I am on a never-ending quest for the perfect thimble. The new Soft Comfort Thimble from Dritz comes very close to satisfying me.  After giving this thimble a try, I put some time and thought into how this new thimble compares to other thimbles available on the market.

I am very demanding when it comes to thimbles. I have high expectations when it comes to a thimble’s comfort, durability and effectiveness.  My hands are not designed for sewing. They are thick and large and I feel like I am the perfect picture of a person who could be described as “ham-handed”.

Thimbles are round. My fingers are not, so therefore, I value a thimble that will conform to the shape of my finger.  The Soft Comfort Thimble is made of a flexible rubber-like substance that molds to my finger along with being vented to allow for air circulation that reduces sweating. This allows the thimble to be very comfortable and maintain a snug, non-slip fit. I bought a large and it was a tad too snug. I usually wear a medium size thimble, as a large is too big.

This thimble is one-sided with a hard plastic pad that sits against one’s finger tip pad.  This pad is dimpled with deep indentations that are designed to capture the eye of a needle and discourage needle slippage.  I like this pad though admittedly it took a little time for my finger to adjust to mentally judging for the added distance from the actual tip of my finger. The pad plastic tip is a tad too thick for my taste but I think I could eventually become accustomed to it. This thickness added to my reassurance that the eye of the needle would not pierce the thimble which is something that occurs often with hands as large as mine. That being said, I found myself an hour later in the kitchen preparing lunch with the thimble still on my finger.

The “hard, textured tip” works wonderfully well.  I jabbed the eye of my needle into my ring finger but it was my own fault.  I did not have the needle in one of the dimples.  I discovered I am a needle “side pusher”.  There are not enough dimples on the sides of the thimble to capture the needle and secure it for side pushing with one’s finger.

All in all, I am adopting this as my new favorite thimble.

Score:  4 buttons (stars)

Pro’s:

• very comfortable
• vented for air circulation
• lightweight
• good value for the price

Con’s:

• not designed for side pushing
• dimpled pad is too thick