Top Handle Upholstery - EZ Mod for F35

yachacha

Well-known member
Remove the top plate of the F35 stock top handle, it is easy to get the rubber grip out of the handle and use as a pattern to make a new handle grip.
I bought a bunch of brown auto pleather to try out.
It worked pretty well for 15 mins of work.

I am going to try something with more padding and also adhesive back. I used a glue stick to get fabric onto handle while I tightened the plate down.
You can see the bit of e tap i used to keep it tight across the top. If it were better adhesive I wouldn't need this tape.

Kind of fun cheap way to make old F35 handle look a lot nicer and there are lots of options of material/pattern. I just bought a swatch of "wallet/purse" thick leather.

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Aren’t the F35 and F65 handles interchangeable as well? Also, didn’t you say you had a Panavised top handle? What does that look like?
 
Aren’t the F35 and F65 handles interchangeable as well? Also, didn’t you say you had a Panavised top handle? What does that look like?

I have the Panavised F900. Their top handle is amazing! I didnt realize they made one for the F35 ?
 
Another super simple(dirt cheap) solution, and one that I've been using since at least my VariCam, if not my Betacam, is racket grip tape. I also use it on my F55 and C300. Yes, you will lose access to the mounting points on the top of the handle, but I've never used any of the mounting points on the handles, except the very front, even the Berkey handle on my F55.

I use very low-profile racket tape(.5mm)(non-padded) that is grippy/tacky. They stopped manufacturing the tape that I used for years(Slazenger Sport Grip) which was incredibly tacky. So I had to switch to something else, Head Super Comp Touch. While not quite as tacky/grippy, it is much tougher, while still giving you a pretty good grip. Remember, this stuff is designed to be handled by sweaty hands and still allow you to maintain your grip.

This is a pic on my VariCam that I just re-wrapped about a month ago:
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Handle on my F55:
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