Here is my real review. It can also be found in the Knitting Purls newsletter. I encourage you to check it out as it is really a fabulous publication. To subscribe, send an email to infoATknittingpurlsDOTcom.
Addi Turbos are often acclaimed to be the gold standard in knitting needles. They feature an ultra smooth nickel plating which makes knitting fast and effortless as the yarn glides across the needles with little resistance. The joining cord is flexible and forgiving without the stiffness and memory of other circular needle brands. However, the price of each needle makes it somewhat expensive to own a full set of all needle sizes in all cord sizes. Up until recently these needles were only available individually and many knitters bought them as needed for projects, slowly growing their collection.
Now knitters have a new choice: Addi Clicks, an interchangeable set of needles featuring the same super smooth finish and pliable cord as the classic Addi Turbo. The Clicks set, as distributed in the United States by Skacel, costs about $150 and comes with ten sets of needle tips, three ultra flexible cords, a cord extender, a needle gauge, and a heart pin. The box is rather large, but I suppose it’s more for display than for carrying around in your knitting bag.
Like the Addi Turbos, sizes are printed on each needle (which really renders the needle gauge unnecessary, but it’s nice that they include one anyway). The US needle sizes in the set are 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 10.75, 11, 13, and 15. Careful readers will notice the absence of a size 5 and the unusual size 10.75 rather than the more common 10.5. At this time these sizes are not available. There is some talk of individual parts being available for purchase at a later time, but for now, you will have to do without. I find this rather disappointing as I often find myself reaching for a size 5 and almost never for anything bigger than a 10. Personally, I would rather see the 5 included instead of the 15. However, for those that tend to knit with only larger needles, the absence of the 5 may not matter.
The cord sizes included in the set are 24”, 32”, and 40”. These cords are a new light blue color and are rumored to be the new standard for all Addi needles distributed by Skacel. The blue cords are similar to the red cords found on the Addi Lace needles, very flexible and soft. I’m anxious to see additional cords available for individual purchase as three really isn’t enough for my many works in progress.
Joining the cord to the needle tip is easy and convenient as no special tool is needed. Insert the cord into the needle tip and give it a small push and a twist. The cord is quite secure and will not come loose with normal knitting activities. To release the cord, give a small push and twist in the opposite direction, and remove from the needle. It takes a little getting used to, but once you do, changing needle tips becomes second nature.
For the larger sizes the transition between the cord and the needle is smooth and seamless. However, I found that on sizes 7 and below the needle tip does not taper down to meet the cord, resulting in a small but noticeable lip. The join is not perceptible when using thicker yarns, but with lace knitting my yarn gets caught on this edge frequently. I recommend sticking with the Addi Lace or traditional Addi Turbo needles for lace work.
The cord extender can be used in two ways. It can be used to join any two cords creating longer cord lengths. It can also be used to join the two ends of a single cord, keeping your stitches in place in the case that you need to remove the needle tips for use in a different project. The extender-to-cord connection works the same way as the cord-to-needle tip connection: just push and twist.
Addi Clicks are a welcome addition to the knitting world. Knitters everywhere are rejoicing over this new interchangeable set and are likely to love them as much as the traditional Turbos. My only reservations are the uneven join between cord and needle of smaller sizes, the absence of common sizes 5 and 10.5, and the small number of cords provided in the set. Should individual parts become available in the future with better joining of smaller sizes, Addi Clicks would be my preferred needle set. Until then, $150 is a bit steep for me.