Note that this post is not sponsored by Furls and the opinions expressed are entirely my own!
The world of crochet hooks can be somewhat overwhelming. With lots of brands and styles to choose from; which hooks are best?
One of the brands that has received lots of attention on social media over the last while is Furls. Furls is an established brand of high-end crochet hooks and accessories. They are best known for the ergonomic design of their hooks; their larger handles provide hand support which reduces fatigue and hand pain.
I decided to purchase a few Furls crochet hooks to see if they live up to the hype. For this Furls crochet hook review, I will cover the wooden Streamline hook, an Alpha series hook, and an Odyssey hook.
Furls crochet hook review: Streamline (wood)
There are a number of different materials to choose from in the Streamline range; including wood, resin, and aluminum. I have only used the wooden crochet hooks so will focus on that for this Furls crochet hook review.
Wooden Furls Streamline hooks are the entry level hooks and are the cheapest of the range. They will still set you back $17 to $25 per hook. They have a nice selection of woods to choose from, but size range is a little limited, particularly in the smaller sizes. The hooks are available from 3.25mm (D) through to 10mm (P).
I like how the ergonomic crochet hook fits in my hand; it doesn’t cut me in the wrong places. But one downside is that it does not feel very substantial. I guess this is a pro and a con. It is lightweight, which means that if you struggle with hand fatigue or pain while crocheting, then this hook may be a good fit.
I don’t feel like this particular Furls crochet hook would hold up to lots of amigurumi, or other typically tight crochet. If I put too much oomph behind my stitches I worry that the neck would snap, particularly for the smaller sizes of hooks.
While the wood is beautifully polished, my hook did have a few rough spots which would definitely snag on certain yarns. This hook is beautiful to look at, but I just don’t reach for it for fear that I’ll break it!
Pros and cons of Furls Streamline hooks
This hook may be a good fit for you if:
- You adore pretty looking hooks!
- You are looking for a lightweight, wooden crochet hook
- You struggle with hand fatigue or pain while crocheting
- You like to crochet with larger hooks
This hook may not be a good fit for you if:
- You tend to drop your hook on the floor a lot
- You crochet tightly
- You prefer to work with smaller hook sizes
- You crochet with delicate yarn that snags easily
Furls crochet hook review: Odyssey series
The Odyssey hooks are next in the Furls line up. With a glossy resin handle and nickel plated tip, the Odyssey hooks are certainly glamorous!
The hooks in this range are slightly more expensive, between $36 – $40, depending on size. The Odyssey range also has a slightly wider range of hook sizes; from 2.25mm (B) through to 10 mm (P).
Just like the Streamline series, the handle is ergonomically designed and comes in a wide variety of colors. I was fortunate enough to snag a limited edition rose gold and pearl hook which is just beautiful!
This hook is very comfortable to hold. I’m used to using Clover hooks and so the slightly larger grip took a while for me to get used to, but once I got used to it, I really enjoyed crocheting with this hook. I wouldn’t necessarily travel with a set of these hooks though as they are quite bulky (and don’t fit in a standard crochet hook case).
The Furls Odyssey was by far the smoothest crochet hook experience of the 3 Furls hooks I have tried. I found this hook very easy to use and nice and sturdy. But bear in mind that these hooks are heavier than their wooden cousins.
A small thing that lets this hook down is the fact that the hook size is not stamped onto the hook. There is a little sticker on the end of the hook with the size letter, but I expect that this sticker will come off pretty quickly with lots of use.
Since all of my Furls hooks are slightly different, it isn’t too much of an issue as I can easily recognise each hook. But with larger collections of hooks that all look the same, it may become annoying to have to constantly check which size hook you are using. I feel that for a premium crochet hook there really should not be any stickers.
Pros and cons of Furls Odyssey crochet hooks
This hook may be a good fit for you if:
- You are looking for an ergonomic hook but don’t want to use wood
- You enjoy using a more substantial hook
- You need a hook that is super smooth
- You love the glamorous look of Odyssey hooks
This hook may not be a good fit for you if:
- You have very small hands
- You have a nickel allergy
- You want hooks where the hook size is easy to identify
- You want hooks that will pack away neatly in a small spot
Furls crochet hook review: Alpha series
The Alpha series are Furls original and premium crochet hooks. They are beautifully hand turned and decorative. These hooks are works of art! With the pricing to match… A Furls Alpha crochet hook comes with a hefty price tag of around $85 per hook.
There are 8 different sustainably sourced woods to choose from and the hook sizes range from D/10 (3.5mm) to Q (15mm)
I love most things made out of wood so it is no surprise that I think that this hook is just beautiful! You can see the wood grain but the hook has been carefully polished so that it feels luxurious in your hands. It does have a medium grab though, so as with the wooden Streamline hooks, the Alpha hooks are not perfectly smooth and may snag on delicate yarns.
I also feel that if they were dropped or crocheted with too tightly (especially the smaller hooks) that there is the risk of breakage.
It’s also important to note that all of the Furls crochet hooks are inline and not tapered. For some people, this is a deal breaker.
While on the more costly side, I think it is really special that humans hands have worked on creating these hooks, and that each one is unique. Since crochet is such a hands on craft, a hand turned hook sounds like a great match!
Pros and cons of Furls Alpha crochet hooks
This hook may be a good fit for you if:
- You are looking for a premium wooden crochet hook
- You are looking for a hook to gift someone
- You are looking for a wooden hook that is sustainably sourced
- You are looking for a lightweight wooden crochet hook
This hook may not be a good fit for you if:
- You do not have a big budget
- You are a beginner
- You crochet amigurumi
- You tend to crochet tightly
- You are looking for an ultra smooth crochet hook
My honest thoughts on Furls crochet hooks
Do I reach for my Furls hooks all the time? Nope… Do I love owning these hooks even though I don’t really reach for them? Absolutely yes!
I probably use my Odyssey hook the most, given the type of crochet that I tend towards. If I were crocheting a large project, I would definitely use it more to help with hand fatigue. And while I don’t use my Alpha hook, it certainly sparks joy me for to own one (plus, it looks great in pictures!)
Furls crochet hooks are a worthwhile investment, but if for any reason you aren’t happy with your purchase, Furls has a generous 90 day returns policy!
Any other questions for me about this Furls crochet hook review? Drop me a note in the comments section below.
i love my furls hook(s)……my sister gifted me my first alpha in tulipwood and i was immediately in love!!! i have two of them, and i love them. have the wood streamline in different woods and i’m on the fence with them, my hands are very small (when my daughter was eight, our hands were the same size) and the streamlines are almost too long and too light, i’m able to get a better grip on the alpha. i don’t like metal, so the odyssey doesn’t call my name. i also have some nelsonwood hooks that i bought on etsy (think furls around the same price, but many more options of wood/colors. great review!!
Where can i buy those wooden hooks from ? Thanks
These particular hooks can be purchased from Furls directly or via Amazon. There are also other brands of wooden hooks which may be available at your local yarn store.
i troll ebay always looking, seems that there are a LOT of streamline and odyssey listed lately, but imo, people are taking advantage of them being discontinued items…..listing a $36 hook for $200 is a bit extreme to me.
i also have purchased directly from furls. they offer free shipping i think over $49?? and i have applied coupons that i find by googling furls coupons that didn’t affect the free shipping minimum…..ended up getting 3 wood streamline and a leather (7) hook pouch for under $50 i think.
Thank you for doing this. I love the way the hooks look but the cost keeps me from purchasing them. I also like the hooks that light up, I purchase them in Hobby Lobby.
Thank you for the honest review. And for validating my purchase of the hooks I own “because they’re pretty.” I have a streamline and a “Cookies and Cream” resin. I also have a wooden yarn bowl.
The resin hooks are high on my wishlist! So many pretty colours to choose from. “Because it is pretty” is a perfect reason to own crafting tool or supply 😉 I love a pretty yarn bowl too!
I love my Furls wood Streamline hooks which I use daily. They feel good in my hand and it takes less movement to crochet which helps me crochet longer without as much pain as I have hand with other hooks. I am looking forward to the aluminum streamline hooks in smaller sizes for amigurum. I read that they are in the planing stage.
The sturdy, smaller hook sizes would be game changing! I also like how the wooden hooks feel warm in hand, and really great that Furls have ergonomic hooks at all price points. I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for news of the new hooks.
I love the idea of the wood streamlined hooks. I love how lightweight they are but even in the medium sizes (5-6mm) I would not want to crochet tightly. Thankfully, I find that Furls lend themselves to a looser tension. But the drag was what killed it for me. Ugh. Nope. Mine almost felt sticky. I should have sent them back within my one year time frame (what it was several years back), but I forgot. I should just sell them. I never use them.
The alpha are beautiful but I have ZERO desire to spend that kind of money on a hook that I have to “baby.” Not to mention that they still have the drag of wood, albeit surely less than the streamlined ones.
I’ve considered the Odyssey, because I love ultra smooth (there is a reason why I am a tulip etimo girl, almost exclusively!) but the ridge between the shaft and handle concerns me and I have not one bit of patience for the fact that they “cheaped” out using those stickers. That’s almost insulting to customers paying a premium price. Plus, based on their stats, I don’t think I would like the extra weight of them. I’ve almost bought one dozens of times but that sticker thing, alone, just annoys me no end. They have ZERO excuses for that.
What I have found, which I LOVE (with some caveats), are the streamlined swirl hooks (the resin ones). They are heavier than the wood streamlined but literally half the weight of the Odyssey hooks. They aren’t as smooth as metal but they are still quite smooth. They are resin and prone to breakage but I am careful with them. I also only have them in sizes 7mm and up (the sizes I can’t get my tulip etimo hooks in) so they aren’t as fragile as the smaller ones. I wouldn’t buy them in small sizes. But I really love them, especially for certain yarns, in the chunky sizes. Between the swirls and the prym ergonomic hooks, I have a hook for any chunky yarn (if the swirls don’t work for a particular yarn, I use the Pryms. I will say that the swirls are wonderful for roving yarns and for anything with a lot of slip stitches or herringbone stitches because of the deep cut in the hook. They are also the ONLY hook I will use with blanket yarn. I swore off blanket yarn after making a few pieces and hating every hook I tried. The swirls 10mm allowed me to make peace with blanket yarn. LOL
I’ve not tried the streamlined metal hooks because they are perpetually it of stock. Based on what I know, I think I would love those too (not more than my tulips, but a close second), but who can know since I can’t ever buy one.
In a perfect world, the swirls would be available in a 12mm, 15mm and 18mm for super chunky projects. But it is a fallen world, so there’s that.
I’m keen to try the resin ones (perhaps it’s also because of all the pretty colours they come in!) – do they squeak at all though? I have a low squeak tolerance…!! It’s amazing how different hooks work better with different yarns. I think that many people don’t realise this. I’m all for a bunch of different hooks to suit different projects / yarns / moods. I have a Prym hook in an order that is being delivered next week and I’m looking forward to trying it. I’ve heard great things!
I had 2 Alpha hooks, which both had the heads break off when they rolled off the table. Furls now has a shallow dish to prevent this. But I found the Candy Shop series to answer my needs the best. The turned designs on the handles helps my fingers lightly grip, they are very smooth, and I don’t have to worry about them breaking. More affordable than Alpha, and occasionally on sale.
Yikes, my stomach just went a bit squeezy at the thought of breaking two Alpha hooks! The Candy shop hooks look amazing and they are definitely on my want list (just need to find someone to visit from the US and bring me some!). It seems like the candy shop has the best of both worlds – sturdy and pretty handles. What sizes of Candy shop have you used?