That's a lot of questions, debbeeanne. I had wanted the Boye Needlemaster set for more than 20 years. I was convinced that once I had it, I would never need to buy needles again. I finally got it for Christmas last year. And I love it. But I am still buying needles. As for them staying together, I do sometimes have to get out the little tool and tighten them as I work, but that's not a big deal to me. They do not stick where the needles connect to the cord. But when I use the piece to make an extension, the stitches do catch a bit on that. But not enough to make me curse and wish I hadn't gotten it. I haven't had any problem with them twisting. And I cannot compare them to Addi Turbos, as I have only one set and I haven't had a chance to use them yet. Before I got the Boye's I had no idea that any other sets/types existed. Now I have heard of Denise and a bamboo set. I wish I could turn back time and have the bamboo instead. I love working with bamboo.

In my knitting group, there is a woman who loves loves loves her Denise interchangeables. She has gone on to purchase extra components (longer cords I think). I have not used them, but my knitting friend makes a lot of different items on this set - sweaters, socks, lace. I gave a set of Denise as a Christmas present to a friend who is starting back in knitting - I'm hoping to get a report from her soon. As for me, I'm crazy about Addi Turbos and I'll probably keep buying those.

I have the Boye Needlemaster and would recommend them with reservations. I think that they do hang up a little at the join, but not too badly. It's very nice knowing that I have all the needle sizes I'm likely to use, but that doesn't mean that I won't buy new ones. My sister just gave me my first addi turbos for Christmas (thanks sj), and, though I haven't used them yet, they feel much smoother and the cable much more flexible. She may have started something.

Still, a set is still nice as part of your knitting toolkit.

I have a set of Denise and a set of Plymouth bamboo interchangeables. I also thought I'd buy less needles that way but that hasn't been the case because I do love Addis. Each has its advantages and drawbacks. The Denise has more sizes and the option to purchase longer cords. However, I don't like the sharp points and long taper in the larger sizes. The cords on the Plymouth are a little stiff and sometimes the joins come unscrewed. They are useful when you need a spare set or in the case of the Denise, as stitch holders. Some knitters love the Webs store in MA, also online) store brand (bamboo) but they are pricey.

I have been knitting so long....and have inherited my mother's needles and my grandmother's and bought boxes of needles at auctions that I believe I have "almost" every needle ever made!...
I have knitted with the ones thich are cables attached to tips and find they catch....
I love my big box of needles!
Linda C

I have the Boyle set too. But they only go down to a 5. Ihave found that if you are not careful screwing point to cable, you can break off the screw, but they're nice to have anyway. I like them better than my metal needles that dig into my fingers (I knit german style)

I have the Boye Needlemaster. It's handy to have all these different size needles when you need them. Although I like it allright I do have an ongoing problem with it, like for instance right now I am using the size 15 needle with the long circular cable. I'm working on a baby afghan and using Red Heart Baby Clouds yarn which is very slippery on these big fat metal needles. Every now and then the needle comes unscrewed from the cable and if I don't watch this very closely, it will come completely off and really cause me mess. I am constantly checking to see if my needles are tight, but it's a pain in the rear. I don't know anything about the Denise ones or any other ones. Are they any better than these?

Thanks for all of your feedback. I think I will order a set of the Denise needles. They are not really all that expensive, and you can take the whole set when you travel, if you want to.

Good decision, Debbeeanne. Like LindaC, I inherited my mother's needles and have a big selection of various sizes, lengths, materials, etc. But when I sprung $40 for the Denise, I felt like my life was complete. I LOVE them! I love the flexibility (literal and metaphoric), the way you can use the cables as stitch holders, how you can change sizes just by changing the ends while all your stitches stay right where they belong.

And I'm getting more adventurous about knitting things in the round even when the instructions say to knit them flat. Sewing together is NOT my favorite part of knitting, so I do as little as possible.

You go, girl.

Judy

I bought the Denise set, too, and really like them, except they don't go down to 16" which I need to make hats for charity. I bought them specifically for that purpose, and found I had to purchase all my 16" separately anyway.

Don't tell my husband, but--whenever I order on-line with credit card, I alway sneak in some Addi Turbos. I know they're rather costly, but I just do my Scarlett O'Hara and say "I'll think about it when the bill comes."