Is jimping over valued?

Wandering_About said:
A properly designed handle needs no jimping.
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huuunnnmmmm ~
Maybe , pretty much , my favorite user handle is the Case Trapper with spay blade removed . . . but I find myself wishing they had a bit of texture/jimping on the spine of the handle .
and I have just piles and piles of most other folders . . . I keep coming back to those plain Jane , no finger groove , Trappers .
 
y53p said:
best case scenario jimping is useless, worst case scenario it also weakens the blade.
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oh I don't know , when one cuts up a bunch of cheese some gets caught up in all that jimping and is hard to clean out , so at least one has some emergency rations for latter .
thas a joke son 😄
 
Decided on my way out the door this morning to carry my Lil Native just to see if I can through my day find anything that would feel better if that knife had jimping. So of course I've had zero reason all day so far to even use a knife.
 
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 casual 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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Blues said:
Done right, I think it's incredibly useful. It's one of those things when you come across the best examples, it proves the adage "I know it when I see it". Or, feel it, in this case.
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David Mary said:
Jimping makes me happy.

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It doesn't usually bother me and I rarely even consider it except for when the jimping is too aggressive and sharp, in which case it's just annoying. To be honest, I cannot think of an example of a knife with such aggressive jimping which I suppose indicates that I subconsciously avoid them.

However thinking about it now, I like David Mary David Mary 's jimping as it's neither too aggressive nor too smooth. It's just right, especially on a small knife used for cleaning game in tight places where the little bit of extra friction helps me keep control. Carothers does a great job too, definitely not too aggressive.
 
I think jimping is overvalued, kind of like finger choils (which choils could no doubt be improved by adding jimping, then adding more jimping on top of that jimping).

I think if a knife is designed properly, it doesn't benefit much, if at all, from jimping. Only in a few cases have I felt it helps. Maybe I just don't use my knives in ways that let me notice the benefits. But I think it helps on this knife's thumb ramp:



Now, would it help on this bar of aluminum soap? Yes.



Does it help on this little bugger? No.



Does it help on this one? Not really. I feel it during some hard cuts, and it keeps my thumb from sliding much, but I'm not sure how valuable that really is since the rest of my hand isn't going anywhere. As usual YMMV.

 
I don't really care for jimping on knives, but usually it doesn't matter to me one way or another. It is another one of those "checkbox" things I always hear in knife reviews ("jimping, choils, deep carry pocket clip, etc. etc.)
The only knife I have where the jimping really stuck out to me is my CRK Sebenza. I couldn't help but notice how well they were done, giving excellent traction without creating any hot spots. I think they are awesome, but on the rest of my knives I can take it or leave it.
I don't like it when the jimping is too aggressive. I do hate it when you try to stick your hand in your pocket and your knife shreds the back of your hand with aggressive jimping, thumbstuds, sharp edges, etc.
 
Big fan of jimping… needs to be grippy and a nice upswept thumb ramp is a bonus. Great for applying pressure when doing detail work.
 
I can take it or leave it. I don't find it to be particularly necessary, or particularly bothersome, unless it makes your knife handle feel like a sock full of broken glass.
 
My Loveless designed City Knife, a folder from Lonewolf, has jimping on the bottom side of the handle. To me this was confusing and I contacted Lonewolf. They said Bob Loveless specified the jimping on the bottom. He designed the City Knife for everyday use and believed jimping on the bottom helped in peeling and cutting up fruit. It does. 🙂
 
Undervalued. Can’t get enough! Jimp it all, including the midgets! :thumbsup: :cool:
 
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