Addi interchangeable knitting needles – Review

A detailed review of the addi click interchangeable knitting needles – a close look at the cables, joins & overall experience with the sets

So, you are ready to buy a set of knitting needles? And that’s when the name “addi” popped up left and right. And now you are wondering if the addi interchangeable knitting needles are worth it, right?

Well, you came to the right place! Because in this review I will take a very close-up look at the addi click interchangeable knitting needle sets. I’ll show you close-up macro shots of all the important aspects and information you need to know: How the system works, how smooth the joins are, how fast/good/durable the needle tips are.

I’ll take a look at the cables and of course, talk about what’s included in the different sets and what other options you have. So, this will be a somewhat long review but I thought if you are willing to commit a hundred dollars or more, you want to get the full picture before you press that “Buy now” button, right?

So, let’s dive right into it!

Here are the direct links to Amazon for the different sets:

• addiClick lace set (long tips) | Shop on Etsy
• addiClick Mix set (basic and lace tips combined)
• addi Click Lace (Short Tips) | Shop on Etsy
• addiClick bamboo (good for beginners) | Shop on Etsy
• Starter Set (only 3 tips; much cheaper)

Note: Don’t forget to check out my full review of the best interchangeable knitting needles and my review of the best double-pointed knitting needles. Also, I earn a small commission for purchases made through links in this article.

1. The addi click system

Selter (that’s the actual name of the company) has been producing fine knitting needles since 1829 here in Germany. While they are certainly not the only brand in Europe, my Grandma always referred to them as the “good needles”. The family business is now in its 6th generation.

According to the website, 93% of the needles are handmade in Germany – only 6% of the materials are sourced elsewhere (bamboo doesn’t grow in Germany, I guess). While they offer other needles as well, this review will be purely about the addiClick interchangeable knitting needles. This is how the system works:

You buy a set of needle tips in different sizes and cables in different lengths, and you can combine them at will. Each needle tip has a little socket, and each cable a connector piece. By pushing the cable into the socket, giving it a half-turn, the two separate pieces click together and form a permanent bond. Well over 500 creative combinations are possible in that manner.

There are no screws or keys required and that’s the big allure of the system. Keys can go missing and screws can become loose – something knitters who are familiar with other brands (like the Chiagoo interchangeable knitting needles) definitely will have heard of or even noticed themselves.

Another big factor is the sheer diversity of the product range. No other knitting needle brand offers so many different tips. There are the lace tips and very round basic tips. But there also ergonomic, bamboo, and even olive-wood tips available. And if you like knocking (a combination of crochet & knitting; also known as Tunisian crochet) then there are interchangeable tips for that available as well.

And all of them work with the very same cables and accessories. There are no different cable sizes or connectors needed. One cable to bind them all – if you excuse the LOTR pun.

2. The addi interchangeable needle tips

At the first glance, the many different kinds of tips might be a bit overwhelming. But if you think about it a second longer, this gives you the opportunity to find the tips that are perfect for you. Many other brands just have one (or maybe) two kinds of tips and act like these two choices would be able to cover all styles and needs. But let’s take a look:

Product range & materials

First of all, all interchangeable “metal” needles are made from white bronze. Even though there are still rumors floating around the internet, addi needles do not contain any nickel. Only very old needles might still be coated with nickel (but that’s true for all other brands as well).

This coating makes the tips really slick and super fast to knit with. Obviously, it also increases the chance of the stitches slipping off the needles. That’s why beginners might consider starting with their bamboo sets instead. There’s also luxury olive-wood available.

All needles are available with lace or basic tips and there’s the more ergonomic addiNovel range available as wells. The lace needle size ranges from 3.5mm up to 8.00mm (US size 4 – 11). And that’s definitely something to consider. (read my full review of ergonomic knitting needles here).

Only the basic tips are available up to size 15mm. For sizes higher than that or below 3.5 mm you would have to buy fixed circulars. So, if you only knit lace-weight sweaters or chunky blankets, addi is probably not the best choice for you – at least if you want a set.

The tips

The lace tips are moderately sharp and have a very long taper (which I love). To put that into perspective: They are not as stiletto sharp as HiyaHiya but about as sharp as Knitter’s Pride – only the length of the taper differs.

The basic tips are very rounded and probably more suitable for beginners and people who frequently push their needle tips with their fingertips. These tips can be very nice for projects where you knit with a yarn that tends to split easily or if you are knitting with two strands held together. As an advanced knitter, they are a bit too round for me and actually slow me down a bit.

The tips have a standard length of 12.5 centimeters. This adds up to a total metal body length of 14 centimeters once the cables are connected. In fact, they are the longest interchangeable knitting needles on the market. So, if you have very big hands or you need a lot of leverage while you knit, these are perfect.

All tips are available as a short version as well. These interchangeable tips are 10 centimeters long. Probably the better option for smaller hands and small diameter projects. (On a side note: they will also produce custom lengths on demand according to the website.)

Do take special note that the taper towards the end of the needles is considerably more pronounced the bigger the needle size gets. This makes the body of the (short) 8.0mm needles quite truncated.

One thing I really love is how the needle size is branded into the tips in bold and easy-to-read letters. No matter how much you scratch or use them, these letters are meant to stay, and stay they will. It makes finding the right size really easy.

Durability & overall quality

So, let’s talk about how durable the addi click needles are. As I already mentioned, the interchangeable needles are coated with white bronze, and coated always means you put another layer onto a base (hollow brass in this case). And this layer may eventually rub off – not after one use but, you know, after a couple of years using them.

That’s something you need to be aware of. The coating makes the needles super slick but I guess it’s a trade-off. Stainless steel needles will never deteriorate in that way over time but they are also not as fast, to begin with.

Also, during the galvanizing process, impurities may be included in the coating. That’s something I sometimes observed but I think they optimized the quality control even further in the past months.

Other than that, the addi needle tips are close to indestructible. Over time, and depending on how well you care for them, they will end up with little nicks and scratches here and there.

Of course, if you step on them or apply brute force then they will eventually break or bend. The tips are hollow to make them really light, after all. But I guess, that’s common sense.

One thing that I heard can happen (but never happened to me) is that the little spring inside the socket of the tips can become congested (for lack of a better word), and the click mechanism stops working.

Important note: The addi click interchangeable knitting needles come with a lifetime warranty. If you have any issues, you can always contact their customer support and they will replace the faulty tips – as long as it wasn’t your dog chewing on them, etc.

And that’s definitely not something that is only communicated on the website and never works in real life. I had issues with one of my needles and it took less than two weeks for the customer service to replace them.

I guess that’s the advantage of a German company which is bound by very strict consumer laws (as opposed to a Chinese company with no official headquarter that operates through obscure middlemen).

Addiclick Novel

Knitting ergonomics is a topic that has been neglected for too long. Addi jumped on the bandwagon and now also offers square ergonomic knitting needles under the name “addiClick Novel “. They have many small indentations along their length, which are said to offer a massage effect.

I love the fact that addi offers them as an additional interchangeable needle tip option but I’m not really sure how literal you should take the promise “good for knitters with hand pains”.

Sure, the square shape makes them a tiny bit easier to hold. Also, the knobs probably lead to a bit more dynamic knitting but it’s not like your arthritis kept you from knitting for so long and now you pick up these needles and all pain is gone.

I think it’s more of an interesting product for people who knit too tight or too loose. Slower knitters who are struggling with an even tension or their overall gauge should definitely give it a try. But if knitting causes you pain then there are many other important things you should address first and these tips may be able to fix the last 5 percent.

Bamboo & Olive-wood alternatives

Apart from the metal needles, there are also bamboo needles available. These tips are made with the finest Japanese bamboo and offer quite a bit more friction and warmth. Metal needles can feel quite cold. Plus, if you sweat a little (during summer, etc) they become really slippery.

So, for beginners, bamboo needles are definitely a wonderful option. The tips are very round and super light-weighted. Of course, bamboo isn’t as durable as metal, and eventually, these needles may break or splinter (particularly at the tips.). But that’s the nature of the material.

And the good news is: These tips work with the same cables and accessories (even though the joins are made from pure brass; from what I gathered that’s because it looks a bit more harmonic).

There are also addi Click olive wood needles available. So, where is the difference compared to the bamboo tips? Apparently, olive wood is a bit more durable. That’s nothing I really can confirm. What I can observe, however, is that it’s a bit more flexible.

The tips are waxed and quite smooth but the difference is rather minor. In fact, the taper itself can sometimes be a bit rougher than the bamboo version while the body is maybe a tiny fraction slicker.

It’s definitely a good product but you mostly pay for the very unique and elegant appearance and not so much for a special knitting quality – at least if you ask me. That being said, I do feel the combination of the wood and the brass looks really, really nice.

3. The join

The addi click interchangeable knitting needles offer you so many possibilities but there is a trade-off: the join. It’s the weak link of all these sets. Look left and right on the internet, and you will find someone complaining about the joins – no matter if it’s addi, Chiaogoo, HiyaHiya or Knitter’s Pride.

As addi uses the patented click mechanism, the join is decidedly different than all the other big brands. There is a noticeable step. The join is smooth and seamless but you cannot help seeing and feeling that little kink there at the end of your needles.

Do you notice it while knitting? Definitely yes! Does it bother me or hinder your stitches from gliding onto the needle? Definitely no! The join is a tiny bit tapered so it doesn’t catch your stitches as they glide across.

Also, the join between the actual cable and the metal body is extremely smooth and that’s probably the part that bothered me the most when knitting with my Knitter’s Pride Nova Platina or ChiaoGoo – and not the place where you screw things together.

I do have to say that it takes a while to get used to the overall mechanism. There’s a little point on each end of tip where you need to insert the cable, and then turn it around in the right direction.

If you look closely at the cable you might notice that there is an indentation in the shape of a U-turn. So, basically, you are pushing the cable into the socket and maneuver the cable around a little knob on the inside. A little spring helps you to let it all >click< into place.

The advantage of this system is quite obvious – the join cannot come undone. If you have been frequently knitting with any other interchangeable knitting needle set that operates on screws, then at one point the screws will have come undone. Then the yarn gets caught in between – and that can cause many kinds of (possibly fatal) problems.

That sort of thing will never happen when you are knitting with addi. But there’s a different problem that may eventually occur. When you are knitting a large project, you continuously need to push new stitches onto your needle. And this pushing can trigger the click-mechanism.

I’m not entirely sure how this can happen (because you will have to turn the cable or needle at the same time) and it never happened to me but you will find reports online.

4. The cables

If the addiClick system has one weak point then it’s probably the cables. There is only one kind of cable available (in different colors) and it does have quite the big memory effect and ends up with kinks quite easily.

Personally, it never bothered me that a cable curls up but I know a lot of knitters do. You can, of course, pour boiling water on them to smoothen them out, etc.

I really wish, however, they would offer different kinds of cables. Flexible and not so flexible, thicker and thinner, etc. On a more positive note, there really is just this one cable size and it works for all needles and sets (with HiyaHiya or ChiaoGoo you need a different cable for a size 6 and size 10 needle, and yet a different one for the really small sizes).

SOS cables

But there is one thing that sets the addi cables apart. The red SOS cables have a little cleft at one end. And you can use it to pull a lifeline through. Lifelines are invaluable when knitting big lace projects and this is certainly an interesting way to insert them.

Most other brands have a little hole somewhere around the connection (also used for the cable keys). But if you pull a lifeline through that hole, it’s quite noticeable when you knit. The addi system is a bit smoother, though also quite a bit fiddlier to pull the yarn through.

5. The sets

Let’s talk about what you actually get when you buy a set. The typical set comes with 8 needles. Typically those are 3.5/4.0/4.5/5.0/5.5/6.0/7.0/8.0mm. Some of the sets sold in the US have 10 needles (so pay attention when you compare prices).

I personally love the pouches. They are sturdy, quite fashionable (usually fake leather), and easy to store. There are no zippers but press studs and you secure the needles with rubber bands. One of my readers once complained that if you take out a lot of needles at the same time, the rubber band might get too loose and your needles may fall out. I never do that but some people have a lot of WIPs.

Then, usually, there are 3-5 cables in different lengths (40-100cm), one cable connector, a little rubber patch, and one golden heart brooch. There are even mixed sets where you have one sharp and one basic tip in each side (use the basic for the return round with all the easy stitches).

I love the fact that you get the rubber patches. They really makes joining the parts together so much easier (it needs to be noticed that almost all other brands charge extra for it). I’m not entirely sure what I need the golden pin for, though.

The cable connector is, if you ask me, really the weakest link of the whole system. They are just too long, heavy, and cumbersome to make any sense – especially if you are working on anything else than a blanket. Then again, the longest cable size addi offers is 150cm so you might not need them anyway. You can, however, use it to put your stitches on hold, and then and there it works like charm.

Other than that, you don’t get any other accessories or little tools along with these sets. It’s really just the needle tips and the cables. I’m of two minds here, really. Some of the accessories that are part of other interchangeable knitting needle sets are just cheap kitsch I never end up using anyway.

At the same time, I know that some knitters love them and the idea behind buying a big set is that you don’t ever need to buy something else. So, I wish there was at least the option to get a full set with all accessories.

What I really love is that they offer a Starter Set. These are really small sets with 2 cables and 3 needles you can buy to give it a try. So, if you are still undecided that’s a lovely option because these needles will be compatible with any full set you buy later on.

Accessories you can buy/add

There are two notable accessories you can buy in addition to your set. For example, they offer these heart cable stoppers. You can attach them to the cables, free your needles for a different project (or a different part of the same project), and put your stitches on hold on the cables.

And I would like to mention the needle stoppers. I think they are pretty smart, as they keep the needles from flying around and your stitches secure at the same time. Definitely worth considering to add to your shopping basket.

Summary of my addi click interchangeable knitting needle review

So, let’s put it all together. Are the addi click interchangeable knitting needles worth it? Well, first of all, I’d like you to understand that I raised some issues because I want you to see the full pictures and not to dissuade you from buying this set. Every brand has strong points and weak points – and you need to find out what you value the most.

The other day somebody wrote a comment on one of my posts saying, they’d “love to have the Chiaogoo Cables, with the Knitter’s Pride needles, the addi click system, and the HiyaHiya tips”. And I would like to view this review from that kind of perspective. So, let’s take a look at the pros and cons:

Pros

• Huge variety of needle tips & materials for all skill levels, applications, and techniques.
• Very strong join without screws or keys
• Smooth & slick surface for fast knitting
• Lifetime warranty
• Quality made in Germany by a sustainable family business with a 200-year history.
• Very fashionable pouches

Cons:

• Small needle size range (3.5-8.0mm for the lace tips; up to 12mm for the basic tips)
• Not the very sharpest tips (can be a pro and a con, tho)
• Noticeable kink where you join cables to needle
• Only one type of cables with a big memory effect
• The set comes with the least amount of accessories.
• Quite pricey to buy in the US
• The system is a bit harder to use

At the very end, we need to talk about the price. Here in Germany, you can get a full set for as little as 80-90€. That’s around 10.5€ per needle. It makes the addi interchangeable knitting needles quite compatible with Knitter’s Pride Nova Platina (usually sells around 50-70€) and about the same as the ultra-durable Karbonz needles.

In the U.S., they sadly often sell for a lot more – for various reasons. Still, these needles are en par with (if not better than) ChiaoGoo or HiyaHiya and it boils down to your preferences and not so much the price.

My bottom line would be this: The Addi interchangeable knitting needles are perfect for all knitters who like to stay flexible and don’t knit a lot of projects below size 4/3.5mm. They offer high quality, with a nice finish, and are perfect for knitting fast. There are some amazing options for beginners, while the standard tips are perfect for all intermediate knitting projects.

Here are the direct links to Amazon for the different sets:

• addiClick lace set (long tips) | Shop on Etsy
• addiClick Mix set (basic and lace tips combined)
• addi Click Lace (Short Tips) | Shop on Etsy
• addiClick bamboo (good for beginners) | Shop on Etsy

Anyway, over to you. Comment below in case you still have any questions regarding the Addi click interchangeable knitting needles.