EVA handles ... yea or nay ?

[uljersey]

There's a thread going in the maintenance forum about care and feeding of them and it got me thinking. I'm not a fan of them at all. My first preference is cork. The only non cork handle material I like (actually like it a lot) is Fenwick's TAC material they use on some models. EVA does absolutely nothing for me performance wise or aesthetically. What's your take ?

[4g63power]

Personal preference. I like the way eva looks and feels. Now all my rods are eva, no cork knobs on any of my reels. Cork does nothing for me, nothing wrong with them.

[Chode]

same. love eva looks & feel.

[Drakestar]

Yay on reel knobs (although I use cork for some of those, as well), nay on rods (unless it's a rod that I clamp under my arm for a long time, i.e. swimbait rods). I like cork better for casting because cork generally has a bit more texture than EVA. Easier to feel the grip and hold on with bomber casts as I switch hands and transfer the entire weight of the rod one hand holding the butt section.

[Hogsticker2]

All EVA and Carbon for me. I prefer the feel of it, and it doesn't start to look like I wiped my butt with it after use. As for performance, I don't think we'd notice much of a difference, all other things being equal. I feel like I've responded to this same thread multiple times

[Slazmo]

Big fan of good quality Cork... Non of that Cork that's got big gaps and rough as that falls apart and needs filling. Talking AAAA grade.

Hyper or Eva I have on a lot of rods but as mentioned before it needs cleaning so often as it absorbs skin oil's, fish slime and so on. Goes shiny on one side of the grip where the palm rests primarily. You can definitely tell a right or lefty rod user from the grips alone.

Carbon I haven't had any care for since feeling it on a couple home wrapped and some Edge rods... Too lifeless and hard.

Personal choice but I think there's something endearing and individual with good quality cork like OG Daiwa Knobs.

[hoohoorjoo]

same. love eva looks & feel.

Same here. I think cork looks nicer initially, but it goes downhill quickly, even if you're careful with it. After 1 season of use, a beautiful cork-handle rod isnt so beautiful anymore. EVA doesn't show wear or dirt nearly as much, which is why most of my rods are EVA.

[Houndfish]

Hi, I’m the one weirdo who likes rubberized cork. I have a Kuying rod with rubberized cork grips and man I love the way it feels, especially with wet hands.

[uljersey]

Big fan of good quality Cork... Non of that Cork that's got big gaps and rough as that falls apart and needs filling. Talking AAAA grade.

Hyper or Eva I have on a lot of rods but as mentioned before it needs cleaning so often as it absorbs skin oil's, fish slime and so on. Goes shiny on one side of the grip where the palm rests primarily. You can definitely tell a right or lefty rod user from the grips alone.

Carbon I haven't had any care for since feeling it on a couple home wrapped and some Edge rods... Too lifeless and hard.

Personal choice but I think there's something endearing and individual with good quality cork like OG Daiwa Knobs.

Well said, that pretty much sums it up for me. While I apply U40 to my cork annually after a thorough cleaning, I don’t mind the normal wear and tear of well earned ‘personality’ blemishes that come with extended use.

[uljersey]

Hi, I’m the one weirdo who likes rubberized cork. I have a Kuying rod with rubberized cork grips and man I love the way it feels, especially with wet hands.

That sounds like the Fenwick TAC material I mentioned. Fantastic stuff IMO.

[zalan]

I prefer quality cork, but it is expensive. Eva shows use a lot harder, this is why i do not really like it. I have no problem using either, it is just eva gets ugly really fast.

[domthewon]

I prefer top notch Eva on rods over top notch cork, but beggars can’t be choosers . OG Cork knobs all day even with Eva handles.

[Hogsticker2]

I prefer top notch Eva on rods over top notch cork, but beggars can’t be choosers . OG Cork knobs all day even with Eva handles.

That's just it. There's different qualities of Eva, just like cork. Even more so with carbon. As mentioned above, the stuff nfc uses is garbage.

[Drakestar]

One more reason I like cork is that I can feel its actual legacy. The quality of cork improves with each harvest of the tree, and cork trees are only harvested every 9 years after an initial 25 year growth period. (Which makes old cork trees incredibly valuable because they produce the best cork.)

When I get a rod with premium cork (talking NRX-level stuff) I know that that tree was first harvested at least 45 years ago, and is definitely older than I am. There's just something awesome about that. EVA feels much more generic and anonymous and industrial in comparison.

[BigG]

I prefer full cork, but tend look more at function of the rod than the handle material.