As much as I like the look, weight, and performance of the reel, I absolutely despise the EVA knob. It's too square, too small, and feels like a small sanding block. Whose bright idea was that?

I thought it was kinda uncomfortable when I bought it, but I figured I wouldn't notice it while fishing. I was wrong.

I just got off the phone with Pflueger's parts/tech dept., and the knob is not even replaceable. They said I'd have to swap the entire handle. > There isn't even another handle in their product line that would look right on there.

As much as I like the reel, I won't be buying another one.

I'll trade you for the regular Supreme Handle....PM me.

I have a brand new one too. Still on the reel, still in the bag, still in the box.

I appreciate the offer, but I already have two other Supremes I could swap handles with if I wanted to. The carbon-fiber handle is one of the things that makes this reel as light and attractive as it is. None of the other handles would look right on there, as it's the only reel in the lineup without any silver/chrome/polished aluminum trim.

maybe throwing some reel grips on there would beef it up

What is the purpose of the coin slot cap on the side of the knob then?

Just like the CI4 slotted cap and all. Not replaceable and you have to buy the whole handle for a 25cent peice of foam.  You can take it apart but they wont sell you a replacement.  Id take the squared grip over the slim round one though.

So there's a screw and a bearing in there?  Well, why can't you just buy a plastic knob then?

What is the purpose of the coin slot cap on the side of the knob then?

Good question. I grabbed my reel out of the car and using a dime wrapped in a tissue (not sure how durable the finish is on that cap) I unscrewed and removed the little slotted cover. The knob is in fact removeable, but the knobs from a standard Supreme or President XT will not fit the shaft.

The OD of the bearings in the EVA grips is much larger than the bearings in the Supreme grip, and the OD of the XT's shaft is much larger than the ID of the Supreme bearings.

So, theoretically it is replaceable...but not with a standard Pflueger rubberized plastic knob, which is what I want.

So there's a screw and a bearing in there?  Well, why can't you just buy a plastic knob then?

Actually, there are two bearings in there. 

Maybe there is a bearing that will match up with the regular supreme knob, and the XT shaft.

I wonder if one of these would fit...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Official-Parts-ABU-GARCIA-REVO-Handle-Knob-NIB-/140496859036?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20b643ef9c

It may not be any more comfortable, but it would look better. ;D

That's the ONLY thing that annoys me with Pflueger - the handles are not standard across the product line.

The regular Supreme handle is a home run. The Trion and President have those horrible rosewood handles.

Pflueger succumbed to the EVA fad on the Patriarch and new Supreme. I hope they reconsider when it's time for the next generation.

Maybe I'll buy a Shimano..........

NOT !!!

That sucks that it's not available to buy separately or they aren't a standard size or interchangeable.

I've heard alot of people saying how uncomfortable the foam knobs are on the CI4, just what is it that is so uncomfortable about them, I really like mine.

I'm with Sanother siteBasser, check on getting bearings that match the OD of the shaft and fit the ID of the handle you want. 

I have a pflueger patriarch xt and a revo premier that have those knobs and I'm not exactly crazy about them myself.  I really like the reels though so I'm going to learn to live with them.

That's the ONLY thing that annoys me with Pflueger - the handles are not standard across the product line.

The regular Supreme handle is a home run. The Trion and President have those horrible rosewood handles.

Pflueger succumbed to the EVA fad on the Patriarch and new Supreme. I hope they reconsider when it's time for the next generation.

Maybe I'll buy a Shimano..........

NOT !!!

You really don't want to that !

The standard supreme is an excellent reel, I have 3, but what I like even better is my Soron 20 using a Soron 40 handle ( $10 part).

I've chaged alot of grips on handles. A drill and tap and you can do about anything. Have you tried drilling out the pin or rivit where it folds and putting another handle on by re- pinning ?

I just took my CI4 knob apart, and I'm not 100% sure I could replace it with any Shimano knob.  There's two bearings, a plastic sleeve, and a bush built into the bottom of the handle post.  Anyway, mu point is maybe the EVA knobs need special consideration in their design, and can't be easily adapted.  Luckily I like the round knob.  Don't think I would like the squared off knob.

As much as I like the look, weight, and performance of the reel, I absolutely despise the EVA knob. It's too square, too small, and feels like a small sanding block. Whose bright idea was that?

I thought it was kinda uncomfortable when I bought it, but I figured I wouldn't notice it while fishing. I was wrong.

I just got off the phone with Pflueger's parts/tech dept., and the knob is not even replaceable. They said I'd have to swap the entire handle. > There isn't even another handle in their product line that would look right on there.

As much as I like the reel, I won't be buying another one.

why is it square it's not a round nob? the jdm version is round.

why is it square it's not a round nob? the jdm version is round.

From the looks of it, it's the same knob that's on the Patriarch XT baitcaster and Revo Premiers (spinning and baitcast). I don't know what happened to the round knobs that were on some of the earlier models.  :-/  While they wouldn't be great either, they'd have to feel better than the sanding block that's there now.

I picked up a stock Revo SX handle in the Flea Market and the knobs actually fit my Supreme XT, so I went ahead and ordered a set of these to replace that little sanding block...

They may not be any more comfortable, but they look neat. ;D

Ok, I didn't have a chance to finish my post before my wife shoved me out the door so I could bring my son to baseball practice.  ;D

Anyway, I'm thinking I can cut/fit a piece of a foam pencil grip over the knob to make it a bit more comfortable than the bare aluminum.

I just need to find a pack of black ones... :-/

Have you tried those reel grips? I have tried them on several of my reels and I like them.

http://www.***.com/Reel_Grips_Pro_Series_2pk/descpage-RGPS.html

I bought one a few weeks ago and don't really mind the knobs.  I've not been fishing with it though, I'm gonna try it this weekend but it didn't feel rough at all.  I would prefer a rounded knob like the CI4 though.

It's not that the knob is all that rough...it's just the combination of the texture and the shape that I don't like. Had they rounded the edges a bit more, it might have been more comfortable.