I am quilter and have a collection of thimbles. This review presents the comparison of the thimbles along with images of how they fit.
Clover Leather Thimble set is made out of hard leather on top and plastic insert under it (the pink part). It is comfortable to wear, but the string that holds it together broke the first time I tried to use it (I was able to fix it by sewing it together). When I saw it in the store I liked its shape and thought I could use it to protect the tip of my finger (see photo of how I wanted to wear it) but they don't get much use as found something less fragile that works better.
I am attaching comparison and pictures of the thimbles in my collection. The numbers in the images correspond to the numbers below.
1. Leather thimble with a metal plate (marked #1 in the photos) is my favorite, most versatile thimble. Because it is leather it become shaped to your finger and gets more and more comfortable with use. The metal plate on the tip allows to push through and not hurt your finger. It does not have an opening at the top, so it may not work for those who have long nails.
2. All leather thimble (marked #2 in the photos) is extremely comfortable, but because it has no metal parts it provides less protection. I often use it as a second thimble on the hand to protect another finger because it does not get in a way. It has an opening at the top, so it works for those who have long nails.
3. Strip thimbles (marked #3 in the photos, the product in this listing) turned out not to be very useful. The leather itself can be penetrated by the needle, the pink plastic insert does protect the finger. However the string that holds thimble together on the back broke very quickly. I was able to repair them by stitching them together on the back to replace the string that broke. As you see from the photo they don't cover the very tip of the finger, so they did not work well for me.
4. Plastic thimble provides good protection, but hard plastic makes it a bit hard to work with. So I usually put it on only when my needle is stuck and needs an extra push. It has an opening at the top, so it would work for someone with long nails.
5. Thimble #5 is a thimble I made myself out of band-aid wrapped around my finger. I needed to protect my thumb, and my home made thimble worked best. If you have hard time finding a good thimble, give it a try making it yourself out of Nexcare bandages. They seem to hold the shape well, and I could put my home-made thimble on and off, so I could re-use.
6. Thimble #6 was a thumb thimble I bought, but I found that it got in the way because it was a bit too long and made my hands less agile. It has no opening at the top, so it might work for people with long nails.
So if you have to buy one thimble I would go with leather thimble with a metal plate.
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First of all, it said they are adjustable but they are not. Second, the thread that holds the sides together pulled out the first time I used them and had to re-thread them with my own thread. The concept is good but the product itself is not that great. Would not recommend nor purchase again.
