A Top of the Line Wheel at a Fraction of the Cost
We've been talking at lot here at Skein Shop headquarters about bringing in spinning tools and supplies. Spinning your own yarn can be so rewarding, and if you start by making your own drop spindle, there's really not a huge upfront cost involved.
Those who would like to hone their skills on a wheel, however, are faced with the daunting task of choosing which expensive tool they are going to invest in. It can be a real struggle to find the right balance between price, quality, features, and future options. A good wheel (in our opinion) is fairly priced, high quality, comes standard with flexible features, and has plenty of accessories for when you discover the path that your spinning is taking you.
While there is no one right answer - wheels are very personal things, what feels great to one person might not be right for someone else - we believe that we've found an outstanding bargain that we'd like to share with you.
The Louët S17 wheel is a beautiful tool. The simple, modern lines combined with the high-quality parts and thoughtful design mean that this is a wheel you will be delighted to spend many happy hours at. It is functionally identical to the far more expensive S10, the one cosmetic difference being that the S17 has a solid drive wheel while the S10's wheel has a hole in it. However, the S17 comes unfinished and disassembled, which helps account for the price difference. The fact that it is disassembled is not necessarily a negative...it does allow for easy access to all the parts of the wheel for beautiful decoration!
In that vein, Louët North America is currently running a special promotion for S17 owners. When you send them a photograph of your decorated wheel - whether painted, woodburned, adorned with decals, you name it - they will send you a box of fiber worth $200!
So let's break this down: A finished S10 (single treadle so we're still comparing apples to apples), will run you $620. An unfinished S17, which requires a bit more assembly (but if you've ever put together IKEA furniture, you are more than equal to the task!), is only $390. Subtract the $200 in free fiber from the cost of the wheel (because face it, you're going to be buying fiber), and you have a top-of-the-line, custom-decorated wheel for only $190. You can't even get a Babe (made of PVC pipe) for that price.
Even though the S17 comes with everything you'll need to make yarn, if you find yourself wanting accessories in the future, there are plenty of options. You can get extra bobbins, a standalone Lazy Kate, high-speed bobbins with faster ratios, jumbo bobbins and flyers for plying or art yarns, and sliding hook flyers if you have trouble filling a bobbin evenly. All of this means that this is not a wheel you're going to outgrow.
To read more about how we decorated the Skein Shop Mullet Wheel, click here.
To read Dashiemouse's gushing review of the S17, click here.