A thimble has the rope wrapping around it in such a way as to protect it from whatever object it is attached to. The Factor 55 is junk because it uses the stock thimble that sticks out of the bottom of their device and may come into contact with the fairlead. In reality, the Factor 55 (no one on here is a big fan of them, myself included, they make a lot of "bling" for jeeps that is quite dangerous and stupidly expensive) is nothing more than a poorly designed shackle that adds one more "link" in the winch line. When winching you want as few connections or links as possible, each one is a potential failure point, the fewer you have the easier it is to keep an eye on them for failure...... The TRE is a true thimble, in that the line is routed around the opening (the opening is large enough for a screwpin shackle if needed, or radiused enough for a soft shackle) thereby creating a protective path for the eye of the rope.