Towel vs PU Overgrips: Two Different Mechanisms, Not Two Grades

Towel and PU overgrips are not two quality tiers of the same product. They stop the handle from slipping through two different mechanisms: towel fabric absorbs sweat, PU surface grips it. Which one a market needs depends on how much the players sweat and how the product is sold, not on which one sounds more advanced. Two towel models against eleven PU models says the split in this range is uneven by design.

The Range at a Glance

Towel (2 models)

PU (11 models)

Two accessories sit alongside: FCA-17 PE base film (25 m × 3 cm × 2C, polyurethane) and FCOG-04 finishing tape (1000 or 2000 × 1 cm, PVC with adhesive).

Two Mechanisms

A towel overgrip works by absorption. The fabric takes sweat off the palm and into the material, so the surface stays dry enough to hold. It does not depend on a coating, which is why it keeps working after the hand has been sweating for an hour. The trade is feel: towel is coarser in the hand and it wears faster than a coated strip, because the fibres that absorb are also the fibres that abrade.

A PU overgrip works by grip. The surface — tacky, dry, matte, perforated or ridged — creates friction against the skin. It feels smoother, it comes in far more colours, and it is what most retail buyers expect when they pick a grip off a shelf. The limitation is that a tacky coating loses its advantage once the palm is wet, and a dry surface manages sweat rather than removing it.

Neither is a better version of the other. A player with dry hands in a cool hall gets nothing from towel and loses the smooth feel of PU. A player in a humid hall who sweats through a grip in a set will find most PU surfaces failing and towel still holding.

Why the Specs Do Not Line Up

Three columns behave differently between the two materials, and each has a reason.

Width. Towel runs 30 and 32 mm; PU clusters at 25 and 26 mm. Towel is wider because it holds through contact area rather than tack — once the fabric loads with sweat, a broader overlap is what keeps the strip seated.

Length. PU single strips run 1090 to 1140 mm, and 1100 mm is the standard across most of the range. Towel splits into a 700 mm single and a 10 m roll. The 700 mm strip is sized to cover one handle; the roll is sized for a bench that re-wraps a batch at a time. They are different formats for different customers, not two lengths of the same thing.

Thickness. PU is quoted at 0.65, 0.8 or 1.9 mm. Towel has no thickness figure at all in this range — because it is a woven structure, not a coated film. Asking for the thickness of a towel grip is asking the wrong question; the equivalent variable is how much fabric sits under the palm, which is set by the weave.

That last point is worth flagging to buyers who compare quotations line by line. A towel quote that lists a thickness figure alongside PU quotes is either a different product or a mislabelled sheet.

Buying Questions

Which should I stock for a humid market?

Both, but in that order: towel for the players who sweat heavily enough to soak a grip, PU dry-feel surfaces for everyone else. FCTG-01 and FCTG-10 cover the towel side; FCOG-06, FCOG-03, FCLG-04 and FCLG-03 cover PU dry.

Why are there only two towel models?

Because towel is a position, not a range. Two formats — a single strip for retail and a roll for clubs — cover the two ways it is actually bought. PU needs eleven models because it has to cover thickness, surface and construction variations; towel does not vary that way.

Is towel cheaper than PU?

Price is not the distinction, and it should not be treated as one. The two materials serve different conditions; a buyer choosing on price alone will end up with the wrong grip for the market rather than a cheaper one.

Can a club use the 10 m roll for retail?

It can, but it should not. The roll is a bench format for re-wrapping many handles in sequence. Retail sells a single strip that a player takes home. Mixing the two formats creates cutting, packing and labelling work that the roll was meant to avoid.

What should I check on a towel sample?

Confirm the format first — 700 mm single or 10 m roll — because the two are often quoted under the same model family. Then check width at 30 or 32 mm, and check how the fabric behaves after wetting, since absorption is the whole mechanism.

Building the Range

PU is the base of any assortment; towel is the piece that answers a specific complaint. In this range, eleven PU models against two towel models reflects that ratio honestly.

Stock PU across thickness and surface — 0.65 mm for feedback, 0.8 mm as the volume tier, 1.9 mm for cushion, with tacky and dry split by climate. Then add FCTG-01 for retail and FCTG-10 for club accounts, and put them where a customer with a sweating problem will find them.

The mistake to avoid is presenting towel as an upgrade. It is a different answer to a different question.

Full range: our grip and overgrip category.

FCTG-01 is the 700 × 30 mm single strip.

FCTG-10 is the 10 m × 32 mm roll.