I've never used my palms, only my thumbs. Never had too much trouble. Folding tires aren't hard because they hurt my thumbs, but because they're just too floppy/have too little shape when they're new out of the box.

Also I really need that six bucks... I took my girlfriend out for a fancy dinner tonight at The Boiler House. Total damage, nearly $200. D'oh! And that was just for dinner.