$1 vs $26 CROCHET HOOK | Budget vs Luxury Crochet Hooks
When comparing budget vs luxury crochet hooks, a $1 crochet hook offers basic functionality for beginners or those on a tight budget. But will a $26 hook provide better ergonomic design and smoother metal for more experienced crafters?
Could a $1.25 crochet hook beat one that costs $26? Today we are putting these two to the test to see if price really does make a difference in crochet hooks!
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$1 vs $26 CROCHET HOOK | Budget vs Luxury Crochet Hooks
I recently tested a super budget friendly crochet hook and I started thinking about how it would compare to one of the most expensive crochet hooks I own.
But I’m not just going to test them by crocheting. We are going to get my husband, who is a surface finish expert, to look at them both under a profilometer to give us the scientific data to prove once and for all which one is objectively better.
$1 Crochet Hook – Budget Friendly
The budget friendly hook that we are going to be testing is the Crafters Choice Ergonomic Crochet Hook from Dollar Tree. I paid $1.25 for the hook and I shared more about it recently in this blog post.
Are DOLLAR TREE CROCHET HOOKS AMAZING or a WASTE of MONEY?
Honestly I was surprised that this was such a decent crochet hook especially for the price. It’s better than several other more expensive crochet hooks that I’ve purchased in the past.
The biggest problem with these hooks is that they come in very limited sizes and they aren’t available to purchase online individually.
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$26 Crochet Hook – Luxury
The luxury crochet hook that we are going to test the budget crochet hook against is the new Streamline Metal crochet hook from Furls.
These hooks retail for $26 full price. They come in sizes 3.5 mm up to 10 mm. They are 100% solid aluminum or as you Brits say “aluminum” That’s so much fun to say. If I was British I would say that word at least four times every single day.
This is also a much heavier crochet hook than any other one that I have used on the market currently. It also has a unique ergonomic handle.
You’ll also notice that the hook and the handle are all one piece, which is unusual for a full metal crochet hook.
Check Out the Video
How Furls Streamline Metal Compares to the Odyssey
The Streamline Metal hooks are a fairly recent addition to the Furls lineup and they were meant to be a replacement for the Odyssey hooks.
In 2023 Furls discontinued these very popular hooks. The biggest reason is that they were having manufacturing issues. These hooks had a nickel plated pewter neck and the handle had a smooth automotive paint finish.
Another improvement that they have made is the fact that they have now engraved the size of the hook onto the handle. That is so much better than the teeny tiny stickers that used to be on the end of the Odyssey crochet hooks.
What’s also interesting is that the Streamline Metal hook is also a longer hook than the Odyssey. It also feels like it weighs slightly more, but we will weigh them to make sure. You’ll find the full weight comparison in the video above.
I was a huge fan of the Odyssey hooks and was very sad to see them go.
My husband and I put these discontinued hooks to the test a few months ago and he was completely blown away by how smooth the metal was.
The Furls Odyssey are still available on platforms like Ebay but they are going for anywhere between $50 to over $200 for one hook.
But since Furls no longer makes this crochet hook I decided that it would be fun to see what the Streamline metal hook could do.
Yarn
I’m going to test both of these hooks with a yarn that I am extremely familiar with and that is Berroco Vintage.
This is a worsted weight yarn and is wool, acrylic and nylon blend. It’s an incredibly soft yarn and I’ve worked with it enough to know how it behaves.
Find Berroco Vintage Yarn Here
Budget Crochet Hook
I recently tested this hook and I’m still finding the same results.
There is some slight drag, but for $1.25 it’s much better than many other more expensive hooks.
Luxury Crochet Hook
I have not used this hook before so I’m excited to see what it feels like actually using it.
I love the ergonomic handle of the Streamline metal hook and the weight of it is a big plus for me.
It’s incredibly smooth. What a wonderful hook.
Profilometer Test
Now it’s time to see what the actual data shows.
My husband is going to look at these hooks under the profilometer to look at the smoothness of the surface metals.
Smoothness of the metal is a big plus for me. When the metal is rough it can create drag and I don’t like that.
Budget Crochet Hook Test
The Dollar Tree crochet hook didn’t perform as well as I had hoped it would.
While it wasn’t the roughest crochet hook, it also wasn’t the smoothest. But for $1.25 I think it performed pretty well.
When looking at the graph you can see that there is a lot of variation in the roughness profile.
Luxury Crochet Hook Test
The Furls Streamline Metal crochet hook performed very differently.
Even to my untrained eye I can see that there is much less roughness than the Dollar Tree crochet hook.
In fact, my husband said that this is the smoothest metal he has ever tested (and he’s done a lot of it).
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Budget vs Luxury Crochet Hooks Pros & Cons
The clear winner is the Furls Streamline Metal crochet hook. But this hook also costs more than twenty times the amount of the Dollar Tree hook. It should be a lot better.
Furls Streamline Metal Crochet Hook Pros & Cons
STREAMLINE METAL HOOK:
Pros:
- Incredibly smooth metal
- Ergonomic handle
- Weight of the hook
- Size engraved on handle
Cons:
- Price
- It doesn’t come in smaller sizes than 3.5 mm
DOLLAR TREE HOOK:
Pros:
- Smooth”ish” metal for the price
- Handle design
- Price
- Size stamped on handle
Cons:
- It only comes in three sizes 4.5 mm, 5 mm & 5.5 mm
- It can be difficult to find at Dollar Tree stores
- Cannot order one crochet hook at a time online
What surprised me about this test is that while the Furls Streamline Metal hooks are a superior hook, the Dollar Tree hooks still aren’t bad in comparison.
This has proven to me that luxury crochet hooks like Furls are incredible and in my opinion worth every penny.
But when it comes to super budget friendly hooks there is a ton of variance in the quality of the hooks. Which makes me think I need to test all the cheap crochet hooks! That’s for another day.
$1 vs $26 CROCHET HOOK | Budget vs Luxury Crochet Hooks
I hope you enjoyed this little test and even though we all knew that the more expensive hook was likely to be the winner, it was fun proving it scientifically.
I hope you have a great rest of your week, stay safe and happy stitching!