Oggie Ergo Grip - Pro/Custom

[Neal 41]

BackgroundJoe offered me the opportunity to try one of his custom creations a few weeks back and I jumped on it. I’m a big fan of the Oggie Ergo grip, I've been using them in all my shafts and OPS for years. With that said, I've been experimenting with moving my little finger off the grip at the top for more flexibility. With the standard Ergo grip there is a large flare there that makes this difficult. I've actually carved that off on one of my grips and I really liked it. Having the curved grip with a smaller knob at the end really appealed. Joe worked with me to identify the flex, shape and thickness I wanted.

This is what Joe created:

For more information, Jarick does a great job describing the grips and the questions Joe asks before creating your grip in his long term review here.

I tried the new grip in three shaft blade combos and an OPS. The OPS is a Dolomite in 85 flex with a Savard pattern. The shafts are an Innovative 1100 in 300 flex with a Harrow blade in pattern 4, a Harrow 300 in 85 flex with a Harrow blade in pattern 4 and a Bauer One95 in 77 flex with a CCM 892 in the Recchi pattern.

Installation As Jarick noted, I found differences in how the grip fit the different shafts. The 1100 and Dolomite needed needed one wrap lengthwise to snug them up. The Harrow and the One95 needed two strips of tape lengthwise. If you can insert a blade into a shaft you can install an Oggie. 10/10

Weight I never had any issues with the original grip's weight. I think the new one is slightly lighter. I honestly don't care enough to weigh it. 10/10

Balance I didn't find the grip to change the balance of any of the sticks negatively. I used to prefer a wood extension to balance the blade out and give a bit of a blade light feeling, so the extra weight of the grip is actually a positive to me. 9/10

Grip The original Ergo had a huge impact for me. My grip was greatly improved with it and issues I had with dropping my stick were solved. However, the grip did lock your hand into a single way of holding it. There wasn't much flexibility in terms of shifting your hand for poke checks, dekes or shots. This is what really appealed to me about the custom grip.

My grip is thinner at the top allowing me to drop the grip into the palm of my hand for more flexibility. At first I was having some issues with dropping the stick but after a game or two I adapted and haven't had any issues since. There wasn't a huge improvement in my game, but I find it helpful in certain situations to be able to twist the grip in my hand slightly for more range of movement. Best of all the new grip did not cause any new aching or pain from my arthritis in my hands. So all or almost all of the grip of the original Ergo but with more choice in how you position your top hand. 10/10

Feel As Jarick stated in his review the grip mimics the look of Powerflex tape, but with a softer, slightly squishy feel. I like the feel of the grip. Between the new and improved texture and the changed shape, I really prefer this style over the older Ergo grip and definitely over a standard taped butt end. 10/10

Flex I mostly used the 1100 as my comparison for this as I've been using an 1100 shaft for years in this flex. I'm very familiar with this shaft. I actually tried a wooden extension, an original Ergo and used the Dolomite uncut to compare flex (Dolomite sorta equals 1100). The Dolomite comparison didn't tell me much as I really didn't like the Savard pattern and it was a bit short for me without an extension. But between the wood plug, the original and the new in the 1100, I definitely preferred the new grip. I'm not sure how much of that is from the flex and how much is from the difference in the texture and grip pattern. I think it is mostly the latter. 10/10

Performance As with the original grip, the new grip didn't add 20 MPH to my slapshot. But it certainly didn't negatively impact it any way. My peak speed and weight of my shots probably didn't change, but I still feel like I get more consistent zip on my shots with an Oggie, especially my backhand. The change in the grip shape didn't impact that. None of the sticks I tried the grip with were impacted negatively. I shot better with the grip in each of them than I did with a wooden extension.

Initially my shots were trending left, but a little adjustment time took care of that. My accuracy isn't hugely improved, but my versatility on my shots is. I can get a harder, more accurate shot off in the less ideal situations that are so common during games.

I also think my poke checks are better with an Ergo or the new grip. I can take much more impact without losing my grip. I also find I can knock down a shot or hard pass easier, especially one handed.

Passing took a game or so of adjustment, but seems to come around to my normal level of accuracy. Initially I had the same left trend as my shots. Probably because I get more follow through with the changed top hand position. 10/10

Durability I've only used the grip for 10 games, so I can't comment on long term durability. I did notice the very top of the grip is wearing a little. I'll monitor this and post an update after several more games. 7/10 - original Ergos lasted 40 or more games for me with only minor wear before I snapped them, so given the bit of wear I'm seeing I'll mark this a little lower. If the wear is only cosmetic after several more games I'll bump it up.

The new grip combines all the positives of the Ergo with additional flexibility in how you hold it. What's not to like? 10/10