Has anyone added heat shrink tubing to their rod handles?

 

If so, how did it turn out?

Does the grip remain tacky over time? Does the heat shrink tubing shrink length wise or just in diameter?

 

Toying with the idea as a winter project. Thanks in advance.

I'm assuming your rod handle is EVA and not cork. Is it deteriorating, or does it just not feel right?

I would give it a good cleaning with something like SimpleGreen to get rid of the dirt and grease.

Don't know what to tell you about adding shrink tubing other than it does shrink lengthwise. I doubt it would improve your grip. If that's your goal, I'd wrap it with the stuff they use on baseball bats and tennis rackets. When that gets nasty, you can just peel it off and rewrap it.

15 minutes ago, papajoe222 said:

I'm assuming your rod handle is EVA and not cork. Is it deteriorating, or does it just not feel right?

I would give it a good cleaning with something like SimpleGreen to get rid of the dirt and grease.

Don't know what to tell you about adding shrink tubing other than it does shrink lengthwise. I doubt it would improve your grip. If that's your goal, I'd wrap it with the stuff they use on baseball bats and tennis rackets. When that gets nasty, you can just peel it off and rewrap it.

Thanks for the info. Grips are fine, just curious if heat shrink would add any benefit. I have rods with cork and rods with Eva, nothing wrong with any of them.

I put a section of 'X-Tube' type shrink tube on the an older Fenwick Hooksetter over the original EVA foam grip material. Looks good enough and works great. 

Please look at my old post about it:

and almost one year and half and it is holding very well like first day. 

Only one thing to remind you that it will add weight to your rod a lot. As you can see I just add them for my catfish rods that I use for bait and wait.

Yup, my fishing buddy also used those heat shrink tubes on his rods. No complaints from him, only compliments about improving the grip. I oddly prefer the Winn overwrap.

I’ve been doing it for years.  I think I have it on all of my rods.  Some of it has been on for at least 10 years and is as good now as when installed.  There is very little length shrinkage.  I get mine from The Mud Hole.  Do some measuring to be sure to get the right size.

I've got a friend who put it on his Lews rods that had the Wynn grips that had deteriated. He liked it, but I didn't care for it. I prefer cork. He prefers EVA or the stock Lews rubberized "Wynn" grips.

I use a lot of X-shrink on salt rods., here over a too-small EVA foregrip, offshore slow jigging.    

14' surf rod, the foregrip has a base wrap of cork tape

 

This salt finesse rod had grip too small for human hands, the wedge in the rear intended to split 3rd and 4th fingers, but it split 2nd and 3rd on me, and split them wide.  

I made a trial using closed-cell foam, cut it off, and finished with cork tape and X-shrink.  Ahhh.  

Indexed hand-position paddle grips using closed cell foam and X-shrink

The best way to apply this stuff is using boiling water from a tea kettle - pour from the center toward each end.  

12 hours ago, papajoe222 said:

If that's your goal, I'd wrap it with the stuff they use on baseball bats and tennis rackets. When that gets nasty, you can just peel it off and rewrap it.

Or use Winn grip wraps, similar stuff, lots of designs, great "gription." 

I put shrink wrap on a few of my handles. Did it mostly to add some color. I used a heat gun and there were no problems. Give yourself a little extra in length. They’ve held up for for over 4 years. A damp cloth with a little Dawn dish soap cleans them easily

9 hours ago, ATA said:

Only one thing to remind you that it will add weight to your rod a lot.

I see you used paracord, is that the main source of the weight or is the shrink tube heavy?

There is no noticeable difference in weight after applying the shrink tube 

1 hour ago, LCG said:

I see you used paracord, is that the main source of the weight or is the shrink tube heavy?

shrink tube have weight by itself as well, I've had only shrink tube on some rod and I notice the weight immediately.

1 hour ago, ATA said:

shrink tube have weight by itself as well, I've had only shrink tube on some rod and I notice the weight immediately.

X Shrink 1” diameter is .588 oz per foot.

Tom

5 hours ago, WRB said:

X Shrink 1” diameter is .588 oz per foot.

Tom

That adds up! 

I played around with shrink wrap and Winn grips that you attach, they are just ok, honestly if you're looking for that kind of feel buy a rod that comes with Winn grips, looks better, works better.  But if you gotta have some on your favorite rod then Winn Grips are better than shrink wrap any day. 

i dont think i have ever gripped a fishing rod and thought...wow.."i could use some more grippiness.".

 

 

yet no one else ever has, either.  

Plenty of examples on this thread of how and why to use X-shrink.  

It's easy and inexpensive to replace, and can be used to repair worn, chipped cork and EVA grips.  No accident high-$ offshore rods come with it.  

It makes a 1st-class repair on a splitting foam grip, like this 14-y-o stake-out pole.  

not discouraging anyone to do what they want to do.  just parroting my own thing..my OWN thing.  

All my rods that don’t have cork on em have the heat shrink tubing cause I don’t like Eva foam. 

Thank you everyone for your thoughts, experience, and opinions on using shrink tubing. It's given me some input I didn't think of, will have to think it over. Appreciate the guidance.