Addi Click Turbo Interchangeables vs “the rest”

I knew they were going to arrive today but my heart still skipped a beat when I returned home today to a package on the front porch.  The Addi Click Turbo interchangeable set went up for pre-order on Webs a couple of months ago.  Since I don’t have a wholesale account with Skacel, I immediately ordered them.  They were supposed to be shipped October/early November but on November 5th I received an email informing me that they would be delayed to manufacturing issues.  No problem there…I’d rather have them arrive with Addi Turbo quality a little later than have defective ones right away.

Right out of the shipping box I was surprised.  The kit is much bigger than I expected (ie not easily portable).  All of the needles are spread out in the box lengthwise while the three cords are housed in top pockets; not the most efficient or usable packaging but it does make a nice display.  They are advertised in US sizes 4-15 which is a bit of a misnomer.  The set actually goes from US 4, skips 5, 6-10, 10.75, 11, 13, 15, so if you are expecting US sizes you won’t be getting them exactly as you expected.  I’ve always thought the needles should be in millimeters anyway so this isn’t a huge issue to me.  For the rest of the world already familiar with metric needles the sizes are pairs of 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 except for my set which actually has only one 9mm and 3 8mm needles (apparently this got past quality control in their rush to get them out).  My initial answer from Webs customer service is that I have to send back the whole set since they only received 10 of them and no extra parts and they’re not sure when the next shipment will arrive.  At my suggestion they are contacting Skacel to see if they are willing to ship one size 9mm needle.  I’ll let you know how that turns out.

As for the needle design, they look and feel like Addi Turbo needles should; smooth and very light weight.  The cords are light blue and sublimely flexible with the cord lengths printed right on them.  The needles also have the metric and US sizes printed on them which is a nice feature as compared to other interchangeable sets.  The join is unique.  While holding the cord one matches the dots on the needle with the slot on the metal part of the cord.  Then, the needle is pushed in to depress a spring while twisting the needle into place.  This wasn’t easy to accomplish the first time ( or the 2nd-5th for that matter) but once it’s in place the join seems very smooth and sturdy (will need to check this out further when actually knitting which I can’t do yet since I don’t know if I have to send them back or not).

I have posted a picture of the tips for comparison.  The only Knit Picks needles I have are the small circulars for socks so the tip of that one is smaller than the rest.  The rest are size 5 and you can get a good idea about how each of the popular interchangeable sets on the market compare in that respect.  (For more comparisons you can see my 2005 review of Denise vs Boye here.)

Pros:  They’re Addi for gosh sake(!), lightweight needles, flexible, thin cords, strong join.

Cons:  Price, poor packaging, and the join (while it seems like the most sturdy join of the interchangeable sets) it may be difficult for someone with arthritis or poor eye sight to use them easily.