EVA handles ... yea or nay ?

[Hogsticker2]

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.

I have to admit, that's pretty cool, and a good reason for the preference.

[KP Duty]

I prefer cork with rod wrap on it. I figured out it wasn't the texture of the cork that I liked, but the hardness. I played racquetball when I was younger, and I like my rod handles to feel tacky and hard like a racquet handle. A racquet with a foam handle would cost you control unless it was rock hard foam

[slipknot6]

Nay. Give me cork all day.

[CheezusCrust]

Cork is best.EVA looks and feels cheap.

I Clean my cork with a toothbrush and regular whitening toothpaste.It makes is look brand new again.

[noc10]

I much prefer cork, but that won't stop me from buying a rod with EVA grips if I like the rod. it's more that I'm even happier when I find a rod I like and it has cork grips.

[Hogsticker2]

Cork is best.EVA looks and feels cheap.

I Clean my cork with a toothbrush and regular whitening toothpaste.It makes is look brand new again.

You could probably use a magic eraser and get close to the same results.

[zodiak311]

High quality cork is unmatched, it's not even close for me if I had the choice.

EVA
Economic value added (EVA) is a measure of a company's financial performance based on the residual wealth calculated by deducting its cost of capital from its operating profit

nuff said

[Dalleinf]

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.

I agree.
However, as noted cork gets dirty and for some reason I do not like to buy used cork handle rods. Dirt from others, yuck. Dirt from me, lovely.

[njbasscat]

I like a mix of both. Cork below the reel and EVA on the locking nut and butt cap for split grip setup.

[jdbassman32]

Like them both, just depends on the rod.

[mark poulson]

Like them both, just depends on the rod.

Me, too.

[bish0p]

EVA for inshore & offshore boat rods.
Cork for fly rods.
Carbon fiber for everything else.

[DaisyZillion]

There is no doubt good quality dense EVA, high quality cork and even rubberised corks are all good in their own right but I do feel the need to come to the defense of carbon. I had a love affair with the NRX JWR 803c for a number of years, had Barra blow apart that split reel seat 3 times but in the end I got a local rod builder to cut that seat off and replace with an ACS I loved those rods so much, then one day along came the Edge Black Widow, this is when I stopped romanticising about cork and got to know the true utilitarian advantages of that hand laid carbon grip. More sensitive, less fatiguing after 5 or 6 hours casting and much, much harder wearing. My NRX looks very well worn after 3 seasons hard work, the cork is pitted and dented, ingrained with dirt and starting to break off in little bits, the Edge ISR BW SC 666 looks like the day I bought it apart from a few minor scratches on the blank and it is well into it’s 4th season.

[DrTrevorkian]

High quality cork is unmatched, it's not even close for me if I had the choice.

EVA
Economic value added (EVA) is a measure of a company's financial performance based on the residual wealth calculated by deducting its cost of capital from its operating profit

nuff said

Amen.

EVA to me screams “Wal Mart - white blank - shark-rod 5000.” I personally wouldn’t even touch a high-end with EVA grips. That’s a joke in my book.

Flor grade cork or CFX carbon fiber grips for me, if I build a rod. Only rods that might have EVA would be trolling rods, and I’d put x-flock shrink tube on them immediately.

U40 cork seal on factory cork rods. Have yet to see a factory rod with cork as good as I pay for on my custom sticks. Somebody mentioned the cork on NRX... that’s good mid-grade cork FYI. Was quite a bit of pit filler in the 9 models I used to own.

I despise EVA grips. Different strokes for different folks. If somebody likes them, there’s plenty to go around.

[Hogsticker2]

Makes me think some folks are under the impression that their is only 1 type of foam, crap grade, Walmart style. Not true...