Cork vs foam rod handles

[David Austin]

Does everyone prefer cork or foam handles on their rods?  Most of the rods I've owned have cork handles and it seems more comfortable to me than foam.  Has the quality of foam increased in the last few years?  The few foam handle rods I have owned, the foam either fell apart or got weird feeling after a while.

[Randy Price]

I prefer cork but I tend to be a traditional guy.

[S Hovanec]

Like cork, there are different qualities of foam.  The foam from years ago and the stuff on cheap rods is junk.  

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

No preference. Favorite bc rod has eva favorite spinning has cork.

[Musky.Chaser]

Prefer cork or winn type grips. I have haptodysphoria so the feeling of foams and velvets really bothers me and makes me cringe and feel uneasy.

[swhit140]

I prefer the look & feel of cork, just my personal preference. I also tend to stay with certain brand manufacturers that use cork on their rod builds also. I have never owned a rod without cork. 

[BrianMDTX]

I prefer cork. It gets wet, it sheds water fast. Most open-celled foams do not. 
 

And...it’s traditional lol

[Dens228]

I prefer cork but have never not bought a rod based on the handle composition. 

[Fishes in trees]

It doesn't matter all that much to me because I like to adjust the grip of the rod with rod wrap tape or tennis racket tape.   At first, I only did this with spinning rods, jot make it smoother to hold, but then I got to like it so I use rod wrap tape on most of my bait casters as well.

[MAN]

I like them all.  The EVA used these days is much much better than the first types of EVA that began showing up on rods that fell apart or left indention easily in it.  Non slip polymer grips (winn grips) have their place and definitly allow you to add more designs/color to the rod.  Now you see nylon and carbon weaved handles as well as full 1 piece carbon fiber handles entering the market. Its amazing to watch how these rods are evolving.  

[Mike L]

There are different levels of Portuguese cork which is used on almost all fishing rods. 
The most expensive rods use the highest grade which makes a big difference in weight, grip and feel. 
 

To me the problem with cork makes the rod feel just a lighter heavier compared to a EVA split grip. 
But it’s not that big of a difference especially using equipment with the higher grade, which is always used on higher end rods made with higher grade materials.
You get what you pay for. 

It’s easier to grip and make an over the shoulder bomb cast with a split, but overall I still prefer a full handle with high grade cork. 
 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[Skunkmaster-k]

I really enjoy the feel of the cork. 

[Deleted account]

I prefer cork. Synthetics have gotten better in recent years. 

[galyonj]

I mostly end up with EVA or Winn because that's just what's on the rod I want.

 

It really doesn't matter to me, though. Aside from the couple seconds it takes to make a cast, I choke up on the rod so far that I'm almost never in contact with the grip to feel it anyway.

[Deleted account]

26 minutes ago, Fishes in trees said:

It doesn't matter all that much to me because I like to adjust the grip of the rod with rod wrap tape or tennis racket tape. 

I invented that.

I also cut my road bike inner tubes and use those (like socks)  on heavier rods. That self stick surgical/gauze tape works great too.

[Deplorable Fisherman]

I used to only buy rods with cork, but then I've been fishing for 35 years and over that time, the EVA has gotten much better. Now it really doesn't matter to me. I have rods with both cork and EVA. 

[fishingtx]

In my opinion a cork split grip is the way to go. They are very comfortable and fit very well in my hand. Plus they just look cool.

[JWall14]

cork

[FishTank]

I own both..... Cork has always been my favorite. 

[MN Fisher]

I buy rods based on what I want to do with them and cost - the handle material is a non issue.

 

Saying that - of my 14 rods (12 canoe and 2 shore): 3 are full cork, 5 are cork with EVA butts and 6 are full EVA - all split-grips.

[TheBasslayer]

I prefer cork handles because I feel that they just feel better on my hands, but EVA isn't too uncomfortable for me.

[Bluegillslayer]

I prefer cork over foam because foam gives me goosebumps, but I hate how dirty cork gets. Once I tried Winn Grips I did not want to go back to either. 

[WRB]

When say foam rod handles you may be referring to Hypalon close cell foam used for fishing rod handles. EVA is blended copolymer plastic (Ethylene-Vinyl and Acetate) close cell foam lighter weight then Hypalon and less elastic.

I am in the high quality cork camp however very expensive and limited availability. Synthetic cork used by some rod builders is heavier the natural cork and I prefer EVA over it.

I like Wynn Grips and carbon handles prefer premium cork over everything if available.

Tom  

[Bakablo1]

Split grips are a must for me... I just don't like the feeling of a full handle. As far as cork or EVA, I have both. May try the winn grips at some point. 

[GetFishorDieTryin]

Years ago I would have said cork was my favorite without hesitation, but now Im not so sure.  Some of the newer EVA material companies are using are dense and resist absorbing slime and water which makes it much easier to clean.  The higher quality EVA feels infinitely better then what was used when I was a kid.  I dont know how I could prove this, but I think high quality EVA transmits vibration more efficiently then cork.  That may be one of the biggest reasons why you see some of the top companies using synthetic materials on their high end and flagship rods.