I agree with the personality aspect of the pits...but my experience with pitted cork is that the pits seem to grow with wear. (and can easily be repaired with cork dust and glue.)
@Delaware Valley Tackle @Cbump I've been a U40 user ever since it came out. I really liked the idea of sealing cork. But with U40 you need to redo the process (clean, reseal) if you use the rod often. That "sealer" never really penetrates past the first cell level; this is just due to the properties of cork.
One day I came across a product called Cork Renew by Red Moose. Its claim was to seal, waterproof and protect. It's actually a product for cork bottom shoes. I bought some and applied it. This is similar to U40 (white dries clear), but it is a bit more viscous. It goes on thicker. After my initial test (next day) I thought that it felt a little tacky. But to my surprise...this tackiness goes away after a couple weeks.
So...take it from someone who make a lot of cork handles, (burls, Tennessee handles, inlays..etc..etc) I am a fan of Red Moose Cork Renew. The only draw back , to me, is it takes a while to get the feel I would expect.
