A paddle is only as good as its handle, and a handle is only as good as its grip. The grip is where your arm and the paddle become one, so its comfort, shape, cushion, sweat absorption, vibration dampening, tackiness, and durability all have a huge impact on how you swing the paddle.
There are a million grips and overgrips on the market that all make different performance claims - here is how we chose ours, why we think it is a winning combo, and how to maintain your grip:
Most paddles are comprised of an extension of the core material through the length of the handle, with additional pieces of other material glued to either side to add shape and strength to the handle. A hard plastic butt cap is the added to the end to cover up the core material and hold the handle together. A primary grip, usually some combo of foam and plastic rubber is then wrapped around the built up handle and taped to the top to hold it in place.
Our grip is different, starting with the paddle itself. Our handle is fully integrated into the paddle - a structural continuation of the core, with additional basswood material structurally adhered to the core. We then shape our handle out of this so that the face and handle are completely continuous - meaning your hand is as connected as possible to your paddle. Our custom wooden endcaps are adhered to the handle to provide the familiar flair at the handle's end.
We then custom make our own leather grips. Not only is leather a natural material, it is also the most durable grip material, and provides a sturdy, vibration dampening, sweat absorbing grip that doesn't have that unfortunate squish or slickness of plastic based grips. Like a new baseball glove our leather grips will get better over time as the natural oils in your hand condition the leather.
We source all North American vegetable tanned leather. We then precisely cut, thickness, and bevel the leather to achieve a grip that gives your hand a solid, uniform connection to the paddle. Especially for players who sweat, this leather grip will provide an amazing natural tackiness that gives you a great grip. For players who don't sweat or who prefer a more cushioned grip, we recommend OTZ Sports' biodegradable overgrips. You can wrap them directly over our leather grip and replace them whenever you are ready.