I use U-40 on all of my cork and in my opinion it in no way effects feel, color or performance.

i agree with those who have said it doesn't change the feel.  i have sealed all of mine with u40 and noticed no difference in feel, but definitely stays cleaner with the sealant.

I've never heard of this U-40 but now I'm definitely going to get a jar after reading the comments on this thread, thanks!

Here's one you may not have heard before. Reading some crappie fishing books, one article said to use ArmourAll on the cork! Maybe I'll give that a try.

Also a fan of the U-40 on all of my rods

I gotta say new cork looks great but I kinda prefer the look of weathered broke in cork. I don't use anything on my cork

44 minutes ago, Wingman87 said:

I gotta say new cork looks great but I kinda prefer the look of weathered broke in cork. I don't use anything on my cork

Me too..& me neither..

They way I figure it, by the time the cork gets too old and wore out to use you will have a nice vintage looking rod to hang on the wall in your mancave!

On 3/16/2016 at 11:58 PM, Wingman87 said:

I gotta say new cork looks great but I kinda prefer the look of weathered broke in cork. I don't use anything on my cork

Ditto 

 

Mike 

I wrap my rod with the hide of a Centaur and seal it with the tears of a unicorn. 

13 minutes ago, iabass8 said:

I wrap my rod with the hide of a Centaur and seal it with the tears of a unicorn. 

Your a savage! No one should make a unicorn cry.... No one

1 minute ago, Wingman87 said:

Your a savage! No one should make a unicorn cry.... No one

It didn't have tickets to the gun show. I felt forced to make an example out of it. The unicorn forced my hand. 

Just now, iabass8 said:

It didn't have tickets to the gun show. I felt forced to make an example out of it. The unicorn forced my hand. 

I dont condone the act, but chuck norris would be proud.

I U40 all of my rods. I think the U40 darkens the cork a little bit but I think If you ever decide to sell the rod, clean cork heps with resell

Yes and I bet that those saying no because it changes the feel would be hard pressed to tell the difference in a blindfold test.

5 hours ago, PAGreg said:

Yes and I bet that those saying no because it changes the feel would be hard pressed to tell the difference in a blindfold test.

This.

I thought that there was a difference when I first used it but I was applying it too thick. Protects and keeps clean with a slightly darker color. No reason not to use now.

I'm not claiming to know whether it's the best - but on new rods I used STP protectant spray on my cork grips , when it dries the cork becomes darker though  . The U40 appears to be a solid choice and what I would use in the future ... I just thought the STP was better than nothing and was what I had laying around at the time . No issues with the STP - just feel those who use the U40 can't all be wrong !

U40 is nearly water thin. I don't see any affect on feel either. 

On Monday, March 14, 2016 at 2:50 PM, carlm01 said:

Used sealant on all of my rods ( Loomis) and will keep on using it ....

 

If those were sealed w U40 than I'm sold after what I read. I can't tell a change in the color. Some of the cork on these new rods is too light/white/bright or whatever u want to call it. The new MB orochi rods for example, like them but that cork, wow.

I use it on all my cork and I honestly don’t think it changes the “feel” at all.  The only effects I’ve seen are that it darkens the cork slightly, and its MUCH easier to clean once per year.

This thread up is 2 1/2 years old, how about posting up to date photos of those NRX rods!

Tom

U40 once a year, after a good cleaning with magic eraser.  

This reminds me of going over to some of my older relatives' houses (grand parents and such) and seeing their sofa wrapped in clear plastic.  Some of you younger folks may not have ever experienced this, but it used to be a thing.

 

I always used to wonder how they could stand never being about to enjoy the feeling of the sofa fabric due to the plastic protector.  

 

To me, sealing the cork of a rod handle is no different.  I like the feel of cork and I ain't about to cover it up with any chemicals.  Quality cork handles last a long, long time.  No need to seal them.

On 3/15/2016 at 7:33 PM, Crestliner2008 said:

Here's one you may not have heard before. Reading some crappie fishing books, one article said to use ArmourAll on the cork! Maybe I'll give that a try.

That's a great idea! I bet Armor All would be perfect for golf club grips, too.

Since this old thread got bumped up I’ll ask it here, has anyone ever experience U40 getting gritty?

 

I just sealed a rod last night and when I went to get it ready to take out this morning I noticed a very slight feeling of grit on some parts of the cork. My little bottle of U40 is maybe 80% empty and is probably three or four years old at this point.  I admit that the foam brush I used was a $0.05 flea-market special so maybe it’s to blame, but I have been using bushes from the same lot for all my other rods with no issue.