Circular Lace Knitting Needle Review: Hiya Hiya

This is the third and final installment in my list of knitting needle reviews. Today we're looking at the Hiya Hiya interchangeable needle sets.

Chiaogoo review

Addi Review

Selections	Chiaogoo	Addi1	Addi2	Hiya Hiya
Tip Length	5”	3”	5”	4” and 5”
Lifeline	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Cord Lengths	24-40 (3)	16-40 (4)	24-40 (3)	16 – 40 (4)
Cord Material	Nylon Coated Steel	Not given	Not given	Not given
Tip Sizes	2-15	4 to 11	4 to 11	2-8 or 9-15
Tip Material	Stainless Steel	Nickel Plated Brass	Nickel Plated Brass	Steel
Cable Connectors	2	1	1	0
Storage Case	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Extras Included (ie. Stitch markers, gauges, etc.)	Yes	No	No	No
Extas available for purchase	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Cost	~ $169.00	~ $169.00	~ $169.00	~ $80/set, $160.00 total

The Hiya Hiya needles were suggested to me in a knitting group I use on Facebook. Since I wanted to make sure I was covering my bases, I decided to review them as well. Again, I purchased a fixed circular set, size 5, from eBay. First and foremost, the Hiya Hiya sets don't offer a lot in the way of extras with their sets. You can choose from a 4" set, either in small sizes (2-8) or in large sizes (9-15) or a 5" set with the same variables. Each set comes with 4 cable sizes of 16", 24", 32" and 40". The sets are approximately $80 each, adding up to a total of $160.00 for a set as complete as the Chiaogoo.

When I first took my Hiya Hiya out of its package, the cable was badly twisted in a loop, meaning that the memory retention was much higher than I cared for. I put it in some warm water and let it set for a while, which released the loop. They still are not as flexible as the Chiaogoo or the Addi. I set about knitting up a cabled shawl in fingering weight yarn, knowing this would test the agility and smoothness of the needles.

The needles are very smooth, and it's almost like there is no join whatsoever. The yarn glides across the cables and slips easily over the needle tips. Sometimes too easily. I've lost a couple of stitches from the needle sliding out. This is something I'm used to from the Boye, but did not encounter with the other two. The tips are very sharp, quite accurate at manipulating the yarn, and I love that aspect of them.

All in all, I have to say that I am not sold on the Hiya Hiya. I don't think I get as much for my money and the memory retention is higher than I like. So what wins? Chiaogoo. In my opinion I just get a lot more for the money I invested, I have a full and complete set available with many extras. I can also get singular cables for the smaller sizes I may need in the future.

I hope this has helped you make some decisions of your own. My opinions are given according to what I am looking for in a circular needle set, and you are free to make decisions based on your own experience and preferences. This experiment wasn't an exact science, but it did give me some guidelines on what to expect from each brand. Happy knitting!

Circular Lace Knitting Needle Review: Addi Lace Turbo

Continuing with my Interchangeable Lace Knitting Needle series, I am reviewing the Addi Lace turbo series.

Today's review:

Addi Sets have a little more when it comes to choices in their interchangeable needles. They offer two different lace sets, one with short 3" tips and one with longer 5" tips. The 3" set includes the same 8 needle tips in sizes 4-11, but they have 5 cable lengths instead of 3 (16", 20", 24", 32", 40"). The 5" set has the cable lengths in 24", 32" & 40".

The long lace also include lifeline holes, an added bonus. The Chiaogoo also have lifeline holes in their interchangeable sets.

Addi on top, Chiaogoo on bottom

So here is a tabular breakdown of the Chiagoo vs. Addi.

Selections	Chiagoo	Addi	Addi2
	5"	3"	5"
Lifeline?	yes	no	yes
Cord Lengths	24-40 (3)	16-40 (5)	24-40 (3)
Cord Material	Nylon coated steel	Not given	Not given
Tip Sizes	2 to 15	4 to 11	4 to 11
Tip Material	Stainless Steel	Nickel Plated Brass	Nickel Plated Brass
Memory	little to none	little to none	little to none
Cable connectors	2	1	1
Storage Case	Yes	Yes	Yes
Extras Included	Yes	no	no
Extras Available for purchase	yes	yes	yes
Cost	~169.00	~169.00	~169.00

Thoughts: 

I really liked the Addi Needles, but they seemed too light in my hands. I know that is a strange thing to say, but it was almost like holding nothing at all. The memory in the cables seems to be very low, but I don't believe they are as flexible as the Chiaogoo.

Red Chiaogoo cable, Blue Addi Cable

 I love the "extras" that come with the Chiaogoo. Right now the Addi is on sale on Amazon, so that is a huge bonus, and would justify buying the extras available, but not included. The Addi needles did seem to be much smoother at the joins, and the yarn glided over the cables and needles with ease. The Addi needles also don't seem to be as sharp, either, although their tips appear to be exactly the same. 

Chiaogoo tips on left, Addi on right

My biggest dilemma right now is that I really don't like the weight of the Addi needles. However, I really like the smoothness. I wish that the 16" and 20" cables were available in the 5" sizes. You can purchase them as extras, but they will not make a true 16" circular, as stated on the Addi Website. So I'm guessing with either one, I will need to buy 16" fixed circulars (which I already have in size 5). Still not entirely decided yet. Reviewing the Hiya Hiya set in a couple of days.