shaft can improve timing for an aggressive loader and wear somebody else out late in the round. Project X flex numbers are family labels too. A 6.0 doesn't bend exactly like every other brand's “stiff.”

If you don't know where to start, use our golf shaft fitting guide before you buy. Bring your current driver, note its playing length and total build, and test more than one G5 weight or flex if possible. The best number on the label is the one that gives you repeatable contact and a flight you can use.

Fairway-wood builds need the same care. A .335 tip makes G5 a wood-shaft platform, but it doesn't make every adapter or trim instruction universal. Follow True Temper's current instructions and let a qualified builder confirm the head, adapter, tipping, length, and swing-weight target. A cheap adapter swap isn't cheap if the finished club is the wrong length or the warranty is gone.

The best exact-product launch-monitor evidence comes from one fitted G5 setup. That reviewer recorded 114.6 mph club speed, 169.5 mph ball speed, 12.5 degrees of launch, 2,406 rpm spin, 287.3 yards of carry, and 297.8 yards total. He also reported that G5 was the option that brought launch and spin under control during his fitting.

Those numbers help establish that G5 can work as intended for a fast player in a specific head and build. They don't establish your expected launch, spin, or distance. We don't have a controlled table showing that Paul's driver gained five to seven yards, cut 300 to 500 rpm, tightened dispersion by 35%, or added 10 to 15 yards of rollout. Those claims were in the old article, but the supporting test record isn't.

You also can't compare that G5 session with a separate G4 review and declare a generation winner. The players, heads, balls, weather, strike patterns, and sessions aren't controlled. Two plausible launch-monitor summaries can still make a bad A/B test.

The better lesson comes from broader shaft fitting. A shaft often changes results by changing your timing, strike, and face delivery. Centered strikes can stay relatively close in raw speed and carry, while a poor match produces wider misses and less predictable contact. That's why the most useful G5 result may be a tighter strike map or more predictable face-to-path—not a dramatic jump in ball speed.

Give the test enough shots to get past one perfect swing. Mark strike location if you can. Watch how the club behaves when you're a little quick, tired, or trying to shape a shot. Then compare the complete pattern, not the longest drive. G5 deserves the spot when its bad swings stay more playable and its normal swings produce the flight you want.

G4 Black is the first comparison I would make because True Temper still sells it for $79.99. The raw price difference is $145.01. That's enough to cover a meaningful part of a fitting and build, so G5 needs to give you more than a current-generation label.

The two shafts don't use the same headline construction. G4 uses Dual Torsional Design and True Temper describes it with a stiff butt, extra-stiff midsection, and stiff tip. G5 moves the construction story to 4D Optimized Carbon in the middle. An exact-product reviewer also found G5 smoother and livelier than older Black profiles. Those differences give you a reason to expect a different response. They don't tell you which response your swing will prefer.

Test both in the same head if a fitter has them. Match loft setting, playing length, grip, and ball as closely as possible. Look at strike location first. Then look at face-to-path, launch, spin, peak height, carry, and the width of your normal pattern. If G5 improves contact or keeps your miss more predictable when your timing changes, the premium can be reasonable. If the G4 pattern is just as playable, G4 wins the value test.

Don't compare launch-monitor numbers from separate online reviews as if they came from a controlled head-to-head session. G4 and G5 case studies were recorded at different times and don't establish the same player, head, ball, setting, strike, weather, or delivery. The valid comparison is the one you create under consistent conditions.

This is also where feel counts. You may prefer G5's more responsive load even when the averages are close. That's a legitimate fitting result if it helps you swing naturally and repeat the strike. Just make the premium buy a result you can identify—not a promise copied from somebody else's session.

There's a catch. There's always a catch. G5 is $225 as a raw shaft or base custom-build price. Your finished club may also need an adapter, grip, fitting, installation, tax, and shipping. Premium grips, nonstandard adapters, or custom work can push the total higher.

The exact-product evidence base is narrow too. One strong independent fitted review and a small number of owner reports are useful. They aren't a large comparative dataset. True Temper's current store shows four five-star reviews, but that's a tiny, self-selected seller-hosted sample. Treat owner spin and distance stories as experience signals, not your forecast.

Warranty protection depends on how you buy and install the shaft. True Temper's direct warranty is one year for the original purchaser of a shaft bought through TrueTemper.com. Dealer, builder, and OEM purchases go back through that seller. Pulled and reinstalled shafts aren't covered by the direct policy, and improper installation or modification can also exclude coverage. A used pull can still be a good buy, but it isn't the same risk as a new direct shaft.

The final problem is identity. The existing affiliate route on this page is not verified as an exact G5 destination, and the repeated CTA image is low-resolution family imagery. I'm leaving that module untouched because affiliate optimization is a separate process. Don't use it as product-identification evidence. Match the model, label, flex, weight, tip, build state, and seller page before buying.

Buy it if:

• You have a fast tempo or aggressive transition and want a low-launch, low-spin wood-shaft profile

• A fitting shows G5 improves your strike, face control, dispersion, or playable flight in the intended head

• You understand the finished build cost and can justify it against the $79.99 G4 alternative

• You can verify the exact G5 model, weight, flex, tip, adapter, playing length, and installation path

Skip it if:

• You already launch the driver too low, create too little spin, or need more carry and peak height

• You're choosing 5.5, 6.0, 6.5, or TX from swing speed alone

• You can't test G5 against your current shaft or a less expensive fitted option

• The shaft is a used pull, the generation is unclear, or the adapter/build history creates warranty and safety uncertainty