[Smarter Gun]

My, 'Agrip' grip wrap for my Glock Model 21, arrived this past Friday. Spent ALL of this Saturday morning trying to get it installed. Wouldn’t have been so bad if I weren’t a perfectionist by nature. If you’ve never done it before, you’re going to need to read the directions, at least, once before you begin. I had the forethought to keep an X-Acto knife handy; and, as things turned out, I needed it to trim around the pins and over the top of the Jentra plug around the frame heel.

The first thing I did was to, ‘make safe’ and disassemble the pistol; then I sprayed the frame down with Gun Scrubber and patted it dry. After that I tried fitting the Agrip pattern to the frame without removing the paper backing to expose the adhesive. This turned out to be a good move on my part, and allowed me to become familiar with the way the pattern moved around, lined up, and fit into all the nooks and crannies.

Let me tell you: When the Agrip people say to ONLY remove the center section of the paper backing in order to expose the adhesive, here, first – they mean it! If you remove the paper on the right or left, ‘wings’ first, you are doomed to failure; and you, just, blew $20 bucks! Here’s how I did it: First, paint a little oil around the edges of the magazine release button on BOTH sides of the frame. (Do NOT put any oil on the flat surfaces (faces) of the magazine release.) Then:

(1) Remove the paper backing and expose the adhesive on the center section first; lightly press fit it around the top of the back strap. (2) Even up the top of the pattern on both sides underneath the slide; and, then, line up the bottom of the pattern, again, on both sides with the edges of the magazine well. (This may take some time as well as a little stretching and pressing here and there.) At this point it should be mentioned that it is very easy to slip the Agrip material underneath the slide stop lever; just make sure that you don’t go up too high on the frame and, thereby, impede its operation.

(3) Next, practice fitting the right wing under the trigger guard THEN remove the paper from the right wing, and fit it under the trigger guard, around the other side onto the left grip panel, and over the magazine release button. (You’ll have to stretch and press, here, for a good fit.) BE SURE TO WATCH THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF THE WING TO MAKE SURE THEY’RE LINED UP, LEVEL, AND EVEN. With the right grip panel finished, now is the time to start working on the left grip panel. (4) While remembering to keep the top and bottom level and even, wrap the left wing under the trigger guard by slightly stretching and press fitting it in place over the trigger grooves; then, (5) secure it in place with a nice even pull onto the right grip panel.

(6) If everything appears to be lined up, without any wrinkles or bubbles, NOW is the time to make two pinches at 4:00 and 8:00 o’clock along the rim of the Jentra plug; then, take out that razor knife and cut off the pinched material and press down along the rim to tuck the material in along the border. (Even if you’re not using a frame plug, I’d still recommend making these two pinches for a better fit.)

Finally, I used an old credit card to slip under the edge of the Agrip material around the frame pins. I lifted up about an 1/8 of an inch and sliced off a small piece along a diagonal line. This gave me enough clearance to knock the pins out on the right hand side and begin detail-stripping the pistol. On the trigger housing pin at the rear of the frame, I took a small sewing needle and punched a little hole on each side in order to aid future removal.

To finish everything up I spent the next hour pressing and rubbing the Agrip material into what turned out to be an absolutely perfect fit! This stuff is REALLY NICE! FEELS GREAT, TOO! If you haven’t tried it on your Glock, yet, I highly recommend Agrip to you. You’ll think your Glock is an extension of your hand; and moisture of any kind actually makes it grip better. Amazingly, Agrip only sticks to the skin of your hand; it will not stick to anything else and does not cause, ‘patterning’ under your shirt or jacket.

The only negative is that my hand kept turning black from all of the rubbing and fitting. It’s taken about two days for the Agrip material to stop shedding its color onto my skin. (It did NOT come off on my holster or clothes, though.) I got’ta tell ya, the fit is, now, perfect; and the finished result, really, looks good! What a great accessory for a Glock.

 

[Smarter Gun]

And after all that work the frigg'in Agrip lasted less than six months! I switched to skateboard tape and haven't had any complaints since.

 

[RIKA]

Thats bad when something you counted on to work well turns out to be a dud. Glad you found a good substitute.

RIKA

 

[BigEd63]

I've used skate board tape on several weapons I've owned. Works good on slick metal butt plates like on the UZI and some AK's.

 

[Smarter Gun]

I've used skate board tape on several weapons I've owned. Works good on slick metal butt plates like on the UZI and some AK's.

Funny, but I never would have thought of that! Maybe I'll try it on the handle of my Randall Model #18.

 

[41mag]

Forgive me but skateboard tape on a Randall sounds blasphemous.:wavey:

 

[Smarter Gun]

Forgive me but skateboard tape on a Randall sounds blasphemous.:wavey:

Well, yes, but when was the last time you tried to hang onto the handle on a Model #18?

Unless you lacquer them, no matter how tight you make those rope wraps, sooner or later, they will unwind. (By the way, look at the lousy silver solder job on the hilt of this knife - NOT one of mine!) :nope:

 

[41mag]

I see what you mean.

Arc Angel?Does that pommel come off?Could you put a (bi)cycle grip on it?There are some that aren't butt ugly but offer a very positive grip even when wet.

 

[Smarter Gun]

I see what you mean.

Arc Angel?Does that pommel come off?Could you put a (bi)cycle grip on it?There are some that aren't butt ugly but offer a very positive grip even when wet.

Now you're thinking like someone who owns one of these Randalls! Yes, the pommel does unscrew; it even has a rubber O-ring seal; and mine has a high quality compass inside the butt cap, too.

The Randall Model #18 always attracts a lot of attention; and, over the years, factory production on them has been, 'contentious'. Quality has had its ups and downs, the handles have been knurled and then stopped because of production costs; some #18's have compasses and some don't. Some compasses are better than others, too. As you can see from the above photo quality of assembly, fit and finish have varied widely too.

Many years ago I managed to pick up a really nice #18. Too nice to let go; and I've been trying to figure out what to do with it ever since. Using one as a spear is stupid; the hollow handle is; 'neat' but that's about all I'll say for it; and, of all the knives I've used and own, the Model #18 is, without question, the hardest to hold onto.

I've experimented with several fancy cord wraps. That's fun and it gives you something to do with a huge knife when it's snowing outside and you're tired of television; but even tight wraps don't last forever. Horrible as it may sound, skateboard tape just might be a perfect solution!

And, yes, I've thought of such things as: tennis racket handle wrap, plastic hose, and bicycle grips. I suppose some of these things would work - just haven't got around to any of them. Fact is my, 'big knife days' are (well) over!





PS: You've got me laughing to myself right now. Remember those bicycle grips with the long multi-colored tassels hanging off the end? Gee, I wonder how that would look bouncing around on your web gear! I can see it all now: Dennehey to Stalone, 'You know, Rambo, after you trashed the station I thought you were a pretty mean dude; but, ever since you stole that kid's bike, I just can't take you or that knife seriously anymore!'

 

[41mag]

PS: You've got me laughing to myself right now. Remember those bicycle grips with the long multi-colored tassels hanging off the end? Gee, I wonder how that would look bouncing around on your web gear! I can see it all now: Dennehey to Stalone, 'You know, Rambo, after you trashed the station I thought you were a pretty mean dude; but, ever since you stole that kid's bike, I just can't take you or that knife seriously anymore!'

:laugh01: :laugh01: Look at it this way.1)You'll never lose that knife if you drop it.& 2)No one is likely to steal it. :dgrin:

 

[Brooks Tactical]

And after all that work the frigg'in Agrip lasted less than six months! I switched to skateboard tape and haven't had any complaints since.

Can i ask why you think it didn't last?

AGrip's commonly last for years. I just talked to a guy who just came back from Iraq and Afganistan who wants to become an AGrip dealer. He said he and his buddies AGrip's lasted for 2 years there with no problems at all. He also said that a lot of the guys over there are using AGrip's and love them. This is just one guy and i talk to many every day.

AGrip comes with an unconditional money back guarantee. If you had a problem with it you should have called us (Brooks Tactical 253-549-2866) or emailed us ([email protected]) and said something. Sometimes people think that their AGrip is has "wear spots" when in reality all they have to do is brush it with a brass or bronze bristol brush and bring the "nap" back up. If your AGrip gets really dirty, the nap can become "stuck down" from all the dirt and oils from your hands. If this is the case all that one needs to do is wash the AGrip with a little soapy water, rinse, blot dry with a paper towel, then brush and let dry the rest of the way. One can then brush it again if desired.

AGrip is tough. You can literally beat the hell out of it. I have guns, bows, knives, etc., that have had the same AGrip's on them for over 13 years and they still look and work great. The only thing you really need to be careful with is not soaking solvent into the AGrip when cleaning the gun as doing so will likely compromise the adhesive. Some oils can eventually compromise the adhesive also if they are not washed out. Although, even with heavy oil all over your hand, AGrip will still work. Typically, when someone contacts us regarding the adhesive not sticking properly, we just give them another AGrip... even after a year or so. Lesson learned, no further problems. The average customer buys at least 5 AGrip's. Few ever have problems with the adhesive. Customers almost never exersize the money back guarantee. Think about it... How many products do you know come with an unconditional money back guarantee? AGrip does... because it works that well. I can't even remember the last time a customer requested a refund. If you want to send me your address, i'll send you out another AGrip and you can try again. If you want a refund, contact the company you purchased the AGrip from and send us the old AGrip.

 

[1erh]

My preferance w/ this "Sorta" stuff..!

I tried Agrip's more than once, and have "alway's" been mighty "Underwhelmed" when finished; "Each & Every Time..!
I've used allot of different things over the past years and finally settled on the "Clear Vinyl" stippled Bath Tub "Safety tape strips that I used to get on the "Wal-Mart site of all places..! (I find Skate Board tape "Too" aggressive in most cases personally...) I haven't seen it there at the "WM Site...) lately, but if someone finds it elsewhere, please be so kind as to "Post It" for us to find..? THX All..!