[pct-l] trekking pole grip material

[kcook at hotpop.com (Kevin Cook)]

I'm curious what are people's opinions about trekking pole grip material. My old pole had a foam rubber grip that seemed to work fine. I see lots of foam and rubber/plastic, but I am suprised to see cork. How well does a cork grip hold long-term? I'm also a little concerned about comfort. I imagine a cork grip to feel sorta "wierd". A friend of mine rented a pair of poles last year that had cork handles, and he siad they were OK. I held them, but didn't actually hike with them. Is cork a superior material over plastic or rubber?