I bought my first loom about a year and a half ago. It is a 24in Ashford Ridged Heddle Loom, and you have seen it many times before on this blog. I bought it simply because it was the one they had in the class I was introduced to weaving through, at the Dougherty Center here in Austin. It is a great loom and as affordable as a new loom can get for a beginner. However, while learning how to weave on it there were a few things that began to bother me, all of these are simply personal preference and by no means are actual flaws with the loom.
The first thing was simply the width of the loom. I purchased the 24in because I wanted to maximize my weaving width for the end result, but I am a small person with a short wingspan, which made actually weaving on this size loom uncomfortable and much less enjoyable. Additionally, the size and solid frame made storing it in a small space difficult, especially while it was warped and mid-project. These two challenges were ultimately what led me to purchase the 15” Schacht Flip.
While working my first project on the Flip, however, I found that with all the small differences between Ashford and Schacht looms I much preferred the Schacht. Starting with the apron bar tie-ons: the Ashford plastic tabs are stiffer, and I found them challenging to work with during that initial wind-on stage, whereas the Schacht string tie-ons are flexible and easy to adjust. I have seen complaints about the apron bar slipping out on the Schacht, but I did not have problems while warping, and found it an excellent feature when taking my work off the loom. Then there is the simple fact that the Flip comes finished, whereas the Ashford needed assembling, some light sanding, and oiling. While this is a plus for the Schacht loom, it is a big part of how Ashford keeps the cost of their looms lower, so it is a fair trade-off if you’re on a budget.
The feature that ended up surprising me the most was the gear mechanism for progressing the warp. I didn’t realize until I experienced weaving on the Flip how much I disliked the gears on the Ashford. Outside of the aesthetic complaints you’ve probably seen elsewhere about the Ashford gears being big hunks of plastic, for me it was the sound that made the difference. When you advance the warp, the gears make a horrible, very loud clicking, and the lock pins can often be difficult to unlock. While I was weaving I found myself pushing the weft closer to the heddle than was reasonable, because I was dreading having to unlock the gears and wind the warp forward. On the Schacht it is an entirely different experience: you simply tighten the bar a little more to take the pressure off the teeth and flip up the latch. No struggling with the locking mechanism, no horrible clicking noise!
So obviously I am happy with my purchase, and in the question of Ashford or Schacht, I have become a Schacht supporter — but what’s the catch? The biggest drawback of the Flip is that there is no slot for the down shed, and this could easily be a dealbreaker for you. I was worried I would struggle with this but ultimately did not have an issue while weaving. If at all possible, see if you can borrow or try one out to gauge whether passing the shuttle while holding the heddle down will be comfortable for you. Additionally, the base model Flip doesn’t come with the slots for a second heddle, but one can be purchased separately and installed, which I will likely do down the road.
All together, I am happy I made the switch from an Ashford to the Schacht Flip because it has made the process of weaving more comfortable and enjoyable for me. Both are solid looms — try to get your hands on each before you decide what suits you and your body best.
