Search "best 4WD grab handles Australia" and you get a wall of listings with no explanation of what you are actually choosing between. There are really only three types. Here is what each one is, who it suits, and where we sit, so you can decide without reading forty product pages.
1. Factory grab handles
These are the moulded plastic handles that came with the vehicle, usually on the A pillar and above the doors. They are free, they fit perfectly, and they are fine for the school run. The problems show up off road: they are thin, hard on the hand over corrugations, they can crack with age and heat, and on plenty of utes the passenger side has one and the driver side has none. Keep them if you rarely leave the bitumen. Replace them if you have ever wished for something you could actually hold onto.
2. Hard mounted aftermarket handles
These are rigid replacements, usually alloy or steel with a rubber or moulded grip, that bolt into the same holes as the factory handle. They are strong and they look tough. The trade offs are cost (often the highest of the three), a fixed length that may not match your mounts, a hard surface that is cold in winter and hot in summer, and a limited choice of colours. If you want a rigid bar and you are happy with black or silver, this is a solid pick. If you want colour or a softer grip, keep reading.
3. Paracord grab handles
These are handles braided from 550 paracord with a loop at each end, bolted to the same factory mount points. Ours are hand braided in Brisbane, about 32 to 35mm across, in 18, 21 or 24cm lengths or a custom length. What they do well: a firm, comfortable grip that gives a little in the hand, a huge range of colours and combos to match your build, light weight, easy DIY fitting with your existing screws, and a lower price than most rigid handles. What they do not do: they are not a rigid bar, so if you specifically want something that does not flex at all, choose a hard mounted handle. Read the longer version in our guide to hard mounted vs paracord grab handles.
How to choose
Start with fitment. Any of the three will work on screw mounted handle points, which covers most Hilux, Ranger, D-MAX, MU-X, LandCruiser, Prado, Navara, Triton, BT-50, Patrol, Wrangler and Jimny models. If your vehicle uses clips instead of screws, you will need nut inserts before any aftermarket handle will fit, and some setups still do not suit them. Then decide on feel: rigid bar or braided grip. Then colour: if you want anything other than black or silver, paracord is the only one of the three that offers real choice, and you can design your own combination. Finally, price. Factory is free, paracord starts at $26 a handle, and hard mounted is usually more.
Where Krawlergrips fits
We are a small Brisbane business and we only make paracord handles, so we are not neutral. But we will tell you honestly that if you want a rigid alloy bar, buy one. If you want a handle that is comfortable to grab all day, matches your rig, fits your factory holes and ships in one to four business days, that is what our paracord grab handles are for. Every one is hand braided from genuine 550 paracord, sold individually so you buy exactly the number you need, with washer colours to finish the mount. We have vehicle guides for the Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux, Isuzu D-MAX and MU-X, LandCruiser and Prado, Nissan Navara and Mitsubishi Triton.
Before you order any handle
Measure. Centre of mounting hole to centre of mounting hole, then add four to five centimetres for hand room. It is the one step that decides whether any grab handle, ours or anyone else's, feels right on the day it goes in. Our FAQ and sizing guide walks through it.