Good Review!
I used to play the Winn Excel XF copper grips and loved them. By far the best feeling grips I have ever played with. Unfortunately, you might as well put a "slippery when wet" symbol on the grip as they will depart you hands if you allow them to become wet. I was able to get a season out of the grips, but they really started to show the wear and tear and probably should have been replaced halfway through the season. The tackiness was good enough to play with, but the area under my left thumb was wearing out on all of my clubs.
Living in Florida, rain is part of your daily life from June until October. Keeping the Winns dry became too much of a chore so I decided to switch. Enter the GP Decade multi compund. Great grip even when wet! I have not had a club slip on me since I switched over. Like previous posts have said, the corded half holds great in your gloved hand while the softer material feels and holds great in your naked hand. No complaints so far, and they seem to last forever. I have had no problems with wear on the softer compound as of yet, and other than some dirty areas on the red section it hard to distinguish them from a new grip.
The only downside to the GP Decade is the price. I have been experimenting with a similar grip that is $3.00 less per grip. It is the
Avon Pro DX2 grip. So far, it is holding up and behaving like the GP decade grips and I have had it on my 52* wedge since September. Very similar feel to the Decade almost to the point that you do not even realize that it is a different grip in your hands. Since I already have enough Decades in the drawer for a complete iron set, I probably will not be switching over to the Avon anytime soon, but as soon as the opportunity arrises I will probably give them a go the next time I need to regrip my irons.