Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Addi is my preferred circular. In the fixed circular they cannot be beat. In the interchangables they run neck and neck with Chiaogoo. Which you prefer will really boil down to what is important to you. I own both sets, btw. Here is how they compare, IMO. Needle tips: Addi tips are blunt and slick. Actually the slickest I've ever used. Absolutely my favorite. This is entirely a personal choice. If sharp needles are your preference, Chiaogoos are for you. They are tapered and pointy. No wrong option here; this is entirely subjective. However, as knitters know, knitting with a needle whose tips don't suit you can be a knitting killjoy. Cords: Both are good. The Addis come with a flexible cord that doesn't feel like the cheap plastic cords one often sees in circular needles. Mine are gold, but I understand the blue are the exactly the same. The color indicates country of manufacture, I think. For the record, I have fixed Addis with both blue and gold cords and never noticed a difference between them. Chiaogoo metal interchangeable have a firm but flexible red cord with metal mesh in the plastic. They are my absolute favorite cords. They never, ever curl up on themselves when you work a small project, which Addis can do, occasionally. For the record, the wooden set of Chiaogoo interchangables (which I also own) come with a clear plastic cord, very different from the red. Luckily the wooden needles are usable with the red cords, which you can also buy separately. The red cords are also called "twist", for some reason. Joins: Chiaogoo wins here. The Addis inset the cord and then twist to click into place. It works, but necessitates a very small bump where the metal of the needle sets over the metal of the cord end. It's very slight and won't hurt most yarn, but can be annoying. The Chiaogoo join twists the needle into the cord end, creating a much smoother meeting of the two pieces. So, in short, if the tip is most important, you'll choose the one you want. If the join is what sells it for you, you'll choose Chiaogoo.