Is jimping over valued?

DocJD said:
Well designed and properly placed jimping , can save you from being cut and /or ruining the work .

Slippery hands , cramped conditions . Work that needs some substantial force applied, under precise control .

Most people , for causal EDC , might only rarely, if ever , really need jimping .

Some jimping just seems decorative , or simply not serving a functional purpose , IMO .

Some otherwise functional jimping is poorly finished , too sharp or not rough enough to help .
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^^^THIS^^^
 
I’m a big fan of jimping. Provides extra grip when done properly. And the grip on a knife is one of the most important features for me. I think it’s extremely useful for sweaty hands. I certainly get its not necessary for most daily tasks but neither are titanium scales with cool milling patterns, fancy locks, fit n finish etc. At least jimping serves a purpose whether you like it or not.
 
Here's one example of a lock type that would be very much harder to use without any jimping :

Atlas Lock , Cold Steel "Mayhem"
 
I'm a big fan of jimping when its in the right place and is done with a large, shallow radius to avoid stress risers.

Sharp jimping or jimping with a small radius is in deed a weak point.

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I'm usually indifferent to it, but I do like the narrow grooved and rounded over style that is mostly seen on older straight razors. It providers a good grip without irritating the finger.
 
I do not need it on the blade unless it extends back far enough to be between the scales like on the Shaman . I do like some traction on top of the handle up near the blade . I was carrying my Military the other day and was missing the traction there that my Paras have .

The more I over think it the more I must confess it may just be what I am more used to but it does kind of give me a tactile reference of where my hand is on the knife.

Ha ha , I have even bought a couple of Case Trappers just to experiment with cutting jimping into those and must admit that I like it .
 
I do have some knives with it but don't see the need for it on any knife. A knife is not a pry bar per se, but having said that a knife might be subject to some side stresses in various uses and I see these as unneccessary potential weak points. Many knife failures seem to occur smack in the middle of a jimping groove.

It is also an area that might be difficult to clean if rust occurs. Same reason I don't like hollowed out hammers on pistols.
 
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killgar said:
Not a fan. I have removed the jimping on a few of my knives.

I think it's a solution in search of a problem, but for me it's more of a problem. If I've got a lot of knife work to do, I don't want what are essentially serrations grinding into my hand and fingers. I've also had rust form between the jimping where the steel is rougher, and because you can't just wipe between the jimping like you can the rest of the blade.

One of my most heavily used knives is my Buck 110. I received it in 1982, used it on countless campouts, used it all day on multiple jobs (landscaping, construction), and I still use it occasionally now, but never once have I said "Damn, this knife is just too slippery. I can't get a good grip on it".

But that's me. I'm sure there are people who like jimping and feel it has it's value for them. And I wouldn't say that they are wrong. It's just not right for me. :)
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That's about the time I bought my first 110 ! (still have it)
ha ha you just reminded me that I bought a second one about a year ago to cut some texture into . I better get with it one of these days ( couldn't bear to mod my old faithful ) !
like I said earlier I did it to a couple of Case trappers so I figured ; why not escalate the madness .
 
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