Grips...Why the cost? Budget vs OEM

[Tanner25]

On 5/18/2021 at 5:20 PM, 14max said:

Lamkin Crosslines (still the best in my opinion) go for less than $5 per.  That's about $60 or so for 13 of 'em.  Not cheap but not awful either...

 

Plus 1. The Lamkin grey 360's are great at 6 bucks each. 

Edited May 20, 2021 by Tanner25

[azgreg]

I have some Karma Velour midsize grips on one my sets and they are just fine. I did have to use extra wraps of tape to get the same feel as the Crosslines they replaced.

 

[mvhoffman]

50 minutes ago, azgreg said:

I have some Karma Velour midsize grips on one my sets and they are just fine. I did have to use extra wraps of tape to get the same feel as the Crosslines they replaced.

 

which makes sense because the midsize crosslines are .580 and at +1/16 as where the Karma is .600 and 1/32

[kb7]

Love the UTX cord and at $8 or so a grip I can deal with it. I really regret not buying more of the Z5's when they were clearing inventory.

 

If you're looking leather definitely go Best Grips. Zach makes a great product. It is all I use on my putters. I'm considering making the switch through the rest of my bag as well. 

[Stetson]

2 hours ago, North Butte said:

There are a couple reasons I can think of. Mainly, it's probably the type of material. A lot of the newer grips are NOT built for durability and they just wear out a lot faster than your old-school cord grips. I remember when I used to use the original GP Tour Wrap Full Cords back in the day. Good luck wearing those out.

 

But I've also played with guys who I'm not sure ever really clean their grips. Maybe a quick swipe with a damp towel after a few rounds. And they also wear these grotty old blackened, filthy golf gloves for dozens of rounds without ever washing them. If you use a dirty glove to hold an even dirtier grip then sure it's going to wear out faster. 

 

OTOH, I was recently asking another golfer about his driver and he handed it to me to look at. It originally had a Tour Velvet grip but you literally could not see the pattern on it any more. It was so worn down it was completely smooth like a putter grip and kind of cupped out/mashed down permanently in the areas where his hands go. I have no idea how he could swing that club without it flying out of his hands. So maybe it doesn't matter how fast or slow a grip wears out if you're never going to change it anyway!

 

Some folks simply do not know when their grips are worn out, maybe I am one of them haha.  I think grip pressure, leaving them in your trunk, range time, etc all factor into the life as much as material and regular cleaning.  

[Fgav2402]

Karma velour full cord. Karma velvet are nice too. No issues.

[jeggolfer68]

Winn drytac oversize is perfect for my 68 year old arthritic hands and wrists. Pay around $80-$90 for a set, usually once a year. Worth every penny. Grips have definitely increased in price. A popular grip from the 80's, the Golf Pride "Eagle" was a 10" perfect replacement for the old Ping grips. I think Golfworks sold them around a buck a grip. 

[mvhoffman]

I miss the $.99 cent clearance section from Golfsmith’s old website. Order Wed, arrive Friday and be playing new grips on the weekend. 

[ChristopherMcDonald]

I always keep an eye on golfworks. I should have bought more of those Superstroke TX1's when they were $2.99 a grip

[Paintman]

On 5/18/2021 at 1:47 PM, TonyDAnnunzio said:

I have always used GP Tour Velvets...  I clean my grips after every other round with a cleaner called "Awesome" I get at the Dollar Store.  "Awesome" cleaner is the only thing I have even been able to find that takes the black streaks off of our race car trailer...  by chance the spray bottle was next to the sink in the garage when I needed to clean my clubs up a few months ago.  I use a moderately stiff nylon bristle brush to scrub the grips down with the "Awesome" and some warm water.  The grips always feel new...  39 rounds so far this year with at least that or more trips to the range.

Awesome is just that. I'm a painting contractor and have to clean different surfaces without damaging them. This seems to strike that balance of doing enough to do the job and not wrecking the surface. 

My friend who owns some rental properties turned me on to it.

[Matic]

Used to play the Karma velours, switched to the Karma cords. Never looking back and I'll never pay over $4 for a grip. 

[Phireside]

Pure Grips. Cheap and top notch

[101315]

I'll pay more for a grip made in the US or another first world country. Paying a premium for Golf Pride/Winn/Lamkins that are made in Thailand/China/Phillipines that the company probably pays 5 cents a piece for doesn't make sense to me. The generic ebay grips are probably from the same factories. 

[cristphoto]

On 5/18/2021 at 2:03 PM, achappy said:

Grip prices  have increased significantly and unfortunately for me they don't perform any better and actually worse.  They don't grip or last like they used to.  

 

Lamkin was always my goto but they've gone the route of Golf Pride with a slew of synthetic style grips.  I think their last really good, long lasting all purpose grip was the X10 Crossline. I still have one on a J33 that's 5 years old that feels now.

 

That's why I will only use Golfwork's Royal Link Cord grips. Discovered them by accident as I noticed that they have reduced taper and I had some success with Royal grips in the past.  IMHO, best grip out.  No taper, great grip and feel great without being rough.  Can't beat 13 for $44.

 

I was beginning to think I was the only one to have found these grips.  Absolutely fantastic, great feel for a cord grip and long lasting.  Plus they are a true rubber grip - not synthetic rubber like Golf Pride, Lamkin, and others.  Why Lamkin sold Royal to Golfworks is anyone's guess but I hope they never discontinue them.  For the price they are a steal ($5 cord, $4 non-cord).  

[dsmil]

Dallasgolf.com has their own velvet-style grips for $3.  I can't tell the difference between them and the Golf Pride ones.

[liveagua]

On 5/18/2021 at 10:59 AM, mvhoffman said:

So, why so expensive?  Most grips are rubber, most ALL grips are some form of rubber.  What rubber is used that is 75% more expensive than the other.  This is a rabbit hole of questions and debate, however.... buy OEM at $140 a set for the quality, but make sure to regrip once a year at least.  Buy $30 grips on Amazon/ebay/etc and make sure to regrip once a year at least.  If something happens that the grips get slick or something happens to them it is still 1/4 of the cost.  I know that there are some made in the USA, but most are made in the orient somewhere.  Same factory, different paint, logos,etc...?

The Orient??? TF is this??? 1754?

[RobotDoctor]

On 5/21/2021 at 11:49 AM, liveagua said:

The Orient??? TF is this??? 1754?

 

This bothers you?  I am 1/2 Japanese and this doesn't bother me at all. 

[kleydejong]

I went down a bit of a grip rabbit hole a few years back.  Tried SEVERAL different makes and models.  I have settled on Royal Grips from Golfworks.  The V sand is $2.99 per grip and I really like it. 

[th6252]

How amazing would it be if Karma made a Chameleon grip?

[dubbelbogey]

Today starts my experiment with Karma grips. I'm using the Velour model with the white paint fill so it is basically patterned like my trusty Lamkin Crosslines.

 

 

I have always liked the Crosslines for their longevity, I easily get 3 seasons out of them as long as I keep them scrubbed clean. They last longer for me than Tour Velvets.

 

We'll see how the Karma holds up. I'm using it on just one club - my driver - which is my most used club. It'll be interesting to see if there is real value there at a small fraction of what Crosslines now cost.

 

I wasn't really looking to do this experiment, but I needed to spend an extra couple of bucks on a larger order to get free shipping so I bought one grip for $2.49.

 

 

[mvhoffman]

4 hours ago, dubbelbogey said:

Today starts my experiment with Karma grips. I'm using the Velour model with the white paint fill so it is basically patterned like my trusty Lamkin Crosslines.

 

 

I have always liked the Crosslines for their longevity, I easily get 3 seasons out of them as long as I keep them scrubbed clean. They last longer for me than Tour Velvets.

 

We'll see how the Karma holds up. I'm using it on just one club - my driver - which is my most used club. It'll be interesting to see if there is real value there at a small fraction of what Crosslines now cost.

 

I wasn't really looking to do this experiment, but I needed to spend an extra couple of bucks on a larger order to get free shipping so I bought one grip for $2.49.

 

 

Hope they work out for you. I put a set on about 3 years ago for a friend and they are still going strong 

[webwarmiller]

18 hours ago, dubbelbogey said:

Today starts my experiment with Karma grips. I'm using the Velour model with the white paint fill so it is basically patterned like my trusty Lamkin Crosslines.

 

I've bought these (no paint infill) off AMZ for as little as $9 for 13 within the past year (current price is $27).  I've used them for years (installed with air) and have zero complaints.  

[Anser3]

I miss Sharpro.  Their grips were every bit as good as the NDMC by Golf Pride and they were less than half as much.  Actually, Sharpro was the first company to make that grip. The NDMC is actually a copy.

Edited July 9, 2021 by Anser3

[Anser3]

On 5/22/2021 at 11:53 PM, kleydejong said:

I went down a bit of a grip rabbit hole a few years back.  Tried SEVERAL different makes and models.  I have settled on Royal Grips from Golfworks.  The V sand is $2.99 per grip and I really like it. 

 I found that grip too soft for my liking but it was a really nice grip, especially for the price.  I'm somewhat partial to the old (cursive logo) Lamkin Crossline jumbo grips.

[Anser3]

 

 

I don't watch this guy's videos much  (I primarily watch Tom Wishon for all equipment stuff from any technical standpoint... Tom is the best) but this is an interesting review.  I will eventually give the Champkey grips a try.

Edited July 9, 2021 by Anser3

[Shallowface]

I too have had a great deal of success with Karma grips.  I would like to see Hireko offer a reduced taper version.

 

Tacki-Mac's Tour Select models are virtually identical to the Karma Tour Velour and are fine as well. 

[mvhoffman]

49 minutes ago, Anser3 said:

 

 

I don't watch this guy's videos much  (I primarily watch Tom Wishon for all equipment stuff from any technical standpoint... Tom is the best) but this is an interesting review.  I will eventually give the Champkey grips a try.

I tried Champkey 2 years ago for their Winn style and they were wonderful.  I currently have the Saplize red model ones on mine now.  The Saplize are more of a MCC+4 feel.  Also, the pain on the lower hand being white does give them them fake/knock off look.  They have a nice feel to them but looks are a little to be desired.  The weight of the Saplize grips are up there too.  75ish grams for the model shown in midsize.

[Rodrig13]

On 5/20/2021 at 6:38 PM, ChristopherMcDonald said:

I always keep an eye on golfworks. I should have bought more of those Superstroke TX1's when they were $2.99 a grip

If it makes you feel any better, I bought a bunch of those TX1’s and quite a few of them were dry rotted. I emailed Golfworks about it and they told me they were aware of the problem which is why they were being offered at the discounted rate. It took me quite a few emails for me to get some of my money back for the ones that were rotten. 

[Pepperturbo]

Grips have improved over recent years, having a greater effect on play.  Yes, they are costly, but NOT outside of reason.  Head covers are expensive too.  Most of both those categories are now made in China.  Imagine if they were all made in the US, pricing would choke the average buyer. 

 

Thanks to lots of bad decisions, virus and Rubber production in China, worldwide supply chain was seriously interrupted, staffing and trucking collapsed, therefore affecting distribution costs = grips cost a bit more.

[ChristopherMcDonald]

3 hours ago, Rodrig13 said:

If it makes you feel any better, I bought a bunch of those TX1’s and quite a few of them were dry rotted. I emailed Golfworks about it and they told me they were aware of the problem which is why they were being offered at the discounted rate. It took me quite a few emails for me to get some of my money back for the ones that were rotten. 

wow I must have gotten real lucky. Finally starting to move onto other grips now that my supply is out. Kinda crappy of golfworks to discount a bad product to move it