Leather Grips

[johnmcc516]

I just bought and installed leather grips on my Ncode 6-1 95's yesterday. They are amazing. Much more feel than the synthetic grips. I am very pleased. It also feels much better with an overgrip too. For those of you who are thinking about going leather. Do it. I love it.

 

[Bent]

If you sweat a lot in your hands, how good is leather then ?

 

[Ash Doyle]

With the Wilson and Babolat leather grips I use I've noticed they are more absorbent than synthetic grips. A bare leather grip when soaked with sweat gets sticky instead of slippery. I don't exactly like the feel when it gets like this, but it sure doesn't impair your ability to grip it at all.

 

[AndrewD]

The biggest problem with some leather grips is that the little bit of 'tack' they have wears off very quickly. Prince is the the absolute worst for that and, as far as leather grips go, theirs are junk. Actually, they're probably just for show- keeping with the 'old school' image of the POG but expecting people to change them for synth grips. Mine lasted a whole two hitting sessions before it became too slippery to use which, as someone,who has played with leather since he was a kid, knows is patently ludicrous.

John,
Give them a try without the overgrip, you get much better feel.

If anyone has good recommendations for a leather grip -apart from Babolat which I find too thick- it'd be greatly appreciated.

 

[Ash Doyle]

If anyone has good recommendations for a leather grip -apart from Babolat which I find too thick- it'd be greatly appreciated.

I agree. I can only use Babolat leather grips on my racquets that have grips that are somewhat too small. The babolat grips boost the size of the grip significantly. I don't notice this with any other leather grips.

 

[johnmcc516]

I am just using a Wilson leather grip. I will try it without the overgrip, but will more then likely use the overgrip.

The thing I like about it the most is that I can really feel the rigdes in the girp better.

 

[Jonnyf]

I am just using a Wilson leather grip. I will try it without the overgrip, but will more then likely use the overgrip.

The thing I like about it the most is that I can really feel the rigdes in the girp better.

Wilson is far from the best IMO although i have only used Wilson and Babolagt wilson was nothing compared to Babolat

 

[BreakPoint]

I agree. I can only use Babolat leather grips on my racquets that have grips that are somewhat too small. The babolat grips boost the size of the grip significantly. I don't notice this with any other leather grips.

Ash,
How much bigger do the Babolat leather grips increase your grip size? A full size? (e.g., 4 1/2 to 4 5/8?) Which other brands of leather grips have you used, that compared to the Babolat, do not increase the grip size?

I was thinking of ordering some Babolat leather grips but if they increase the grip size that much, I may have to reconsider.

Thanks

 

[goosala]

leather grips hurt like hell.

 

[POGO]

leather grips hurt like hell.

Just like anything else, it hurts the very first time, but it begins to feel good after

 

[POGO]

Ash,
How much bigger do the Babolat leather grips increase your grip size? A full size? (e.g., 4 1/2 to 4 5/8?) Which other brands of leather grips have you used, that compared to the Babolat, do not increase the grip size?

I was thinking of ordering some Babolat leather grips but if they increase the grip size that much, I may have to reconsider.

Thanks

Yes, the Babolat leather grips are the thickest, feels almost a size bigger. TW use to carry Prokennex leather grips, the closest to the original fairway leather grips. Though I have not tried the Volkl leather grips, I heard they are very good and and not as thick as the Bablolats.

 

[POGO]

If you sweat a lot in your hands, how good is leather then ?

Leather grips are very absorbant, as it was already mentioned. Much better than synthetic grips to wick off sweat.

Leather grips will feel much better as they age as they start to soften up and form to shape your hands. I use tournagrip to help wick off sweat even better.

 

[BreakPoint]

Yes, the Babolat leather grips are the thickest, feels almost a size bigger. TW use to carry Prokennex leather grips, the closest to the original fairway leather grips. Though I have not tried the Volkl leather grips, I heard they are very good and and not as thick as the Bablolats.

Thanks, POGO. However, the Volkl grips say they have a raised contour and I generally don't like that.

How about the new Luxilon leather grips that TW now sells? Anyone try those yet? If so, what's your opinion of them? Are they as thick as the Babolat grips? Thanks.

 

[smittysan89]

wow, knowing that the Babalots add a size that helps alot with my selection of picking a racquet off of TW used. I have big hands so its sorta hard.

 

[johnmcc516]

Wilson is far from the best IMO although i have only used Wilson and Babolagt wilson was nothing compared to Babolat

Too bad I am anal about having the brands match

 

[tarkowski]

weight and size?

Thanks for the post!

I have the nSixOne 95 and am interested in going with a leather grip. I would use the white pro overgrip with it (as I do now) and was thinking the leather would give me better feedback of the handle ridges.

Two questions: Did the leather grip add\subtract any weight? And did the handle grow, shrink, or stay about the same?

My 18x20 is 12.7 ounces and though I like a heavy stick, this is about as heavy as I want to go.

Also - I use 4 3/8 with pro overgrip and it's just about perfect.

Thanks!

 

[NoBadMojo]

i dont think the bablelot leathers are thicker at all..they are certaily thinner than the volkls..i've the babblelots on 3 of my frames and volkl on the other, and the volkl feels slightly larger. the volkl leather grip i have doesnt have a raised contour (it's smooth). it's nicer than the Babblelot. if you can locate Fairways somewhere, they're by far the best and are real calfskin. leather in general feels thicker than a synthetic grip maybe because they are but also because they are harder and compress less in your hand than a cushioned synthetic grip. i cover mine up w. an overgrip so i dont care about the tack....i dont think leather grips are anywhere near as secure as synthetics or overgrips in general, and ther tack seems to vary based upon some variables. sometimes they get wet and become tacky and other times get wet and become slippery. Additionally, leather transmits more feel, but also transmits more shock on mishits, so if you are using stiff setups and/or have physical problems, or are older, i would def avoid leather

 

[BreakPoint]

Thanks for the post!

I have the nSixOne 95 and am interested in going with a leather grip. I would use the white pro overgrip with it (as I do now) and was thinking the leather would give me better feedback of the handle ridges.

Two questions: Did the leather grip add\subtract any weight? And did the handle grow, shrink, or stay about the same?

My 18x20 is 12.7 ounces and though I like a heavy stick, this is about as heavy as I want to go.

Also - I use 4 3/8 with pro overgrip and it's just about perfect.

Thanks!

Yes, a leather grip definitely adds more weight to your racquet, perhaps 0.5 oz. or more, and will also make your racquet more headlight in balance. They will also make your grip feel slightly bigger than a synthetic grip since they just don't compress down as much when you grab it.

 

[smittysan89]

the Volkl grip at TW is red....sort of makes me not want to buy it

 

[NoBadMojo]

it's not red. it's brown, but it does have a more reddish tint to it and it bleeds a darker colour than the babblelots which are a light tan, but the quality is really quite good compared to the babbleots..leather vs calfskin and all that abba dabba

 

[AndrewD]

NoBadMojo has made the key comment, which is that the leather grips compress less. That can make them feel less comfortable to people used to synthetics but, on the plus side, they, unlike synthetics, hold the grip size .

As to the weight difference well, roughly (very roughly as I did this on a very cheap pair of scales but it gives you some idea), a ProKennex sythetic replacement grip weighed in at -roughly- 0.5oz. A Prince leather weighed in at just under 1 oz and a Babolat leather was just over the 1 oz mark.

Even allowing for my crappy scales (analogue) that does give you an idea of the weight increase when you go to leather. Also gives you an idea of how much weight you can lose if your racquet originally came with a leather grip (my POG mid minus the leather grip and plus a synth replacement is now (again roughly) a touch over 11.5 ounces.

In terms of the size difference between one leather grip and another, well, personally, that's something Im sensitive to but probably wouldnt be an issue for others.

 

[Ash Doyle]

I've never tried the Volkl leather, but I've tried Prince, Wilson, ProKennex, Fairway, and Babolat. My favorite leather grip is the Dunlop one that came on my Maxply McEnroe. I took that one off and put it on my favorite racquet. I wish Dunlop would sell those. I also don't see what the big deal is about the Fairways. One came on my ProStaff that I bought back in 91, and I bought five other ones a couple of years ago. I don't see them as better than the others. Wilson leather is my current favorite.

The Babolats are good too, but I don't like how they increase the grip size so much. I have two Gamma racquets. One is a 4 3/8 grip. The other was accidently sent to me as a 4 1/4. The 4 3/8 has a wilson leather grip on it. I used a Babolat grip on the 4 1/4, and it feels the same size as the other one now.

 

[johnmcc516]

Thanks for the post!

I have the nSixOne 95 and am interested in going with a leather grip. I would use the white pro overgrip with it (as I do now) and was thinking the leather would give me better feedback of the handle ridges.

Two questions: Did the leather grip add\subtract any weight? And did the handle grow, shrink, or stay about the same?

My 18x20 is 12.7 ounces and though I like a heavy stick, this is about as heavy as I want to go.

Also - I use 4 3/8 with pro overgrip and it's just about perfect.

Thanks!

We have alomst the same setup. My racquet is an L4 ncode nsixone 95. I put a leather grip on and I use the Wilson Pro Overgrip. It is comfortable and gives great feel. I love it. Choice of leather is up to you. I am anal about matching brands so I got a Wilson and have been pleased with it so far.

 

[ssjkyle31]

One thing to keep in mind is gamma, babolat, wilson and prokennex outsource alot of the leather. Some variation may occur in size, thickness tackness and color(hue) which may be notice in different manufacture lots. Fairway by far has the best quality control on the leather. On volkl, the color may vary. In Babolat the thickness vary slightly.

 

[kian]

Has anyone tried those Pacific leather grips?

Also, how thick are leather grips? I've got an n6.1 L3 but find the grip too big. I've taken out the base grip and replaced it with a very thin Yonex one and a Wilson Pro overgrip.

Would a leather grip be even thicker than the both combined?

 

[tarkowski]

johnmac and breakpoint,

Thanks for the info. I have a few of the 95's and I may try a leather grip on one of them. Having the grip keep it's size and making the 18x20 more headlight both sound appealing. My only concern is that it will be over 13oz!

Since I'll be using an overgrip, I'm not too concerned about the tackiness of the leather. I'm most interested in feeling the handle more and keeping the weight down. Knowing this, is there a particular brand of leather grip I should get? Most of the comment's I've seen are on the feel of bare leather.

Thanks!

 

[NoBadMojo]

tarkowski if your reason is mostly in feeling the bevels and the additional feedback, you may wish to more consider the overgrip you are using since all the leather grips are pretty similar if you are putting an overgrip over it anyway...just buy whatever is the cheapest and call it a day. the weight differences and thicknesses really are getting a bit to intricate possiby. i was using the Wilson Pro overgrip until i discovered the new Klip Kobra..this one feels like part of the grip beneath and you can really feel the bevels better and it's a nice sure but not too tacky grip i think...what's closest to your hand is at least as impt as what lies beneath i think

 

[Keifers]

Off subject but...

NBM, any chance you could use caps at the beginning of your sentences? I always want to read your posts as they are so informative, but I find the reading difficult because the lack of caps makes it look like a solid mass of text. Caps would make a big difference -- kinda like the difference between reading a serif font vs. a non-serif font.

Not a criticism and no offense intended. Would you please consider it? Many thanks.

 

[NoBadMojo]

keiferiappreciateyourcomplimentnothanksi'lljustkeeptrudgingalongimynormalstyle..;O..at least i usually use spaces between the words. i think i do alot of miss-spellings as well. if this were to be a writing forum, i would certainly attempt to comply...

 

[BreakPoint]

I agree that Fairway grips are of excellent quality. Compared to Wilson leather grips, the Fairway grips are far superior. I've had older ProStaffs that had Fairway grips that were still in much better shape than much newer ProStaffs with the Wilson grips. The Wilson grips would discolor and start to lose its shape and look really old very quickly, even though an overgrip was always used. On the other hand, the Fairway grips don't discolor even after years of use. They still look fairly new, stay in good shape, and the gold imprinted lettering even stays intact for a very long time. Just a much higher quality leather grip IMHO. Too bad they're no longer available.

 

[Keifers]

NBM, interestingly, I found your running all the words together easier to read! No joke. Ah, the vagaries of human eyesight -- er, actually, my eyesight...

 

[NoBadMojo]

Keifers..Ha! I need to wear reading glasses these days too. Good thing I dont have to read this crap I write ;O

 

[Keifers]

Yeah, reading glasses....Or peering over the top of my distance specs in a store or in a restaurant....[rueful sigh]

It may be crap to you, but many of us get a lot out of it.

 

[NoBadMojo]

Well thanks man....I have taken to busting my own balls now saving others the trouble. Note I am trying to use some CAPS now. In a non tennis related vision aside, the Wallet Owl could be your friend. Slip one into your money clip or wallet and be able read the menu at a dimly lit restaurant, and never again pay 50bucks for a Ketel1/rocks/twist because you cant read the denomination. I'm thankful to see fine from far away still.

 

[max]

I've used prince, volkl, fairway and babolat grips. I would rank them thusly: fairway, volkl, babolat, prince. Heard good things about Luxilon. I have a set of the Pro Kennex, but haven't had a chance to try them yet: they seem thinner than the babolat.

 

[Young Pete]

The biggest problem with some leather grips is that the little bit of 'tack' they have wears off very quickly. Prince is the the absolute worst for that and, as far as leather grips go, theirs are junk. Actually, they're probably just for show- keeping with the 'old school' image of the POG but expecting people to change them for synth grips. Mine lasted a whole two hitting sessions before it became too slippery to use which, as someone,who has played with leather since he was a kid, knows is patently ludicrous.

John,
Give them a try without the overgrip, you get much better feel.

If anyone has good recommendations for a leather grip -apart from Babolat which I find too thick- it'd be greatly appreciated.

THATS WHY YOU WRAP AN OVERGRIP WITH IT.

 

[Keifers]

NBM, yes, I saw the caps -- much appreciated. And thanks for the heads up on the Wallet Owl.

Cheers.

 

[bookem]

Ed...

So I take it you like the Volkls absent the Fairways?

 

[NoBadMojo]

Bookem, I dont care what kind of leather I have under my Volkls. Right now I have the Babblelots under my game frames and have really been liking the Klip Kobra overgrip.

 

[Kirko]

POGO is right the kennex is the closest save the old prince-pro (maroon / black stripe) . to fairway . fairway was in a league of its own.

 

[kian]

Has anyone tried those Pacific leather grips?

Also, how thick are leather grips? I've got an n6.1 L3 but find the grip too big. I've taken out the base grip and replaced it with a very thin Yonex one and a Wilson Pro overgrip.

Would a leather grip be even thicker than the both combined?

Anyone?

Kian

 

[Larry Baldridge]

Leather grips can enhance the "feel" of a racquet in a number of ways. --The feel of the bevels for sure, but also the feel of the ball coming off the strings. Some leather grips can also add weight to the handle, rendering a more head-light balance. Here are some specs on grip weights and other items that may help you determine some variables that affect weight and balance:
Fairway Leather - 25g
Wilson Leather - 22g
Head Leather - 23g
Pacific leather -18g
Volkl Leather -30.4g
All of the above are untrimmed, straight from the package
Gamma Hi-Tech Perforated Replacement Grip - 19g/.67 oz [trimmed to fit]
Babolat "0" vibration dampener - 3.8g/.135 oz
Wilson Pro Feel vibration dampener - 2.5g/.090 oz
#10 rubber band - .7g/.025 oz
16g string in 18 X 20 pattern - 15.9g/.56 oz
Yonex Super Grap overwrap - 5.7g/.20 oz
Wilson Butt cap w/ removable window - 10g/.355 oz
Volkl Soft Butt Cap - 9.4g/.330 oz
Elasto Cross II - 2.3g/.082 oz.[entire contents less applicator]

 

[louis netman]

Thanx for that wonderful info, Larry. As you know, some manufacturer's grips are longer or shorter than others, making it impossible to use your info for comparative purposes. Can you publish the weight of exactly 6 (or 12) inches of each maker's grip, for example? This way one can gather accurate technical comparisons... THANX!!!

 

[PrestigeClassic]

Leather grips can enhance the "feel" of a racquet in a number of ways. --The feel of the bevels for sure, but also the feel of the ball coming off the strings. Some leather grips can also add weight to the handle, rendering a more head-light balance. Here are some specs on grip weights and other items that may help you determine some variables that affect weight and balance:
Fairway Leather - 25g
Wilson Leather - 22g
Head Leather - 23g
Pacific leather -18g
Volkl Leather -30.4g
All of the above are untrimmed, straight from the package
Gamma Hi-Tech Perforated Replacement Grip - 19g/.67 oz [trimmed to fit]
Babolat "0" vibration dampener - 3.8g/.135 oz
Wilson Pro Feel vibration dampener - 2.5g/.090 oz
#10 rubber band - .7g/.025 oz
16g string in 18 X 20 pattern - 15.9g/.56 oz
Yonex Super Grap overwrap - 5.7g/.20 oz
Wilson Butt cap w/ removable window - 10g/.355 oz
Volkl Soft Butt Cap - 9.4g/.330 oz
Elasto Cross II - 2.3g/.082 oz.[entire contents less applicator]

It sounds like someone just obtained a mass scale. Next is a pair of digital calipers.

It should be added that grips vary in consistency, some widely, others not as much. Case in point, the last two Fairway two-handed tan grips that I obtained from TW were each 28g--10 percent more than 25g, and would need, all things considered, 12" of 1/2-inch-wide lead tape to make up for it. That will change the handle feel.

At any rate, it's good to know that Völkl leather grips are so beefy. I love the feel of them. The one that I just wrapped measured an exact 15/16" wide at all points--very nice. Gamma is also superb, but has much variance from grip to grip. Babolat leather is consistent and also heavy, but I think feels horrible like plastic, even with overgrips.

 

[PrestigeClassic]

Thanx for that wonderful info, Larry. As you know, some manufacturer's grips are longer or shorter than others, making it impossible to use your info for comparative purposes. Can you publish the weight of exactly 6 (or 12) inches of each maker's grip, for example? This way one can gather accurate technical comparisons... THANX!!!

That's a great point. I think TW has length and width specs of at least some of the grip that they sell.

 

[DANMAN]

I can't believe more people did not rave about the Head Calfskin grip. I had a used one on my Prestige Classic and though used, it played wonderfully and I was able to grip it perfectly. I wish I could get my hands on some (actually I know where I can...they are just extremely expensive.

 

[Atomic_Sheep]

I've played with a leather grip pros staff classic for about 4 years... It flew out of my hands 2ce in that time on serve... first time it went flying horizontally and skidded to a halt about 2 weeks after I first go it but no damage was done... not even a scratch... well sorta. And the second time was 1 week ago when it flew out of my hand and cracked in 2 places. I played with a synthetic grip with my new racket and I gotta say that I wasn't one bit impressed. The leather grip was by far superior in the sense that my hands sweat a lot but I found that despite that I didn't have to wipe the handle with a towel all that often (it was actually my shirt... it would have these nice yellow marks on it after playing lol) but with this new synthetic grip I had to after every single point blow on my hand wipe off the sweat from the handle and still I ended up concentrating on my grasp of the racket more than playing the point at hand. Not impressed at all. I sincerely regret taking off that origianl leather grip from the standard federer racket. I want to get back to get a that leather grip back... I hope I can buy it I hope I can otherwise I donno what I'll do. Yes the leather hurts for the first couple of training sesions... but now my skins hardened once more (I havent played for a few years and when I started again the leather grip gave me massive blisters... but meh) and the grip is superior in my opinion. The only problem that I had with my old pro staff classic leather grip was that it was wearing out... it was beggining to turn to sand... (I hadn't changed it even once for that 4 year duration mind you) and thats probably why it slipped out of my hand (my fault... tried to save a few bux and ended up losing 300 lol). So with leather... if it begins to wear out get a new one. But yeh after playing with leather despite what everyone claims at store that synthetic grips absorb more and stuff... leather is superior imho.

 

[Ronaldo]

For those that favor Fairway grips, Balmforth makes an awesome grip, a little more rough in texture but very firm and tacky at a reasonable price.

 

[william]

Can you feel the contours on the volkl grip?

 

[thejerk]

I like the plain standard wilson leather with no over grip.