Grab a hook and some scrap yarn, and make a few double crochets in super slow motion. Pay attention to the way you move your hook. Do you find that your hook is often facing down (for example, when you pull through the loops on your hook)? Do you rotate your hook to grab a yarn over? If so, you might benefit from the deeper bowl. I personally don’t rotate my hook very much, so I have no issues with the shallower bowl of the Soft Touch. One caveat though: I do find I drop more stitches with the Soft Touch than the Amour when I’m using a chunkier weight yarn. I personally think the handles are the biggest difference between these hooks, and for lots of reasons! To cover a range of designs, choose the Clover soft touch steel crochet hook set. Providing customers with a variety of sizes, this product ensures maximum productivity and gives customers the support required to bring each and every idea to life. I can’t speak to the longevity of the Amour hooks, as I’ve only been using them for a couple of weeks, however Clover is known for making quality hooks. There isn’t anything that immediately stands out to me as an area of concern. I also haven’t heard of any complaints in the crochet community about the quality. Materials

You’ve probably noticed I keep saying “It depends”, or “It comes down to personal preference”. And that’s because it does. Only you can truly decide which hook is best for your specific style of crochet. If you’re able, I would encourage you to try one of each before you jump in to purchasing a whole set. Each size is a different colour which is great when you’re trying to remember what hook you were using for which project I’ll admit it – I’m a bonafide crochet hook addict. I’m constantly on the search for the best ergonomic crochet hooks which means I buy A LOT of hooks. At last count I had about seven 4mm hooks alone. Seems like overkill right? If I see a hook I’ve never tried before, I buy it immediately – it’s my achilles heel. I think I’m one of the only yarn crafters who buys more hooks than yarn! I’ve had a few people asking what my go to hooks are and the truth is, I use so many different styles of hooks I can’t even count, but I do have a few favourites. I bought this from a knitting store that carries only Addi hooks so I was kind of forced into buying it but I quite like it. It’s a 2mm so I use it for amigurumi and it’s a top notch little hook. I prefer these to the Addi Swing so if you’re going to budget for an Addi hook, try this one first, especially if you’re a pencil grip crocheter. I can’t quite imagine how a pencil grip crocheter would hold and Addi Swing. If anyone can point me to a video of it being done, I’d love to see it! The Soft touch handle is made from ABS resin, which is a strong plastic. The handle has a very slight texture to it, but not something you will noticeably feel in your hand. It just provides a bit more grip than a smooth plastic. While the Soft Touch is less grippy than the Amour, I still find they have excellent control. Top: Clover Amour, Bottom: Clover Soft Touch MarkingsI’m a knife grip crocheter and found it fine to use the Addi Swing but I’m pretty sure a pen grip crocheter would struggle – they look to me like they’re designed for knife grippers.

Both the Clover Amour and Soft Touch have a tapered hook. There are many great debates on whether tapered is better than inline hooks (and vice versa), but it truly comes down to personal preference. There are pros and cons to both (that’s another post entirely), but my personal preference is tapered. Will I be switching? Truthfully, I’m not sure yet. There is still much playing to be done, and I encourage you to do the same. Video Review They’re better for wrist pain as the inline hooks require more movement to get yarn loops on and off them. The taper in tapered hooks means slightly less yarn wrangling because it’s meeting you half way. However, there is one important difference between the hooks themselves! The Amour has a slightly deeper bowl (the groove of the hook itself) than the Soft Touch. But what does that mean for you? Well, it depends on exactly how you crochet. Left: Amour with deeper bowl, Right: Soft Touch with shallow bowlBeginners, I want you to know that having an expensive or “fancy” hook is not going to help you nearly as much as practice and gaining muscle memory. Don’t buy into the hype that you have to have the prettiest or most expensive hook to create beautiful pieces. It’s just not true. I’m naturally a very twitchy person – I don’t sit still for very long – and this behaviour translates with crochet hooks as well. If I’ve been using a Clover Amour all day designing something in the Crochet Coach studio and I want to switch to another project, I’ll often change to a different style of hook too just to mix it up. It’s like exercise – if you run 5km every day your body eventually gets used to it and you need to change your exercise routine to incorporate something different. My personal preference shouldn’t really come into anyone else’s crochet hook experiences but I’m a Clover Amour gal through and through. I use and love a variety of crochet hooks but if I have the choice, I generally reach for a Clover every time! Very smooth metal shaft and throat – I have a cheap ergo hook and the metal is kind of bubbly which is endlessly annoying when my yarn snags on it For both beginners and experts, Clover crochet hooks are a popular choice. Known for their quality, affordability and bright colours, it is easy to see why Clover has many loyal fans around the world. For a selection of Clover hooks, look no further than Knitting Co.

So which is better depending on the grip you use? I personally think the Amour hook would be a bit better for the pencil grip. Keep in mind, I hold my hook like a knife, so I’m no expert on the pencil hold. However, I personally found it easier to use the pencil grip with the Amour hook. The Amour hook has an elastomer handle. It’s basically a nice smooth rubber that feels very soft in your hand, but still provides excellent grip and control. Side note: I actually think it’s kind of ironic that the Amour isn’t called the Soft Touch. Many experienced crocheters will agree that choosing the best-suited hook is essential. With a variety of sizes, shapes and materials available, there is something to suit everyone - you just have to find it. I’m part of their referral program so if you want 20% off your first Happy Hook you can use this link here. They’re so worth it I love mine even though it’s a Bates.The Amour has a different color handle for each hook size. This is great not only because it’s more fun to look at, but once you learn which color belongs to which size, you can reach right in your bag and grab it. The downside is, the markings are less visible. Until you memorize which color belongs to each size, you’ll still have to pull them out of your bag, and it may be harder for some to read them. Shaft and Hook The length of the Clover Amour is longer than the Soft Touch, both in handle and overall length. I can’t say which is better. It really comes down to personal preference. I will say the longer handle on the Amour felt strange at first, but that’s likely because I’m just used to a shorter hook. After using them a bit, I don’t notice it nearly as much.

For purely aesthetic purposes, the Amour wins hands down. If you haven’t noticed, I really love color, and these are just so much more fun to look at. Plus, like I mentioned, each hook size has a different colored handle.

Clover Amour Promises Comfort & Reliability

Both the Amour and Soft touch hooks have a matte aluminum shaft. (The shaft is the part with the hook.) If you’re worried they have a texture or roughness to them, don’t. They both glide incredibly smoothly through all types of yarn. The aluminum also makes these hooks lightweight, which is a plus when crocheting for long periods of time. That being said, if you’re considering upgrading from a standard plastic or steel hook, these are absolutely worth the investment. The ergonomic handles will save you so much hand and wrist pain in the future. Not to mention, they will both last a very long time. I’ve been using the same Soft Touch hooks for a literal decade, and they show almost no signs of wear. Another little note, the aluminum shaft of the Amour does not go all the way to the end of the handle. The tip has a small amount of flex to it, but it’s not floppy. I’m applying some pressure in the photo below. To be completely honest, I don’t know if there is a particular advantage/disadvantage to this, or if it’s simply to save on weight or cost. Pencil Grip vs. Knife Grip I will do a full post on the whole shebang of hooks but for now you just need to know that there are basically two kinds of hooks and most brands are based on these kinds of hooks.