Furls Crochet Hook Review

So I'll come straight out and say it. I love love LOVE them. A month ago I hadn't even heard of furls crochet hooks then I saw a video on AllFreeCrochet's channel about the Alpha Series hooks, which are the wooden ones. 

They were so beautiful and looked like a wand from Harry Potter and I knew these hooks had 'chosen' me and I had to try them! 

When I went to the Furls website I saw they also made the Candy Shop hooks that I ended up purchasing. The shape and the idea that they are hand-friendly intrigued me, but the pretty colours and imagining how smooth crocheting with a hook coated in luxury car paint would be swung it for me. 

I ordered these two on Black Friday and waited like a giddy child for them to be shipped to the UK. I nearly kissed the postman when he knocked on my door with a parcel with a customs label on it!

 Furls send out each hook with a ball of yarn matching the gauge, which is such a lovely extra. 

Also, I know this doesn't really matter, but each hook is boxed. Normally when I buy an individual hook it's just on a piece of card and that's fine, but seeing the lovely black boxes gave me the same feeling of treating myself that I get when buying a high end mascara. 

I bought a 4mm and a 5mm hook. My only negative is that they don't make a 4.5mm in the Candy Shop series which is my most used hook. I have quite tight tension so tend to use a 4.5mm when a pattern calls for a 4mm. They do make them in the Alpha series though, and I intend to purchase one in the future. 

As soon as I took one out the box and held it in my hand I just thought, 'Ooooh, that does feel better' and after a few rows of my still unfinished crochet wreath I was fully converted. 

They just feel so nice in the hand and the stitches slide on and off like a knife through butter. I can't say I noticed that they made my stitches any more even, but as I mentioned before I crochet fairly tightly anyway. Perhaps if you crochet a little looser this might be more apparent.

I do think they are a joy to hold though, and anything that prevents wear and tear on my hands and wrists is a win in my book. They actually come with a $500 hand-health warranty. Yes, they are a little pricey compared to other hooks but on the whole crochet is a pretty darn cheap hobby so for a hook that will last you a lifetime I think it's small change in the grand scheme of things. 

Edit March 2016

Although I do still like these hooks, I realised I have barely used them because the lovely silky paint on them that makes the stitches slip on and off, squeaks against a lot of the yarn I use. The noise and feeling just goes through me. If you've ever got changed under a towel at the beach and held it with your mouth and it's squeaked on your teeth you'll know what I mean. Perhaps it's because I use a lot of budget friendly yarn with acrylic in it, who knows, but just something to bear in mind.