Ti-5
Model TI-5
Where to find it
Titanium's starting point: Ti-5
The bridge between eras
The Ti-5 was the entry point into Yonex's Titanium series — the product line that bridged the all-graphite Carbonex era and the nanotechnology revolution that would arrive with the Nanospeed range in the 2000s. Released in 1998 alongside the Ti-10, the TI-5 used a titanium mesh woven into the frame structure to resist twisting forces at ball impact. Being able to string to higher tensions than a pure-graphite frame allowed was a meaningful differentiator at the time — titanium reinforcement made the frame structure more resistant to string-bed distortion under tension.
A lighter introduction to titanium
The titanium integration in the Ti-5 was less intensive than the Ti-10's full mass-stabilised construction — the TI-5 was a lighter, more flexible introduction to titanium-reinforced play for players who found the Ti-10's demanding profile too unforgiving. Head-light balance, Made in Japan. As the less rare member of the Titanium series in this database, the TI-5 is best understood as the contextual piece that tells you where the Ti-10 came from, and why the direction Yonex was heading was genuinely exciting in 1998.
The dead-end worth owning
Titanium was superseded by carbon nanotube technology within a few years, making the Ti-series a brief, fascinating chapter in Yonex's material science evolution — an experiment that worked but was overtaken by something better. No secondary market price is tracked here because transactions are rare and values are too sentiment-dependent to quote. For collectors building a complete Yonex material science evolution shelf — from Carbonex graphite through Titanium to Fullerene to NANOMETRIC — the Ti-5 is a required piece.
Titanium mesh construction — visible as a woven pattern in the frame material under magnification. 'Ti' series designation on shaft. Head-light balance. Made in Japan. No hologram on 1998 production (pre-hologram era). Lighter and more flexible than the Ti-10.
No tracked market. Contextual value for material-science collectors. Any authentic Ti-5 in playing condition is a meaningful find given age and obscurity.
Prices last updated March 2026. All data based on tracked secondary market transactions.