[BrownYaks]

I've recently started to spin. I took a class and was fortunate enough to have a wonderful shop which really works with you to get you paired with the right wheel.

As of right now all I know is I want a double treadled wheel. The wheel I've spent the most time on right now is the Louet Julia. The second one was the Kromski Minstrel.

Do you guys have any double treadled suggestions. I'll mainly be spinning Ramboulliet cross since that is what I raise... Maybe some yak if I ever get them in the chute or gather enough.

 

[Marchwind]

Welcome to The Fold BrownYaks! How exciting to have a place close to you that is nurturing you

I think you will find that most wheel sold today either come with a double treacle option or, if you buy a used single treadle you can buy an add on to make it a double treadle.

Do you have a guild near you? Other spinners? I would encourage you to sit at and try as many different wheels as possible. Having said that I have heard very good things about the Julia. I know there are people here who have the Minstrel.

I personally love Ashfords for any number of reasons. You can find them them used fairly cheaply, you can always get parts for repair (not that they need repair, they are work horses), you can expand them as you spinning knowledge evolves.

We have a few threads going on now where we are talking about different wheels. You may have to wade through our digressions but there is good info there. One we recently gave been talking about is antique wheel finds.

 

[Kasota]

Welcome aboard, Brown Yaks! You have come to the right place. Be forewarned, though. This place is full of enablers.

I would love to hear more about your place and see pictures of your critters. Looking forward to getting to know you!

 

[MullersLaneFarm]

I am personally not a Louet fan. I find they rock too much and the treadles are like lead.

I am a double treadle gal .... between my knees and my ankle, the DT loves me.

I've spun on a Minstrel and enjoyed it. I have a Kromski Sonata & it treadles like a hot knife through butter.

I also like the Ashford brand. I've owned 3 Ashfords and currently own 2, both double drives. The Ashford I sold was a single drive. It treadled very nicely. I sold it to a student because I had too many wheels!

The Schacht Matchless is another wheel I've spun on and have adored as are a couple of the Majacraft double treadle wheels.

 

[Wind in Her Hair]

beware, asking about wheel prefernces is lke asking "what car to buy".

Everyone has a different suggestion base don THEIR taste, budget, locale, preferences, experiences, and demands. :shrug:

One woman drives a tiny little electric speck and another drives a 4 wheel drive jeep. Same with wheels.

here is another vote for Majacraft (though I don't even own one- hmmmm, we may have to do something about that :teehee Don't love the Little Gem though its a great travel wheel, its not very versatile. Love the Suzie II and the Alpaca wheel (just a Suzie with a different color drive wheel).

I do love Lendrum folding wheels though.

 

[Marchwind]

I have a Lendrum I just got a few months back and I have to say it is FANTASTIC!!!! In my old guild just about everyone had one but I never tried one. Then when I moved and got my Sonata I liked that a lot. But in my guild here I sat at a Lendrum, one of our guild members sells them, so last tax season I bought one. I have to say this is my new favorite wheel. My Sonata didn't like me much, we just had a working agreement. But this Lendrum and I have totally clicked. I am selling my Sonata, she is a great wheel but we just didn't click.

I'm with MullersLaneFarm on the Louet wheels. I've not sat at one and ever enjoyed it. I also find that they treadle with a lot of difficulty. Maybe they have improved their treadles over the years.

Like WIHH says this is a tricky question and there are a lot of things that need to be considered. Cost being the first consideration, then maybe style, some people only want a wheel that looks like a traditional spinning wheel and could not enjoy spinning on something that looks more modern. It's all up to you. As you may have gathered, we all (or most of us do) have more than one wheel. As the so eon once said,wheels are like Lays potato his, you can't have just one

 

[BrownYaks]

Thanks everybody!

The Louet I used treadled incredibly easily, more so than the Minstrel even.

The owner of the shop I go to is incredibly supportive and lets me practice on their wheels and even provides some roving to work with. She really helped me compare and contrast all the models.

After working on the Minstrel some more I'm pretty certain its what I want.

 

[Kasota]

I have a Minstrel and love it.

 

[hotzcatz]

Get what you like, you can fix everything else. At least, that's what a car mechanic friend of mine always used to tell me.