Old Jimping v New jimping & old spine vs new spine

OBX351

OBX351

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Sep 29, 2014
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Do you like the old jimping or the new jimping? The differences between the two are the new jimping is "sharper" and has been extended. The old jimping was rounded and subtle.

Do you like the new 90 degree spine vs the old rounded spin? You can strike a spark with a ferro rod with the new spine and could not with the old spine. Either knife had the option for a ferro notch..

I've spent many hours with both designs and I like the old jimping better. It's tacky enough and is very comfortable. The new jimping is a little too sharp for me but not enough to make prolonged use intolerable. The old jimping is simply more comfortable.

I prefer the old spine because I do a lot of push cutting with 2 hands and any knife with a 90 degree spines will tear up my left thumb. Additionally the ferro notch throws bigger and better sparks than the spine on the new knives.

Thoughts, opinions?
 
You can always break the edges with a stone if they are too crisp but you can't easily get them square if they are rounded.
I vote for sharp, because dull is easy to achieve later.
 
Given a choice between the two I'd take the old specification jimping with the new specification handles, although I'd prefer no jimping at all since it doesn't add anything for me.
I haven't really noticed a problem with mine, but Silver took a stone to his new spec jimping and I think he is happy with how it turned out.
I suppose it depends on how much time you spend with your thumb on the back of the knife. I do like a small gentle and smooth thumb ramp.
The Survive jimping is spaced far enough apart (so there is enough flat steel between the cut outs) that I think you can do a lot to reduce the bite without removing a lot of material.
 
OBX, I'm in agreement with you. Especially about the left thumb. Push cutting with both hands really grinds on my left thumb When I hold the knife in my right hand.

If I'm going to round the edge of the spine I might as well round the jimping, but the jimping is more tolerable than the edge for me.


Fancier said:
You can always break the edges with a stone if they are too crisp but you can't easily get them square if they are rounded.
I vote for sharp, because dull is easy to achieve later.
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Dude, this is straight up wisdom. Well said. I need to practice subtly softening those sharp edges.


Has anyone ever had their thumb slip on a knife without jimping? My views would probably be different if I was a hunter and usually had my hand and knife covered in blood, but in wood processing I don't see the lack of jimping on my 2.7 or my future 10 being a problem.
 
Fancier said:
Given a choice between the two I'd take the old specification jimping with the new specification handles, although I'd prefer no jimping at all since it doesn't add anything for me.
I haven't really noticed a problem with mine, but Silver took a stone to his new spec jimping and I think he is happy with how it turned out.
I suppose it depends on how much time you spend with your thumb on the back of the knife. I do like a small gentle and smooth thumb ramp.
The Survive jimping is spaced far enough apart (so there is enough flat steel between the cut outs) that I think you can do a lot to reduce the bite without removing a lot of material.
Click to expand...

The old spec gets along with my prissy thumbs better. I need to un-ugly my 4.7 jimping. It feels awesome, but the shiny edges offend my eyes.
 
Silver Needle said:
Has anyone ever had their thumb slip on a knife without jimping? My views would probably be different if I was a hunter and usually had my hand and knife covered in blood, but in wood processing I don't see the lack of jimping on my 2.7 or my future 10 being a problem.
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I'm primarily a hunter, rather than a bushcrafter, and choose knives without jimping whenever possible. I don't have any problems slipping sans jimping, but it does create two situations that I don't care for: One, you can inadvertently snag something you'd rather not with sharp jimping like a part of the gut, and two, the jimping fills full of blood and fat. The latter is the one that I really don't like, especially on longer/rougher trips where you don't have the convenience of modern living and clean-up.

To answer OBX though, I'll take the older, more rounded of each over the newer, sharper ones. However, Fancier makes an excellent point that the edges can be softened much easier than the other way around. I guess I had better make an extra effort to land the jimpless 4.5 when they hit!!
 
Fancier said:
You can always break the edges with a stone if they are too crisp but you can't easily get them square if they are rounded.
I vote for sharp, because dull is easy to achieve later.
Click to expand...


I agree with this completely. But we are talking out S! knives. So how does removing the sharp edge effect the peen finished and does it not help with protection against the elements. I have 1st gen S! knives nothing current with the new finish. So how does one sharpen the spine of a new gen S!? The why I see it, if the spine needs to be sharpened, that peen finish is coming off via some type of stone/belt or whatever sharpening device that the user uses.
 
Obviously you don't modify a safe queen, but if you are going to use a knife the finish becomes damaged.
I'm not particularly concerned with corrosion resistance either.
If you ask really politely perhaps you can send your knife back to Guy and he'll re-peen it for you. :)
Edit: I seem to recall somebody talking about tumbling their new spec knife because the peened finish showed scratches more readily.
I do not recall seeing the results.
 
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Yes and no. I try to the best design for my needs/wants and modify as needed, if needed.
The old design you could modify it without really changing anything else. The new finish, as I understand it, has a protection value to it. So to sharpen the spine would remove the peen finish and its protection value. I guess we will see how the new D3V behaves and weather or the new finish has any value with the new heat treatment to CPM 3V
 
In my usage, which is fresh water and taking ordinary care of the knife, and not leaving it sitting around dirty, 3V doesn't have corrosion problems.
That is true even of the high temper secondary hardened 3V, which is more corrosion prone than the low temper stuff Survive is using.
 
I will say that I like the old jimping vs the new jimping but only because I don't have my GSO-6 yet. I don't really use the jimping on my necker (EDC knife) or on my 5.1.
 
Is it a cop out to say I like both?? I think the softer spine and jimping on original GSO knives compliments the stonewash finish, where as the sharper lines of the new knives match the sophisticated peened finish. Neither has ever been uncomfortable for me.
 
redwood22 said:
Is it a cop out to say I like both?? I think the softer spine and jimping on original GSO knives compliments the stonewash finish, where as the sharper lines of the new knives match the sophisticated peened finish. Neither has ever been uncomfortable for me.
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Interesting point. Aesthetically speaking I agree but function over form what do you think?
 
OBX351 said:
Interesting point. Aesthetically speaking I agree but function over form what do you think?
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For me they both perform well and I'd say they are equal. I'm a big fan of jimping to begin with, so I might actually go with the new jimping as it's more sure thumbed. I like the look of the original more though. I have two other knives that have downright chainsaw jimping, both survive styles are gentle by comparison :)
 
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