Everyone deserves a second chance, right?
Anyone following my blog may have stumbled upon a post from the past in which I wrote about a bad experience with a Majacraft dealer and the Majacraft company.
Some time later, my Lendrum and I began having issues and I felt somehow held back by him. The point is that I had become restless and a bit dissatisfied- it had everything to do with me and nothing to do with him.
As a result, I began looking at other wheels.
I intended to purchase the Majacraft Aura- but when a decently- priced used Rose came my way, I couldn’t resist. I admit: I lack impulse control when it comes to all things spinning. The Chemist can vouch for this.
In any case, my beef was with the dealer from whom I purchased my original Rose- which was guilty of nothing other than not being an Aura.
The dealer in question was uneducated about what she was selling and, when someone is uneducated and selling expensive wheels, it can only mean trouble.
The Majacraft company couldn’t do anything to remedy the situation, as U.S. dealers have complete control over their pricing, policies, etc.
Again, when a company is manufacturing very expensive wheels, it’s hard to stand by said wheels when absolutely no control is exercised over what happens to their wheels once they leave the workshop.
Still, the Majacraft company was not at fault. I know that, now.
So, when I had some questions about purchasing the Rose, feedback and answers from the company (Glynis) were prompt and invaluable.
And I really wanted to upgrade…
So I bit the bullet and purchased the used Rose- thinking that I would reserve the Aura for bulky/ art yarns and use the Rose as my workhorse.
I liked the Rose better the second time around- most likely because I had begun to dislike the Lendrum so much.
I also think that, as a more experienced spinner, I was better able to understand, and therefore, work with the Rose.
The Rose- when used properly- spins up the best, most even, most consistent yarn I have ever spun. She is definitely my go- to wheel when I need perfect- looking yarn.
However, because she is fiddly, she isn’t the type of wheel on which I can just sit down and spin (hence the bold- typed “perfect”). There is an element of discomfort when I use the Rose- because it can be stressful to get things just right. Then, as the bobbin fills, it is necessary (again) to get the tension just right.
I am thinking that being able to be intuitive about tension- as I was with the Lendrum- will come with time. Hopefully, anyway.
I also find the grooves on the wheel that work with the different grooves on the pulley to be both ingenious and confusing. This is most likely because I don’t pay attention to actual ratios but, instead, know that I am using a fast, medium, or slow pulley. It’s much easier to just wing it when only one set of grooves- or pulleys- must be taken into consideration. Again, I suspect that- with time- which groove and pulley groove to use will be come instinctual.
The Rose is an innovative, well- built wheel. It is clear that a lot of thought went into designing and building her. She is mostly made out of (soft) Rimu wood, though- which can ding easily.
Rimu is lovely, though, and is a rich, honey- color with a beautiful grain.
The drive wheel is made from MDF- which may or may not be an issue for some people.
One major plus (for me, anyway) is the flyer. I really like the delta orifice for most of my spinning needs. I also love the sliding hook. The flyer is slick and sleek looking as well.
I also really like the fact that the Rose is so easy to treadle; it really feels like one is barely exerting any effort to keep the wheel going.
The Rose comes with a built- in handle and can be folded for stoarage and transport. It is on the heavy side, though, and so I am not sure how easy it would be to transport it. Also, I am not sure if I would feel comfortable taking such an expensive wheel on jaunts out and about. That’s a personal choice, though, and I have seen Roses out and about.
Ratios included: 4.25:1 - 19.5:1.
The Rose comes with both a standard flyer and orifice and a flyer with a delta orifice. I use the standard orifice for lace- weight, flax, and N- plying (I just can’t make that work with the delta), and the delta for everything else- even long- draw. Both flyers feature sliding hooks (yay!).
The upright that holds the flyer can be tilted to match one’s height and spinning posture. This is the secret to using the delta for long- draw spinning- and it makes for a comfortable (posture- wise) spin in general.
One thing I really like about Majacraft is that there are many accessories for their wheels. While some purists may argue that most extras are unnecessary, I believe that whatever makes one’s life easier- and spinning more fun- can’t be a bad thing. Majacraft understands spinners and works to make spinning exciting and innovative.
Majacraft customer service can’t be beat, either. Whenever I have a question, Glynis usually responds quickly and thoroughly addresses my issue, or answers my question.
I like the Rose. I’m not sure if I love it- only because it seems like a one- purpose wheel- and its purpose is perfect, consistent yarn. I don’t always have time to spin- and nor do I always want- perfect, consistent yarn.
Again, with time, I may relax a bit while using the Rose- which may enable me to get creative and spin more types of yarn on her. Only time will tell (stay tuned!).
New, the Rose retails at $1,469.00* (bought from Woolery stock) or at $1,340.00* when shipped from New Zealand (where Majacraft is located).
I would be negligent if I didn’t write about the fact that Majacraft can personalize one’s wheel- and that Majacraft is very good about special orders. This indicates that Majacraft really loves their customers- and that the company supports creativity and individuality. This means a lot to me!
Would I pay (at least) $1, 340.00 for a new Rose?
Honestly, I’m not sure. The Rose is a great wheel- and is great for certain applications. It is comfortable to treadle and so can be used for long spinning sessions without any discomfort. I’m not sure if the Rose is meant to be a production wheel but it easily could be.
And, while the Rose comes with many ratios- which means that many types of yarn could be spun on the Rose package alone- the fact that so many accessories can be purchased for a reasonable price means that one can spin anything using the Rose.
I suppose that, if I had money enough, I would purchase the Rose new. It’s that sweet of a wheel.
However, because I don’t have money enough- and may never have money enough- the possibility of being able to purchase the Rose new is little to nil.
Why am I not absolutely in love with my Rose?
Most likely because I like spinning to be relaxing. I like to sit down after a hard day of yelling at my kids and just spin. I don’t want to fiddle with this, or that- and I’m almost always not looking for perfect yarn. I just want to sit down and relax- doing something I enjoy. Fiddling with the tension detracts from the experience. This is just my opinion, though.
I feel like I have to be mentally sharp when using the Rose and, at the end of the day (when I primarily have time to spin), I am anything but mentally sharp. I am usually exhausted and half- asleep.
I wish, too, that Majacraft made a bulky flyer with a normal- type orifice; although it is my understanding that one can be special- ordered.
Last, I believe I should mention that the Rose may be better suited for confident spinners who are comfortable with tension and understand how tension and ratios work. That doesn’t mean that a beginner couldn’t learn on the Rose; it just means that there is a lot of thought that goes into tensioning and picking ratios- and it might be difficult to set things up so that they are “just right” while one is just learning to spin. After all, it is hard enough to learn how to spin without having to worry about fiddly tension and a somewhat complicated ratio system.
Along this vein, the Rose isn’t exactly child- friendly, either. To put this into perspective, my 14- year old daughter prefers my Paradis CPW over the Rose. In fact, she- and all of my daughters- have a difficult time using the Rose. They could, however, use the Lendrum.
Speaking of child friendly: unless your kids (or grand kids, or nieces and nephews, etc.) have been taught how to behave around spinning wheels, you will want to hide your Rose somewhere away from prying eyes, feet and hands. Better yet- even if the children in your life behave kindly towards wheels- hide the Rose, anyway. Rimu wood is soft and, therefore, dings and scratches easily. My belief is that it is the nature of kids to have the inherent ability to destroy everything in sight.
So, the bottom line is: if you have the money to blow- by all means, purchase a Majacraft Rose.
Used Roses are great, too, though!
One last issue I must bring up is that of Majacraft dealers. If you plan on purchasing any Majacraft wheel from a dealer, make sure that he/ she is knowledgeable about Majacraft wheels and accessories. Majacraft does not oversee its dealers in the traditional sense and so individual dealers have total say over price, return policies, etc.
* Woolery prices. Look around for the best prices possible. I have found the best prices for new Majacraft wheels at: www.woolydesigns.com. This husband and wife pair are great people whose primary goal is to make excellent wheels (Majacraft) wheels more affordable Their prices are based on the value of the U.S. vs. New Zealand dollar- which means that their prices fluctuate. However, their prices seem to be consistently lower than anyone else's.
