My Electric Yarn Winder Guide: The Best Automatic Yarn Winders

A yarn baller machine is operated by hand. What if you don’t enjoy winding yarn by hand or it hurts your hands? Use the best electric yarn ball winder.

My Quick Recommendations

• Best electric wool winder. – Ashford Electric Yarn Ball Winder

Want more info on these things? Read the content below. Note: There aren’t many options, but these are the best ones.

I reviewed, fact checked and updated this post on September 26, 2024.

Table Of Contents

• Ashford Electric Yarn Ball Winder
• Diva Power Jumbo Ball Winder With Yarn Guide
• What To Look For In The Best Electric Ball Winder
• Which Is Best?
• FAQS

What Is The Best Motorized Yarn Winder?

By far, the best electric yarn ball winder for sale is the Ashford Yarn Winder. It’s smooth, made of quality materials, and durable. See my reviews of the best brands for more information.

Ashford Electric Yarn Ball Winder

What a lovely choice in the yarn ball winders category! It’s a wonderful addition to a craft room or craft tables. Make those pesky skeins and hanks neat. (A yarn cake is a cylinder with flat sides on the bottom and top.)

More details on this good e-ball wooden yarn winder are provided below.

How Does It Compare?

• Construction & Materials Sturdy? – Strong yarn guide and other components. Smooth wooden surface with bottom pads to stop marking your table
• Smooth To Crank? – Yes, these make it effortless.
• What Sizes Of Yarn? – Wind up to (171 1/2 oz) 500gms of yarn. Enough for commercial skeins, especially fingering weight yarn!
• Easy To Set Up? – More complicated than hand operated yarn ball winders, but instructions for the ball winder are included.

Product Design

Produced with beautiful native New Zealand Silver Beech Hardwood. An outstanding feature is even flow of the strand and better control over center pull balls than with hand-crank winders. It’s a worthwhile purchase if you wind a lot.

Like to see an unboxing? Go to the 8.30 mark in this youtube video.

Pros

• Clockwise and anticlockwise winding ball functions
• As the yarn winds on the cone, control it with a soft start
• Instant stop when needed, so it’s easier to use than a manual yarn baller.
• Foot switch for better control
• Winds yarn purchased to get back to your project faster
• This yarn ball winder is mounted on rubber padding
• Table clamp secures to any table edge
• 12v mains power cord
• Silver Beech hardwood with a lacquered finish, native to New Zealand
• Strong yarn guide and other components
• Excellent customer ratings for this tool used to wind balls
• These products are the best crocheting technologies
• This Etsy seller shop offers shipping to the United States at a reasonable price
• Less hassle because it doesn’t require any cones or tubes
• If you have a question, the seller is responsive

Cons

• Expensive
• Sometimes unavailable
• If there is no electricity, you can’t take it outside

Diva Power Jumbo Ball Winder With Yarn Guide

This recent addition to the Fiber Artist Supply Co range of solidly built and top quality tools for knitters. This replaces the previous motorized version of the Maple Jumbo Ball Winder

It runs off of 110-240v wall power. The capacity it can handle is up to a pound of fingering weight yarn and 12 oz of medium weight yarn.

Conquer your stash. When you wind small or jumbo yarn into (centre) center pull cakes, put them in a yarn bowl and start knitting/crocheting! Yet another reason it’s a suitable addition for your home.

How Does It Compare?

• Construction & Materials Sturdy? – Yes
• Smooth To Crank? – This signature mega wool winder works like a dream!
• What Sizes Of Yarn? – They handle most commercial skeins, from fingering weights to thicker ones
• Easy To Set Up? – This item is easy to set up on a work surface

Product Design

The ball winders are plug & play played and operate on 110-240v wall power and a small brushed DC motor. A speed control knob and LED display are part of the power supply/speed control unit.

The display corresponds to the winder’s speed. Speed control is a separate unit positioned where the user finds comfortable. These have replacement parts like a spool. The pieces are simple to assemble.

Product Evolution

Here’s what’s included in the package of this version. It’s assembled when it arrives, and has the power bank, and an extension cord.

Pros

• This bobbin winder is easy to use
• Adjust the speed for winding yarns
• This thing makes minimal noise
• The sound isn’t annoying
• These have even tension
• If you have problems with your order, customer service helps
• Large capacity (one of the largest on the market)
• Great for fiber arts, including weaving and crochet
• These options sit on a tabletop
• Easy shopping experience with this business
• The wood color is pleasant and makes the process nice
• It’s the perfect chance to organize your stash and an excellent way to get your materials under control
• Has rubber feet on the bottom to hold it in place

Cons

• Can’t adjust the direction
• This jumbo ball winder doesn’t deliver to the United Kingdom
• This sort of thing has expensive prices
• Not great for extended usage, give it occasional breaks
• Need an account to purchase things
• Only ships to the US

This company also offers weaver and loom tools.

Hague PDB 250G Electric Ball Winders

Wind any yarn weight using this Hague Knitting accessories automatic yarn winding machine. This yarn winder is ideal for organizing scrap yarn. If you have trouble using the product, contact their customer service via email. It makes shopping easier!

How Does It Compare?

• Construction & Materials Sturdy? – Lasts a long time
• Easy & Smooth To Crank? – Play operation is effortless
• What Sizes Of Yarn? – Depending on the yarn, the PDB 250g winds 250gm/ 9oz. Goodbye sore arms, and hello center pull yarn cakes!

Product Design: A spare bobbin is provided. Base is attached by a sturdy heavy duty plastic clamp.

Product Evolution: Despite being in the UK, this electric skein winder ships internationally. It’ll be the correct voltage for the country to which it’s being sent. You may have to install a suitable plug for these items.

Pros

• When winding a cake, these have an even flow
• Get back to knitting faster
• Yarn cone winder capacity suits up to 9oz
• Solid power base

Cons

• This motorized yarn winder does not auto-shut off. Once the bobbin is full, switch off.

Here’s a great overview of how it works.

Simplicity Boye Winder

An alternative model made by Boye – The Simplicity Boye. It wound any yarn hank into neat center pull cakes.

I doubt you’ll purchase any new models. Second-hand models may be more readily available. I don’t recommend it. While it sped up winding by hand, it had to be monitored. Customers complained the motor wasn’t powerful.

Cheaper Options

Readers got in touch to tell me about the Caydo Electric Yarn Winder, a new release is getting some good reviews from crafters. The cakes it creates are neat and once it’s set up, it operates by itself and it’s hands free. The spinning is smooth It’s a little pricey and noisy and mostly plastic.

Another option they mentioned is the Ectokei version which has been around longer but the customer reviews aren’t favorable. Many people have experienced yarn getting tangled around the bobbin and the yarn cakes are messy rather than neat. There are difficulties with yarn tension. Although more affordable it’s not as durable as the more expensive ones mentioned above.

Consider This In The Best Electric Yarn Ball Winder

Here are key decision-making factors to consider when choosing the best electronic yarn winder.

Are The Materials & Construction Sturdy?

Invest in a product built to last. The best ones are made of hardwoods like birch wood, rosewood, or beech wood, and metal. Ensure they won’t break if they’re plastic, and the gears are protected. If yarn slips beneath the gears, it gets caught. Sturdier models protect the gears.

What Sizes Of Yarn?

Think about yarn you buy. Are the diameter and weight small hanks, up to 4 oz, or larger skeins and hanks, up to 10 oz?

• For smaller cakes, look for a winder to handle 4 ounces
• Use a 10oz winder for larger cakes
• For anything above, use heavy-duty winders

Is It Easy To Set Up?

Beginners need something quick and easy to wind to tidy up your hanks and extra leftover yarn. Read the reviews to see what experiences others had.

Are Instructions Included?

There is nothing worse than looking forward to setting up your brand new tool to find you don’t know how to assemble it because there are no instructions included!!
Make sure before you purchase there are instructions included that are clear and easy to understand.

Which Is Best For You?

• Ashford Electric Yarn Ball Winder – Your best bet in terms of quality and previous happy customers

FAQS About Electric Yarn Winders

Manual Or Electric Yarn Ball Winder?

Yarn winders are sold in online stores and local yarn shops, while electric ones are harder to find. Electric ones are expensive and require a learning curve. Manual winders take time and energy.

Is It Worth Buying?

• You have repetitive stress injuries, carpal tunnel, arthritis, tendonitis or hand/wrist/arm pain
• You want to save time
• You buy hanks
• You’re a prolific crafter
• You want to control when and where you wind your yarn
• You need to organize a large collection
• You’re an indie dyer/spinner, commissioned fiber artist or owner of a yarn store

How Do You Use An Electric Yarn Ball Winder?

Here is a quick tutorial on how to use this tool.

How Do You Make An Electric Wool Winder?

Using patience, and a good tutorial! Make a DIY winder by following these instructions. Try this more complicated, efficient setup by Mr. Innovative. This takes skill and knowledge so it’s much easier to get one ready to go.

Where To Buy?

Etsy or Amazon in the craft categories. People sell them second hand, and in craft stores. Few businesses or brands make them.

Conclusion

I’m yet to find an electric yarn winder on a budget. Let me know your thoughts in the comments, here or on social media. (Your email address is never published.)

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