Continuous Strand Looms: Adjustable or Not?

It never fails... Where ever I go I am always asked this question. Which is better? Adjustable continuous strand looms or non-adjustable ones? I'm also asked, 'Does Stone Mountain Looms make Adjustable looms?" The answer to the second question is no, Stone Mountain Looms does NOT make adjustable looms and does not plan to. I will explain why later. The first question is a hard question to answer as both have their perks and downfalls.

I personally started out on solid, one piece continuous strand looms by Stone Mountain Looms. Perhaps I am bias in my high opinion of one piece continuous strand looms, but I wanted to try an adjustable thinking it may save me money in the long run. I have acquired an adjustable rectangle continuous loom recently and have only made two projects on it. Why haven't I used the adjustable as much as the others? Well my reasons are down below in the cons. I do, however, want to keep my adjustable and I will continue to make projects on it. And I will continue to collect non-adjustable looms to fill my walls with. You can never have too many looms in my opinion.

That being said, I've put together a comprehensive list of pros and cons of each type of loom to help you better decide which is better for you and your situation. I've also explained why Stone Mountain Looms has chosen NOT to make adjustable looms below the pros and cons.

I hope my list helps you in your quest to chose the right loom for you!

~Ashli

Pros

• It's adjustable! This means you get more than one loom all at once! I can make small projects or large projects all on the same loom.
• Most adjustable's have two toned nails. The lighter nails usually denotes 10 nails which makes counting and creating patterns easy.

Pros

• It's one solid piece. This is a pro because it's sturdier when made out of one piece. You know it is not going to bend and snap easily.
• You don't need a lot of money to get started! Stone Mountain Looms range from $35 - $240.
• You can get travel size looms! You can purchase looms that will easily fit in your car, or even your purse. The first thing I pack when I am going on a trip is yarn with my knitting needles, and at least two of my smaller looms. A girl has got to have yarn to play with on vacations. I also bring mine to craft shows, lunch break at work, the library, friend's houses, camping, in my backyard, pretty much everywhere.
• Stone Mountain looms uses smooth, no head nails. This is a huge plus. Without any ribbing on the nails your don't have to worry about your nicer yarn catching, fraying, or breaking while you're working. And with no head on the nail, you can easily pop off your work when you've finished.

Cons

• Adjustable looms are HUGE! I'm talking room size HUGE. If you live in a small studio or apartment, like me, that means your adjustable pretty much eats up any space you think you have. It's always in the way, turning my small apartment into an obstacle course. But hey I'm getting great exercise!  If you are planning on getting an adjustable loom, just make sure you have the space for it. This means space for storage when you're not using it and space for when you are working on a large project that could take awhile to complete.
• It is not travel size. This is a big con for me as I like to travel with my work. Adjustable's are too big to fit in a small car, and if you have work on them, they're even bigger. This means no taking your loom with you camping, or to craft shows, or on picnics or anything.
• Most adjustable looms come with nails that have heads on them. This is a big con if you are working with or planning on working with delicate fibers. The nail heads are great at holding onto your work so nothing comes loose. They are also great at snagging your work rather than releasing it from the loom. This means you have to be extra careful when removing your work from the loom.
• Another nail problem. The nails on a lot of adjustable's have ribbing on them. As you slide your yarn along the nails, it is catching on those ribs. Sometimes the rubbing actually frays my yarn. Worse case scenario, it breaks my yarn. Again, just be careful which yarns you use on it and how much you are dragging it along the nails.
• Being adjustable means the loom is made of several pieces, this makes it less sturdy. When I put my adjustable together, I'm always worried it's going to bend or break because there is only four small screws holding it all together. And if I don't have it set to it's max position, I'm so worried they extra weigh on the ends might snap the wood. Or worse, if I drop it off it's stand, will it break?
• The loom is HEAVY. I'm a tough girl, but sometimes when I'm trying to lift the loom off the stand or move it, I struggle due to it's weight.
• Because it is adjustable, these looms tend to be priced higher. Unless you know you're going to love this form of weaving, it might be smarter to start with something a little cheaper.

Cons

• You have to purchase more than one loom if you want to work on a different size loom.
• Since you need more looms to accommodate your need for different shapes and sizes, this means you need more storage room. I've dedicated an entire wall to hanging my looms. They make great wall decorations until someone slams the door and makes them shift or fall off the wall.

Stone Mountain Looms: Why they have chosen NOT to make adjustable looms.

Every event we go to we have customers asking us where our adjustable looms are located and how much are they. I'm sad to say, we don't have any adjustable looms and will not be making them.

Why?

Theresa Jewell and husband Chuck Jewell just recently purchased Stone Mountain Looms. They are loving the new challenge of building new and unique to them continuous strand looms. They've already released their first new shape, the square, which has become such a success. Theresa is currently convincing Chuck they need a diamond shape loom... Anyway, after much thought and consideration they decided adjustable looms are not for them.

The biggest reason being they are HUGE. The adjustables require several long, straight pieces of wood to start with. You would not believe how difficult that is! Wood warps easy, bending and twisting every which way. Smaller pieces of wood are easier to come by.

Adjustables, because of their size, are harder to ship to you the customer.

Theresa owned an adjustable for awhile *in fact that's where I got my adjustable*. During that time she noticed when she used it that there was extra space on all four corners when you set the loom. It was always a concern that these ends could be knocked into, cracked, bent, and could prove to be hazardous. She is not comfortable selling a product that could end up be hazardous to small children, pets, your nice china, etc.

Theresa also wanted to make her looms more accessible to you. Smaller looms are cheaper to make and sell and can travel easy while still producing great products. The adjustables cannot be set to smaller settings without fear of the ends being too heavy to support. And there is no traveling with the large adjustables.

These are just a few reasons why Theresa and Chuck have decided not to make adjustable looms.