Disclaimer:
This is an independent review of Flexiflips. I am not receiving any compensation from the manufacturer or any distributor.
I love to knit with sock weight yarn, whether the project is socks, a scarf, or fingerless gloves. They are an easy portable, take anywhere project. I have a lot of size 0 wooden double pointed needles to accommodate. Let’s face it, one set would never be enough because that would require monogamy in knitting. Say, what?!? Yeah, doesn’t happen too much with this knitter. Over the years I have honed in on my favorite small needle knitting method: five double points, and my favorite type of needle which are wood with a length of five inches. Brand doesn’t matter to me. Oh, I have tried magic loop, four double points and 2 circulars, but I keep coming back to my five double points.
I saw these flexiflips by Skacel and liked the marriage of the methods of double points with two circular needles. I bought them and was excited to give them a go.
My friend and former co-worker gave me this kit to make these fingerless gloves quite some time ago. I thought this would be the perfect project to try the new Flexiflips. I managed to stay monogamous with this project, which is a huge feat for me!
First, the Flexiflips are shipped in a plastic tube with a cap. This tube then doubles as storage when the needle are not in use.
Tips: **** 4/5 rating
I like that at least one end is the rocket tip, which is the sharper end. The other is the turbo end. Fold the needle in half to compare the two tips to determine which is the turbo end and which is the rocket end. The longer tapered one is the rocket end. I gave these a 4/5 because I would prefer to have just the rocket end and at the very least to have one end marked to quickly identify the ends.
Join: *** 3/5 rating
The join between the cord and the needle did not impress me. The join kept snagging my knitting as I moved my work towards the tip. This seemed more prominent when I first began to work with the needles, but was present throughout my knitting.
Cord: ** 2/5 rating
I really like the concept of basically doing 2 circular knitting with three needles. What I really found frustrating was that the flexible cord was only an inch long. I felt this was way to short. Another inch or inch and a half would have been perfect. The unworked needles would not stay out of my way and kept poking me. I also found that I developed ladders in my work which I do not get with five double point needles.
Needle: *** 3/5 rating
I have man-hands. I found the 3.5 inch needle length too short for my extra large woman hands.
Portability: * 1/5 rating
I have DPN holders that I use to keep my needle tips safe and protect my knitting from falling off the needles. My absolute favorite is the hand made one I bought from Knitzi. Flexiflips do not fit in my DPN holders.
Overall impression: 2.5/5
These needles are a good bet for you if you are looking for something fun and new to try or for a gift for the knitter in your life and don’t mind spending a little money. Personally, I had too many issues with them to be too excited about them. I am happy I did buy them though, I did get a chance to try something new and that is always fun. In the end, however, I will return to my wood five double point needles and my happy place.
Have you bought them yet? Leave a comment below and tell me what you think.
I’m sorry to hear these didn’t work out so great. I can’t knit very well with double points and so avoid sock-like project. I would have loved to see these do the trick so I could unleash myself onto some new projects. I’ll keep hoping that something comes along that does the trick. Thanks for sharing.
I bought a set and found them great for I-cords but not very good for anything else. I still prefer two circulars for other knitting in the round.
I am a fellow left-handed knitter and also tried FlexiFlips when they first came out. I, too, found the FlexiFlips uncomfortable for the same reasons you mention. I have long fingers and the smaller tips of short circular needles (and the FlexiFlips) just don’t sit well in my hands. I do prefer to knit Magic Loop for circular projects but have a collection of both wood and metal DPNs, all of which get used depending on the project. Just goes to show that each knitter is unique!
Your rating is on point. The joins are not what I expect from Addi and the cord is too short to make them flexible enough for socks. I also had ladders and I’ve been knitting socks for years. A hat or larger project maybe but not small items like socks. Glad I only bought one set.
Regarding flexi-tips, I read several reviews and watched a few videos demonstrating the 3 needle system of Flexi-Tips and considered buying a set. Then I remembered I have at least two Chiaogoo 9 inch circular needles and thought if I get a third perhaps I could try this technique using the Chiaogoo’s? The needles are 2” but the cord is 9” and Chiaogoo cords are superior as it has a wire for stability. The extra 8” will allow a space for the stitches to slide onto. I have occasionally knitted with 3 circulars so it would be familiar just on a smaller scale. Not to mention Chiaogoo connection is smooth which is why I switched from Addi to Chiaogoo. Has anyone tried the technique of Flexi-tip knitting with different brands?