For what it’s worth, after I put all the tech specs aside, I love my JD Crowe Blue Chip thumb pick for primarily one reason: It does not get caught on the fifth string when I’m picking the 4th string.
No matter how carefully play, I cannot get thru a song with any other thumb pick without getting hung up at least once. Apparently my thumb wants to get as close to the strings as my middle & index fingers do, rather than allow for the length of the pick tip. The little gap in classic thumb picks snags regularly.
And I think this poor technique is the result of rolling my fingers on the desktop or my leg when I’m listening to a song. The fingers just want to wiggle out the beat, which means the thumb has to strike the table top, too, not float above it.
There are days I think I should have taken up bowling instead of the banjo!