Thumb ramp or naw?

[JRinFL]

Spyderco fans have their preferences. A real straight forward question that everyone’s got an opinion on; do you dig thumb ramps or not?

In deed I do. But, I also like the other blades that do not sport the thumb ramp.
Case in point my Shaman, and Native 5.
Can You Dig it!!!

Mongo wins the interwebz for the day with the clip from The Warriors!

[mongo1958]

Spyderco fans have their preferences. A real straight forward question that everyone’s got an opinion on; do you dig thumb ramps or not?

In deed I do. But, I also like the other blades that do not sport the thumb ramp.
Case in point my Shaman, and Native 5.
Can You Dig it!!!

Mongo wins the interwebz for the day with the clip from The Warriors!

LOL

[Sharp Guy]

I tend to prefer no thumb ramp but I didn't vote because I have several models with thumb ramps that I really like

[Evil D]

Thought I'd add, the Mantra 1 has one of the best thumb ramps I've felt. The curve or radius of the ramp transitions up from the handle nice and smooth and doesn't feel like you're jamming your thumb into a wall. It also was some really nice jimping.

[JD Spydo]

I tend to like many of the thumb ramps>> however I much more prefer the older "Cobra Hood" feature that Spyderco had on many of their utility blades back around 2002 to 2009. I still love my old ASSIST 1 that had the Cobra Hood with the glassbreaker and emergency whistle.

But thumb ramps can be very helpful with the right blade design.

[embry386]

Not voting, because there are fantastic knives both with and without and I enjoy all of them. :)

[AHarbuck]

Back and forth between the Seki/military style full thumb ramp and the leaf blade half ramp. But the no ramp? Naw, for me.

[SaltyCaribbeanDfly]

Didn’t vote cause I do like a subtle ramp like the Manix and Caribbean but also love how the Siren and Native feel and one has jimping and one doesn’t …which is a whole other poll I’m sure has been discussed before

[vivi]

I don't like thumb ramps on any knife, whether a pocket knife, multitool, machete, gyuto, etc.

That said I deal with them on Spydercos because the designs without ramps are usually less friendly to open easily.

I can deal with them on larger knives but they prevent me from using a lot of smaller designs comfortably.

[skeeg11]

No ramp or hump is one of the main reasons I like the Mantra 2 so much.

[Surfingringo]

I’m fine with thumb ramps…even prefer them on some designs. The problem I have is when they are too far back and force my thumb to rest in an awkward position when it wants to rest further forward on the blade. The Mule Team knives are an example of this. I know they probably fit some hands perfectly but thumb placement is very uncomfortable for me on the mules due to the position of the ramp. As with any defined finger grooves or positions on a handle, they might work perfectly for many but run the risk of not working for all hand shapes/grip styles.

[capt.carl]

Personally i prefer no ramp. Gives me more grip flexibility and choking up on a ramped knife can be a bit cramping. That said, the far grip on ramped knives such as the pm2 and military feel great.

[Dealer100]

It's an interesting question because it made me think a little more about my preferences. That said, like others I don't really have a hard yes or no, so I was unable to vote.

First, the lack of a thumb ramp never bothers me. I would never decide not to buy a knife because there was no thumb ramp. On the other hand, I usually like a shallow ramp a little better. The best example is the Manix 2, which is well-nigh perfect for me.

An abrupt ramp is gradually becoming a hard no for me. It hasn't stopped me from buying several Mule Teams, but that ramp is borderline annoying, and I'm constantly on the verge of freehand modding one to see if I can improve it. I will eventually sell my Saver Salt because of the ramp. I recently returned an Atlantic Salt because I couldn't stand the ramp.

A steep ramp in the context of a reasonably friendly handle, a la the Pacific Salt or PM2, is okay, but shallower would feel even better. On a cramped or strongly finger-grooved handle, a steep ramp is a non-starter. I understand the purpose of the large Spydiehole, but I like the small hole better. I'll go as far as to say I'd prefer the small hole for all of Spyderco's knives, except those specifically aimed at the rescue use case, because of how it would improve the feel of the ramp.

Saver salt is my all time favorite Spyderco. The ramp fits the function of the Knife. A rapid outwards push cut of a rope or other entanglement. Saver is my on-deck sailing knife as an avid cruiser and racer, and is always clipped to my PFD when diving as a backup to my fixed blade titanium diver.

[WilliamMunny]

For me the PM2/3 might be too much of the thumb ramp but the Native 5 is too little. Might have to try the Sage as that may be just right…

[JSumm]

For me the PM2/3 might be too much of the thumb ramp but the Native 5 is too little. Might have to try the Sage as that may be just right…

Have you ever tried a Manix? That would be a great indicator on whether or not you will like the ramp on the Sage.

[wrdwrght]

Have both. Depending on design, I like either, so didn’t vote.

[w3tnz]

Didn’t vote because I like both, but have found on smaller knives no thumb ramp is preferable.
For example the dragonfly feels cramped behind the ramp where the lil native you have more room to stretch your thumb.

[AHarbuck]

In general, I prefer ramps, but find choils limiting. This leads to conflicts.

Military family: ramp is too steep when using the choil. Thumb too cramped. Ramp/ergos perfect when gripping behind the choil, but edge much too far from my hand than I wish.

Manix: Less of above, as ramp is less steep, but still not my preference. Behind the choil grip still too far from the edge. Sage is a good compromise, but grip with the choil is only real option for me due to size.

Native family: Using choil, grip is good, but thumb falls beyond the jimping. Gripped behind the choil, thumb comfortable on the jimping, but edge even further away from my hand than I'd like (especially for Native Chief, ~1 inch). This is my least favorite configuration.

Endura family: Really only one main grip, and it's a good compromise for me between thumb cramping and being too far away from the edge. Choking up on ricasso (looking at you, Wartstein!!) is a good alternative, too. Thumb comfortable beyond the ramp but far up the spine for control.

I like the overall grip on the Rockjumper, like the handle forward concept, but lack of jimping or dent on lock I find jarring. That's on me.

So, seki is the great compromise, and my preference.

All said, Dragonfly is my favorite design. What can I say? People are complicated...

[SaltyCaribbeanDfly]

I don’t mind thumb ramps or jimping for that matter so I didn’t vote…if I like the knife I learn to like whatever it comes with

[Manixguy@1994]

No vote for me . I have both , but my focus is more in hand and how if thumb extends in a relaxed manner . MG2