Grip texture comparison

Each of the six grips is one mould, so the pattern you see is the relief you feel — design and texture are the same decision here. Ratings are ours, from in-house testing plus aggregated review subscores.

Open Cell — Dark Matter and Ember

Grip 5/5. Cushion 4/5. +2.4 mm. Deep Voronoi cell walls with open channels between them. Dark Matter and Ember share the depth; Ember runs a coarser, more angular cell. The only texture that moves sweat rather than just resisting it. Cell edges are sharp for the first week and soften with use. Needs cleaning every two to three weeks under heavy use, because the cells collect skin oil and go slick when they load up.

Micro Cell — Volt

Grip 4/5. Cushion 3/5. +1.8 mm. The same cell geometry as Dark Matter at roughly half the pitch. Consistent traction with no pressure points, which makes it the best choice for sessions over four hours. This is the default recommendation for most people.

Contour Ridge — Venom

Grip 4/5. Cushion 5/5. +3.1 mm. Raised ridges running across the finger wrap, on a softer Shore 60A compound. The most comfortable grip we make and the one to buy for joint pain, but the ridges are smooth so it has less outright bite than the open-cell textures.

Soft Matte — Ice Froyo

Grip 3/5. Cushion 3/5. +1.1 mm. Soft-touch with a dimpled palm patch, no pattern elsewhere. Meaningfully better than bare plastic and almost undetectable in the hand. Not the answer for sweat — a smooth surface has nothing to work with once there is moisture on it.

Grid Emboss — Vapor

Grip 4/5. Cushion 2/5. +1.4 mm. A raised square mesh with a node at every intersection. The lowest-profile texture we make and the one that disturbs existing muscle memory least — but it is a dry-hand surface, with no channels to move moisture.

Choosing between the top two

Most people are deciding between Dark Matter and Volt. The rule is simple: if sweat is your problem, Dark Matter. If pressure or fatigue is your problem, Volt. If neither, Volt is the safer purchase.