I've tried the metal thimbles, the regular ones, and what i don't like is i like to also hold the needle with my thimble finger too, and i cant do that or have as much control of the needle as i would like with that kind. I'm not using one that is like a metal ring, one side is a round metal disc, and the other side is just a ring, so it le4aves part of my finger open to feel the needle