Which sucks worse?

[OrangeBlueOrangeBlue]

getting cut with a sharp knife doen't
immediately hurt
imo the depth and length of the cut
corelates to the sensation felt.
a sudden or unexpected prick, poke or
puncture would imo be a jolt to the system.
i can tell you that stepping on a nail
is no laughing matter.... likewise
a stab from any object with a wider radius
i figure some folks have a higher level in regards to tolerence of pain.
perhaps they have nerve endings which
are dull or are high on intoxsicating
substances

so in answer to the question
pain is higher if you are
mentally unprepared
however becoming emotionally
overcomed with fear.
and panic might trigger adrenaline
that you forget the pain and concentrate
on the visual impact of seeing the wound

Your fingertips are towards the top of the list in terms of number and density of nerve endings, including nociceptors (pain receptors). Nociceptors trigger the withdrawal reflex (the one that makes you pull your hand back when you touch something painful). That's the primary reason a paper cut hurts way more than you'd think it would. A "poke" (as opposed to a "stab") would be pretty shallow and confined to a relatively small area, so wouldn't trigger as many nerves as a slice, which covers a larger surface area.