Hooks! So many hooks...

In honor of National Crochet Month...

I have a lot of crochet hooks. And I mean a lot. Some are full sets, but most are individuals that I've picked up over the years. I realized, as I was writing another Amazon review for another set of hooks that I'd returned, that I'm really picky about them...and yet I keep buying more.
So here they are. All the ones I can find, anyway...I'm sure there are a few hiding out in a box that I've yet to unpack (yes, we moved into this house 7 months ago. No, I'm not done unpacking.)

My Collection

My favorites are the Tulip Etimo hooks. I bought the gray one in Japan; the pink one came from Amazon. These hooks are sooo comfortable to work with! Unfortunately, my attempts to purchase a full set haven't panned out. I'm not sure why, but the handles on the hooks in the sets I've purchased all had a different texture to them that made my skin crawl. (I actually have a third Tulip hook...but it's in hiding at the moment.)

Tulip Etimo

Clover makes two different hooks, the Amour and the Soft Touch. The Amour line has a squishy handle that feels kind of gummy to the touch. I seldom use the larger hooks; the steel hooks have the same texture, but they are much more comfortable than using a steel hook without a handle. I don't typically work with thread for a long period, though. The Soft Touch is a lot more comfortable, and this is my go-to 4.5mm hook.

Clover Amour (top 2) and Soft Touch (bottom) 

Why yes, that's a filet crochet thread project on the green hook. I didn't want them to get separated.

Clover Amour Steel

These are Knitter's Pride Waves hooks. I compare them most to the Clover Soft Touch, in terms of both design and comfort. I like the color-coded handles, too.

Knitter's Pride

My Addi Swing hooks - these look strange, I know, and they take a bit of getting used to. But they are pretty comfortable, especially if you tend to switch your hold between pencil and knife frequently. My biggest complaint is how short the shaft is - but, having found a hook with a similar handle design, and longer shaft, I can tell you that it's better to use a different hook if you plan to make a lot of trebles or double-trebles - a longer shaft just makes it ridiculous to work with.

Addi Swing

KnitPicks Harmonies and Knitter's Pride Dreamz - they're essentially the same hooks, although Knitter's Pride color-codes theirs. Laminated birch, in-line hook, and comfortable to work with for an extended time. The tips are very round, though, so if you need a lot of precision, these aren't the best choice. They're awesome for granny squares, though!

KnitPicks Harmonie/Caspian (multi) and Knitter's Pride Dreamz (red)

I found this set on Amazon. It's a pretty good value, although not all of the hooks are aligned to the handles - for instance, I won't be using the 4.5mm from this set, which is a pity because otherwise the hooks are very comfortable! I've been using the 5.0mm for quite a while, now. And it comes with a 7.0mm hook, which isn't a common size to find!

Athena's Elementals

This HiyaHiya hook came in an amigurumi kit. I'm not a fan. It's very smooth, yes; yarn slides right over it without snagging. But it's still an aluminum hook. Nothing special about it. It isn't even comfortable to hold.

HiyaHiya

And I bought this hook at my local yarn shop. It's very pretty to look at, comfortable to hold...but not particularly nice to crochet with. The hook part tends to catch on the yarn.
***updated 01Feb2018 - this is a Nirvana maple hook.

(I don't remember the brand name, honestly.)

Most of these hooks came from my mom's house. Half of them probably came from her mom's house. And they're probably familiar to you: good ol' Boye and Susan Bates. Inexpensive, easy to find at any Michael's or JoAnn's, and great for learning with. Beyond that? Well, let's just say these hooks don't see a lot of yarn. They're perfectly usable, but I have so many nicer, more comfortable hooks to crochet with! And, when you're working on a project for hours at a time, you want to use the tools that don't hurt your hand after ten minutes. (There are probably a couple hooks from the 100 yen shops, too.)

The rest of the hooks