As the subject states.... Can anyone sell me on using these? Ive never built a rod with them.. Ive gone to a store and held a rod with them, i personally prefer cork... If anything, it seems other mediums allow for a significant advantage on customizability.. It seems with winn grips, it is what it is.. And im not a fan of hkw they litter thier logo all over the place.. Can you shape winn? What mediums are heavier/lighter? Are they really as good as they say they are?

I know using them is a matter of preference.. But in order for this "caveman" to evolve ;) i need a better understanding of the material... And dont want to buy a set and be dissapointed...

So.. Can anyone sell me on them?

Anthony,
Look at it this way. A very high % of pro golfers now use winn grips on all of their golf clubs.

They do it for a reason.

Same is true when using them on a fishing rod.

In a nutshell, winn grips work and work very well.

Give 20 or 30 a try, fish with them for 10 years and let us know how you like them.

Be safe

Winn Grips are not something that people should need to be talked into , for $9.99 you can get a 44 inch overwrap and decide for yourself. In your case you have had the chance to check them out first hand and said you like cork better . Either people like them or not , i don't get how some make Winn Grips out to be some kind of budget busting purchase decision , it's a ten dollar item . I think they're great and have changed out all my surf rod grips with them , i am not a huge fan of the designs either but i fell in love with the awesome tackiness of the grip so i can overlook other things .

I apply them directly on top of the bare blank nothing underneath . You can read about Winn grips and their EVA polymer technology on their website . Try some , if you hate it just remember it's Norms fault even though Norm isn't even involved in this specific discussion.

Ugh. I believe putting rubber on a rod dampens vibration. As always I could be wrong. I like cork or CF. Been thinking of putting EVA on my lawn mower handle for comfort though.

It is not rubber. No you cannot shape them. As stated above they are the preferred golf grips for many of us. Been around for a number of years and have proven themselves.

If you do not like them...............don't use them!

Anything thats soft will not be as sensitive as using something more dense because it doesn't transfer vibration as effectively . I like it for surf rod handles though and it's thin enough and i wrap it tight enough to not have a noticeable impact on overall sensitivity compared to cork tape for example . If my main goal was ultimate sensitivity it wouldn't be my top choice of course .



I have always avoided EVA grips on my rods for many reasons and killing sensitivity was the biggest factor but Winn Grips in overwrap form are a different beast altogether , very very thin & very very light .

I love them myself. Like the above folks said, give them a try and form an opinion. Anglers Resource has a black "custom" Winns Grip that eliminates all of the branding that I like a lot. With regards to Lynns' view, a split grip with an exposed type seat eliminates that argument imo.
Good Luck,
Rick Elrod

Most folks hold the reel seat during presentation then move the hand higher up on the more cushioning cork or eva grip during the fight so any loss of sensitivity won’t be noticed. I am going to try a Winn grip out on a rod for kayak fishing, I can tell already that I am going to like the tackiness of it especially when wet. I think the ones made for Fuji look great.

I think we might be mixing Winn grips and Winn grip tape here to some extent.

Agreed Lynn , you're probably picturing the full grips that can be seen on many builds, i was just referring to the overwrap tapes that comes in 44 inch lengths and 96 inch lengths . I have no experience with the others, David you will LOVE these for kayak fishing rods.

If you know anyone who has a rod with winn grips, ask to try it. Forget the the performance crap and concentrate on the grip only. That should give you an idea whether to try one for yourself.

I prefer burl cork it is heaver than cork but it works for me.

Have fun

John

Anthony Unger:

" Ive gone to a store and held a rod with them, i personally prefer cork"



Anthony already did check it out , he said he likes cork better . Forget the performance crap ........ you do know what forum you're on i assume , custom rod building is all about performance and grip choice is a part of it .

Dup



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/07/2019 05:43PM by herb canter.

I have put a lot of Winn Grips on rods over the past few years, because many people really like them. The foam they use is a very hard EVA and is overlayed with their Winn dry polymer that gets grippier when it get wet They are very light, durable, easy to clean, and feel good. A number of people have had me retro fit all of their rods with Winn grips because they liked how they felt compared to cork or EVA. It all boils down to what you personally like. My favorite spinning grip is the Fuji VSS Winn grip with a hidden thread hood, however my favorite casting grip is carbon fiber foam core grips. You stated you like cork better, so stay with cork, no reason for you to be convinced other wise. Just another thing that makes a custom rod custom.
Norm

Mr Unger
Don't know what type of fishing you do, BUT if it involves sensitivity in respect to "feeling what is going on at the other end of your line. Whether that be feeling your bait working, or the fishing biting

I have THREE pieces of advise
1. DON'T DO IT
2 .DON'T DO IT
and in case your not sure
3. DON'T DO IT

Yes most golfers have for years used Winns grips with great success. But question to is Why?
There are three main reasons:

1- Effective Marketing

2- Is in their name "Grips" their tackiness-gripiness helps them hang onto to club when swinging 80 miles an hour. Good for golfing and spectators, and not really a bad thing when fishing.

The third reason and one that should concern fisherman who build with the intentions of feeling baits and fish:

3- Is that Winn grips(by deadening vibrations) help PREVENT the golfer from felling the percussion created by the clubs head hitting the golf ball, or ground (in cases of a bad swing),

The same grip that helps prevent them from feeling what is going on at the other end of their graphite shafts, will help prevent you from feeling what is going on at the other end of your graphite shaft.

If you doubt what I am saying take a golf club, remove the Winn grip and go hit you a few balls.

You just might be amazed at how much they help a golfer NOT FEEL

When I said forget the performance crap my intention was for Anthony to focus strictly on the grip and not be influenced or distracted by any other aspect of the loaner rod.

I disagree that custom rod building is all about performance it certainly a good part if it, but not every ones ultimate goal. The building of ornate rods falls into the realm of custom rod building which includes thread art, fancy colored guides, double wraps, inlaying, snakeskin, abalone and any other thing one can imagine to be attached to a blank to enhance its beauty. Needless to say some of these embellishments are items that can and do affect performance but it does not stop anyone from doing it.

I admire, envy and respect the dedicated and talented folks who build ornate rods and let performance of the finished product be what ever it is.

It is obvious from all the posts each of us has their idea of "CUSTOM" rod building and we all have our priorities of what makes up the craft and that makes the forums and the craft great.

Have Fun

John

I have a couple rods with them but I'm running exposed reel seats as well. They do help hold on to a rod when it's covered in fish slime after a good day of catching. I do like them better than EVA but I do like my cork and am working on a couple with CF so the jury is out.

Imo very very few anglers really build for ultimate performance , why do i say that , take a look in the photo section at 99% of the guide and ferrule wraps . It takes forever to find guide wraps that aren't grossly overdone meaning way way more thread is used than necessary to wrap a guide effectively to perform it's job and of course all that extra thread will also need to be covered with epoxy finish of some kind.

I probably go through 120 images of guide wraps before i come upon a rod wrapped that you can tell is wrapped for ultimate performance meaning a short neat guide wrap done in size AA or A thread with very marginal epoxy usage . This isn't a bad thing per say as each builder has different preferences it's just an observation.

Holy crap... I didnt think i would have started such a controversial thread.. Ive been out of service since i posted the original thread... And will be again in 10 minutes...

My phone exploded with email alerts lol

I am talking abut the grips, not the tape..

I have a customer who is interested in them but Not sure.. And if he dosnt like them i dont want to be stuck with, and not like the them..

I agree that golfers use it to reduce feel.. And im against that..

I do Not know anyone who has a rod with winn grips so i couldnt borrow one..

Ill post again once im back in service.. Thanks for the replies guys

Golfers don’t use Winn grips to reduce feel they use them to increase feel because they give a better grip on the club. I’m not a very good golfer but the really good golfers I have talked to believe that feel is an important part of the game, and they say a better grip throughout the swing means better feel, and more control. Many professional golfers use Winn Grips because they are the best, and no matter what grip they use, it has never been about reducing feel but to enhance the grip.
Norm