I had an issue with the dark gray skin on the front part of the 3030 handle starting to peel off, so I looked for something to protect the handle and to also give some cushion to the handle. I went to Walmart and bought a pack of PowerFlex Self Adhering Sports Wrap, and wrapped the handle with that. It not only covered the handle, but also made it more comfortable to hold. It comes in a black color that goes good with the detector, and when the material gets dirty or worn, you can simply remove the old material and re-wrap it. The sports wrap is self adhering, so it sticks to itself, but not to the handle like tape would. The pack comes with 5 yards of wrap for under $4.00, so it's a cheap fix. Just thought I would pass this info on.