Daiwa zillion rod. EVA grip

[F14A-B]

Hey guys, I’m posting here because I know you rod builders will likely have a solution. 
 

The rod itself I like pretty well, it has good titanium sic guides, it’s light, it’s pretty sensitive, has daiwa’s regular bend. But the grip, it’s slick, I mean slick. I’m not sure why it’s so slippery but I’m searching for a solution..

 

Any ideals ? 

[WRB]

EVA can absorb oils and need to be cleaned using Dawn soap in warm water. Work up a good foam using a nylon brush or tooth brush. Rinse well with warm water and towel dry.

I had a few swimbait rods that would get slippery from Pro-Cure trout gel and needed cleaning nearly every outing.

Tom

[F14A-B]

8 hours ago, WRB said:

EVA can absorb oils and need to be cleaned using Dawn soap in warm water. Work up a good foam using a nylon brush or tooth brush. Rinse well with warm water and towel dry.

I had a few swimbait rods that would get slippery from Pro-Cure trout gel and needed cleaning nearly every outing.

Tom

Thanks Tom, I’ll give that a try and see. I hope it works. 

[F14A-B]

Well it only helped slightly. I’m wondering if a glove would help? 
 

Not sure if there’s any other solutions.

[webertime]

Thin cork road bike handlebar tape?

I've done it to a few rods.

TIANXON Cork Handlebar Tape for Road Bike Anti-Slip Shock Absorption Bicycle Wrapping Bar Tape Made of Real Cork (Cork) https://a.co/d/imdE8gL

[F14A-B]

20 minutes ago, webertime said:

Thin cork road bike handlebar tape?

I've done it to a few rods.

TIANXON Cork Handlebar Tape for Road Bike Anti-Slip Shock Absorption Bicycle Wrapping Bar Tape Made of Real Cork (Cork) https://a.co/d/imdE8gL

Thanks for the tip, I’ll remember that on all my other cork rods. This one is EVA, I’ve ordered a set of gloves and I don’t have any, (never have used them) but I like this rod enough to try to make it work. If not I’ll trade it in to ALFC and buy another GLX 😂 in cork lol

[spoonplugger1]

You can also raise a bit of a nap on the eva by scuffing lightly with course sandpaper. If you don't like it you can reverse it with finer paper.

[F14A-B]

17 minutes ago, spoonplugger1 said:

You can also raise a bit of a nap on the eva by scuffing lightly with course sandpaper. If you don't like it you can reverse it with finer paper.

I thought about that but wasn’t sure, didn’t want to destroy it. It’s a very hard eva. Thanks for the tip. 

[Logan S]

Textured heat shrink is also an option, easily removable if you don't like it.  It's very grippy and doesn't ruin the aesthetics of the rod too much either (assuming you go with black 🙂).

 

Like this...

[KP Duty]

I use silicone tape.  It has no adhesive on it...it bonds to itself and creates a waterproof tacky grip.  I love it...it's on all my rods.

 

https://www.amazon.com/XFasten-Silicone-Fusing-1-Inch-36-Foot/dp/B01N7KC62D/ref=sr_1_6?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.YI_pFtjGO9kyUVEmKAzE5Jl16veKzV6fjj8jzgsG3xVcKV9WDV4JoJVyljxET0fqsihrZ7TxdOUEIMz2rjWpWrnDP4muK0GXrHXhE8_KhKLQk802R4Z_lmv9DudVtmd_2jS5mgv93W3KEXgYMQjXvPa5iCXrNRsOtMEjdNhMuF87eSDao_Ihwdk_TbLawVB8XWHaIF6rSE4AMPz-C3n2Qayi019p3Kvlzm3rH66nyPm-87mNxzYSSHyUlGxndugzzDgwJBHRfkxd2sVnD0laS5nhsPsWteO4Bz4WxsNtiO0.Ftm88vvN-UBFyuZEUvvAR1UMkgWNbdjouxBpizOdXus&dib_tag=se&keywords=silicone%2Btape&qid=1724729021&sr=8-6&th=1

[F14A-B]

On 8/14/2024 at 1:50 PM, spoonplugger1 said:

You can also raise a bit of a nap on the eva by scuffing lightly with course sandpaper. If you don't like it you can reverse it with finer paper.

Well I gave your advice a go.. it added just enough texture to keep the rod from rotating/slipping in my hand. I actually used a fingernail file lol 

 But it worked. 

[spoonplugger1]

Don't you love it when a plan comes together?

[MickD]

Try the tape mentioned above, or Winn Grip tape.  And keep Deet away from the rod.

[Eric 26]

If you need to tape it but don’t want to wrap the whole handle my suggestion is the tape that BPS uses on a few of their house branded rods, @bulldog1935 has used it and can explain it better. Here’s the wrap.

[bulldog1935]

What @Eric 26 is talking about is X-shrink (X-wrap shrink tube, X-tube),

and I'm a major fan.  

Can't imagine it hasn't come up yet, especially with other suggestions that I would run from.  

https://www.amazon.com/Greatfishing-Fishing-Bulding-Waterproof-Insulation/dp/B07H81DBHJ/ref=sr_1_4 

X-shrink over EVA is the standard grip on high-quality offshore rods.

 

Kingfish rods above, slow jigging rod and my 14' surf rod below

 

I have 2 versions of a favorite JDM finesse rod (Abu Prototype) that the grip was too small for human hands - maybe just right for Japanese hands.  The rear ridge was intended to split 3rd and 4th fingers, but split my 2nd-3rd fingers, and split them wide.

On both rods, I reshaped the grip with cork tape and covered in X-shrink, and love the result.  

 

another happy 2-hand grip - I didn't like the EVA quality, and the butt needed some grip help for hand-off long casting.  

It has a lot of other uses - repairing a split foam grip on 15-y-o stake out pole

I put indexed-position hand grips on my straight-shaft kayak paddle by rolling on closed-cell foam and covering in X-shrink.  

 

Also added bump-stops to keep my paddle leash in check.  

It's very easy to apply.  Buy the diameter that's close, but easy to slip over your grip.  

Use a boiling tea kettle, and pour from the middle to each end.  

If you don't like the result, it's cheap to cut-off and start over.  

[bulldog1935]

@F14A-B they also make shrink tube grip with different patterns

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Accering/page/4EF858D8-F48B-4F40-AA58-BA2F71F8B1BA

Here's fish-scale pattern on my 8' surf-lure rod