Gold Tip Interchangeable Needle Set
Gold Tip Needles
If it’s not a gold tip, what’s the point?
Suzanne Lek
Gold Tip Needles… I would have never known that such a brand exists if it wasn’t for me being nosey and venturing into the notions section of primroseyarnco.com (where I was actually shopping for yarn). Good thing the Primrose Yarn Co had a picture of the set as an introduction to their notions section and the set caught my eye.
What is it and where did it come from? Here is what I know about it…
It’s a luxurious and elegant interchangeable needle set with the most beautiful long gold tip created by Suzanne Lek.
The needle tips are made from 100% high-quality aluminum.
The cables are flexible, with a nylon-coated metal wire chord that does not kink or bind up when working with them or storing them in the case.
The case that comes with the set is made out of 100% genuine leather.
Needle sizes are engraved in the needles themselves, so they will never rub off, leaving you stuck guessing what size needle you are working with.
Set contains:
- (10) 6" Interchangeable Needle tips: US 2, US 2.5, US 3, US 4, US 5, US 6, US 7, US 8, US 9, US 10
- 4 cables of various lengths
- a key to lock needles onto cables
- cable stoppers
- a genuine leather needle case
Let’s talk Gold Tip Needles…
This review is based on the info provided by the creator and my own NOT PAID FOR opinion. Opinions vary… so take this with a grain of salt.
The set price is $200 with free shipping(you can find the coupon code for that under Shipping/Policies) and rewards on primroseyarnco.com, and $199.95 on goldtipneedles.com and www.amazing-threads.com. On the original website - goldtipneedles.com - you can purchase separate cables, stoppers, needle tips, and a case.
Everything about this set screams luxury and elegance!
It comes in a good quality black box with GT gold letters on it.
Inside you will find a really good quality GENUINE LEATHER case with interchangeable needles. The case itself is very elegant. Black leather with gold GT engraved on the outside and mustard gold nylon material on the inside. All the zippers are very smooth and are of really good quality, the same mustard gold color as the material inside. When open, the case houses 10 pairs of needles, 5 pairs on each side. There are two additional pockets on each side (one with the zipper and one open). The zippered pockets are pretty small but they will easily hold the tightening tool and some stitch markers, and a tapestry needle, but that is about it. Will it hold the stoppers… sure, but I wouldn’t do that if I were you, to avoid deforming the pocket material. What would I do if I were to create this case, I would remove the zippered pockets and just have elastic holders on each side; one to hold the tape measure, and the other to hold a tin big enough to house stoppers, tapestry needles, stitch markers, tightening tool and such (similar to ChiaoGoo Forte set case). I would have the elastic hold the needle tips, so they will stay up no matter what, but I will keep the clear size marking for each needle tip! And, I will definitely have space for The Knitter barber flexy cords!!! a must in most projects for me. And… a little space to hold a crochet hook to pick up dropped stitches or weave ends in. And.. a space for little scissors… That would be my perfect case with needles to take anywhere and have everything available to me. Ok!!! This is not a needle case anymore, it’s a knitting needle bag with all possible accessories!!! A girl can dream!!!
The needles:
These are high-quality aluminum 6 inches needle tips with a black middle part and gold base and a tip. The tip is VEERY long, no other needle I know has the tip this long, even Signature Needle Arts Stiletto needles. The needles are grippy but smooth. The stitches glide effortlessly (unless you are a very tight knitter). The needles become smoother and more slippy with time but in the beginning, they are very grippy. From my experience with these needles, if you are tight to a very tight knitter you will not be able to easily push the stitches onto or off the needle.
The very tip of the needle is not too sharp or too blunt, and it doesn’t hurt your fingers when you push on it. Because the tip is so long it seems that it’s much sharper than it is. And I noticed that the tip of the needle is perfect for lace work, colorwork, bobbles, cables, double strands of lace yarn, etc.
The really nice thing about the tips is that they have the size of the needle clearly engraved on it, a black needle with gold lettering. You can really see what size of the needle it is without any difficulty. I like that the needles are all uniform in color. This is where Signature Needle Arts needles are losing points for me; I like colors and at first different fun colored needles seemed to be cool, but on some of the needles you can’t see the etched size. And, Signature Needles Art used different colors for different sizes and kept it consistent, but ask me what size the teal or red needle is. Do you know? Can you remember? I don’t remember most days what I had for breakfast, or how I got out of bed. Oh, wait, I am still in bed!
The Needle base is narrowed down to meet the uniform-sized cable (not unlike Signature Needle Arts - I compare the two because they are the most similar in material). The gradual transition from the base of the needle to the cable makes it so easy to effortlessly glide the stitches.
When you work with these needles they create this woosh sound instead of a clank (the feel and the sound resemble the nylon jacket sound when sleeves rub onto the body of it). I find it very soothing sometimes, but it could be very annoying too.
Because of the material they are made with, the needles are very light. It could mean a lot for people with carpal tunnel or any other hand/arm difficulties.
Gold Tip Needle Tips
The cables:
The cables resemble ChiaoGoo SWIV360 or Red Twist nylon coated metal wire but they are not as flexible and keep the shape slightly. Gold Tip cables are not completely memory free like ChiaoGoo cables, but they are better than any other cable out there. If you keep them in a coil for a few hours they seem to keep some of the shape when you straighten them out. They are thinner than the ChiaoGoo Red Twist and thicker than the ChiaoGoo SWIV360 for small-sized needles.
Compared are the ChiaoGoo SWIV360, cable ChiaoGoo Red Twist cable, and Gold Tip cable.
You get 4 cables in the set; 24 inches ( that I find a bit too short to maneuver easily, its doable but it could be a bit restrictive when needles are swung wide), 32, 40, and 50 inches.
Two cable stoppers are included in the set. The stoppers seem to be a perfect size- not too bulky ( hello Lantern Moon) or too small, light enough and seem to be made out of aluminum too.
The join:
The most incredible join I EVER worked with! EVER! you don’t even need to tighten it with the tool, it just stays put. And it’s very easy to connect the needle to the cable, and the join is very smooth.
Compares:
Now, let’s compare these needles to the closest in material and look - Signature Needles Arts (SN).
SN set will run close to $380 for a set with limited needle sizes or cable lengths (if they are fixed) and $300 for interchangeable( a lot of limitations with needle sizes and cables) and no case to store them or an unlimited amount of cables in. You can purchase the case separately but the only really good one will cost you a pretty penny (Thread and Maple). So you are looking at $300- to $2000 for a good set here, vs $200 for Gold Tip (keep in mind that gold tip comes in 6 inches needle tips only (for now).
The very tip of GT needles is the same in length for all the sizes, SN seems to increase in length as sizes progress.
The SN has a unique to each needle size cable join and you need different lengths of the cable for one needle size. They are not interchangeable!!! And it becomes VERY COSTLY!
As much as I love colors, I prefer my needles the same color (GT wins point here)) with the very important thing -the etched size of the needle that could be seen, FROM SPACE!!!!
The cables for GT are outstanding quality ( yes, I would prefer them to be completely memory free and a bit more flexible, but…).
SN cables… they suck!!! - Signature Needle Art says they are kink-free and memory free. Promises promises… They are not!
Signature Needle Arts needle with a “kink free” cable in US size 3 (3.25 mm) and Gold Tip Needle tips in the same size.
I reached out to Suzanne Lek and asked what are we the knitters to expect from Gold Tip in the future.
She has a lot of ideas for new sets and needles, possibly limited edition sets.
She working currently on DPNs and 4 inches interchangeable needle set.
When Suzanne told me she is a ballerina I figured out why this needle set is so good and so elegant, that OCD, perfectionism, hard work, poise, structure, and grace transitioned onto her creation!
This is not a paid advertisement, its just my opinion of the set I bought with my own money.
Check out my knitcast video on YouTube for Gold Tip Needles review and compare:
Knit a lot! And always have fun with it!
