review: Susan Bates Twist + Lock crochet hook set
Have you heard of the new Twist + Lock crochet hook sets from Susan Bates?
Yarnspirations (the company behind the Susan Bates brand) say:
Crocheting just became easier with the Susan Bates Twist + Lock interchangeable crochet hook tool. Select the desired hook size and insert into the opening of the oversized soft touch handle. With a simple Twist and Lock, your crochet hook will fit snugly in place whether in action or in storage. Purchase additional sizes to build your custom crochet hook set.
But is this a helpful addition to our crochet toolset, or just a solution looking for a problem? Coats & Clark kindly sent me a set to test out and see what I think…
About the Set
The Twist + Lock kits are available in various configurations:
- 1 handle and 2 hook heads
- 1 handle, 1 hook head and a cutter
- 2 hooks and a cutter
- the Deluxe Set that includes 2 handles, 2 cutters, and all 6 hook heads (sizes F, G, H, I, J, K – that’s 3.75-6.5mm).
So you can choose your preferred hook sizes and add on additional pieces later, or jump straight in with the complete set.
First Impressions
The hook heads are standard Susan Bates in-line hooks (my favourites). A hook head or cutter can be inserted into each end of the spring-loaded handle, and twisted to lock it in place:
As there’s no thumbrest on the hooks (where the hook size is usually embossed), the size is printed on the back of each hook:
With a hook at each end, the handle becomes quite long:
You can also reverse any of the heads and insert them facing into the handle, for portability:
My Testing Process
For my test, I’ve been crocheting my Cozy Cables Earwarmer using Bernat Satin yarn and a J US/6mm hook. I crocheted a full 4-row repeat of the stitch pattern with my usual Susan Bates bamboo-handled hook and then another repeat with the Twist + Lock hook, so I could really feel the difference the hook makes to the process.
I also tested the cutter out. The blade is so well protected inside the plastic casing that I couldn’t get it to work at all at first, but once I figured out you have to loop the yarn over the cutter and then pull back fairly hard, it worked well enough:
The Importance of Honest Reviews
I’m a big fan of Susan Bates hooks and I really wanted to love this concept, but it didn’t really work for me. I’m uncomfortable writing this, a less-than-positive review, but I think it’s important for people to hear both good and bad points to help inform their purchases. That’s why I’m not an ‘influencer’ – I never accept payment for reviews; you’ll always hear what I truly think.
All the other reviews I’ve seen of this set have said nothing but positive things, and I don’t know if that’s because the reviewers didn’t actually use the hooks before they reviewed them, or whether they truly love them, and it’s just me that doesn’t! Either way, it’s important for me to tell you the truth as I see it, so here goes…
Pros
Let’s start out with the reasons I do like this set!
- It’s nicely made – the heads push and nicely into the spring-loaded body and twist securely closed.
- I really like the idea of always having a cutter to hand!
- You can store your hook head and cutter inside the handle, making it easy to throw into your project bag without worrying about snagging your yarn. Just push and twist and the head pops out, ready to re-attach facing outwards and start crocheting. This would be very convenient for travel.
- The handle is reversible so you can have a hook at either end, or a hook at one end and a cutter on the other, and just flip the handle around when you want to use the other end.
- As with all Susan Bates hooks, these hooks have the inline head shape I love. This shape head makes it far easier to form perfectly regular stitches.
- The soft touch handle is substantial and comfortable to hold in the palm of your hand, and I think it’d be especially useful for those with larger hands or who have grip difficulty.
Cons
Now for the downsides… I have two main problems with this hook that ruin the crocheting experience for me. To make a fair comparison, I got out all my Susan Bates J hooks so you can see what I’m talking about.
Susan Bates J hooks, top to bottom: Twist & Lock, bamboo-handled, Soft Touch, Quicksilver.
Firstly, the grip position. As with all interchangeable hooks I’ve seen (from any brand), there’s no thumbrest on these hooks, and because of the shape of the handle, you have to hold it below the section where the head is inserted.
The standard thumbrest position is between the dotted lines; the Twist + Lock hold is below the bulge in the handle, below the lower dotted line.
This is about an inch below my usual position, and it feels like I have less control of the hook as a result. If you have difficulties forming a tight grip and prefer to grip a larger comfort handle instead of a thin thumbrest, this may be a benefit to you, but personally I much prefer the control of holding the hook closer to the head.
Top: my usual hand position; bottom: my hand is much further away from the hook head.
Secondly, the weight. It was immediately noticeable to me how heavy this hook was in use. I tried taking the cutter out from the base of the handle and that helped slightly, but it still felt much heavier. In case I was biased, I weighed all my Susan Bates J hooks to compare:
| Hook (all Susan Bates size J) | Weight/g |
| Twist + Lock plus cutter | 32.9 |
| Twist + Lock plus 2nd hook | 37.3 |
| Twist + Lock, empty end | 31.0 |
| Bamboo-handled | 11.5 |
| Soft Touch | 10.4 |
| Quicksilver | 10.1 |
It wasn’t my imagination – all my other J hooks weigh between 10 and 12g, and the Twist + Lock weighs 31-37g, depending on what you have installed in the other end. That’s around three times the weight of a standard hook, and if you do a lot of crocheting, you’ll definitely start to feel that difference!
Verdict
Susan Bates hooks are my all-time favourites, because of the head shape, and that’s the same with this new set as much as all their other hooks. But, while I love the concept of the ‘portable toolkit’, carrying your toolkit in the handle of your hook maybe isn’t the best thought-out idea…
There are some plus points: the handle material is comfortable, and the wide grip in the palm of your hand is an advantage for knife-grip crocheters, especially for those with larger hands. Being able to flip the head inside the handle for easy and safe transportation in your project bag is genius, and the idea of always having a safe cutter to hand is very appealing!
If you travel a lot with a crochet project at your side, or have large hands, or your top priority is a wide comfortable grip, and/or you don’t mind the added weight, the Twist + Lock set may be a good fit for you. But, for me, the hugely increased weight and the lack of a good thumbrest position for controlling the hook make this a miss.
If you’re looking for crochet hooks, I’d recommend instead any of the other Susan Bates aluminum hooks:
- The bamboo-handled hooks (if you can still find them), are my favourites.
- The Soft Touch handled hooks are also very nice – the grip isn’t as wide as the bamboo handle, but the material is very comfortable to hold, and the new-style pointier tip is growing on me too.
- The classic Silvalume hooks are just one-piece anodized aluminum, but you can always add a comfort grip if you need a wider handle.
All of these also have the same aluminium hook with the in-line head style as the Twist + Lock, and I’d guess that smaller-handed people like me would probably have a better crocheting experience with any of these than the Twist + Lock set.
(And I’ve reviewed all the other Susan Bates hooks here, if you’d like to know more about those options!)
What do you think? If you tend to like heavier hooks and larger handles with no thumbrest, or you’ve tried a Twist + Lock hook, I’d love to hear about your experience – especially if you disagree with me! Am I missing something here?!
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Prune Tracy said
I’ve been kind of lusting over this set for a few reasons. I’m only 40 and feel great bodily, but in looking to the future, I’ve begun investing in ergo hooks. I, too, prefer an in-line hook (and whatever Clover uses…I’m not sure it’s in-line or taper…maybe a subset of in-line but i friggin’ love that 3.5mm hook I have of clover’s…just the gold-colored aluminum one). I’ve so far replaced 4 of my hooks (various brands) with SB’s aluminum+plastic ergos…the Comfort Grip it may be called?
My problem with those is that I hold the hook up by the thumb pad, and the “more-comfortable-than-aluminum” plastic is way down there behind the thumb pad. It is nice not having metal rolling against my pinky (truly a relief!), but I’d like to get my other fingers contacting the surface as well.
One thing I noticed about the twist+lock in a video review from someone else was actually the person’s crochet style. She seemed to be crocheting mostly by moving her wrist and keeping her fingers more or less stable. She used her thumb a lot in a way that levered the hook and lessened the movement at the wrist, but it did look a bit different to my method. She didn’t feel as if the hook impeded her work at all.
My method consists of rolling the hook between fingers and using the pinky and index fingers to push the hook like a lever whenever going “up” to yo and “down” to pull through, respectively. This set of actions minimizes wrist movement. At 26, after only a year or so of crochet, my wrist made a non-painful pop with *each and every* yarnover that I, at the time and still, thought might not be so good in the long run.
It seems like this hook would allow me to do that. I held one in the big box craft store yesterday, though I haven’t been able to test the twist+lock system with yarn.
One caveat for me is that I sometimes like to experiment with super-tall stitches, for example, yo 10 times, insert hook, pull through, (yo, pull through 2) to completion. A deca-stitch? I’m not sure I’d be able to get 10 wraps of aran weight on these tips. I am curious if/how happy users of this kit have accomplished, say, bullions or puffs or dc9tog’s or even 7tog’s. Not that these are extremely common stitches, but in the patterns I tend to seek out or design…well–let’s just say it’s a wild wild party and these stitches are not abnormal. Not in everything, but certainly not uncommon.
I suppose one solution would be to retain perhaps a standard hook in each of just 2 to 4 sizes for these purposes and use the twist+lock for everything that’s more calm. (I almost chose the word sedative there, haha! I intend no offense. I just like patterns that really push limits and shake things up–I don’t prefer “simple and soothing” most of the time.)
Anyway–thoughts? Just sharing mine.
Not sure I want to take the monetary chance on these in case they don’t suit me. But it would be great to have 9 ergonomic hooks without the bulk (I live nomadically on bicycle so bulk and and weight are of concern to me). (A note on the weight–I mean overall weight. I recognize the weight of the hookset itself is quite heavy for hooks, but this set is lighter than 9 non-interchangeable ergonomic hooks). (also also–this hookset has 6 sizes? Looking at yarnspiration’s website, there is a separate set containing L, M, and N sizes (i forget their mm sizes at the moment) so that’s why I mention 9 hooks). (I do wonder if the hook-handle interface is different as it doesn’t seem that one could purchase just the tips in these larger sizes).
Prune Tracy said
i forgot to mention another skepticism I have, sort of rhetorical but would be generally interested to know (and this would be a question to ask yarnspirations) is:
When will the spring mechanism fail and if/when it does, will yarnspirations be there for me? Not that I would expect a free handle if it wore out after 20 years of normal use (and certainly not in the age of late-capitalism) but perhaps the ability to purchase just the handle or perhaps a deep discount on a new kit since only the handle was busted…i mean–reasonableness would hopefilly be alive. It does not appear as if there is a way to service the handle–factory or otherwise. I’m sure some sort of cutting/glueing situation could be jiggered up, but…
This might be the main counterpoint to buying this set for me. I have great wealth but very little money, generally speaking, so if I pay $50 for, essentially, 6 hooks, is it unreasonable to expect 50 years’ worth of service like I could out of a standard ergo hook? I’m still using the same plastic Lion Brand J-hook I got when I rebooted my crochet in 2010. (14 years as of this writing, and it’s one of my most-used hooks). It is not ergo. Just to suss out some math with arbitrary numbers since I don’t actually remember: if I paid $10 for a 5-plastic-hook kit in 2010, that’s $2 per hook and $0.14 per year for the privelege of owning the hooks.
At $50 for 6 hooks, a handle, and 2 cutters (let’s assume I won’t use a coupon), that’s $5.55 per item in the kit. Over 14 years, that’s $0.39 per year per hook. Still a pretty good deal when I look at it that way, but that’s assuming the spring mechanisms will function for that long. They would have to last 39 years to match the 14-year annual cost of the standard hooks. For a more fair comparison, let’s take the price of Soft Touch. Let’s also compare the two over an imagined 14 year period of use since I’ve only had my soft touch hooks for a year or less. Soft Touch are $3 here which would be $0.21 per year over 14 years. That would mean a lifespan of 26 years for the twist lock to match the 14-year price of ownership of the soft touch. Plus I hope to be alive and well enough to crochet well past age 66, haha! ::crosses fingers, knocks on wood, rubs rabbit-foot, admires collection of 4-leaf clovers:: (aside: i really did find several (14+?) 4-leaf-clovers in my dad’s front yard in the weeks just before beginning my nomadic lifestyle 7 years ago)
The set I saw recently in store only had one handle. Still two ends on that one handle. So the handle would have to last only 13 years given that each spring would perform equally before malfunctioning. Perhaps buying direct from yarnspirations would be better since it seems their kits contain the 2 handles. This would bring the desired price-per-year matching timespan down to 6.5 years per end of each handle. The closest thing I can think of to compare to would be a pen that has a spring mechanism to expose the ink/ball part. Those last that long, right?
Just doing some outloud thinking.
i hope that if my math is wrong, you can forgive me and that if I’ve made typographical errors (I probably have!) that my meaning is still clear!
Sharon F said
I have a set of these hooks and find them easy to use, however my favorite set of ergonomic interchangeable hooks, that are inline like Susan Bates and also have a very comfortable thumb rest, are my ProvoCraft ones. Unfortunately, they no longer make them, but I own seven sets, and use them 99% of the time.
BARBARA White said
Hi I’m a Susan Bates fan I enjoy the way they hold my threads when working. Ordered some hooks but they were not what I ordered I would like to order more but don’t trust that my order will be correct please help 😒
Knet said
Now that is how you review a product! Susan Bates hooks are my absolute favorite also! I saw those hooks last year and wanted them just because. I also thought the handle would be great for my arthritis. The price kept me at bay until today. I saw them on sale, did some pricing research, and put the deluxe set in a cart, but I kept vacillating with my decision. Other reviews weren’t much help. Then, I found yours. I love your insightful detailed pro’s, con’s, and your visual breakdown of information. You gave me insight that I hadn’t even considered. I really appreciate the time and effort you put into this review. After I empty that cart, I’m going work on being content with the treasures I already have. Thank you so much!
Knet☺️
Knet said
Susan Bates hooks are my absolute favorite also! I saw the Twist & Lock hooks last year and I wanted them just because. The prices kept me at bay until today. I saw them on sale, did some pricing research, and put the deluxe set in a cart, but I kept vacillating with my decision. The reviews I saw weren’t much help. So, I Googled for more and found yours. I love your detailed pro’s, con’s and visual breakdown of information. You gave me insight that I hadn’t even thought of. I really appreciate the time and effort you put into this review. Thank you so much!
Lynda said
Thankyou for your unbiased reviews. V much appreciated.
Chrisie said
The biggest drawback for me (besides the lack of thumbrest) would be the size I use the most 3.5mm isn’t included!
I do like the idea of being able to store the hook inside, I’ve had more than one snag while travelling.
Rachel L Cornelius said
I don’t like Susan Bates hooks for the precise reason you do like them: the head shape. I much prefer Boye hooks and their more rounded shape. Also I think holding the hook farther from the head would be annoying — I tried it with one of mine, and it does make me feel I have less control, though that might be just because I’m not used to it. But I do like holding my hook closer to the head. I used to hold them “above” the thumb rest (between it and the head). Also I think the heavier weight would be a negative too.
So thank you for this review. Now I know not to buy this!
Linda Wise said
These hooks are interesting enough. But i would have to say a heavier hook would be a problem for me. Another con would be several WIPs in progress with same sz hook..nope I’m not going to invest in something more expensive when i have made handy needle totes (scrap yarn makes) instead (no snagging & my current hooks work just fine). I LOVE Susan Bates hooks but these aren’t for me. Thank you for your review.
Linda Wise