Our experience with the Skull&co Thumbstick Grip Set was surprisingly good. The triple pack, including the Skin Grip, CQC Elite, and FPS Master covers, gave us some options to play around with.

First up, the "Skin Grip" quickly became our favorite during our six-month test run. It felt just like the original thumbsticks but with a bit more oomph. It was comfy and felt like it belonged; they definitely didn't feel like accessories. We were impressed by how well they preserved the feel of the original thumbsticks while adding a layer of protection and comfort. They're advertised as a 'TPU' material, but to me, they felt like extremely high-quality rubber.

Moving on to the medium-sized covers, they were a solid choice too. They're grippy and make the thumbsticks feel bigger, which some gamers might prefer. However, we found the smaller size smoother and more comfortable. The middle size has this rough-textured surface around the edges, which is supposed to help with grip, and it does, but the rubber material is naturally grippy as it is, so the texture felt unnecessary. Nevertheless, as this product contains all three styles, you're able to try them out for yourself.

Now, let's talk about the biggest ones, the FPS Masters. While they look impressive and might be great for FPS games, they didn't quite hit the mark for us. They're big and might take some getting used to, and we had some touch issues with them on the Steam Deck. Basically, the capacitive touch sensors on the Steam Deck were a little finicky with these larger sizes. When we gifted this pair to a friend, she noticed that one of hers actually fell off. As the added height created leverage, we can't even guarantee they'll stay on firmly over time. Overall, they felt a bit awkward in our hands and missed the mark. But to be fair to the product, we also didn't use them for their intended use, FPS gaming, but that's just because we prefer to use a keyboard and mouse for that sort of thing. Let's be real, handhelds aren't really the best tool for competitive FPS shooting.

Meanwhile, the rubberized TPE material felt sturdy and significantly improved the feel of the thumbsticks. They fit snugly and worked well with the Steam Deck and the ROG Ally's thumbsticks. Plus, they're super easy to install, which is always a plus. There's this pretty gross thing that happens with LCD Steam Decks, where there's a small lip and the factory thumbsticks seem to accumulate dead skin under it. It never affected comfort; however, as someone who takes photos of their console quite often, it was frankly gross and unprofessional to see. These thumbsticks, however, have completely eliminated that issue.

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