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914World.com _ Originality and History _ Hand Brake Handle
Posted by: bbrock Dec 4 2018, 12:17 PM
Okay, here's an interesting (to me anyway) dilemma. Looks like there are two options for replacing the plastic handle on the hand brake lever: URO or Genuine Porsche. But there is a twist. Price is similar and I actually found the best price on the Genuine Porsche part. Difference is the Porsche part appears to have a slight matte finish:
Whereas the URO part looks glossy more like the original one:
I'm curious which one you all would use if trying to keep the car original. I'm leaning toward Genuine Porsche for price, OEM, and because I actually prefer the matte finish. But is this a rare case where going Genuine Porsche actually sullies originality? 
Posted by: defianty Dec 4 2018, 12:37 PM
I bought the matte one for mine and it looks good but I was a bit disappointed in it not being the same finish as the original. Had I know that URO was available at the time I may have gone for that instead.
Posted by: Tom_T Dec 4 2018, 06:00 PM
IMHO most URO stuff is trash!
Go with Genuine - especially if about the same price.
Also IIRC & AFAIK they all were originally a bit matte for grip, but years of use shines them up!
Even if not as per your original, the URO will probably split - based on similar "plastic rubber" parts of theirs - sometimes on installation!
Tom
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Posted by: bbrock Dec 4 2018, 07:50 PM
Thanks Tom,
This is even one of those rare times when Genuine is actually the cheaper option. 
Posted by: Jonathan Livesay Dec 4 2018, 09:44 PM
I bought the matte one for mine and it looks good but I was a bit disappointed in it not being the same finish as the original. Had I know that URO was available at the time I may have gone for that instead.
Maybe matte was the original finish and they have all been shined up by years of use? Have you seen a virgin untouched original? I am sure that I have not.
Edit: What Tom said!
Posted by: bbrock Dec 5 2018, 09:02 AM
I bought the matte one for mine and it looks good but I was a bit disappointed in it not being the same finish as the original. Had I know that URO was available at the time I may have gone for that instead.
Maybe matte was the original finish and they have all been shined up by years of use? Have you seen a virgin untouched original? I am sure that I have not.
Edit: What Tom said!
Well that's the story I'm going to use now.
But if I'm being honest, I think the wear would probably be uneven and leave some traces of the old finish at least at the base which would get a lot less hand contact.Posted by: mepstein Dec 5 2018, 12:19 PM
I bought the matte one for mine and it looks good but I was a bit disappointed in it not being the same finish as the original. Had I know that URO was available at the time I may have gone for that instead.
Maybe matte was the original finish and they have all been shined up by years of use? Have you seen a virgin untouched original? I am sure that I have not.
Edit: What Tom said!
Well that's the story I'm going to use now.
But if I'm being honest, I think the wear would probably be uneven and leave some traces of the old finish at least at the base which would get a lot less hand contact.They were shiny from the start, not from wear.
Posted by: Pat Garvey Dec 9 2018, 05:24 PM
I bought the matte one for mine and it looks good but I was a bit disappointed in it not being the same finish as the original. Had I know that URO was available at the time I may have gone for that instead.
Maybe matte was the original finish and they have all been shined up by years of use? Have you seen a virgin untouched original? I am sure that I have not.
Edit: What Tom said!
Well that's the story I'm going to use now.
But if I'm being honest, I think the wear would probably be uneven and leave some traces of the old finish at least at the base which would get a lot less hand contact.They were shiny from the start, not from wear.
Yep!
Posted by: bbrock Dec 9 2018, 07:58 PM
Which brings us back to the philosophical question. What is more important for originality, the appearance, or the name of the manufacturer?
Posted by: mepstein Dec 9 2018, 08:19 PM
Which brings us back to the philosophical question. What is more important for originality, the appearance, or the name of the manufacturer?
Whichever you like best. Or get both and switch them out from time to time.
Posted by: UROpartsman Jan 24 2019, 11:23 AM
If proper appearance is important, there's no question about it; our smooth handle was specifically developed to restore the original look. Naturally the current Genuine handle works fine, but the incorrect texture is obvious to anyone who knows the 911 and 914. And it's not as if Porsche is making the textured one - they're buying it from an outside manufacturer, so except for the label on the bag their handle isn't "OE" either.
PM us your shipping info bbrock and we'll send you one for your unvarnished review, and you can answer the question for future reference.
Posted by: bbrock Jan 24 2019, 02:37 PM
If proper appearance is important, there's no question about it; our smooth handle was specifically developed to restore the original look. Naturally the current Genuine handle works fine, but the incorrect texture is obvious to anyone who knows the 911 and 914. And it's not as if Porsche is making the textured one - they're buying it from an outside manufacturer, so except for the label on the bag their handle isn't "OE" either.
PM us your shipping info bbrock and we'll send you one for your unvarnished review, and you can answer the question for future reference.
PM sent! I just installed a new "Genuine" grip on the lever last week but didn't glue it down as I'm still on the fence. This will make for a nice comparison. Looking forward to posting a review.
Posted by: 914runnow Feb 16 2019, 11:56 PM
I have a NOS from 1995 new in bag
yepperz shiny as the Patman sayz..
Posted by: bbrock Mar 18 2019, 01:24 PM
I posted up a review of the URO vs. Porsche handles in the Garage: http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=336894
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