I know cork handles are “traditional” and they make things look nice, but there’s got to be some rubber grips out there that could/would/should(?) replace them. I’d think they’d be cheaper(??). Last longer??
Heresy!! 
Let the flames commence 
EVA foam has been used for years. I have a cheap fly rod with an EVA handle. I could be wrong but I would guess that EVA is lighter than cork. If it is true why don’t the people that worry about the few hundred thousands of an ounce difference in single foot over snake guide use them?
EVA foam has limits when it comes to custom grips though. At least for the average home builder.
i would hope that nobody flames anybody who finds a solid foam rubber cylinder and turns it into a fly rod grip. its a personal choice and everybody should respect that.
these days the custom/home rod makers are making grips out of solid wood so a foam grip should be easy to make.
why does cork need to be repalced?
could guides be bonded to the blank without overwrapping with thread, saving another one millionth of an ounce in weight??
I had a Berkley Curt Gowdy 8’ 6/7 wt rod with a rubber grip that I bought on ebay a few years back. Nice rod, but just couldn’t get use to the non cork feel. Sold the rod soon after he died for twice what I paid for it.
I was always TOLD by rod builders that foam makes the caster “squeeze” the rod tighter to get “feedback”…thusly tiring the hand out mucho quicker…hence the reason I never built a fly rod with a foam grip.
I prefer to build rods “as close to” traditional looking as I can.
Anything but cork just doesn’t feel right! I’ve got a spinning rod with a foam grip, and never use it. Doesn’t have the right feel!
I understant that there is limited supply of cork available for bottles. That’s why a lot of recently vinted wines use a composite " cork " to seal the bottle.
Is this cork OK for rod handles???
Cork handles will be replaced when they pry them from my cold, dead, hands.
Here’s a blog about the Loop AEG rod series, which uses a cork & composite material for the handle. This seems like a good idea, since cork can often get “slippery” when wet. But I haven’t tested the rod to see how it really feels.
http://www.flyfishingfilmtour.com/blog/tbd/2008/05/loop-aeg-series.html
I’m sure cork will go right after bamboo. Even if they find somthing that has the feel of cork it will still not be totaly replaced.
Eric
Personally, I don’t like the ‘feel’ of EVA foam on a fly rod. Had quite a few spinning rods with foam grips, and they were fine.
They’ve done a lot with the EVA type foams fror grips over the years, lots of nice colors and patterns. But I think the fly rod industry will avoid it. Lots of reasons, but the whole ‘looks cheap’ thing is probably the hardest for them to deal with.
There are lot of custom fly rod shops using expanding foam covered with different types of woven materials then impregnating that coating with epoxy for some really nice and VERY light grips. It’s relatively easy for the home builder to do, the materials aren’t too expensive (much cheaper than flor grade cork), and the tooling necessary is either already in house or not expensive. This will probably be the eventual replacement of choice for cork.
In my early experience with rod building I stacked up square pieces of craft foam, laminating them together into a solid pice that I then turned to make a grip. It came out looking really nice…colors choices and combinations were almost endless…thought I’d come up with a neat ‘new’ idea…oops.
It was awful…for some reason the way it handled water made my hands look like they’d been immersed in the dish water for a couple of hours. Hands turned all white and puffy. Had a few friends try it, and they had similar problems, so I cut it off and replaced it with cork.
We could see the developement of golf style grips for fly rods, though…something that can be changed to suit. Something a bit more high tech and personal…when eventually we won’t be able to get cork.
Buddy
I’ve started mixing in burn cork composite and burl composite into my cork grips and using rubber/cork composite for the end pieces. This reduces the price of the grip by about 30%, but still maintains the cork feel.
That is incorrect. The reason wines are using “fake” cork, and even screw tops now is due to TCA, that affects maybe 5% of cork and gives the wine a musty taste.
http://www.cellarnotes.net/corked_wine.htm
The wine industry gets the better grades of cork first. The rod making industry gets what’s left, so getting the best quality for rods can be tough.
Jeff
I hadn’t though about it until now, but I suspect this is true. I have an older glass rod with a foam grip. I like the way the rod casts, but I find my wrist usually starts to hurt after a half an hour or so. I don’t get the same sensation when fishing cane rods that are heavier. Maybe the death grip I have on the foam makes a difference.
I’ve tried all types of handles and cork is still my choice but part of that is tradition and part hand comfort.
Rodmaker Magazine had an article on making grips from a polyurethane core wrapped in carbon fiber. I think it was last year. It was supposed to revolutionize the industry, but it hasn’t exactly caught on in a big way.
I personally like that one
EVA foam dampen vibration; cork transmit vibration making giving a much better feel when you get a strike than foam would. I have one spinning rod that is not covered with dust that has a foam handle, only laziness has kept me from changing it to cork.
I cast a rod that used a grip made from one of those tennis/golf type wind on materials and it felt wonderful - and of course would be perfect for wet conditions since they are developed for sweaty hands. Was really tempted to use it on one of my rods, but haven’t quite got around to it. Will probably try overwrapping a cork grip with it first.
I love EVA for bluewater rods (11wt and up) but not for rods that I will cast frequently during the day. It is easier on the hand during long slugfests. Some factory production bluewater flyrods come with EVA grips and most of the custom bluewater rods that I have seen have EVA grips. Rod makers have been started to incorporate composite/cork burl decorative rings into rod handles. I seem to recall that at least one was using this to a greater extent in the section of the grip where the thumb was most likely to be placed. I would prefer a grip made entirely of this material. It seems to be more durable than cork and is not as slippery when wet or if fish slime gets on it. I have used spinning and baitcasting rods with composite/cork burl grips and found them to be very friendly to the hands.