Favourite circulars?

[MJ(Sam's Mummy)]

A lovely TNNer has kindly lent me her knitpro set, but I've had them for a few months now and really think I need to give them back so I'm looking at some for me. Which circulars are your favourites and why, and what would you recommend I get to start with? Ta

[Claude30]

I love my Knit pros and I use the metal tips - I know a lot of people get the acrylic or bamboo but I do hear often about tips breaking. I originally got my first lot from Vintage Purls http://www.vintagepurls.co.nz/ but i didnt do a set just brought individually at sizes I used lots and then increased from there, but now I tend to buy from UK from Hula crafts http://www.hulucrafts.co.uk/index.php as its cheaper and last lot only took a week to get here and they have some good starter kits with basics in them.

BUT if I arent using interchangables I like the addi fixed

[karmiec]

Knit Pro and when I need to buy in a hurry I pop into Crafty Knitwits in Milford

Before that I was buying from Tauranga Knitting, or Vintage Purls

[Joanne]

Knit Pro. Love the Caron Fibre tips and the nickel tips.

Useful tip : if you end up getting larger size tips to us ie 6mm+, get the nickel. These are hollow and much less weighty than the solid wood laminate ones. I found this out the hard way when I needed to use 25mm tips ...

[Foxtrot]

I use Knitpro interchangeables and am happy with them. I have some symphony wooden ones and some metal, and I prefer the metal as the stitches slide really nicely on it. For a beginner though you might find the wooden ones good as the extra grip means you don't drop stitches as easily. You could get just a few main sizes to start with rather than a whole set and then you could get a mix of different tips and see what you like (the sets often have sizes I don't use much, so I was better off just buying the ones I used at the time and then added to them as I needed). After that I bought a couple of Addi fixed circulars in the sizes I used most often and I like them too, but the tips seem to be blunter than knitpro (not a bad thing - just different).

[Taylas_mum]

Love my knit pros and have a mixture of bamboo and nickel, I think the stitches slide nicer on the nickel however like the pointy tip of the bamboo (however have pierced my thumb a number of times and them seem to keep stabbing the same spot while it is healing!). I find the downside of bamboo is I have had a couple snap and the downside of nickel is I can sometimes find it hard to get a tight join between needle and cable (or it can come loose during knitting) - this might just be me though. I love 30cm fixed addis for small circumference knitting great however find the blunter tip a bit annoying at times. Am waiting on some hiyahiya 23cm circulars to arrive in country so interested to see if I can use them! To be honest I still like my good old 4mm fixed 40cm birch needles from spotlight for some projects too So all in all this is probably not a very helpful post If I had to choose just one type to buy it would probably be nickel knit pros - and although I got a set for my birthday if I was doing it again I would buy tips/cables individually as there are ones in the set I have never used

[MJ(Sam's Mummy)]

Thank you

I'm just letting DH get over the shock of what they cost, he thought they'd be a few $$ each lol. I was looking at sets that just had 3 needles in them, a 4, 5 and 6mm with 3 cables. But when I've looked at them separately it looks like I'd only save a $1 or so on buying them on their own so I might just buy the ones I need as I need them. I'm not sure I've got anything I want to knit at this stage that use a 6mm.

Didn't know there was a wool shop in Milford, good to know

[Petals]

I love my Knitpros because that's what I have, and I think that all the recommendations here are because until recently that's what was available if you wanted interchangeables. If I was starting from scratch I would look around a bit. In particular I would look for a smoother connection. Have a look at Addi Click interchangeables.

[sable]

I have tried the following:

Knit Pro - pretty good, joins are reasonable but I found the carbon ones to be snaggy on my yarn so I stick to the nickel; very sharp though and I get holes in my pushing finger.
Hiya Hiya - I love stainless steel and their points are more rounded so less holes in my fingers, but the change from cable to needle is a bit sudden and as I'm a tight knitter that can be annoying
Chiao Goo Red - my favourite by far. Good joins and the cables are wonderful! They've got a braided steel core and they recover really well from being used for magic loop. Downside is they're not so easy to get here and they come in 2 versions one of which has a bend in the needle. Get the ones without the bend.
Addi Clicks - I really really hate the join on these; I know some people love them but they're no good for finer yarn as you spend all your time having to gently pry the loops across that join.

[HCsMum]

Seconding Chiaogoo. I will only buy them now for as long as they are a business <3 them!

[nikkitheknitter]

Oooh chia goo sound good!

I have a knit pro interchangable set (nickel) which are great except I find the cables pull out quite easily and drive me craaaackers. Apparently they're not meant to do that though and I might've got a dud set to start and now the glue is wearing out (after a few years of use).

[Happy@home]

I recently sold all my knit pro interchangeables, the joins never stayed together for me. I bought a Chiaogoo set which I really like and I love my Chiaogoo fixed needles.
I bought the Chiaogoo set from Vintage Purls
But most of mine are Addis fixed which for Stocking stitch is fine.
I get my Addis from loveknitting.

[goose]

I have knitpro interchangeables with nickel tips and love them. The only time I've ever had them come apart is if I've changed the tip without using a key ( because I've left the container with the keys in it upstairs and can't be bothered going to get it never pays off )

[MJ(Sam's Mummy)]

Is this the Chiao Goo set you're talking about?
http://www.vintagepurls.co.nz/chiaogoo- ... e-set.html
I can't seem to find anything bigger than a 5mm needle, is that because they're a lace set, or because they don't do bigger? And I can't seem to find individual ones, only sets?

It's my birthday in 2 months, so I think I'll be getting some needles for it, just have to work out which ones now! For those who have fixed as well as interchangeable, do you just buy fixed in the sizes you use a lot? Any advantage to fixed, or would I be able to do everything I want with interchangeables?

[Foxtrot]

You can essentially do anything you want with interchangables. The only exception is if you want very very small needles, as the interchangables only go down to a certain size (because after that the cable and screw where it joins to the needle is bigger than the needle itself and wouldn't work). Also I believe interchangables only go down to 40cm cable length, which works for small garments/hat brims etc and you can do magic loop with a long cable for anything you want smaller like sleeves, but if you can't be bothered doing magic loop and want wee 30cm ones I think you have to get fixed. Not necessary though.

I just have a few fixed in the sizes I use most often because I am too lazy to spend 2 minutes unscrewing the needles from the last project and changing the cable length before I start - I just want it instantly set up to the size and length I need plus the join from needle to cable is smoother in a fixed and there's no chance of it coming unscrewed and having to be tightened up etc.