Sample it Loom 40cm (16") Width Loom

I bought this a few weeks ago and have been addicted to weaving ever since. This is the first time on a loom but with a ton of videos on youtube and patience, I've managed to learn the ropes on my own. The product is solidly built and easy to assemble. I would suggest treating the wood before you assemble as there are a number of nooks and crannies you'll need to get into once it's fully assembled. In addition to treating the wood, you should definitely sand down all edges as some corners can feel pretty rough which will invariably snag your fiber. I figured that 16 inches would be a good width to work with and haven't had any regrets about that decision since it has a relatively small profile. There's nothing I dislike about this product. I've had it for a little under 3 weeks and have woven 7 scarves in that time. No hiccups, no nightmare stories to share, nothing bad. I think this would be a great introductory loom for those interested.

I’ve had a Schacht Cricket with a 15 inch weaving width for a couple of years and recently purchased a 24 inch Ashford rigid heddle loom. It was a bit of work to assemble the 24 incher, but seemed to me to be MUCH easier to use and more sturdily built. The Cricket is not solid wood. The Ashfords appear to be all solid, fairly lightweight but sturdy, wood. I liked the 24-inch so well that I broke down and purchased the 16 inch Sample-it and it was even easier to assemble than the 24 inch. I like the way the Ashford warps so much better than the Schacht cricket which has dowels attached with Texsolv so that to me is much more fiddle-y to warp onto than the Sample-it. The sample-it is made to be a space saver and more portable, so you do NOT have as much working weaving area between front beam and heddle but that is fine with me - in short, the Sample-it is not long as the regular Ashford rigid heddle, which is roughly $20 more. I had looked at a Schacht Flip but those are so much more expensive than the Ashfords and am glad I went with the Sample-it. And - I am 12 thumbs when it comes to use of any tool. I put it together by myself with screwdriver, candle wax and upholstery mallet.

Lovely loom, perfect for a beginner or someone wanting a portable tabletop loom. Mine needed a thorough sanding before applying finish to remove milling marks on cross-grain. Easy to put together. So simple to warp and weave. This loom has a very short 'working area' in front of the heddle, and the shed gets shallower as you weave. Not an issue on lighter projects, but it's difficult to weave anything with a long warp and/or heavy materials. There's just not a lot of room on the front roller for big projects. I made 3 dishcloths with kitchen cotton, about an 8 ft warp, and was out of room at the end. I like how much control over the density of the weaving this loom gives. Very easy to get a loose, even fabric. Great for scarves or art fabric. I found that I needed to clamp this loom to a table or push it up against the edge of a table for stability. When the loom is warped, manipulating the heddle takes 2 hands to release from the heddle block and to beat the weft evenly. Unsupported laptop weaving isn't realistic, but using at a dining table or a coffee table sitting on the floor works well. This loom takes up very little space and stores easily. Perfect for using up stash. This loom is an easy way to learn weaving without a huge cash or space commitment.

This is my first loom and I’m very satisfied with its quality.

My husband and I had a lovely hour assembling this loom. I had already waxed the pieces, although I probably should have sanded a few places. By talking it out and referring to the instruction manual, we found it easy to assemble. For health reasons, I haven't been able to weave yet, but I am looking forward to it! It came when promised and all the pieces needed for assembly were in the box.

I purchased this as a gift and they are so happy with it, it made a wonderful Christmas present. I did put it together and let me say it is made with very nice high quality New Zealand wood, but it is kinda tricky to assemble, double and triple check you have each piece where it is suppose to go before you put in the side screws to lock it all together. From my experience of not making sure everything was right I had to remove the screws multiple times but that was user error. Ashford makes beautiful products, their products are expensive but I see their pieces as an investment and with the right care can last a lifetime or longer. I finished the raw wood pieces after assembly with a light touch of linseed oil. In the future I will be purchasing some of the accessories to accompany this loom as gifts to make Christmas easy! See the attached photos for gifts I have received that were made on the loom

Not very happy, I waited to do the review as I wanted to talk about experience. It is very easy to use but what they call the reed support block is a pain in the neck, the reed falls out of nowhere. I see that larger versions have elastics on them but here it would be a huge nightmare. I don't know if other brands are different and more beginner friendly. people that make tutorials drop it and they are pros. In everything else I see it very well done

So I was going to do this right. I received my loom on Monday while I was at work. I have about an hour after work before sunset. So I rushed home so I could stain since I wanted a bit of color and not light wood. I stained and let sit 24 hours, next day came home and flipped to stain the bottom side. Next day I waxed, next day flipped waxed. Friday came all excited I buffed and ready to put together and start a weekend of weaving. I opened the paper wrapped package of screws and 2 wooden blocks came out along with screws. Now I am back to step 1 of stain and then wax. So before you start un wrap all items even if you think it's just screws or you will be in the same boat as I am, very sad my weekend plans of playing are gone but can't wait till I can start.