I don't have a marked preference. Cork or EVA, full or split; I don't really care. As long as the rod is comfortable to use. And, I don't care what they look like.

 

Function over form every day of the week.

 

^ I completely agree. I prefer full cork grips, but it's not necessary. 

 

Tom

Another vote for cork. It just "finishes" a rod.

I often find EVA gets slippery after awhile. I've put reel grips on both my EVA reels and I just don't really use my EVA rod haha. Not to mention that cork looks a lot better in general. 

I prefer full cork with a foregrip. Nothing fancy. I have a couple rods with EVA that I don't mind, but I would take the cork over them any day. Looks and fishes better IMO.

I don't have a marked preference. Cork or EVA, full or split; I don't really care. As long as the rod is comfortable to use. And, I don't care what they look like.

 

Function over form every day of the week.

This pretty much says it for me also.

Balance, comfort and function is at the top of the list.

Looks don't matter

Mike

Full handle cork for me

Whether it's foam or or cork I prefer the butt to be full as I may have the rod under my armpit.

I have both rods with cork grips and Eva foam grips that I use for bass fishing. At first I preferred the cork grips. But in time after using both I grew to like the Eva foam grips. The Eva grips are smaller and more comfortable to me. But at the end of the day when I'm fishing, I'm not really paying a lot of attention to the grip material ... just too many other 'important' things to think about.

 

For saltwater surf rods I use Eva foam exclusively. It just stands up to the rigors far better than cork.

 

On fly rods that I have made, I always use cork grips. I guess Eva would be too untraditional for me to use although I'm sure that functionally it would be fine.

On a custom rod or a nice G. Loomis or St. Croix, definitely cork. Beneath that price range, I like EVA. Not that I have one of those nice rods, but their cork jobs are awesome.

I think EVA looks nice on a mid-price rod like the red on the Halo Twilight I picked up this year but cork has a better feel and look on high end rods. I really like it on the NRX and Orochi rods I also bought this year. I have never owned a more balanced and great looking stick, especially for half the price of the loomis.

Cork. Just feels better

The 3 most popular grip materials are Cork - EVA Foam - Hypalon.

 

SPECIE CORK

Pros

 > Cork is dense and thus more "sensitive" than foam (less important with large gamefish)

Cons

 > Cork grips get slippery when exposed to fish slime

 > Cork gets dirty with use, especially around blood & slime (gets ugly fast in saltwater)

 > Cork is available in one humdrum color (cork tan)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

EVA FOAM (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate)

Pros

 > Very comfortable to grip (important with large gamefish)

 > Non-slip grip (even in the presence of fish slime)

 > Does not get soiled (impervious to blood & slime)

 > Very attractive and available in many colors

Cons

 > Gets chewed-up over time, and quite quickly under heavy use ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

HYPALON (chlorosulfonated polyethylene)

Pros

 > Very comfortable to grip (important with large gamefish)

 > Non-slip grip (even in the presence of fish slime)

 > Does not get soiled (impervious to blood & slime)

 > Very attractive and available in many colors

 > Hypalon is softer than EVA foam

 > Hypalon is more durable than EVA foam (wears like iron)

Cons 

 

 

Years back, I had custom bluewater blanks paired with Penn Internationals (Shark River, NJ).

I choose Hypalon grips, and have revered them every since, they're the cat's meow (but hard to come by).

 

Roger