I know there is eva and hypalon and can tell a difference. Are there other types of foam grips also and what are they. Which is the longest lasting and more firm. Thanks.

Hypalon is an extruded material with a high rubber content. Hypalon is extruded and delivered in very long lengths, with different IDs, then placed onto a mandrel, and shaped at high speed by a preformed grinding stone.
EVA is a liquid petroleum based product, which is poured into sheet like shapes. When the material sets up, it is then cut into blocks of desired lengths, the ID is drilled, and then slipped onto a mandrel, which is then shaped at high speed by a preformed grinding stone. EVA is available in "A", "B", and "C" grades. "A" being the firmest (highest density) of the three.
As far as foam or hypalon materials that are used for fishing rod handles, the "A" grade EVA is the firmest. Most manufacturers use the "B" or "C" grades for their production because they are softer, offer more stretch, and easier for assembly.

I guess Clemens Custom Grip II Meets the EVA definition. For my opinion it is the stuff to use.

How do you know who sells what grade of EVA. I have noticed the difference between different manufacturers, but didn't realize there were grades of EVA. Does anyone know which brands of EVA grips are what grade??

In my opinion, Customgrip is the best - very firm and dense feeling, and resists compressing much better than others when installing. Plus it comes in lots of colors.

Once again, my opinion - Pac Bay also makes good EVA grips. Just not quite as firm as CG, and is a little tougher to install.

Billy

I have not found good EVA grips in many years. Some of the old Lew's Speed Grips, and some of the earlier Pac Bay grips were definitely "A" grade. Yes they are more difficult to mount due to their extreme firmness, but this is more of problem of builders using poor grip mounting techniques than it is a problem with the actual grips. It is a shame that poor assembly technique has led the manufacturers to offer these "spongy" grips which simply do not feel or perform as well as the more firm ones. I am sure that many of you have had customers who have been adamant that they do NOT want "foam" grips after their experience with the grips on the bargain store rods. Custom rod builders should be able to offer them something better in the realm of synthetic grips.

The last EVA grips I purchased which I considered worthy of being on a custom rod, were from AMTAK. If I should ever run out of my current supply I am not sure what I would do.

Tom Kirkman
RodMaker Magazine

We sell a lot of different types of EVA - Pac Bay, Amtak, Mooseskin, our own brand made for us– If I put you in a dark closet with the lights out and gave you a piece of each (same shape, length, ID, OD) you probably could not tell the difference. Some EVA’s in block form appear harder because there is just more EVA their to squeeze. If you took the same block EVA and shaped it to a thin grip and squeeze it you would say it is too soft. The density of EVA is something that can only be accurately measured by an instrument, putting it in you hand and “squeezing” it to subjective IMHO.

Tom McNamara
Mud Hole Custom Tackle
[www.mudhole.com]
Phone: (407) 277-0099

Hi Pete, Hypalon and EVA are the only two foam grip materials that I know of that work well in all rod building applications. We don't sell Hypalon so I'm not an expert on it. I have heard over the years that it is very durable and should last the life of the rod. It has a coarser feel to it which can be a plus when compared to EVA which can get slick after years of use. We have a charter boat captain who we were out with recently, tell us they have in the past cleaned and lightly sanded our EVA grips to bring them back. As a testament to EVA's durability the solid glass blanks and chrome brass reel seats wore out long before the grips did. The original EVA which still looks great, is still on these rods after almost ten years of brutal service. Hypalon is heavier which may or may not be a problem with heavier applications but is definitely a concern with lighter action rods. Our EVA is grade A which does give you a firmer longer lasting grip. As Bob stated we've had larger manufacturers complain about a slow down in the manufacturing process because they had trouble getting our EVA grips on quickly. That's the price you pay for a better grade of EVA. Either way you can't go wrong. Builders swear by both. Hope that helps. Good luck, Joe Meehan, Amtak Ltd