So I was thinking, since rod companies all leave part of the blank exposed under the reel seat where you can rest a couple fingers, does it really matter if your handle is made of carbon fibre, cork, EVA, etc. specifically for casting rods

It matters to me and I like quality Cork.

The end.

An exposed reel seat sounds cool and probably sells rods.

But I do not expect it to make any difference in my ability to

determine what my bait is doing at any point.

YMMV

A-Jay

 

 

 

 

I don't mind EVA, but I prefer cork.

 

I prefer a reel seat that covers the blank unless the blank is pretty large in diameter. It's all about hand fatigue for me.

Different rods, different niches, casting techniques, different grips and MOC.  

X-shrink over EVA is best for shore and surf 2-hand rods, and offshore rods.  

Keeps the rod weight down on a heavy rod, and makes a light rod even lighter.  

Split grips, solid cork, all good, as long as it balances the rod blank properly.  

(definitely prefer cork, and I have original cork going back to 1914).  

Speaking of balance, old-school rods can be really grippy with rubber

and bakelite is the grippiest grip I've ever grabbed.  

I have one stream trout rod blade so light, cork overwhelmed it, and I couldn't feel light lure weight on the rod.  The grip was made to swap grasp, so I balanced it with a carbon grasp.  

Cork handles feel better to me. 

In my opinion its just about personal preference in terms of feel. I don't believe it will help becoming a "better fisherman" or anything. I prefer the carbon or grip type "wynn" grip or whatever its called but I have nothing against cork either 

9 hours ago, Speedy Turtle said:

does it really matter if your handle is made of carbon fibre, cork, EVA, etc. specifically for casting rods

 

Well, carbon when it gets wet can be slippery to me. EVA is yucky and acts like a vibration damper and can make a sensitive rod 'feel' like it has almost no sensitivity because the EVA does not transmit physical vibrations very well. But out of all of the choices cork is best to me because for one it is a natural material and feels natural in the hands, and for us woodworkers who like the feel of natural woods around us and in our hands, cork is best. Best feel, and it transmits vibrations reasonably better than EVA, and does not feel slippery to me when it gets wet.

 

I also like how easy cork is to shape so its an easy material to work with. Cork is at the top of my list, and those other two are not even on the list.

I have rods of various material, but I much prefer cork, just due to feel

9 hours ago, A-Jay said:

It matters to me and I like quality Cork.

The end.

An exposed reel seat sounds cool and probably sells rods.

But I do not expect it to make any difference in my ability to

determine what my bait is doing at any point.

YMMV

A-Jay

 

 

 

 

This. Hands down this 

My personal preference is for split-grip cork, but saying that, I do have a couple full-length cork handles, some EVA and one Carbon.

 

Long as the rod/reel combo is balanced, I'm not too fussed about what the handle is made of.

It's your personal preference. I've always liked cork.

As others have said it is personal prefernce. I have a mix of all different grips. As long as I can catch fish It really doesn't matter to me.

My favorite is the carbon monocoque handle on my poison adrenas. Won't own a rod with winn grips despise that stuff.

I care a great deal the first time I use any rod.  And magically, I don't care at all by the second or third time.  On my deck yesterday, I had full cork, half cork, Eva, Wynn wrap, carbon fiber and rubber - never once thought about the grip when switching rods.

I don't like winn grips or any type of soft touch rubber, cork is my preference but EVA, carbon, all fine.

No, grip material is preference.  Also the "exposed blank" in the reel seat and handle is often fake on many rods.  Some fake it by having the exposed area be a tube that the blank fits into and the blank is either glued in place or removable with a 2pc rod that joins at the handle.  With these rods the "exposed blank" at the reel seat and split grip being a part of the handle construction and not actually the blank.  The other way to fake it is like the Daiwa rods that just shape the reel seel with an area that looks like an exposed blank..

I like a cork handle and I'm impartial to a split grip. I use to hate it on some rods but things I disliked (lack of balance and feel), have improved on a lot of rods.

5 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

My personal preference is for split-grip cork, but saying that, I do have a couple full-length cork handles, some EVA and one Carbon.

My preference as well. I do have EVA full grip, EVA split grip, full cork and split cork. I prefer split cork.

 

A full cork grip I made into a split grip years ago:

I still love this rod ... Needs a little cleaning tho  

Cork is my preference. Split grips are my preference as well. EVA is ok but prefer cork. 

I can fish just about anything, but cork is my by far preference.  I have a couple EVA grip rods still that occasionally make it into the boat and I notice it.  Winn grips are the worst for me also.  I won't have one of those.  They just look and feel cheap to me even though I know they aren't.  I mostly have split grip rods, because those are the rods I've chosen but given the choice I would have them all as full grip.  But it's not worth my time to rebuild them that way.

Cork all the way, but I have EVA, and 4 rods with Carbon, eva just feels lighter than even Carbon but it can be slick, with that said I have 1 rod with carbon that is as slippery as ice and I have no practical solution for that. 
 

1. cork

2. EVA

3. Carbon

4. Hypalon I have one salt, rail rod with this material 

Oh, full grip over split, although I love Trey’s split grips on his spinning rods. 
Talons split eva is nicely proportional but still slick. 

I prefer builting with North Forks Composite carbon split grips on most bass rods for light weight and durability but heavier flip and swimbait rods get full length cork. NFC carbon has some surface texture that not only improves grip but is very comfortable.

 

 

I have used full length carbon fiber on a jerkbait rod and a couple of panfish/light spinning rods.

 

Will be experimenting with some NFC XO Skeleton grips for maximum weight reduction on a couple upcoming UL spinning builds.

 

2 hours ago, Jigfishn10 said:

My preference as well. I do have EVA full grip, EVA split grip, full cork and split cork. I prefer split cork.

 

A full cork grip I made into a split grip years ago:

I still love this rod ... Needs a little cleaning tho  

Mr Clean Magic Eraser!

 

The rod handle doesn’t enhance or degrade strike detection for me as I feel line movements.

Whatever you prefer is good.

Lamiglas introduced carbon fiber handles about 2012 and it went over like a fart in church.

Tom

1 hour ago, WRB-2.0 said:

Mr Clean Magic Eraser!

 

The rod handle doesn’t enhance or degrade strike detection for me as I feel line movements.

Whatever you prefer is good.

Lamiglas introduced carbon fiber handles about 2012 and it went over like a fart in church.

Tom

I feel like split grip had a similar track record. They came in - I like to say early 00’s - left then came back a few years later. 
 

Not sure tho, I really can’t remember 

Full cork for me.  I do not like split grips.  I only have 1 split and it is a seldom used spiral wrap.