@LuvKnitting The way you knit socks is the way I knit fingerless gloves. That way I don’t end up with “second glove syndrome”. I don’t have Hiya Hiya interchangeables, but all of my DPNs are Hiya Sharps. I love their pointy tips. They are very similar, as are the Chiaogoo needles, to the tips on my Signature Stiletto needles. I really like the tips on the Chiaogoo Red Lace needles, but I don’t like their cords…they aren’t pliable enough for me though tons of people seem to love them.
My favorite set of interchangeables is the Chiaogoo metal set. I used and liked the Clover Takumi set for a while, but use metal needles far more frequently so the Takumis only come out when I really need to get a grip. 
I do kind of miss the swiveling of the Takumis in my Chiaogoo set, but I’ve heard that the metal needles are compatible with the bamboo cables. Maybe I ought to check that out one of these days…
@HeatherAthebyne You can definitely use the bamboo spin cords with your Chiaogoo metal needles. The spin cords don’t quite have the same qualities as the coated metal (as far as not curling), but for me swiveling cables is necessary since otherwise my needles will always come unscrewed.
I have not heard of spin cords before, but from your description, this may be the answer to that needle that becomes unscrewed constantly…so should I be blaming the cord for this?
@bobbieliz “Spin” is what Chiaogoo calls it’s cords that swivel. Most other brands just say “swivel”. If you are tightening your cords properly and they are still coming unthreaded, then it could be your knitting style that is causing the needles to come undone (That’s what it is for me…I twist my left wrist just the tiniest bit.) Changing to cords that swivel can help keep that from happening - or at least prevent it a lot of the time.
I started with Knit Picks and still like their price and size range. Maybe I can’t mention them here? I have a ton of them. Then I found Knitter’s Pride Royales! The warmth of wood with a metal point! They are smooth and easy on my hands. I am usually no respecter of needles, using what I need for each project. Dark ones for light yarn, etc. I’ve noticed that even within brands, the joins are not always smooth or always rough.
@Callielw Sure you can mention them! KnitPicks sells interchangeables. I used to have a couple of sets, but sold them several years ago. I did keep the large size needles - 11 thru 17 and still use them occasionally. Their older needles that were manufactured in India were pretty decent quality and it was rare to have a faulty join. They started to have quality issues after moving their manufacturing to a company in China. At that point I’d already quit supporting them for other reasons. Knitter’s Pride is still at that India facility and I think they have had fewer issues. Besides, at that price point and with their willingness to replace faulty needles and cords, one really can’t complain too much. I have found the joins to be more reliable in the more expensive needle brands, but I feel like that should be the case considering what one pays for some of those brands.
Chiagoo are my favorite too! I think the ones I love are called Twist…the metal ones. One of the things I love about them is that yarn slides well on them without being too slippery. And they’re affordable, which matters to me.
I started with knitpicks and have some of the original interchangeable sets (wood) and some newer wood inter. as well but while knitting I end up with the cords coming off even when I tighten them up a lot. It takes awhile but it happens over & over no matter what needle size I’m using. I don’t have this problem with chiagoo so now I hardly ever use my knitpicks needles.
Agreed! 
I totally agree. KP has great customer service and I love the choices and price. But I love my Royales better. I rarely use over a size 6. Maybe on a worsted hat I’d use a 7. I’d love to find larger sized needles with a sharper tip for lace knitting. I find I can deal with a non-so-smooth join well enough except for knitting with magic loop.
I love my Addi Clicks, just wish they could find a way to make interchangeables small enough for socks.
I have a Boye Needlemaster set that I got on Amazon a while ago. I live on nothing but Disability, so when I found a set of interchangables that I could afford I was very happy. I love the tips, but I must say that I HATE the cables. My yarn is always catching on the connections, especially when I have to connect 2 cables. However, I made an accidental discovery recently that made me extremely happy.
My sister doesn’t knit, but she knows that I have a set of interchangable needles. So, when she found a couple Chiaogoo cables at a thrift store, she bought them for me, unaware that the different brands aren’t usually compatible. I tried them with my Boye tips and was thrilled when they fit perfectly! I adore the Chiaogoo cables, the connections don’t snag and the cables themselves are very smooth and flexible. I’ve been slowly acquiring more of them to replace my Boye cables.
So, my interchangable needles of choice are the Boye tips with the Chiaogoo Twist Small cables. True, I haven’t tried any others, but I absolutely adore these, so I choose to spend my money on what I already know for sure works for me.
@Nyssareen That’s awesome that your sister found those cables! Before I finished reading your post, I was going to suggest the very same. I’ve read about a lot of people replacing those Boye cables. Lots of people love their Needlemaster tips, so it’s great there is an alternate for the cables.
Awesome! I’m glad that worked for you. The cables are the reason I love my Chiaogoos!
I bought the Boye set years ago and loved the tips. Hated the cables. I also learned the chiaogoo cables could be used with them and like the alot better. In my venture for better needles I also tried the knitpicks. I like them (especially the dpns). My favorite are the chiaogoo, both bamboo and metal. I will admit that although I like the red cable I really like the spin cable that comes with the bamboo set.
I have a set of the Addi Clicks and I love them. They stay connected and I have been able to eliminate most of my circular needle stash since this covers most of them. They don’t have the 0-3 sizes, so I have extras of those for sock knitting. But I love the metal surface for faster knitting. I purchased a set with a discount coupon and they were one of the best tool purchases I have ever made.
I have HiyaHiya Sharps also. I love them. One tip about the cables - mine get all crazy coiled when I use them for Magic Loop. I relax the coiling by running the cable across the end of my blow dryer. I hold the cable tight and pull it slowly across. It works great. As far as snaggy cables - they are guaranteed so you could send them in for a replacement.
These are, by far, my favorite as well. I prefer nickel plated needles and these always work well for me. I’ve tried multiple kinds and I always come back to these. I have a set of bamboo Addi Clicks, but I just don’t like them. I’m planning on selling them. I also like the Knit Picks nickel plated needles for a cheaper option. They’re really good too.
I have a set of Dyakcraft Heavy Metal that I use to make socks and other items that require smaller needles. These work pretty good!
Can you buy the black nickel as an interchangeable set? I was looking on their website and I see only individual needles for sale.