When I first started seriously weaving, I was total overwhelmed by all the loom options. While I loved my mini frame loom, I found weaving on larger frame looms to be a frustratingly slow and the small size still too confining. I also wasn’t quite ready for something complex like a table loom. I ended up deciding that a rigid heddle was a great loom to start weaving on and took the plunge. After making several projects, I decided it was time to write my own Ashford rigid heddle loom review.
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Pros and Cons of the Ashford Rigid Heddle Loom
Pros: Large weaving area, back of loom can be used as a warping board, very popular loom.
Cons: Noisy plastic parts, needs finishing before use, additional reeds can get expensive.
There is a lot to like about the Ashford rigid heddle loom. The weaving area is generous, which allows you to see a significant amount of your in-progress work. This is great if you’re experimenting with color and pattern, or when playing around with hand manipulated lace.
I also love that, with the addition of a set of warping pegs, the back can function as a warping board. While the loom does come with a single warping peg for direct warping, I personally prefer indirect warping.
The Ashford Rigid Heddle loom is also a very popular loom, especially for beginners. This means that if you have a problem, it’s easy to find someone who has a little experience with your exact loom.
There are, however, a few downsides. First is that several of the parts are made of plastic. One of the reasons I craft is to avoid plastics, as I’m not a fan of the look, feel, and environmental impact. In this case, the ratchets and pawls that keep the beams in place are plastic, and they make a loud, unpleasant noise when you use them.
You also need to apply a finish to the loom before you assemble it. This isn’t a big deal, but if you don’t know in advance you’ll be left scrambling. The kit I bought and some of the websites selling the loom don’t make this fully clear when you order, so be aware.
Finally, this is more of a general rigid heddle gripe, but you need a new reed for every different sett. And if you want to play around with the looms built in two heddle option, you need to buy two of the same reeds. While each reed should last a lifetime, the upfront cost adds up quickly.
Why Buy a Rigid Heddle Loom?
I wanted to get a rigid heddle loom because I wanted to be able to weave larger pieces, including wearable items like scarves. While I love frame looms for small beginner projects and weaving decorative tapestries, they just aren’t built for making the things I wanted to make. Plus, I was getting frustrated that I couldn’t alter the tension after warping and I was interested in being able to speed up my weaving process by using a heddle.
I considered going straight to a multi-shaft loom, but that seemed like too big of a leap for me, both budget-wise and skill-wise. Even small table loom, like the one I eventually bought, costs over 700$. And the multiple shafts added a level of complexity I just wasn’t ready for.
The rigid heddle loom seemed like a perfect next step. I would be able to weave long, continuous pieces. I would have a heddle, which would raise and lower my warp yarns, making the process of making plain weave pieces very fast. At the same time, the price (about 280$ for a 16″ wide model) was much lower, making it less of a risk to buy.
Why I Picked the Ashford Rigid Heddle Loom
So, The short answer is, I didn’t. While I spent a lot of time researching the options when buying the 8-shaft table loom, I bought the Ashford rigid heddle loom because it was a part of a kit/online class from Crafter. While I haven’t gotten around to reviewing it until now, I actually bought the rigid heddle loom first. So, having no experience using anything more complicated than a fame loom, I had no idea what I wanted or what I even should have been looking for.
What I did know, was that I would need help figuring out how to get started on the loom. So, I was looking for a loom that came with detailed video instructions and supplies that could guide me through my first project. I’ve always been happy with the kits I’ve gotten from Crafter, so (after stalking it for a few months) I bought their Premium Rigid Heddle Workshop.
Assembling the Ashford Rigid Heddle Loom
Before you put an Ashford rigid heddle loom together, the first thing you need to do is treat the wood. The loom arrives completely bare, so you can choose how to finish it. The ability to choose is great, but only if you’re prepared for it. I was not.
Lucky for me, I am in a house full of people with too many hobbies, so there was a jar of some sort of wood finishing oil around (Tung maybe?). It took me an hour or two to coat all my pieces with it. I recommend doing this somewhere that’s very well ventilated, and making sure you dispose of any rags or paper towel used in this process safely. Or you could just plan in advance and get yourself a jar of Ashford’s finishing wax polish.
Then I just had to wait for it to dry over night. The waiting was difficult, as I’m the type that wants to play with their new toys right away. But somehow I managed.
Once the loom pieces were ready, assembly wasn’t too bad. If you can assemble a piece of flat packed furniture from Ikea, you can put this loom together. I found it helpful to lay all the parts out on my floor before starting the assembly, so I could make sure that nothing was backwards and I wasn’t missing anything.
I bought this loom before I was regularly blogging, so I don’t have a bunch of pictures of the assembly process. I do, however, have a photo of Figaro sitting in the box that I posted to my IG stories at the time. Because of course he insisted on sitting in the box.
Warping an Ashford Rigid Heddle Loom
The Ashford rigid heddle loom can be warped either with direct or indirect warping. It comes standard with the tools to do direct warping. This is where you clamp a peg to one end of a long table and your loom to the other, then walk back and forth to warp your loom. You can see a demo of the process here. It works, and many people love this method.
Personally, however, I prefer indirect warping. The main issue with indirect warping is that it requires a warping board. And buying can be expensive (at least 75$) and they’re another thing taking up crafting space.
So, what I really love about the Ashford Rigid Heddle Loom, is that this loom can be easily converted into a small warping board with a simple set of pegs. These can usually be found for under 15$. You just insert them into the holes at the back of the loom, and off you go! When you’re done, just remove the pegs. They take up almost no space to store. This warping board can be used to wind warps both for rigid heddle looms and for multi-shaft looms. I use the back of my rigid heddle loom to wind all my warps for my 8-shaft table loom.
I’ve put warps on this loom several since I bought it, and there’s nothing about the loom that makes warping harder than it needs to be. The one complaint I have, is that the plastic gears that control the beams are very, very noisy. This is the most noticeable when I’m winding on a warp. It’s only a minor inconvenience, but I definitely wouldn’t wind on if my baby nephew was taking a nap!
Weaving on an Ashford Rigid Heddle Loom
I found weaving on the Ashford rigid heddle loom to be a mostly pleasant experience. You weave by sitting with the loom propped up on a table or ledge. You can see that in action in this tutorial. I chose the 16″ wide loom, and it was a good size for my (5’1″) frame. If you’re taller or have long arms, you may be able to comfortably weave on a larger loom.
If I was going to get a wider loom, I would also want to get a loom stand. A stand allows for a wider range of motion when weaving, because you’re not supporting the loom with your body. This might also be a good idea if you plan on weaving while sitting on the sofa or anywhere else that doesn’t have a good place to prop up your loom.
The loom kept good enough tension and created a good shed, so I’ve got no complaints there. Of course, due to the nature of it’s construction, the rigid heddle is never going to be able to keep as tight of tension in the warp as a counterbalance or countermarch floor loom, but those are completely different animals!
Once again, the only real problem I have with the looms is the plastic parts. I don’t like the tactile experience of plastic, and it makes the loom feel a bit cheeper than it would otherwise. Also, while noise is less of a problem during weaving, advancing and adjusting the warp still produces loud clicking noises.
Loom Storage and Portability
I found the loom to be pretty portable, even when warped. It’s small and light enough that moving it from one room to another within my house isn’t an issue at all. It’s easy to throw in the car for short trips. For example, I brought it into work as a teaching tool/extra warping board on the first day of my weaving class.
I would even feel comfortable taking it on public transit if I had a good bag. So, if you’re interested in taking an in-person class, it’s totally possible to schlep your loom to class every week, then back home to practice some more However, it is a bit too heavy and bulky to want to walk long distances with, so I wouldn’t bring it somewhere unless I knew I was going to use it!
Accessories
At present, I still only have the one 12.5 epi heddle. Since I also have a table loom that can warp at a wide range of setts, getting more heddles hasn’t been a priority. Each heddle is about $40 for a 16″ loom (wider looms are even more expensive), so unless I have a specific project in mind, I’m unlikely to make the investment. Plus, the 12.5 epi heddle is the perfect size for fingering weight yarn!
If you only get one accessory for this loom, I’d recommend the warping pegs. This roughly $15 set of little wooden pegs lets you transform your loom into a warping board. Given that warping boards of similar size sell for at least 75$, the pegs are a great deal. Eventually, I’d like to upgrade to a dedicated, wide warping board. But in the mean time, the pegs do the job and don’t take up a lot of space.
The rigid heddle loom I bought came with two 16″ long stick shuttles. These are great when working on pieces over 10″ wide, but are a bit awkward on narrower warps. If you’re planning on doing smaller pieces or experimenting with some lace techniques, you may want to have a few shorter shuttles on hand, like this 8″ option. If you’ve done any weaving on frame looms, those shuttles will work too.
Other Options
Of course, the Ashford rigid heddle loom isn’t the only option on the market. There are a wide range of other rigid heddle looms out there! If I was a new weaver looking for a loom today, there are several that I’d want to take a closer look at before making my decision.
First, there’s the Schacht Cricket, which can become a small multi-shaft loom with the Quartet conversion kit. I also like Kromski’s folding harp loom. If I was on a tight budget, I might consider the Beka Beginner loom or something like the Willowdale 12″ weaving loom. There are so many great options out there!
In conclusion, the Ashford rigid heddle loom is a great option if you’re looking for a beginner rigid heddle loom. There are other options out there worth considering, but the ability to turn the loom into a warping board is a huge selling point if you want to be able to do indirect warping without another bulky and expensive tool.
Do you have a rigid heddle loom? What do you think of it? Let me know in the comments below or over on Instagram!