Jimping or no jimping that is the question

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Dave Behrens

Dave Behrens

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Hey guys. I am curious about everyones opinion of jimping/ jimped thumb ramps. I personally like it especially on smaller blades. Here are some of my in-production knives. They are
9"OAL 4.5" blade 4.5"handle. As you can see the bowie/clip has a jimped thumb ramp the others do not...yet. Which would you prefer on a smaller fixed blade knife. Thanks.View attachment 232147View attachment 232148
 
I strongly prefer jimping on all my knives (even my fixed blades) and will not buy one without jimping unless it is a really cool knife that I could not resist getting.

If it's a smaller fixed blade knife jimping would be crucial because think of all the activities you can do with a small blade where you need to choke up for close cutting tasks.

If you do decide to add jimping just be sure to make it sharp so it can really dig in and lock your thumb. (haha I am starting to sound like nutnfancy)
 
I like it for mid-size knives, but have avoided putting jimping on my smallest EDC blades. My uses are pretty sedate and the jimping is rather optional from a functional standpoint. I don't seem to keep a finger or thumb on the jimped area all that much in actual use. But I kinda like it.

-Daizee
 
I find it to generate a lot of finger abrasion when heavily using a knife, and greatly dislike it personally. So I guess I'm the dissenting opinion.

I've got to question whether those people with knives with the serrations on the spine are using them for hours a time, or have hands made of solid leather. I've even worn holes through gloves from the one knife I use regularly that has those notches, which are admittedly pretty sharp.


Just my 2c. I don't see the point, and I don't have traction problems without it. I find an actual ramp to be an interference with choking up for fine work, the design only makes sense for me for "stabbing" type movements, on a combat use knife.
 
I used to put them on just about every knife I made.

I would use a checkering file or a 1/8" round file.

I generally leave them out now unless they really benefit the design.
 
javand said:
I find it to generate a lot of finger abrasion when heavily using a knife, and greatly dislike it personally. So I guess I'm the dissenting opinion.

I've got to question whether those people with knives with the serrations on the spine are using them for hours a time, or have hands made of solid leather. I've even worn holes through gloves from the one knife I use regularly that has those notches, which are admittedly pretty sharp.


Just my 2c. I don't see the point, and I don't have traction problems without it. I find an actual ramp to be an interference with choking up for fine work, the design only makes sense for me for "stabbing" type movements, on a combat use knife.
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That's why I use the checkering file. It's just enough to make it grippy, it won't make your hands look like you been noodling catfish all day.
 
I am split. Some knives get it some don't. Like Mr. Mitchell I also use either a checkering file or a 1/8" round file to do mine. Neither method makes the jimping aggressive enough to be hurtful to the hands, at least not in my experience. There are other ways of doing it that are more drastic that I imagine could be painful I guess it's also a matter of everybody having different ideas about what comfortable is. Aesthetically I think it looks good, but again that's a personal preference thing.
 
I don't like it. When I first started to really get interested in knives I thought jimping was cool but anymore I just don't see any reason for it. Now I try to avoid sharp edges anywhere that might come into contact with the users hand.

Thumb ramps to me are like finger grooves in that they help with one specific grip but make it difficult or uncomfortable to use the knife in any other way. I find that I use a variety of grips on all of my knives to do various tasks. I hold a knife one way to spread cream cheese on a bagel, another to open a box and yet another way to clean my fingernails. All of these grips are different than the standard wrap your fingers around the handle and put your thumb on top of the spine to whittle a tent stake grip.

Every knife design has compromises of some sort. You need to think about every task that the knife is intended to perform and exactly how those tasks are performed, then make sure that nothing in the design interferes with performing those tasks. Design aspects that help with one task may may not work so well for others.
 
I like it on the occasional knife but I like to round the jimping with some buffing... no "saw blades" here.
 
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