Handle grip HG40 30/25x150 mm, matte black

An unfitted steel handle tube is hard, cold and slippery. Handle grip HG40 solves that with a sleeve in thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) that slides onto tube with a 25 mm outside diameter; on the outside the grip measures 30 mm and the length is 150 mm, which is enough for a solid hold even with a work glove on. The matte black surface belongs in the workshop, where light colored grips soon look worn. The series comes from the same Swedish maker of machine elements as the rest of our grips, cranks and knobs.

The grip itself is uncomplicated: a sleeve with a smooth inside and a grip friendly outside. That simplicity is the point. The designer avoids drawing a handle of their own, purchasing avoids special parts and maintenance can replace a worn grip on the spot without a toolbox. Once fitted it holds by the tension of the material itself, with no glue or clamping ring.

TPE behaves like rubber in the hand but like a thermoplastic in service. The grip is supple enough to give under the fingers, while the surface is closed and easy to keep clean; if it gets oily a cloth and a mild cleaning agent is usually enough. The material does not dry out and does not turn sticky over the years, which is the most common reason old rubber grips get replaced with TPE.

The 150 mm length is worth pausing at. A shorter grip is enough for one hand in calm work, but if the handle is pulled hard or gripped at different angles, the extra centimeters give room to move the hand without ending up on bare tube. For a two-hand hold, two grips can be fitted in a row on the same tube.

In machine building this grip size turns up in places you do not think about until the grip is missing: hand trucks and pallet trucks, sliding gates, service hatches that are opened daily, bow handles on welded frames and equipment that is handled with gloves most of the day. Everywhere a hand meets a tube, an elastomer sleeve makes the job both safer and more comfortable. A black grip also blends into most machine settings and matches black knobs and handwheels in the same design.

Assembly is done with compressed air or soapy water. Blow air between tube and grip while the sleeve is pushed on, and the elastomer expands and slides into place; without an aid it takes considerably more force, and the grip risks stopping halfway. Oil and grease should not be used, since the grip can then keep sliding in service. Never cut the grip lengthwise to shorten it either; the cut edge becomes the weak point of the grip and the start of a tear. Count on a correctly fitted grip sitting so tight that it has to be cut off the day it is replaced.

The 25 mm figure refers to the outside diameter of the tube, not the inside diameter. Measure with a caliper before you order; tube in thin walled standard series can be off by a tenth or so, and the grip depends on the press fit to stay put. If the tube is thinner, the sister model HG10 for 22 mm suits, and we have it in matte white.

Soft grips are a cheap investment in ergonomics. Anyone loading carts all shift gets fewer pressure points in the palm and does not have to squeeze as hard to keep control. Small things, but they are felt at the end of the week.

Do you have a specific application in mind? We will help you pick the right grip size.