Sometimes I stream my crochet, and my hook of choice usually falls in the Ophire line. People will ask about my thoughts on the brand, as well as my thoughts on Furls, and I thought I’d put those here just so I have a written record to reference.
When I first used Ophire, I was meh about it. I used it with Red Heart Super Saver and shelved the hook because it was so unpleasant and the yarn didn’t glide smoothly. Months later I picked it back up again and used it with a merino blend, and I fell in love with it. So material matters. I also didn’t care for Furls at first – I bought a 4.5mm initially to fill a void, and it sucked to work with. It felt awkwardly heavy and unbalanced, and it felt like using a hammer for a thumb tack. Unwieldy and large. When I tried a larger hook size, it felt better with larger yarn.
OphireCo
- Resin hooks range from 4-10mm (I haven’t tried their other materials (yet?)).
- I’ve heard of them breaking for other people, so I don’t use them for plushies or other projects that require tight stitches.
- I have a generally consistent gauge that is on the looser side.
- I do not like this yarn with generic acrylics (Red Heart Super Saver, Loops & Threads Soft Classic). I’ve used it with Loops & Threads Facets with no issue.
- The hooks are inline instead of tapered. I did not like inline before I used this hook – now I’m pretty on board. However the 4mm feels very small and I don’t recommend using it with a yarn thicker than DK.
- They have a slightly pointed tip in case you really like stabbing into your yarn. Like me.
Furls
- The aluminum hooks are a bit weighty. I do not like them for anything under 6mm. It feels like too much weight for the yarn being used.
- They have a wider range of sizes. The aluminum goes from 3.5-10mm. Some of their resins go from 5-15mm. Some of my favorite larger hook sizes are their Streamline resin crochet hooks.
- I don’t have to worry about the aluminums breaking with tighter gauges.
- I’ve mostly used their aluminum hooks, and I haven’t had any negative experiences with the yarns I’ve used so far, which includes the Super Saver and Soft Classic that I didn’t care for with the Ophire. However, since I usually use a 5mm with those brands, I would prefer to use Ophire for that size unless it’s Super Saver or Soft Classic.
- They have a larger handle than Ophire. I’ve been having carpal tunnel issues over the last couple months and the larger size has helped me avoid some of the pain that i suffered using smaller diameter hook handles.
Ultimately, I like both brands, but for me they have specific purposes. I don’t recommend Furls for hooks under 6mm. I don’t recommend Ophire for plushies or projects requiring very tight stitches. I think Furls’s larger resin hooks are comfortable with super bulky yarns, and Ophire doesn’t offer a resin alternative in similar sizes.
