What is a Counterbalance Handle?
There are thousands of handle designs, and different handles offer different benefits. Most are designed for easy manufacturing, many are designed for aesthetics, and even fewer focus on an easy grip and comfort.
One handle you may not have heard about is what we call a counterbalance-style handle. Sometimes it's called a "hook" handle like with Corelle. Other times it's a "stepped D-style" handle like with Old Forge Creations.
Regardless of what you call it, the trademark of handles like these is that they give you better leverage and prevent slipping, and it's a simple change that can make something you use every morning a little better.
The Problem with Traditional Mug Handles
It comes down to your grip.
Traditional handles are curved almost perfectly to slip through your fingers, which makes them more likely to slip and tilt forward because of the weight of the mug body and coffee.
To keep the mug level, many people do one (or more) of the following:
- Pinch the handle tightly to prevent slipping
- Twist your wrist to compensate for the tilting mug
- Press your other fingers or hand against the hot mug body, which can lead to burns
It's even more of an issue if you just washed your hands and they're wet, or if you have limited gripping strength.
Traditional Handles
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Teardrop (Half-Heart)
These handles are easy to manufacture and have a classic look, so there's a reason why you see them everywhere. Often times they have very thin handles, which can create pain points on your fingers.
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Half-Circle
These are also easy to manufacture, and they have a nice, balanced, symmetrical look. Unfortunately, these do not give you good leverage, and they're curved almost perfectly to slip through your fingers.
Why Counterbalance Handles Can Be Better for Many People
The examples listed below are all what we call "counterbalance handles" because they are specifically designed to give you better leverage by pressing comfortably against the bottom of the handle.
This type of handle is known for giving you an easy grip that never slips.
Examples of Counterbalance Handles
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Corelle
Corelle refers to this as their "hook" handle. Your index/pointer finger loops through the top part of the handle, while you middle finger presses against the vertical part of the handle a little lower. We're not sure if they're making these anymore, and most often we've found this style on eBay or Etsy.
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Kruzhkus
See KruzhkusWe are not certain, but we believe this design originates from Russia. It's designed for one finger looped through the top, while your middle and ring finger and press against the outside. We're also not sure if this is actively being made.
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Old Forge Creations
See Old Forge CreationsOld Forge Creations is widly known on social media especially Instagram. In 2022, right around the same time we had our attempted Kickstarter for Momnt Mugs, Joe released his Deep Dive on Handles, which you can find here. In it, he came to the same independent conclusion that we did; that counterbalance handles are a good handle for a more comfortable grip that never slips. He calls it a "stepped D-shape" handle, and he makes them in batches. Follow him on Instagram or check his shop to learn more.
Momnt Mugs
Our patent-pending design uses a wider and contoured bottom half of the handle to make it fit even more comfortably.
As one customer told us, "it fits like a glove."
- never slips
- prevents pain points (especially on your ring finger)
- keeps heat of your fingers and knuckles
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Here you can see the wider, contoured bottom section of the handle.
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The ideal grip is 2 on top and your ring finger against the wide part, though many people with smaller fingers find it more comfortable to use 3 fingers on top and press their pinky against the outside.
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This is our 2.0 version coming available in late 2024.
Developing Momnt Mugs
We made our first prototype for Momnt Mugs in 2020.
Originally, we had a similar design to Old Forge Creations and Kruzhkus, but over thirty 3D-printed prototypes and tweaks later, we optimized the curves and shape of the handle to better align with your hand and spread out the weight.
The result is a handle that:
- never slips
- prevents pain points (especially on your ring finger)
- keeps heat of your fingers and knuckles