I have a craft plus slim x Matt Ballard slaydawg, and its is insane! Not sure who told you that the wood is bad, but they're definitely wrong. 10/10 my favorite dama. (Make sure it's the plus though, and I'd recommend slim for better lunars and slingers) if not wait for the gt-bh to drop, because they slay hard too.
Sol woods are super durable, I have my Nihon Ash Slaydawg tama on a Sol Flow maple ken and it slays. Flows are just as good for slingers as Craft Plus Slims.
GT's are better than hand-turned Terra kens because they are turned by a machine and therefore more consistent with all of their kens. If I had to recommend a higher-end dama for you, I would recommend a GT-BH or GT-KA if you're into natties. If you want something that's a bit more simple, pick up a Slaydawg, OG Homegrown, or Craft. P.S. The reason behind the GT-1.5's base cup was to reduce the amount of base cup chips.
Honestly as long as you don't plan on slamming it against the ground, all the high end kendamas will last you as long as you need them to. These things are meant to be shredded. If you really worry about wear, go for an all maple setup without paint or maybe an ash tama.
You might want to also consider a Rez, I've personally never owned one but hey are amazing! Also I thug something new might be dropped he soon
@James Wetherell I've merged your thread with a previous similar thread. Check out some of the other posts for even more ideas. Also have a look here: Kendama on a tight budget Favorite Premium Kendama