Cork

[LadyFisher]

Received an interesting email from these folks today, thought some of you might be interested knowing how difficult it has become to get good cork!
www.cork4us.com

[Greg F]

A couple members posted that they despise Burl cork in another thread. I think Burl, or "exotic" cork is fantastic. It is so much more substantial than cork, especially the mostly crummy cork you get nowadays. The feel while casting is so much better, and the sensitivity is better with burl versus cork. Natural cork feels absolutely squishy compared to burl and exotic cork. Having said that, I prefer natural cork on a light trout rod like a three weight where the light weight and soft feel is more natural feeling, and the burl on big water or big game rods.

[kbproctor]

I do not like "perfect" cork. Might as well use EVA for a grip. Today's Flor is fine for most grips I do anymore. It has some character and interest. I use a lot of burled cork as well as colored burls, exotic woods, even craft foam, acrylic, or metal disks for accents. Crap cork grips become forms for rattan wrapped grips which have a nice feel to them. I have yet to have a customer complain about a grip made up of many different materials. I find instead that when folks pull a butt section from a tube and see the grip for the first time, they don't just hold it, they caress the grip. One might even say they fondle it. The grip is the part of the rod that the user sees first, holds, and interacts with. It's what draws the eye. It's what transmits the strike to the hand.