ChiaoGoo Quads Review

A close-up look at the ergonomic ChiaoGoo Quads interchangeable knitting needles.

In the U.S. and among experienced knitters, there’s probably no knitting needle brand that is mentioned more often than ChiaoGoo. Their stainless steel needles with the famous red twist cables revolutionized the whole market. In early 2026, the Chinese brand decided to release the Quads. These are cubic knitting needles are said to be more ergonomic. But is that really true and, more importantly, are they worth the high price point?

Let’s take a look!

I bought my Quads on Etsy:

• Here’s the shopping link
• Or get them on Amazon

Note: I earn a small commission for purchases made through links in this article.

The Quads needles – an overview

Currently (as of April 2026) ChiaoGoo does not offer the Quads as a set. This means you have to buy these square tips separately. Each pair of interchangeable needle tips comes in a little plastic pouch with no further accessories. You need to buy cables, any accessories, or a needle case separately (this is what I did).

The needles themselves follow the time-proven concept behind the regular ChiaoGoo needles. It’s a hollow stalk made from surgical-grade stainless steel with a slightly brushed surface. Other than the different shape, there are no big surprises here. They weigh almost exactly the same as their round counterparts, and the feeling in your hand is very similar.

The uncoated stainless steel offers a little bit of resistance while not feeling slow at all. The needle size is engraved on one of the sides. I do, however, wish they’d use a bolder font so it’s a bit easier to see.

I also have to mention that the edges of these Quads are rather sharp. When compared to other brands (like the addi Novel, or the KnitPro Cubics), the difference is instantly noticeable. For me, and the way I hold my knitting needles (rather tightly), it’s almost on the verge of being uncomfortable.

The whole idea behind these cubic knitting needles is simple. The flat(er) surfaces distribute the force a lot more evenly among your finger tips, and it’s thus easier on your hands. The difference is definitely noticeable when I focus on my thumbs. Though it has to be mentioned that, most of the time, the yarn/stitches hinder you from being directly in contact with the tips. This waters the whole effect a bit down.

On the negative side, these Quads force my ring finger and index finger typically into a position where I am connected to one of the rather sharp edges, and this bit feels quite a bit uncomfortable. Again, this will heavily depend on how you hold your knitting needles. Just sharing my observations here.

One thing I find extremely peculiar is the sizing of the Quads. For example, if I measure the 8 mm (size 11) tips, my calipers tell me the sides are 6.94 mm wide. If I multiply this by 4, this will give me a total perimeter of 27.76 (approximately; the edges are somewhat rounded). Now, compare that to the circumference of a regular 8 mm needle: C=2·π·4≈25.13274. There’s a difference of more than 2 mm I find very difficult to explain.

As a result, please be very aware that knitting with these quads can possibly change your gauge dramatically. As an experiment, I knitted three identical swatches: One with the quads, one with the regular ChiaoGoo tips, and one with the KnitPro cubics. The difference couldn’t be stalker. For me, the ChiaoGoo quads led to a much, much looser gauge to the point I would probably have to go down at least one full needle size.

This, obviously, will depend a lot on your knitting style and your tension. The important part here is that it will require diligent testing before you commit to a huge project.

The tips of the ChiaoGoo quads

These ChiaoGoo Quads really shine when it comes to the tips. The taper is very long, slender (almost concave), with a pleasantly sharp tip. The needles really glide through even the most complicated stitches like butter and it’s a true pleasure to knit with them.

Again, if you are familiar with the regular ChiaoGoo tips, then there’s virtually no difference here. Of course, the transition towards the taper is bound to be slightly different. Under normal circumstances, I don’t think this is something you will notice at all. If you are someone like me, who guides the needles with the tip of their index finger a bit, it might mean your index finger will rest on that edge, though.

When you compare the ChiaoGoo Quads with the other major brands on the market, you will quickly notice that the KnitPro Cubics have much blunter tips and a much shorter taper. The addi Novel are, more or less, in the same league, and you will be hard pressed to notice a true difference while knitting.

As of now, ChiaoGoo does not offer the Quads with blunt or midi tips. If you are someone who pushes the tips of the needles a lot with your fingertips, I’d be somewhat hesitant to buy them. While they may not be as sharp as the HiyaHiya interchangeable knitting needles, they will still be definitely more on the uncomfortable side long term.

The joins

Another area where ChiaoGoo really showcases its know-how is the joins. The connection between cable and needle tips is very close to perfection. Even if you use a super thin lace quality, the join barely catches the yarn. So, if you like to knit in one continuous round or big flat projects, these will definitely not anoy your everytime you need to push new stitches to the knitting needles.

The cables

Since ChiaoGoo currently does not offer any Quads set, I’m a bit hesitant to talk about the cables. Suffice to say, the Quads are interchangeable with all their other cables, and if you already own some, there’s no need to buy any new ones. That being said, please be aware that you will need two different cable sizes. Size S is required for needle sizes 3.25 mm through 5 mm, and size L for 5.5mm all the way up to 8 mm.

While I do feel it kinda makes sense for their normal sets (that go down all the way to 2.25mm), I do have to mention that neither addi nor KnitPro forces you to use two different cable sizes while covering a similar size range. This makes mixing needle sizes impossible without buying special adapters, and it’s an additional expense on top of that.

Another thing I absolutely have to highlight is the fact that the regular red twist cables will force the tips into a certain position. They are just too rigid to give you much leeway. With the regular round tips, this is of no concern, but with cubic needles it quickly becomes a concern because it might mean that your thumb is actually connected to an edge rather than the more comfortable sides.

As a result, I strongly recommend buying the swivel adapters. On a positive note, those are downright divine and much, much better than the truly atrocious Swiv360 cables. The new adapters do not catch the yarn at all, and I feel they are downright genius.

Final verdict

All in all, I am currently somewhat hesitant to recommend the ChiaoGoo Quads. For a start, the price point is just too high. Since there is no set, the price for 2 needle sizes and 2 cables is almost the same as a full set of the KnitPro Cubics. While there are certainly differences, I don’t think this product currently makes any sense for anyone who is not already heavily invested in ChiaoGoo needles.

On top of that, I personally find the needles actually quite a bit more uncomfortable than the regular tips. In fact, I’d venture that a lot of people with hand pain might benefit from the much warmer and lighter ChiaoGoo bamboo needles a bit more.

I personally also don’t quite enjoy the fact that you need two different cable sizes. Since you also probably need to buy the swivel adapters on top of that to make these tips work, the price can quickly become quite astronomical.

Make no mistake, other than the weird sizing, these tips are manufactured really well. I love the tips and how easy it is to knit with them. While I personally prefer coated knitting needles that are yet a bit faster, I would be lying if I told you these needles were slow. They aren’t.

Right now, I’d say it’s an option for ChiaoGoo fans. Buy a pair of tips in your favorite size and see if they do anything for you. If you need to build your set from scratch, I’d recommend testing the other brands on the market for ergonomic knitting needles first. Namely, addi, Kollage, KnitPro, or Prym.

For me personally, they didn’t feel more comfortable (quite to the contrary). However, I have heard some people say they worked for them. So I think it’s worth a shot. Just don’t get your expectations too high. They might change a little bit, but needles (in general) rarely totally change your whole knitting game.

• Buy the Quads on Etsy
• Or get them on Amazon

That was my ChiaoGoo Quads review. Comment below if you have any questions!