No stitchy stuff in this post; it's just a review of a set of hooks I ordered on Amazon that I thought may be of interest to at least someone. :) More experienced hookers are welcome to chime in.
Since I'm new to crocheting, I don't (didn't) have very many hooks. I found this set on Amazon for a whopping $5-6 which is much cheaper than one can find around here. It shipped free from China so it had a month-plus delivery date; no big deal as I'm patient, especially for cheap things. It arrived in roughly two and a half weeks. It has a purple zippered case to store all of the hooks in. The case isn't spectacular but it's handy and holy moly did it smell like stored plastic! A little time in the sun cleared that up. I cannot see it holding up well with heavy use; even after having it for a couple of weeks, the plastic holders are a little bent from taking out/replacing hooks.
They came oriented this way in the case and for some odd reason, this really bugged me. Maybe because the open zipper was at the top. So, I flipped them all around.
I must admit I do not know a lot about hook quality. The colored hooks are aluminum and seem to be comparable to the ones that can be found in local big box stores. I had a few Boye hooks before and they're the same weight and hook dimensions. They only list the size in millimeters on the hook (so no letters for USAers). I'm not particularly bothered by that because it seems that most patterns give both the letter and size anyway. If it becomes an issue, I can always print off a little chart to keep in the case with the hooks.
The little silver hooks are of a more questionable quality. I felt the sizes were somewhat random and I'm honestly not sure if I can trust those sizes. The 1.05mm size looks smaller than the 0.6mm size! A few of the sizes were off centered as well, making it difficult to read. The throats look somewhat rough. I attempted chaining with them and a random bit of crochet thread and they did not snag so looks may be deceiving! I'm guessing I'll get to the point where the size on the hook won't really matter and I'll just use what feels "right" at the time.
All of the hooks feel sturdy and I find them comfortable to hold.
The sizes listed
color 2.0mm/2.5mm/3.0mm/3.5mm/4.0mm/4.5mm/5.0mm/5.5mm/6.0mm/6.5mm;
silver 0.8mm/0.9mm/1.0mm/1.05mm/1.15mm/1.25mm/1.40mm/1.5mm/1.6mm/1.75mm/1.90mm/2.10mm
The sizes received
color 2.0mm/2.5mm/3.0mm/3.5mm/4.0mm/4.5mm/5.0mm/5.5mm/6.0mm/6.5mm;
silver 0.6mm/0.75mm/0.85mm/1.0mm/1.05mm/1.1mm/1.15mm/1.4mm/1.5mm/1.6mm/1.7mm/1.75mm
Would I recommend? Yes and no. If you have a bunch of hooks, this set probably won't bring you anything new. The questionable quality of the steel hooks would probably bother more experienced crocheters. I do, however, think it's a good set for a beginner (hi!) because it has the common "normal" sizes. I'm having fun just making stitches with the different hooks to see what happens. And that price just can't be beat!
Since I'm new to crocheting, I don't (didn't) have very many hooks. I found this set on Amazon for a whopping $5-6 which is much cheaper than one can find around here. It shipped free from China so it had a month-plus delivery date; no big deal as I'm patient, especially for cheap things. It arrived in roughly two and a half weeks. It has a purple zippered case to store all of the hooks in. The case isn't spectacular but it's handy and holy moly did it smell like stored plastic! A little time in the sun cleared that up. I cannot see it holding up well with heavy use; even after having it for a couple of weeks, the plastic holders are a little bent from taking out/replacing hooks.
They came oriented this way in the case and for some odd reason, this really bugged me. Maybe because the open zipper was at the top. So, I flipped them all around.
I must admit I do not know a lot about hook quality. The colored hooks are aluminum and seem to be comparable to the ones that can be found in local big box stores. I had a few Boye hooks before and they're the same weight and hook dimensions. They only list the size in millimeters on the hook (so no letters for USAers). I'm not particularly bothered by that because it seems that most patterns give both the letter and size anyway. If it becomes an issue, I can always print off a little chart to keep in the case with the hooks.
The little silver hooks are of a more questionable quality. I felt the sizes were somewhat random and I'm honestly not sure if I can trust those sizes. The 1.05mm size looks smaller than the 0.6mm size! A few of the sizes were off centered as well, making it difficult to read. The throats look somewhat rough. I attempted chaining with them and a random bit of crochet thread and they did not snag so looks may be deceiving! I'm guessing I'll get to the point where the size on the hook won't really matter and I'll just use what feels "right" at the time.
All of the hooks feel sturdy and I find them comfortable to hold.
The sizes listed
color 2.0mm/2.5mm/3.0mm/3.5mm/4.0mm/4.5mm/5.0mm/5.5mm/6.0mm/6.5mm;
silver 0.8mm/0.9mm/1.0mm/1.05mm/1.15mm/1.25mm/1.40mm/1.5mm/1.6mm/1.75mm/1.90mm/2.10mm
The sizes received
color 2.0mm/2.5mm/3.0mm/3.5mm/4.0mm/4.5mm/5.0mm/5.5mm/6.0mm/6.5mm;
silver 0.6mm/0.75mm/0.85mm/1.0mm/1.05mm/1.1mm/1.15mm/1.4mm/1.5mm/1.6mm/1.7mm/1.75mm
Would I recommend? Yes and no. If you have a bunch of hooks, this set probably won't bring you anything new. The questionable quality of the steel hooks would probably bother more experienced crocheters. I do, however, think it's a good set for a beginner (hi!) because it has the common "normal" sizes. I'm having fun just making stitches with the different hooks to see what happens. And that price just can't be beat!
