Ashford Traditional Spinning Wheel

I have two of these wheels. They both spin beautifully with very little effort. They are also very quiet. I'm new to spinning (less than a year), and I haven't tried other wheels, but I love the traditional look of this one. It looked beautiful in my living room long before I started spinning with it.

I also purchased the jumbo flyer. I found I needed a bigger bobbin to hold the yarn when I was plying. It also lets you spin jumbo yarns, but I haven't gotten that far yet..

This is a good all-around wheel and quite the workhorse. It is well constructed. Though I was nervous at first about the plastic orifice fittings, they haven't shown any wear after almost two months of 3-6 hours of use per day. My only complaint is that it took more physical strength than I had to put the wheel together initially, even when using wax to help slip the pieces together. I had to get help from someone with more muscles than me.

I have been spinning since 1978. In those years I have owned a Country Craftsman, an Ashford Traveler, and one other that I can't recall the name of! I have also tried out numerous others. My second wheel was the Ashford Traditional. When my youngest daughter left the nest, I gave it to her, and then later purchased another for myself. It is charming, of course, and I love the history of this wheel, but it is also practical, versatile, reliable and sturdy. Many many times it has traveled in the trunk of my car to guild meetings and demonstrations. It is easy to use, easy to repair, if needed, and has always been my most favorite! It comes in kit form, but it easy to assemble. Highly recommended!

I bought my Ashford Traditional back when I was poor and just learning to spin. I used my tax return to get it. That was about 23 years ago. Spinning for me went by the wayside after a few years and my wheel became a pretty conversation piece in my house. Then about three years ago I got back to it. I cleaned up my wheel, replaced the string and oiled everything in sight and started spinning. And KEPT spinning. And taught my sister to spin. And decided to get a "grown-up" wheel. I bought a lovely Louet. After about a month of using it I sold it to my spinning sister and got back to my noisy, somewhat woobly Ashford wheel. It just FELT right to me. I love it!!! I will - eventually get a wheel that will challenge me more - but not for a bit. I can't give up a good thing!

I bought this as a starter wheel to teach on. I like the single drive and easy to use tension knob (although I modified the tension with my own string/elastic hairband setup). It treadles easily and smoothly and I love the wood. When not in use, the classic design looks nice in any room!

This is a great wheel. It's easy to use, fits in the back seat of my car and I just love it. I do agree that plying can be a bit of a pain, but I have lovely trim ankles now. One benefit that I found is that when I spin for a bit each day I have no problems with restless leg syndrome. I would say it's a great wheel.

This was so much fun to finish and put together, very easy, too. The traditional single drive wheel was my first wheel after learning to spin on a drop spindle. Very beginner friendly, and I find that I can spin and ply a great variety of thicknesses. It does sometimes get difficult to treadle when plying, but that usually is corrected by adjusting the bobbin brake band. I'm not really crazy about the horizontal lazy kate because of the backspinning of the plies which leads to tangling, but sometimes I lay the lazy kate on its edge so the plies come off vertically and that really helps. This is a good wheel for beginner or experienced spinner, travels well, too!

I have been spinning on this wheel for almost a year with great pleasure and great success. I highly recommend it. It is great for beginners, and there are plenty of upgrades available to accommodate your growing skill level. I only gave it 4 stars of 5 because I find that the plastic orifice fittings are a bit flimsy. However, they are cheap and easy to replace. I have had a few problems with the drive band, but I think it's just user error and nothing to do with the wheel. It is a very good wheel and a good price. A great way to get started spinning.

This was so much fun to finish and put together, very easy, too. The traditional single drive wheel was my first wheel after learning to spin on a drop spindle. Very beginner friendly, and I find that I can spin and ply a great variety of thicknesses. It does sometimes get difficult to treadle when plying, but that usually is corrected by adjusting the bobbin brake band. I'm not really crazy about the horizontal lazy kate because of the backspinning of the plies which leads to tangling, but sometimes I lay the lazy kate on its edge so the plies come off vertically and that really helps. This is a good wheel for beginner or experienced spinner, travels well, too!

I have been spinning on this wheel for almost a year with great pleasure and great success. I highly recommend it. It is great for beginners, and there are plenty of upgrades available to accommodate your growing skill level. I only gave it 4 stars of 5 because I find that the plastic orifice fittings are a bit flimsy. However, they are cheap and easy to replace. I have had a few problems with the drive band, but I think it's just user error and nothing to do with the wheel. It is a very good wheel and a good price. A great way to get started spinning.