Skull & Co. Thumbstick Grip Set Review – Two Years Later

Originally, this grip set was just part of a broader accessory haul we picked up for testing. We hadn’t planned on giving it its own spotlight—until we realised just how often we were recommending it to friends, and how often we were buying more for ourselves.

Inside the pack, you get three pairs of grips: Skin Grip, CQC Elite, and FPS Master. They all slide onto your existing thumbsticks and tweak the feel in different ways—but let’s break it down properly.

Skin Grip (the ones we love)

These are the reason we keep buying them. No fluff, no gimmicks — just a perfect, low-key upgrade that somehow makes your sticks feel even better without changing what you liked about them in the first place.

Whether it’s on the Switch 2, the Steam Deck, or anything else, these grips just work. They’ve got a soft, grippy texture that feels great under the thumb, and the slight size increase gives you a bit more comfort and control — without ever feeling bulky or awkward. They sort of blend in and become part of the stick, not some accessory stuck on top.

We’ve used these on pretty much every gaming device we own, and they’ve never let us down. Honestly? Even if you don’t care about the other two pairs in the set, these alone are worth the price of admission.

CQC Elite

These are the in-betweeners—about 3mm taller than the Skin Grips—and they come with a textured, nibbed surface around the edges. Now, this is where personal preference really kicks in.

My wife actually prefers these. Me? Not so much. The little texture bumps draw too much attention to themselves. It’s not that they’re uncomfortable or bad quality—they just make me more aware of the thumbstick, which takes me out of the game a bit. And look, I’ll admit I’m picky with textures on my fingertips, so your mileage may absolutely vary. They're not bad by any means, just not my thing.

FPS Master

These are the tallest of the bunch—7mm of extra height and a wider feel overall. If you’re big on precise stick control, or just prefer your joysticks tall and snappy, this is probably what you’ll gravitate toward.

For me though? It was too much. They felt oversized, a little foreign in the hand, and they interfered a bit with the Steam Deck’s capacitive touch sensors (this wont be an issue on other handhelds).

TL;DR — it’s all about the Skin Grips

Even though the pack gives you three styles to try, I’d still recommend it based on the Skin Grips alone. They’re that good. I buy extras just to make sure I’ve always got some ready for new devices. The fact that you get a couple of other options to mess with is just a bonus.