Surprisingly easy to setup and use-- I got the hang of it quickly after watching a how-to video on YouTube by TL Yarn Crafts. I didn't need to use a swift. You do need to watch out that you're not accidentally winding below the base of the spool, but I would say this seems better-made and less accident-prone than other cheaper models. Very happy with the yarn cakes I've made.

It was a little tricky at first because I'm new to use it, but I find it works great when you hold the yarn at level to higher for best results. I don't have a swift so I just hold the yarn myself, which still works fine. The clamp holds well and the handle is comfortable and smooth when turning. Great bang for buck.

Best thing I purchased.

Well worth the money. Far superior to cheaper models. Very easy to set up and operate. I would recommend this every time.

I bought this one based on recommendations from others. Having never used one before I don't know what the other brands are like. This works exactly as I heard. Smooth turning and makes small cakes. It can handle my kids turning the handle at warp speed. The only problem I have is when I get carried away and max out the size them the yarn starts wrapping around the base. Haha. It's an easy fix, thank goodness, and a quick lesson learned. :) Very pleased with this.

The Stanwood Needlecraft YBW-B I originally bought in summer 2013. We're coming up on summer of 2016, and this thing has wound MILES of yarn in that time! It works best with yarn that is not "slick" (any yarn having silk or rayon has been problematic to wind, no matter its weight). I have wound a cake of 880 yards of worsted weight, supwerwash wool yarn. . . as one cake! Have have wound countless of Cascades Eco/Eco + 100% wool yarn (250 grams/8.75 oz/478 yards). I've re-wound acrylic, have wound a variety of yarn "blends," (blends that have soy, linen, silk, mohair, rayon, silk, cotton, wool, and even "fashion yarn!") again, countless cakes.There are a couple of things to watch for with this winder (as I suppose would have to be any winder that less than $100). The "slick" yarns can "pool" oddly, and if you don't catch that soon enough, the cake will kind of fall apart (into a very, very tangled mess). I read a comment on another yarn winder about "sanding" the center to help give some "grip," and I'll probably do that.When you wind the larger hanks, you do risk breaking the plastic gears (I would much prefer metal gears that are covered like these gears are!), so go slow (and remember the company probably won't cover breakage that occurs over their stated amount of yarn).I have really put this little thing to work for 3 years, so I am not exaggerating when I say "miles of yarn" have been wound on my little unit. I am considering getting a new one soon, as the gears--being plastic--have gone through quite the wear-and-tear. I have almost always used my swift, but sometimes I've wound yarn that is bouncing around, which I direct with my hand into the metal tensioner (I just don't fully trust the tensioner).Sometimes the center piece needs readjusted-- I don't know if it's a weight-shift thing, or what, but if you have problems with it not winding properly, that is something to try. I have done it on more than one occasion over the past three years with my unit, and it often "solves" an issue (except very light weight and/or slick yarns--then nothing seems to help).I would definitely recommend this product. I started out a yarn winding novice, and I feel I'm a yarn winding pro. In fact, people who have seen my yarn cakes ask about the winding because "it looks so beautiful!" or "it's so tidy and neat!" Therefore, not only would I recommend this product, my "upgrade" is probably going to be the same one, because I have wound a variety of textures into cakes more beautiful and tidy than what gets done at the stores many times! I'm perfectionist, and kind of anal about how my cakes appear after winding-- I need for them to be tidy and neat; this YBW (yarn ball winder?)-B gets the job done, and it gives a lot of mileage for the price.In my estimation, you will not find a better product in this or the lower price ranges-- this is the one to get you started.

This winds your ball of yarn neatly and it is my toy to play with. I have cleaned up all my yarn on the excuse that I was cleaning and stacking it neatly. This machine is better than the red one. As you can see it has plastic whereas the red ball winder has a metal rod connecting the two and the yarn gets tangled. I got as a freebie so gave it to another person who enjoys winding her yarn. Again I woould RECOMMEND only the one that I bought. It is good for sock yarn and fine sport yarn but you can't use it on heavy yarn. A little scale is very handy as the yarn doesn't come in 100 gr' it is always off by 10-15 g so a small inexpensive scale really is helpful to divide the yarn properly. I have used the red ball winder and the blue plastice one and you will be sorry if you get the cheaper model that will cause tangle problems

I carefully compared ball winders and was interested in most of the comments people wrote about them. This is the one I settled on because the bottom of the holder is covered and yarn can't mess up the works! This was extremely easy to use. I can't imagine why people had trouble setting up the eye feeder because mine snapped right into place. I have used this both with and without a yarn swift and it runs perfectly in both instances. You will need to keep the tension consistent when you wind if you want a smooth and tight yarn cake. I also take a bit of tape to secure the inside end to the top where the grooves are so that I can easily retrieve it when I remove the cake from the spindle (for a center pull skein). I use this winder clamped to a glass topped table and it is both quick and easy to get secured. I do make sure when using it with a yarn swift that I put it in logical proximity to the swift. Good purchase; reasonable price.

I chose this yarn winder for its lower price and high rating, and I am fairly satisfied with it but not thrilled.I used it yesterday to wind two balls of laceweight mohair yarn, and my main problem is the little wire arm that feeds the thread onto the ball won't stay in place. I had to use one hand to crank and one hand to hold the wire arm. When I didn't hold the arm in exactly the right place (pulled all the way out and straight upright) because I was watching the skein, the yarn wound into the mechanism and caused a huge knot. I had to unwind half of it to fix it, and I had to borrow another person to watch the skein of yarn to make sure it didn't tangle while I watched the ball to make sure it didn't tangle again. [See Edit below for resolution]I experienced two other minor problems. The top piece that holds the ball is a separate piece that attaches to the spinning mechanism, and the pieces don't fit together as smoothly as I would like. It takes a minute of turning the top piece back and forth and fiddling with it to get the pieces to lock together. The other minor problem is the clamp extends only far enough down to accommodate a table no thicker than 1 1/2 inches. I had to look around the house to find a suitable place since the dining room table and the desk were too thick.It did take me nearly two hours to wind both balls of mohair, but I was pleased with the smooth cranking, and when I held the yarn arm in the right place, it wound into a neat, tidy ball. It's made of plastic, but it seems like fairly durable plastic, and I don't think it will break after only a couple uses. I would buy it again because of the price and now that I know how it works a little better, and next time I will simply recruit my husband to help me from the beginning (and maybe wind something a little less finicky than mohair!).Edit: (March 18, 2011) I changed my rating from 3 to 4 stars because I found out that the little wire arm does indeed stand up straight by itself but only if you yank it really hard as if you were trying to break it. I know the instructions said to pull it out "forcefully," but there's a difference between a hard tug and a destructive yank. It now takes just me to wind a skein of yarn into a ball which is great because I'd just about run out of innocent bystanders to recruit. The other two minor problems still stand: if the top piece pops off, it's a bit tricky to get it back on tight, and the clamp both requires a thin table and gives the winder an awkward shape for storage since it can't sit upright. Overall, however, I'm pleased with what I got for the price and don't regret the purchase.Update: (November 16, 2012) This is still my go-to yarn ball winder. It just takes a few minutes to wind any skein of yarn when paired with my swift.