ChiaoGoo bamboo needles review

A detailed review of the bamboo interchangeable knitting needle sets by ChiaoGoo – are they worth it?

The Chinese company ChiaoGoo (巧姑 = qiǎo gū = skillful auntie) was founded in 2005 by two brothers, and they quickly saw huge success with their fine bamboo knitting needles. 20 years later, I put these interchangeable knitting needles to the test to see if they still hold up to today’s standards. I want to show you whether the ChiaoGoo bamboo interchangeable knitting needles are worth their money or not!

Let’s dive right into it!

This is an unsponsored review. I bought my needles on Amazon:

• I bought this [S] [L] set (2.75 – 10 mm)
• There is also this small set available (only up to size 5mm)

The content of the sets & the bags

The full Chiaogoo bamboo set comes with 13 needle tips, 6 cables (8″/20 cm, 14″/35 cm, and 22″/55 cm). There is also a needle size gauge, 4 cable stoppers, 2 t-shaped tightening keys, an assortment of stitch markers, and a little rubber gripper to help you screw the needles tight.

The pouches are well constructed. I especially like that the needle size is embroidered onto all the little slots that hold the different needles. There is even an additional row of empty slots that could hold spares or additional 4″ tips if you bought the 5″ set (or vice versa).

I personally am not the biggest fan of the print of the fabric, nor of the zippers (yarn and zippers are not exactly best friends). I also wish there were a dedicated spot to store the cables in a neat way. There is a small compartment on the front of the bag where you can store the accessories, but if you also cram in the cables, it will get a bit crowded.

But overall, the set comes with everything you need to knit; the bags are definitely more than just decent.

The interchangeable needles & the quality of the material

These ChiaoGoo needles are made from Chinese Moso bamboo. According to a company spokesperson, they source their bamboo in Lin’an. The set starts at 2.75mm and goes all the way up to 10.00 mm. That’s a nice size range.

Due to the sheer flexibility of bamboo, they decided not to go below 2.75 mm for these interchangeable sets due to durability concerns. I can totally understand this, although I do not quite understand why the fixed circulars are available as 2.00 mm needles, nevertheless.

The fittings at the end of the needle are made from hypoallergenic stainless steel, and if you look very closely, they even custom-polish the transition between wood and steel individually for each and every needle to ensure a perfect transition.

In terms of the quality of the bamboo, I do have to say that it’s quite decent, but nothing spectacular either. My set of 13 needles had 4 with very obvious discolorations and even full nodes in them. While this is probably nothing to truly worry about, I do have to say that companies such as Seeknits seem to have better quality control in that regard (read my Seeknits review here).

Another thing you should definitely be aware of is the fact that the smaller needles (4.00 mm and below) are somewhat flexible. This is not unique to these ChiaoGoo needles but something all small-sized bamboo knitting needles have in common. In fact, due to the tempering process, these will be quite a bit more durable than some untreated bamboo needles.

In terms of smoothness, they find a nice middle ground between the other brands on the market. Whereas Seeknits polishes their bamboo needles to a degree of perfection you might think it’s actually hardwood, brands like KnitPro offer a more rustic experience.

So, when knitting with the ChiaoGoo bamboo needles, you will definitely still be able to feel a bit of the grain of the wood, and they will definitely still offer a bit of resistance. They are not the fastest needles on the market, but neither the slowest.

Reading tip: Also check out my review of the new ChiaoGoo Quads

Close-up look at the tips

The ChiaoGoo bamboo knitting needles have a well-rounded semi-sharp tip with an average taper. Those can be perfect for intermediate projects with not too many difficult stitches and for all those people who occasionally push the tips with their fingertips.

If you are familiar with the ChiaoGoo stainless steel lace tips, then you will definitely notice that the taper is quite a bit shorter and the tips are also quite a bit girthier. The very tip is also not nearly as sharp.

When compared to the other major brands offering bamboo knitting needles, you will notice that ChiaoGoo is somewhere in the middle of the field. HiyaHiya has by far the sharpest tips with the longest taper, while KnitPro sells the needles with the bluntest tips. When compared to addi, you will be very hard pressed to find a meaningful difference in terms of the sharpness of the tips.

Close-up look at the joins

If you ask me, ChiaoGoo probably shines the most when it comes to constructing and manufacturing the joins of their interchangeable knitting needles. As mentioned before, the transition between the wood and the stainless steel socket is polished after the fitting and almost unnoticeable.

The join between the screw and the cable socket is even better. Even under magnification, you will be very hard pressed to find even a microscopic step, and the yarn will glide across that section like butter.

The only downside is the fact that there are two different screw/cable sizes. Needle sizes 2.75 mm to 5.00 mm require the [S] cables, while all needle sizes 5.5 mm and above have a larger screw and require the [L] cables. This can be somewhat annoying and also limits the way you can combine these sets.

A lot of people like to knit in the round with a smaller needle size on the left side to make entering stitches easier without affecting their gauge. With ChiaoGoo, this is only possible if you use adaptors (sold separately).

The cables

Unlike their famous stainless steel sets, the ChiaoGoo bamboo knitting needles come with see-through plastic cables. Again, there are two different sizes and, as you can see on the picture above, they tend to curl up quite a bit.

It is therefore good to mention that the bamboo sets are fully interchangeable with the red twist cables, and you could definitely buy these coated wire cables that do not curl seperately.

On a more positive note, it has to be mentioned that these cables are swivel cables. This means the needles can rotate freely in their sockets. So, even if you have to turn your project around a lot, this will never add a further twist to the cables themselves.

The swivel join is reinforced by a little bead-shaped structure to ensure a smooth transition. This works rather well for your average yarn/needle combination (say 4.00 mm needles and dk weight yarn), but starts to become a problem for lacier projects. If the yarn is too thin, the swivel join definitely catches the yarn quite a bit. Not in such a bad way that you cannot push stitches beyond it, but it will definitely be noticeable.

The accessories included in the sets

Personally, I feel the number of accessories that are included in the sets is fair. There is everything you could possibly need for your standard knitting pattern, but no excessive, cheap trinkets 90% of all knitters don’t need, use, or want.

I really like the cable stoppers and especially the cable extenders. While lots of other brands offer them, the ChiaoGoo extenders are super small and practical, and possibly create the best, shortest, and most secure transition currently out on the market.

I am not the biggest fan of the flimsy needle size gauge they add to the sets, and I almost hate the stitch markers. They are simply too thick (~ 2 mm) for my personal liking. Thick stitch markers push two adjacent stitches farther apart, and this can/will affect your gauge to a point where it could even lead to ladders.

There are also only two cable tightening keys included, and everything is wrapped in separate plastic bags that are actually not really needed.

Summary of my ChiaoGoo bamboo review

All in all, I would say that the ChiaoGoo Bamboo interchangeable knitting needles are a well-rounded product that you probably will never regret buying. The set comes with everything you need and covers a wide range of needs and use cases.

The tips are perfect for easier projects, slippier yarn, and/or advanced beginners, while the quality of the bamboo is still within expectable norms. They feel warm to the touch and light in the hand and are easy, albeit a bit slower, to knit with.

My biggest problem with the sets is possibly the need for two cable sizes. Manufacturers like KnitPro or Addi cover the same size range and make it work with one cable size. When we look at the ChiaoGoo stainless steel needles, which go all the way down to 1.5 mm, the split makes sense. For the bamboo needles, I personally feel it’s a bit annoying.

On paper, the large set comes with 6 cables, but in reality, it’s actually just 3 lengths you can use. On top of that, I do wish the sets would come with one longer cable. As it is, the largest cable included is 22″/55 cm long. While there is a connector included, I do like to knit my lace shawls and blankets without one. Even more so since ChiaoGoo does offer much longer cables.

I personally also have a slight problem with the company as such because it is a bit too intransparent for my liking. If you go to their website, there is not a single picture of their factory in China, we do not really know which specific alloy of stainless steel they are using (and whether it contains nickel), and their whole distribution network (plus where they source some of the accessories and components of the sets) could be a lot clearer. I also wish they would use less plastic for packing their products and use alternative materials for some of the accessories.

However, I can fully understand that this is not the biggest concern of most consumers, and I shall repeat that this is a decent product that truly shines when you combine it with their other needle tips.

That was my ChiaoGoo bamboo knitting needle review. Comment below if you have any questions!