SpinOlution Firefly Review
I bought my two SpinOlution wheels, the Firefly package and the King Bee Travel wheel sight unseen. I had never tried a SpinOlution wheel before. What I knew was this: they had interchangeable flyer modules and bobbins in multiple sizes and specifically in the size I wanted... 32 ounces. Before my order was complete I was lucky enough to see Ashley Martineau of How To Spin Yarn taking the 64oz bobbin compatible with the Firefly and Mach III for a test drive. I was in love... I wanted that size too.
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| perfect for production the 64oz setup |
Before my obsession with fibre I painted large abstract paintings, think wall size. I love to work big. The SpinOlution Firefly combined the awesome potential of electric with large bobbin size. I was pretty sure I was going to be very happy.
After much anticipation my wheels arrived and I have not been disappointed.
I immediately went about putting the parts together, flyer head here, bobbin on there. Now drive band... I am sure if I read the manuals I would have been much faster, but what fun is that:)
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| interchangeable with the King Bee the 8oz setup |
There were a few initial hiccups, when I started up the Firefly the drive band kept slipping off, this was easily fixed once my father figured out that the motor had shifted during shipping. With the motor back in the right spot the drive band on again everything flowed smoothly. I started spinning with the 32oz bobbin setup, but quickly moved to the 64oz setup, which I am a huge fan of.
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| the 32oz setup, perfect for wild yarn |
I only have a few wheels to compare the Firefly to, my Cowichan style spinner and my Ashford E Spinner. I love both of those wheels for different reasons.
Here is what impresses me about the Firefly:
- Tilt feature, makes it easy to use on the ground, while in a seated or semi up right position with a baby snuggled against me.
- Interchangeable bobbin heads, this is awesome as I love to have multiple projects on the go. The flyer setups are easy to remove and have a handle for easy pick up. This also works well for changing between production spinning with the 64oz bobbin and personal spinning on a smaller scale.
- Magnetic interchangeable orfice bars. Having an plastic large orfice is handy for slippery fibers as then the yarn cannot slip off the hook. The hook orfice is better for thicker slubby yarns that get caught in the plastic orfice hole.
- Speed!!! Although I did notice a bit of a slowdown as the 64oz bobbin got full this was remidied by charging the battery completely or using it plugged in. The larger bobbins can be a little slow to build momentum, but once they are going the spin is smooth.
- Battery = Portability. I loved being able to take my spinner to the Fall Fair and not having the extra hassle of power setup or limitations on where my booth could be. It is also easy to shift around the house and take outside to work, not as cumbersome as having to run an extension cord.
- Solid design, The Firefly is light, portable, and solid. It in no ways feels flimsy or cheap. I appreciate that level of craftsmanship. Side Note: the King Bee is also this way, well constructed, unique and beautiful to look at.
- Break, I really like how the break works. It is a spring on a screw with a knob that you can adjust, simple enough, but it functions and the spring cannot get stretched or damaged. It is effective and controls the uptake of yarn onto the bobbin well.
- The lack of hooks, sliders, things that my funky yarns can get caught on is a major plus in flyer design. The long pin like guides on the flyers work really well and are spaced far enough apart to not impede the progress of thick yarns onto the bobbin, I have not yet tested the limits of this. Although I am not generally a fan of plastic, I think, although I do not have conclusive proof, that the pins being plastic make them flexible and therefore they can shift slightly to let thinker pieces through.
- Electric. So as a busy mum, starting my new business, electric makes the art of spinning smooth. I still love my treadle wheels, but not having to watch little fingers, toes and toys under my feet and just having to draft and spin, it is more relaxing. I don't find that the electric takes anything away, the motor is relatively quite and is easily drowned out by the whipping around of the flyer.
- The foot peddle. This makes the act of starting and stopping the wheel, even adjusting the speed for a moment; by taking your foot off and then placing it back on, simple and easy, one less thing to do with your hands.
Overall I am really most impressed with the SpinOlution Firefly. In the few short weeks I have had it I have found it easy to use and exactly what I was hoping for. I racked my brain for improvement ideas, to give a less biast review, but other then feeling that in comparison to the unique and beautiful look of the King Bee the Firefly is not as pretty, I have failed to come up with much.
The few things I am not so keen on, but are completely survivable are:
- Although the design of the skein winder is awesome, and I love that it folds down flat, the fact that it is not powered when attached to the Firefly base missed an opportunity in my opinion. Fortunately Mike Pauly owner and designer of SpinOlution Products agrees and we might just see this in the nearish future:)...fingers crossed.
- I did not find that the way the lazy kate attaches to the back of the FireFly felt secure, however since I can use the lazy kate on the floor, I am not too fussed about this.
- I find the foot peddle small, which is awesome for storage and travel, but a touch hard to use on softer surfaces such as carpet. I remedied this by placing a small piece of scrap wood under it.
My only other comment is that the customer service for SpinOlution has been exceptional. I am happy that when I decided to purchases my wheels I also decided to become a dealer it is gratifying to represent such a down to earth company that takes its customers concerns and its dealers ideas to heart.
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