Is the SENTRO knitting machine actually worth it? (Expert knitter review)
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- Опубліковано 12 лип 2024
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Have you ever used the Sentro knitting machine? What did you think of it?
Can you make large holes in the pattern like if you making a beach crochet cover top. In beach crochet covers have large holes in the crochet pattern. Can you create the holes on the sentro knitting machine???
@@JohnWesleyHarden You would have to manually transfer some stitches in order to get yarn overs and decreases... Not sure how that would work buy mayyyyyyybe it's doable.
@@cloknits It would probably take some work but I can see where u can do it. U are probably saying you can crochet that in hour.. Its a texture thing. The yarn sliding thru my fingers messes with my head.. The feel of the yarn feels crawly in between my fingers.
I have the Addi kingsize, it takes a few attempts to get used to it. Now I really like it, it’s fun and fast.
I'll try to get my hand on an Addi at some point, i'm curious to see the difference between the two.
Thank you for the detailed review of the Sentro knitting machine. I have the Addi version which works very similarly. I came with clamps so it makes it very stable. I use this machine to make hats with all my leftover yarn. I double strand fingering and use DK and worsted solo. I makes the toques for charity and it takes me about 30 minutes to make one hat so it is faster than hand knitting. That is all that I use this machine for. It took some practice to get efficient and not drop stitches :-)
Thats my thought, it does what it does well and it's great to speed up the process of making tons of hats.
Some thoughts here that other hand-knitters may find helpful. Like hand-knitting, it takes a fair amount of practice to become proficient. Have been hand-knitting for 25 years across a range of yarns and projects so here are my tips for this machine after a couple of years fiddling with it. Hope they help other hand-knitters avoid some frustration. I had unrealistic hopes that this would be easier to use than it was but it's like any other skill you might try with a machine - you get out what you put in (e.g. I'm not much of a sewist but I don't make much of an effort either). Managing my expectations on this basis helped with my frustration.
1. It won't replace your hand-knitting and it isn't meant to. Think of it as a tool for particular task, like DPNs or small circumference circular needles.
2. The suction cups work better with moisture and a table. You can clamp them too.
3. You will need to test your tension (similar to gauge swatching) for every new yarn you try.
4. Winding your yarn and using your center pull help with the tensioning.
Hope these thoughts help!
Thank you for all your help. I do think there is a time and place for this type of machine, but I just can't see it be useful to me personally.
Agreed. It's definitely not necessary for hand-knitters. Just useful for knitting a lot of stockinette in certain yarns that I would normally get bored with hand-knitting and that gives me more time to spend on other knitting that I find more engaging while still knitting those items. I also think your point about a flat mid-gauge machine is a good one and have one of those too. I find this machine to be more limited in use than the flat bed style too, but it was less expensive. I definitely do more charity knitting now than I did before I bought it.
Thank you for this review. I’ve mostly seen reviews of non-knitters so this is definitely a perspective I needed. I’ve only been knitting for a few years and the issues you mentioned were things I wondered about as well - like the variety of yarn that can be used with this machine and the possibility of using techniques other than stockinette. I’m thankful that I’m getting a free machine soon. I wouldn’t want to pay for this since it is expensive in my opinion. This review will help me manage my expectations as I intend to make very specific items only with this machine. Maybe I’ll let you know again once I have my machine and try it out. Best wishes!
I'd love to know your experience with it! I'm sure it can be useful for specific things.
It sounds like basically a mechanised version of a plastic knitting frame... which is also what it looks like. I'm not particularly up on social media so it passed me by, but just from looking at it I pictured as much...
I can confirm that that particular effect of holding two (or more) yarns together on a machine is a thing with all machines. Even industrial ones. 🙂 If the colours are similar enough, it can instead create a sort of gradient (?) or marbled effect, which has its own charm.
Yes it's like a tricotin but with a crank. Except that it's less versatile.
I'm a longtime hand knitter, and got my Addis about a year ago, and really like them. I primarily use them to make hats for donation and stuffed animals, and it works great for that. If you want to have less bulk, pick up stitches on a size 10 needle and decrease. Works great.
I'm very curious about the Addi now, many people said it was much better. Thanks for the tips for the crown.
@@cloknits you're welcome
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! A friend lent me her Sentro (she has an Addi she really likes now) but I haven’t gotten around to trying it out.
I wonder if the loose gauge issue makes the Sentro a good candidate for cranking out panels/tubes for felting? There are some bulky Sandes Garn double-thick felted slipped that were Hot Right Now on Ravelry this week. Don’t think the circumference of this large Sentro would be appropriate for that project, but it has me thinking about what other uses a (well-functioning) Sentro could serve…
Maybe it could work. I've never felted anything and i wonder how dense or airy the fabric has to be in order to felt well. Maybe i'll give it a try.
I just have to know about the sweater you’re wearing! I must have one!
Thanks. It's the Rosier by Paule T.B. I love it.
I got my sentro (36 peg, i think?) last year. I originally got it to make panels for throw blankets, but after a week of fussing and messing up after a frustrating amount of rows, i gave up on that. Did a few hats, but unfortunately the size is just not big enough for an adult head. The one project that I actually needed the machine for and was happy I had it was last xmas when I had 24 hours to make a present for a work friend, so I churned out a scarf in an afternoon.
Like you said, it's very much a toy, not a serious machine. Great review!
I bought one. It’s still attached to the first ball of yarn I cranked with it. I didn’t like it. I saw other people making things with it so thought I’d come back to it rather than sending back. I should’ve sent back, in retrospect.
Thanks for the reminder🤣
Yeah, I think it's a love or hate situation.
Thanks for filming this. I was on the fence about buying a Sentro to speed up making garments. The other pros/cons videos were not helpful to me because they were aimed at people who don't knit yet. Their pros were like, "It's easier to learn than hand knitting." Great...but I'm already a hand knitter! The machine seems to be good for people who want to make accessories out of the medium-weight acrylic value yarns at big box stores. Again, great for them, but I'm not interested in those projects. It was nice to find the perspective of someone whose interests are closer to mine. I'll be saving up for an LK-150 instead.
The Lk-150 is absolutely worth the money, you won't be disappointed.
I'm a hand knitter. I have an Addi and a Sentro. I prefer the Addi because it is a better made machine. I use these to make hats for charity and I've made a ton of blankets. It takes some getting used to.
I love that you are knitting for charity with it. I want to get my hand on the Addi to see the difference at some point
@@cloknits I will say the Sentro is quieter, but I'm not afraid I'll break my Addi, whereas with the Sentro it's a little flimsy. Also, you can remove the legs on the Addi for storage and you can't with the Sentro. The counter on the Addi is much better, too. Of course, I may be a bit biased because I love my Addi click knitting needles🤣
You could add rubber gripper feet/pads to put on the legs of the machine and it would stop it from slipping around. I think this would be great to make a bunch of hats for charity donations.
Yes it would work for that. When I have time I'll try to make a few
I purchased a Sentro this summer. I was able to knit about 5 hats with variable success. I only used acrylic yarn as these hats are primarily for donating and we were told to use machine washable/dryable yarn. I was very discouraged when the counter broke on the second hat. I was able to use a UA-cam video to find a replacement counter to mount using hot glue. It works well. However, dropped stitches became more and more prevalent even with the same weight and brand yarn. And it became gradually harder to crank. I tried all the tips and hint videos on UA-cam to improve things but nothing consistently helped. Overall, all the Sentro made me want to do was buy an Addi version. Which I did last month. And knit my first hat on it the day it arrived without any dropping of stitches. There is a world of difference between the two in quality even though both are plastic. But there is good plastic and not so good. I understand wanting a cheaper solution but this is definitely a case of “you get what you pay for”.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I would love to try the Addi and feel the difference. If I can find one second hand, I will absolutely give it a go thanks to you!
I own all ofbthe Sentro machines and all of the Addi machinea. My favorite yarn is Rios for all of rhe machines. I have made loads of blankets, scarfs and hats.
Malabrigo Rios? Do you feel like the tension gets tighter than what I show on the video?
Thanks, I really enjoyed your review and it is as I had thought. A toy and I will not be purchasing one.
For someone that can't knit, it can serve a purpose but for me it's quite frustrating.
Had one, sold it, not my yarn weight, not my fun.
I'm a lover of fingering yarn so this did not scratch the itch so much.
Another shoddy piece of plastic that'll be gracing the land fill in a few years
Have you made a video on your other machines? I'd love to learn about them
I haven't and the machine are currently in their boxes until my studio is set up. I'll try to make videos once they are up and running!
The sentro is a complete waste of money (and yarn). I strongly suggest saving and buying a lk150 or silver reed SK280
I do have a lk150 and I love it!
It must be really nice to be able to afford to only use natural fibers. Out here in the real world that is way out of reach.
It's a privilege to be able to afford anything these days. There are natural fibers that are way more affordable than others but I understand your frustration.
I find very affordable natural fiber yarns at ICE Yarn and Knitpicks. When I say affordable I'm talking about enough to make hats, mittens, socks, and slippers, scarves, and baby sets. But, for big blankets I have to go for the acrylic yarns.
duct tape it to the floor
That's an option but I think that would leave crap residu on my wooden floor.
Yes this is your review. #1 you bought a ‘used’ one not a new one that has never even knitted one hat less know three that your buyer states she has only done, so you are going by her word of number of use. #2 you put the yarn through two tension settings and expected it to work, making me think you did not read the manual if one was given to you. #3 you could of easily attached the machine to the floor by using a removable putty to hold it to the floor and the machine will stay stable. #4 you can use different weight with the machine, it is not true with you said that it has to use thin yarn. And if the yarn in your or your daughters had lots of space you put it on the wrong tension holder. If you use #4 it will be tight knit if you place it on the right tension. I won’t continue on all the wrongs you stated about this machine. But you were not using the machine correctly to be one who has used flat bed machines. But this is you review of the machine and everyone’s view is their own it will be their own opinion no one else’s. I have seen hundreds of videos with people using this machine the proper way and all of their items from knitted dresses, skirts, sweaters, hats, mittens, shawls, blankets, socks, cardigans, leg warmers, fingerless gloves, and I can go on and on of all the things they have made that were not loose knitted, that looked like it was done by hand, no slip stitches etc that turned out gorgeous. This is your review true. But hundreds of reviews prove you wrong in all that you have stated. First off read the manual if given one, to avoid all the errors you made in this video. I cringed when you put the yarn in two tension placements, each tension placement will dictate how tight the knit will be and how loose it will be for each type of yarn you use. I will say you did get one thing right, you can’t use bulky weight on the machine. But you can use #3, #4 weight and lighter weight as well. I am so thankful there are so many positive videos out there on these machines for people to view. It obviously is not a machine for you thats clear from your intro. But hundreds if not thousands of people are enjoying the machine, and it is so helpful for those who have arthritis in their hands and can no longer hand knit.
I agree with you 100% !! Her #1 complaint is the tension, which is entirely her fault, just look at the way she has it set up, plus not pulling from center of yarn ball. She also admits to taking the machine apart, so who knows what she's done to it!! Obviously biased review - she didn't want to make it work. The machine works very well if you just follow the simple directions and watch other more positive and helpful videos. I have had great success with yarns DK, Worsted & some Bulky however you have to go really slow with bulky. If you are interested in this machine, please watch other reviews.
Thank you for taking so much time to educate me. I could have done many things differently yes. Some of which defeats the purpose of buying a machine (having to put putty to make the machine stay in place). As for the tensioning, I did every way possible and I watched multiple videos of people using the machine before and even with using all the possible tension options, there is no world in which this machine knits a tight gauge, it is physically impossible with the size of the needles. As for it being used, I've talked to many people who bought this machine new and had the same issues I did after making a few hats, which is very disappointing. This is my experience and it echoes the ones of the people that were expecting more from this. I'm not saying people shouldn't buy it, I'm saying that if they do, some of these thing could happen. It is great to have tools for people who can't handknit, but I think there are better ones than this one. Have a great day.
I took it apart because it didn't work properly and I followed someone tutorial to clean it (someone that uses her's a lot). So yes, I was absolutely trying to make it work, and yes it's a biased review because it's MY opinion, and opinion are personal. I'm not saying everyone has to feel the same as me.
I bought the machine new in December and have made about 50 beanies so far - I had to play with and adjust the tension on the first few because my gauge was way too tight, so I don’t understand that problem you’re stating. As for the suction cups not sticking, I have found that all you need to do is use it on a slick surface. I have had no problem with using it on either my granite countertop, glass tabletop or my poured lucite craft table.