Listen, I totally understand why you would need a different cable below 3mm. But CG makes the cut at 5.5 mm. A lot of knitters never touch those 2.00 mm or even 1.50 mm needles anyway, so I wouldn’t call getting a different set of cables and accessories for those a disadvantage. But 4.00 mm is quite the common size for a lot of projects – and so is 6.00 mm for blankets and sweaters. These sets ARE expensive. So, only worth it for intermediate knitters who really make use of the full possibilities of a set. If you only ever knit with 3mm / US 3 needles, you really don’t need the full set. Knitter’s Pride has the shortest tapered tip, the longest end, and the best transitions without “kinks”. I always felt this allowed for pretty seamless and fast knitting as your project will easily slide along. That being said, if you frequently knit with big needle sizes (like these 5.5/6.0 mm needles), the longer tapered end ChiaoGoo and addi offers, can be a nice advantage for lace patterns.

The second most important part of any interchangeable needle set are the cables. Here, you’ll find quite some differences as well. While all four brands do offer different cable options, I am only looking at the ones that come along with the set. Knitter’s Pride cable All four of them are fairly easy to use. In the case of Knitter’s Pride, HiyaHiya, and ChiaoGoo, you insert a little pin into a little hole in the cable, then you screw the needle onto the cable and use the pin to really screw tight. The ChiaoGoo pin is maybe a tiny bit more durable, but the difference is marginal at best. To detach the cables, you insert the pin again and unscrew the needles. Pretty straightforward and simple. This is how you join the cables with the needles (HiyHiya as an example)Let’s talk about the sets as a whole. In all fairness, I have to mention that my Knitter’s Pride set is some 10 years old now, and I only bought replacement needles in the meantime. But other than the fancy wooden box, the content is, as far as I can see, still the same: Knitter’s Pride The contents of my Knitter’s Pride Nova Platina deluxe set with a standard set in a plastic pouch below On a more critical note: The fact that Knitter’s Pride doesn’t include any cable extenders is pretty weak. Addi has at least one, but it’s fairly largeish and I’m not the biggest fan. ChiaoGoo, on the other hand, only included two screwing pins – these things are tiny and do get lost …like…a lot. And personally, I feel the HiyaHiya sets are not exactly gender-neutral. Not everyone likes pandas (whaaat? :P) and cases in reds and purples. Also, my small set didn’t have cable stoppers and only one screwing pin. I felt that was pretty weak. A glance at the two different cable sizes by ChiaoGoo All four needles are very light. The 5mm needles were all in the same range. ChiaoGoo & HiyaHiya weighs ~8 grams, while Knitters Pride is 9, and addi 10 are grams. Considering that your yarn/project will be considerably heavier, you will not really notice these needles – even for the bigger sizes. There’s nothing worse than your knitting needles coming undone while you are knitting. In all fairness, I do have to say that addi owns that field. Both my ChiaoGoo, HiyaHiya, and my Knitter’s Pride cables have come undone in the past. Usually, I noticed it before the point of no return because stitches have gotten caught in the gap. Still, there’s no denying how annoying that is, especially as it’s hard to rescue this situation mid-row. I blame it on the fact that these systems make it very hard to really screw it tight.

HiyaHiya interchangeable knitting needles do have screws at the other end as well, but you get a rubber patch as well. In addition, you get quite a lot of extenders . I really love the concept of their needle extenders. You can easily turn a 5″ needle into a 6″ needle, etc. So, how cool is that? (these adapters are only part of the large sets and not the small sets, but can be bought separately). Their regular cable adaptors don’t have a hole for the pins, though – unlike the ChiaoGoo adapters. Cable stoppers: ChiaoGoo, Knitter’s Pride, addi Anyway, about this article, I discovered Knitpro (Knitter’s Pride) interchangable needles a few years ago and love them. I use the Nova tips which I am still building a collection of. Yes, they do undo occasionally, however, for the ease of knitting with them, that is a small price to pay. You can attach two different needle sizes to a cable for interesting new possibilities. That way, you can combat having a different gauge with knits and purls. Or use a round tip for extra fast knitting in the return row, and a sharp tip for the right side with all the complicated stitches. Thanks to our smooth connections and the included cable key, you’ll never have to worry about losing your work off a loose needle.Incidentally, I learned about the method for joining circular knitting from your blog. It’s rather ironic that I thought of a method like this (it may have been the same, I can’t remember now) but never tried it! Fool!! Hi, Norman. Nice comparison article. I have only used the other brands of interchangeable needles for a few minutes at a fiber event, just to try them out (not counting a truly vintage Boye set I learned on), so I can’t speak to them, but I do have some remarks on the ChiaoGoo interchangeables. Interchangeable knitting needles can only be engineered down to a size US 4 (3.5mm), so you’ll need to go with fixed circulars for those teeny tiny projects.

We carry different sets and interchangeable needle accessories from brands like Drops, Knitpro,Pony, and Addi for ultimate precision and ease of use. Each of these brands boasts its own patented interchangeable systems that give the cables and the needles a strong, seamless join. Both offer needle adaptors to make those small cables work for the bigger sizes. But a) this means buying these adaptors b) it doesn’t work the other way round (from big to small) and c) this means another join (read: weak link) in your needles. Price

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I also won’t be comparing any of the cheaper brands (etc.) because I had such bad experiences with these needles in the past. Any maker will be able to assure you that their tools are one of the most important aspects of their trade and quality shows. ChiaoGoo is probably the best set to invest for knitters who like to knit with very small needle sizes and durable cables (though I personally do prefer the fixed carbon needles by Knitter’s pride, but that’s a different story as these tiny sizes are not available as an interchangeable set; the big ones are).

I also really don’t like the fact that both ChiaoGoo and HiyaHiya work with two different cable sizes. The smaller needle sizes need a different cable (where the screw is smaller) than the bigger needles. For example with addi, the same cable works on a 3.5mm needle and an 8 mm needle. With CG or HH, you need a different cable, and different cable extenders, and different cable stoppers, etc. I feel this contradicts the whole versatility idea behind an interchangeable knitting needle set.

You almost always have the right needle size for a project at home. No need to go shopping for new needles in case you want to start a new project with new yarn. Cables and cable stoppers allow you to put a WIP on hold easily, letting you use the needles for a different project. So, for knitting lace, it works like a charm. For the (traveling) magic loop technique, the cable is sadly not really flexible enough. While it does work, I don’t think it’s ideal here. Here, you might have to buy some spare plastic cables. Addi cable