Reel seat positioning, and why

[Brewcrafter]

Those are slick Phil, they are also called an Asp.  They take a little bit of practice but once mastered are pretty easy.  Advantages as you noted are: A - Leaves the cork relatively unmolested unlike a corkscrew, and B - When you are at that nice restaurant (or at home) you can save a partial bottle for later and reinsert the cork just as easy with a little practice.  And no, I DO NOT have a small can of compressed N2 that I carry with me to barrier the bottle before resealing - not my style!
Also a fun side note (okay this stuff is what keeps my days fun), those mushroom corks (called "cork and cage") before they go in the bottle start life the same as a standard wine cork - perfect cylinder.
Now, I've never really messed with rod building, but Jurelometer's remark about the "bourbon renaissance" did give me pause - for rod builders, are there different "grades" of cork that you can use for rod building?  In the beverage world, there most certainly are different grades based on the characteristics and qualities (things like density and grain), and I am not totally versed on it but I do know that is also a big driver in the use of so called "synthetic" cork in beverage packaging.  I would think that the base quality of cork would also play a big part in it's effectiveness and durability as a rod handle.  And yes I like cork handles. - john

[Jeri]

There are many grades of cork, for those that require filling to get a smooth surface, right up to near perfectly smooth without any further treatment. Price also reflects the quality of the product, there are some specialist suppliers around that only supply the finest, usually solid rings for custom rod builders, but at a price.

[philaroman]

without checking, I believe grip cork goes: ungraded, A, AA, AAA

beware of cheap Asps    I've chipped cheap glass, twisting too vigorously

not sure if true, but heard(read?) that Asps used to be illegal in olden France
serfs would drink the Lord's good wine on the sly, then refill w/ whatever & recork