Circular Lace Knitting Needle Review: Chiaogoo

I'm doing a small series on lace knitting needles. As you know, I'm taking a Craftsy course to design lace shawls and of course, a crafter is only as good as the tools she uses! I have a good friend that uses Chiaogoo Red Lace needles, so that was my first needle to try out. I've been using Boye interchangeables for years now, and have never had a problem with them except that they are really not pointy enough for lace and the cables leave a lot to be desired when it comes to flexibility.

My end result will be an interchangeable needle set from one of the manufacturers that I review. I intend to review the Chiaogoo, Hiya Hiya, Addi Lace, and (possibly) the Knit Picks interchangeable. I say possibly on Knit Picks because they do not offer the variety in tips and cable lengths that the other three offer, even though they are less expensive.

So here is the breakdown:

Chiaogoo Red Lace Fixed Circulars, Size 5 US, 16" Cable

Chiagoo Twist Red Lace Interchangeable Knitting Needle Set


Complete Set includes:

• Sizes 2-15 in 5" tips
• Cables in 24", 32", and 40"
• 2 cable connectors
• 4 end stops
• 2 cord keys
• 1 needle gauge
• 24 stitch markers
• Cloth carry case

Stainless Steel tips, nylon coated steel cables

Thoughts: 

I purchased a pair of size 5, 16" fixed circular needles to try these out and see what I think. The needles themselves are very lightweight, almost like holding nothing at all so they are very easy on my hands and make for quicker work. The tips are great, allowing me to easily pick up my lace weight yarns and make yarn overs, knit two together, ssk, and sl1,k1,psso with ease. With my most recent Estonian knit shawl I had to employ all of these techniques, including nupps. Nupps are not easy. Especially on the purl side pick up. However, the Chiaogoos made things much easier and I am pleased with that. 

The cables were very flexible. Chiaogoo had a recall on some cables that went out with their interchangeable sets in 2013. They make it easy enough to send them back and get a replacement, though, if you end up with a set of the recalled cables. I had absolutely no problems with these cables retaining memory. 

The join was a bit sticky. By that I mean that my yarn seemed to catch on it occasionally. Since these are fixed needles I'm a little worried that the interchangeable won't be much better, since the join is the main downfall of interchangeable needles. However, I've heard a lot of good reviews on them and so am inclined to think that maybe they are better. The yarn traveled very smoothly most of the time and had no problems on the tips and cable. 

Overall, I'm very pleased with the Chiaogoo Twist Red Lace Interchangeable needles. I think you get quite a bit in the set for the money. It's always good to have needles in every size because I never know what the next project may be. I would like it if there was a cable in a 16" size, though.The larger 24" is not hat friendly in my opinion. 

So there is the rundown on the Chiaogoos. Next week I'll present the Addi Lace needles and do a compare/contrast on them.