Hi All,

Has anyone used the Mudhole corkrings they are advertising as overstock?

I know they won't be Flor Grade, but how do they compare to a medium quality cork ring?


Thanks,

Richard

If you are talking the ones that are like for 45 cents each per ring, they are ok. Just ordered more myself. You get a few that I will not use. Some are not the complete 1/2" thick, meaning a small portion of one of the faces of the ring is slightly missing. I tend to use these on the ends of grips where I know I will be removing the material anyway. I am not one that bothers to fill in gaps either and I have not had any issues with having any real big gaps left after forming the handle.

What constitutes "Flor Grade?" What percent clarity does a ring need to possess in order to be graded as "Flor?"

............

Richard,
They are fine for an all right rod.
I have used them from time to time and end up throwing about 1/3rd of them away. But, for some uses they are just fine.

Take care
REW

Flor Grade is the same as Dark Black. A shallow term for a specific identity.

Dennis J. Danku
(Sayreville,NJ)

Hi Richard,

So far this year Mud Hole has sold over 35,000 our stock #SP3 cork rings. So we’d have to say a LOT of people use them and if they did not represent an excellent value you’d be seeing a lot more negative posts. In fact our SP3 ring is all some people buy. Just like any of our cork, these rings come with a money back guarantee, if you not completely satisfied just return them for a complete refund. We hope you’ll give them a try and like our other customers we don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Thanks in advance for the business!!

Regards.
Team Mud Hole Custom Tackle
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Hi,

Tom and Dennis, sorry, I should have put " A Grade" which would have described it better. I have a factory TFO Axiom which has a Flo grade grip, and this is what I am comparing to.

Mudhole, I am an existing customer and I'm not doubting you, I just like to get other peoples experience, as I live in Australia, and I really don't want to return anything from here. Anyway a large order will be coming your way before the end of October - I hope the new MHX high Modulas will stay at the special price until then!

I am generally mixing my plain cork with burl and rubberized to get the effects / patterns I want.

Minor holes in the cork don't bother me, I just don't want them to split / degrade whilst on the rod.

I have used lower grade cork rings before from another supplier that used to be a sponsor on the forum, which were good, but their customer service was well below acceptable.


Thanks again,

Richard

I ordered a bunch and they were pretty decent quality. I also mixed them with rubberized and burls to make little split grip pieces. In general, the handle with the SP3 rings were the same if not nicer overall than some of the preshaped cork grips.

Richard,

Thanks, but in that case, can you tell what constitutes "A" grade cork? Can you point me towards a definition or the scale which describes what percent clarity a ring must have to be graded "A"?

.............

Hi Tom,

I personally don't know what constitutes Flor grade or A grade or Select grade, etc.

I am just going by the terminology that I read, which many of the different suppliers and builders use - which is all I have to go by.

That is why I am asking the more experienced builders for their opinions.

I know grade selection can be very subjective to a point, that is why I can only use the references that I see every where when buying and reading about cork, and other rod builders' experiences help me choose better.

Thanks again for your help,

Richard

Richard Khoury Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I personally don't know what constitutes Flor
> grade or A grade or Select grade, etc.
>
> I am just going by the terminology that I read,
> which many of the different suppliers and builders
> use - which is all I have to go by.
>
> I know grade selection can be very subjective to a
> point, that is why I can only use the references
> that I see every where when buying and reading
> about cork, and other rod builders' experiences
> help me choose better.


There is a reason that you don't know what "Flor Grade" or "A Grade" or "Select Grade" constitute. It is simply because they don't constitute ANYTHING. The use of these words is actually more of an allusion than a true physical description.

You can choose to have something to use IF you insist that your cork is properly graded OR not graded and marketed as such. When you continue to purchase from those that won't adhere to a defined principle, you add to the issue you are trying to resolve.

Use the RodMaker Cork Grading scale. It isn't a mystery, it isn't difficult to do AND it wouldn't be difficult for vendors to use.
[www.rodbuilding.org]

Regardless of what terms are used by cork producers, we can do better within our own industry. I have imported and graded plenty of cork. There is NO reason that it can't be done according to a uniform standard AND we have one available. When it isn't, there is a reason.

In respect to Mud Hole's discount rings, they are as advertised. They are absolutely priced right. I wouldn't use them for an exposed grip UNLESS there is a desire for plenty of "character". They are good for shimming, flocking, using under carbon sleeves, etc.

High quality cork, such as CG1, is very expensive. On average, it costs about $40 to obtain enough to produce one 7" fly grip. CG2 and CG3 are less expensive and also easy to obtain. Only a small percentage of rings that make it into the US are graded as CG1 ... thus it sells at a premium price.

Richard,

That was my point - I was playing devil's advocate for the reasons that Jim just spelled out. Neither "Flor" nor "Grade A" has any sort of standard behind it. Neither one necessarily means any degree of clarity.

..............

Jim and Tom, thanks for clearing this up.

I had read the article a while ago, and forgot all about it.

I will read it again now.

Thanks,

Richard