I’ve been looking at Dreaming Robots e-spinners because my mom asked me what I want for Christmas and I said I want help buying one. I love my treadle wheel but it is obviously not very portable and I just don’t enjoy spindles as much.
And I’m very caught between the EEW 6.1 and the Nano 2.1.
On the one hand, the Nano is cheaper and more portable. On the other hand the 6.1 is better in every other way, especially regarding longevity and capacity. But obviously it’s twice as expensive. I’m in Canada so these wheels are pricier with the exchange rate.
If I don’t want my e-spinner to replace my treadle wheel, is it really worth buying the 6.1? The biggest draw for me other than ease of use is the larger bobbins (my secondhand treadle wheel came with a jumbo flyer and bobbins so I’m already spoiled), but if I can just ply on the treadle wheel are the smaller bobbins really an issue, since I can still get a single 100g skein at the end of the day? I typically only like to spin 100g quantities or above, but I could just save anything over 100g for the treadle wheel, except for very fine yarns in a woollen prep because I struggle to treadle fast enough for those.
At the end of the day there’s no way an e-spinner would entirely replace my Ashford Traditional because I do like treadling. I can’t do it for hours on end because my ankle gets tired eventually, but I enjoy the tactile sensation. Is it silly to worry that I won’t like spinning as much with no treadling?
If I were actually replacing my wheel I’d go for the 6.1 no question. I imagine if I get the Nano then in 5-10 years I would want to upgrade, or at least have to replace the motor.
If you have an e-spinner please weigh in!
