Who hasn’t seen these hooks hanging in every yarn and craft store in America?
Step Back! Don’t reach for them! Don’t be taken in by their shiny package or their nice colors!
Boye hooks, produced by Wright’s Products, are terrible crochet hooks. OK! Don’t throw rotten tomatoes at me or condemn me to cyberhell. I promise that not ALL Boye hooks are bad. Just the new ones!
If you can find an older set of Boye hooks, buy them! They’re great – smooth, well finished, sleek, and useful. The newer ones – not so much. Sadly.
By now, you know I prefer inline hooks. But, I can crochet with any old hook. Right – OLD hook. I can’t crochet with poorly finished hooks that snag the yarn and put a lot of ‘drag’ on the yarn.
Sadly, Wright’s is continuing to market a hook with an excellent brand name but that is a truly inferior product. I urge you to purchase Susan Bates or Clover hooks which are in the same price range and offer superior products.
I’ve noticed my newer Boye hooks are sharp at the top of the head. If it doesn’t catch the yarn, than it’s finding some other way to annoy me.
Unfortunately, I am very anti-Bates as I don’t like the shape of the head/hook.
I need to get a hold of some Clover or Addi Turbo hooks for comparison.
BRIANNA, you may well LOVE the Clover Soft Touch hooks. I don’t like the plastic handle on the Addi hooks and they have MM sizes only – which is not a bad thing, but they have no F hook, for instance. You use only the numeric size which sometimes throws me, although it’s more accurate. Not all F hooks are the same size!! jd
I recently bought a package of assorted Boye hooks and notice the rough edges. So I got some sand paper and sanded the heck out of them. I still ened up with a crummy hook. What I use them for is window props to keep my kitchen windows open!!!!!!!!
ALL THAT WORK for window props. No Way!! At least you found a use for those dratted hooks! jd
You’re absolutely right! I have some old Boye hooks which I love but the newer ones – forget it!
So anytime I see older Boyer hooks, I snatch them up…
SO YOU’RE THE ONE GETTING THEM ALL! LOL. jd
You said it, the Boyes are EVERYWHERE! Every store, individually, in packs, in cute packages with yarn and patterns included, there is almost
no way to avoid them as a newbie.
When someone suggested Susan Bates hooks, I took off! I may not be the fastest hook in the west yet, but at least I’m enjoying it a lot more!
MIMI, thanks for validating my viewpoint. It’s a shame that Boye isn’t producing a superior product since they certainly do seem to support their product. I fear that many potential crocheters will not progress – and may well simply throw down their hooks in frustration – if a newer Boye hook is their only experience with crochet hooks. Susan Bates hooks are widely available, and a much better choice for beginners IMO.
Thanks, jd
I’m a newbie in the knitting and crochetting scene.. I need some circular kntting needles. I think I might get some interchangeble ones. So, what say you about the Boye circular needles?
CLAUDIA – sorry, I don’t knit so I don’t have an opinion about Boye knitting needles. I will say that knitting needles are of simpler design than crochet hooks so Boye needles might be just fine. I hope readers who knit will put in their two cents (two dollars???) worth here. jd
Thank you so much for this review and also the comments! I’m new to crochet and luckily I made the right choice in buying Susan Bates’ hook instead of Boyes’. I just ordered a set of 6 Bate’s Silvalume hooks from Ebay two days ago!