This is the most common question we get. The Speedster has a 1:1 crank ratio, meaning that when you crank the handle one time, you get one row of knitting. Don’t be too concerned about counting though, all of our machines come with a counter!
The Reduced Ratio crank is modeled after the one on an antique Gearhart knitting machine. Now, Mr. Gearhart and our dad, Peewee, knew what a gear reduction does for a person. In short, it makes the work easier. That’s what gears do….they transmit power. A small gear to a big gear transmits more power than a same size gear to a same size gear. Think of bicycle riding. You are on a flat surface and you are pedaling big sprocket to big sprocket. Everything, is going great, until you get to a hill that you have to pedal up. With big sprocket to big sprocket all of a sudden the work becomes very hard. So….you switch gears to little sprocket to big sprocket and suddenly the work is easy again. Now, back to the knitting room.
The 1:1 ratio crank is great if you want to knit a 72 stitch pattern…being either KKPP or KPKPKP. But, when you start knitting more than 72 stitches, like if you were using all 72 cylinder needles and all 72 ribber needles, then you will be working hard to crank them on a 1:1 ratio crank. This is when the Reduced Ratio crank comes in handy. The 1:1 crank uses more of a full arm motion, all the way up through the shoulder. The reduced ratio crank uses more of a forearm motion from the elbow down. It’s not the strength required but more the constant repetitive motion you should think about.
Now, if you want the best of both worlds, you can order an extra crank for $175. So if you are reading this and are still confused, then get the one that appeals to you more. 90% of the time, it won’t make a difference which crank handle you use. They always say that you like the one best that you started out with.
