The other week, one of my closest online friends sent me a message over Discord asking if I had any recommendations for thumb grips that would " stop the rubber from getting sticky" when they were using the official Switch 2 Pro controller, and I instantly thought of the Strawberry Sage Edition Kontrol Freek No-Slip Thumb Grips.
Well, actually, I'm lying a bit. My actual first thought was that it felt pretty nice that I was the first and only person my friend came to when looking for Nintendo Switch 2 accessory recommendations. But after that narcissistic pat on the back, the grips, which are currently $12.99 at Amazon felt easy to bring to their attention. Not only are they pretty affordable, as that full MSRP covers a pack of four, but they're designed to universally fit a whole trolley of controllers, and have been keeping my Joy-Con grips safe and stick-free for weeks.
With "Strawberry Sage Edition" in the name, and the cutesy pastel pink and green colors as seen in this four-pack of grips, I was a bit worried that my friend in question would be a bit hesitant to add them to their Nintendo Switch 2 setup. However, a few days later, much to my joy, they were quick to send me an image that their grips had arrived safe and sound, and had been protecting their Switch 2 Pro Controller, and 8Bit Do controller sticks ever since.
And that's one of the main reasons why my brain instantly thought of this pack, as they fit a whole load of different pads. As you can see from the image below, I have one pair sitting on my limited edition Astro Bot DualSense, and the other is currently sitting on my Switch 2 Joy-Cons. These grips are also designed to fit PS4 controllers, Xbox Wireless controllers, and the original Switch Pro pad if you still have one lying around.
Throughout the months that I've had these on my controllers, my original sticks have been protected from any additional abrasions and any gunk and sweat from that can often accumulate from hours of playing Mario Kart World and Marvel Rivals, as gross as that sounds.
They don't entirely get rid of the 'sticky" sensation that can often come about from worn-out sticks, as the silicon rubberized material and textured surface make them partially sticky themselves. That's to give your thumbs something better to grip onto, and these definitely get that job done. The sticky grip is pretty subtle too, and not one that will give you a sensory overload if that's something you're worried about.
While I adore these handy little grips, they are limited. Just like I told my friend on Discord, they come in a four pack, but they're all the same level of height, so you won't be getting the accuracy and comfort benefits of a mid to high rise thumg stick, if that's what you were after. For that, you're better off looking at KontrolFreek's Inferno Switch Pro Edition grips for $16.99 at Amazon instead.
They're also prone to dirt and grime themselves, but it's a small price to pay. I'd much rather get these protective grips dirty than the original sticks of my controller, which are much pricier and complicated to replace.
If your controller has seen better days, our team has rounded up the best PC controllers for gaming, the best PS5 controllers, and the best Xbox Series X controllers for your platform of choice.
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