This week, I glued up 8 cork rod handles on an assortment of rod blanks ranging from UL spin to a 10' salmon mooching rod. I was just checking out the price of cork rings on the different web-sites listed here, and discovered how much it would cost me today to purchase the cork rings. To say the least, I was amazed!!!! I put over $500. 00 in cork on these 8 rods. That isn't the only difference. Today, the only cork rings that I could find were only available with a hole dia. of 1/4". When I bought my cork years ago I could get any size from 1/4" to 5/8" hole dia. at the same price for the best quality cork available. Today that same quality cost $2.50 per ring. I paid 20 cents a ring for mine and just had to chose the hole dia. that best fit the rod and then did minimal reaming and fitting to make the rings fit the blank. I am sure it is the same with other components and I am anxious to check them all out. The rings on the 10' rod alone today would be $90.00 Glad I bought about 5,000 rings of the best quality when I did. Still have about 2,000 left in various sizes from 1&1/4" up to 1 &3/4" OD. Guess I will have to start charging more so that I can keep buying supplies!! :>)

Today's cork is NOT what was avaiable years ago. The $2.50-3.00 stuff isn't what you might think. I suggest cherishing the rings you have, they are likely irreplaceable.

Jim, I am!! Thanking my lucky stars I bought so much back then. When kept high and dry & out of the sun, cork does not deteriorate..Seems it just appreciates with age. :>)

Guess your rod prices - just went up LOL

Bill - willierods.com

I'll give ya $.30 a ring...<g>
steve

Steven, big spender are ya? :>)

Randy
I too bought a lot of cork 15+ years ago. Now I find it difficult to spend the kind of money that vendors are asking - but if you want to use cork or your customers want it then you simply have to pay the price and pass along the costs. A lot of things have happened that have driven up the cost of cork especially the high quality cork rings - smaller acreage; higher labor costs; new uses for cork (shoes, flooring). To keep costs down at least a little I've been inserting burl cork as decorative rings; rubberized (chopped/glued) cork for the parts of the rod that take the most abuse like adjacent to reel seats, butt ends and first ring on fore grips. For the people who simply want highest quality cork the cost has to be passed on - even buying in bulk today the costs are three times or more than what they were.

In addtion to Ken's comments - cost is one of the primary reasons for "Split Grips"
You can call it the latest fad, or the next best thing to peanut butter, but it all comes back to cost.

A typical 8 inch butt grip and 4 inch fore grip would take 32 rings. At $3 per ring, for a great handle, that is $96.

But for the same split grip that uses 5 rings behind the reel seat, and two rings in front of the butt, that is only 7 rings, or for the same $3 = $21. So, that is a price savings on materials of $75.

This cost savings in materials is way past trivial.

Be safe
Roger

I aggree the cost savings is not trivial, I just don't care for the look of the split grips. Especially if the rod handle is going in and out of a rod holder. Looks like the blank might suffer a lot of wear and tear. Haven't tried it yet, but am a little leary of that.

Going through all my rod building stuff, I just found 75 2" dia. extra high quality cork rings. There is nary a pinhole in these, nearly perfect, I can't imagine what some of these would cost in todays market. If I remember correctly, I used the other 25 out of the bag on a butt grip for a large dia. surf rod about 30 years ago. fun going through all these components. :>)

I kinda doubt you can even find them any more. I looked & the largest I have are 1.5" and no where near the quality you describe.

That is probably why eva and the like are getting more popular and the designs that can be made are a LOT CHEAPER then cork

For that rod holder - a slick butt is the best Does not look as good as a custom handle but a lot more durable

Bill - willierods.com

So what are you guys using instead? I'm more of a salt water fisherman so I have always used EVA. I do like cork on my lighter rods. And I couldn't imagine anything else on a fly rod.

On my lighter spinning rods I have been using the aero seat with a graphite tube handle. Seems like a reasonable compromise. Curious to know what some of you are doing these days. Maybe most feel like the cork is what it is and there is little choice???

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

I have used cork, EVA, Hypalon, wood, and some of the early (I mean EARLY like 1985) graphite tubes for handles. These early tubes required that you use electrical tape to attach the reel feet. Made a number of them and still have one for my own use. I love cork however, and most of my customers do as well. I probably make 8 cork handled Salmon and Steelhead rods to every 2 EVA handled rods. Where the handle is going to take a lot of abuse, then EVA or Hypalon is the answer. I never put anything but cork on fly rods, other that wood inserts and trim.

Put a foam-core, carbon-skinned grip on a fly rod and you'll wonder why anyone would put a cork grip on one. The difference in feel, sensitivity and reduction in casting effort is truly amazing.

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

Tom i will have to try one. Like I have said, I haven't made a rod for quite a few years due to multiple surgeries to my hand. I am anxious to learn and use all the new materials out there. :>)

I build only fly rods and agree with Tom, Carbon fiber fly grips are really gaining popularity! Customers balk at first, but after handling and a casting demonstration, they are an easy sell.

Roger, are you using 3/8" thick rings? My math says 12" of grips ( 8+4) only takes 24 rings.

hello guys,

of course good quality cork have some cost, because quality of cork bark isn't the same like 15 or 20 years ago.
today is dificult produce a good disc Top Flor or Flor quality, because is needed many quantity of cork for retire a few discs, this is the reason for this high prices.

i think there are some wholesalers can sell at good price, only depends how much each wholesaler wants win in a cork.

Joaquim Loureiro
cork4us.com

Joquim, why do you only produce rings with a 1/4" hole diameter?

i produce rings from 1-1/8 to 1-1/2 diameter or others diameters by request

of course the most used size is 1-1/4

Joaquim Loureiro
cork4us.com