I'm replacing the cork grip on a 4 piece 8wt. After building a few rods and doing a little research, I think I can make it work.

The cork I'm replacing finally gave up after about 10 years of pretty regular saltwater use, and a lot of wading and paddleboard use, so it was wet and in the sun a lot.

It holding up so well made me think about cork quality as I look for a replacement.

I'm guessing just about anyone can grade the cork quality on the grips they're selling, and that I should go with a name-brand supplier?

Is that pretty much it or does the forum have some advice about how to get something that will last under fairly hard use?

Many thanks,


Tom

The grade of cork is more about the clarity (free of pits and voids) than durability. And other than the RodMaker cork grade scale, all the others are purely subjective. There is no photography or percent clarity standard behind them.

[www.rodbuilding.org]

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Thanks for the link, Tom -

If you want the most durable cork go with exotic burl cork. It comes in a myriad of designs and colors, it functions well, it can be turned easily, and in my opinion, some of the designs are better looking than natural cork. The downside is mass-it's density is higher than natural cork. With some rod designs that don't use a lot of cork, this is not a big issue. My fresh water spin designs only use 7 1/2 inch cork rings so 7 foot spin rods with size 17 seats can still come in under 4 oz. I use all exotic burl. Look at the selection at HFF Custom Rods, a sponsor in the left margin.

There are many sources and qualities of cork. My best advice would be to contact Utmost Enterprises and order the High-End cork - excellent quality, fit and finish. I would then apply a light coat of Cork Seal to preserve the cork from the elements.

If you use composite cork and are concerned about the weight, there is this to consider- [www.rodbuilding.org]

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I'll second what Richard Bowers said. Utmost sells Batson cork. Overall, I've had my best experience with the Batson product. Plus, Utmost is a joy to work with; really great people. And I almost always treat my cork with U-40 Cork Seal unless the buyer says otherwise.