Clover Amour Crochet Hook Set Review: A Long-Term Test

About four years ago I sat down to start a new afghan and realized I was dreading the hook more than the yarn. My right thumb had started complaining after about twenty minutes of crochet, and every hook I owned felt like part of the problem. I had tried the cheap metal set from the craft store, a couple of bamboo hooks, and a hook with a rubber grip I bought on a whim. Nothing got me through a full evening without stopping to shake out my hand. Then a friend at the yarn circle handed me her Clover hook for a single row, and I ordered the full set that same week.

This is my long-term review of the Clover Amour Crochet Hook Set, ten sizes that have become the only hooks I reach for. I have used them for over a year now, through two afghans, a pile of amigurumi, and more dishcloths than I can count. I also have mild arthritis in my right thumb joint, so I pay close attention to how a hook feels after the third hour, not just the first ten minutes. It is one of the most popular hook sets on Amazon, with thousands of reviews, and after a year of use I understand why.

How I've Used It

I crochet in an armchair in the living room, by the window, with a side table for my coffee and my pattern. Stormy, my Afghan hound, lies on the rug nearby, and Romeo and Juliette, my two cats, will occasionally chase a loose strand of yarn, which is why I keep my work in a bag when I am not holding it. Most evenings I get in two or three hours after dinner.

In that time the Clover Amour set has seen a lot of use. I made a full-size afghan in a basketweave stitch, which is hard on the hands because the stitch is tight and slow. I made a second afghan in a simple double crochet. I have made amigurumi animals for gifts, which means working with small hooks and tight tension. And I have churned out dishcloths in cotton yarn, the kind of mindless project you do while watching television.

The set has ten sizes, and I have used every single one. The small hooks get the amigurumi work. The middle sizes do most of the blanket work. The largest hooks handle bulky yarn for quick throws. Nothing in the set has bent, snapped, or worn down. The markings on the handles are still legible after a year.

I will also say the hooks changed how I finish projects. Before, I had a pile of half-done blankets, because the last few rows of an afghan are the hardest on the hands. You are holding the weight of finished fabric while you work, and that pulls on your grip. With the Clover Amour, that final stretch stopped feeling like a punishment. I finished the basketweave afghan in about six weeks, and I started the next one the same weekend.

What Makes the Clover Amour Handle Different

The first thing you notice is the grip. The handle is soft and slightly cushioned, with a shape that fills your palm, and there is a flattened thumb rest where your thumb naturally lands. That thumb rest is the detail that sold me. With a plain metal hook, my thumb presses against a thin, hard shaft. With the Clover Amour, my thumb settles into a broad, soft surface, and the pressure spreads out instead of concentrating in one spot.

The hook head itself is smooth and polished. Yarn glides over it without catching, and the throat is deep enough that the yarn stays in place while you work. The hook is also heavier than the cheap aluminum hooks I used for years, but the weight sits in the handle, not the head, so the hook feels balanced in my hand rather than top-heavy.

That balance matters more than I expected. A hook that is too light makes me grip harder to control it. A hook that is too heavy tires my wrist. The Clover Amour sits in the middle, and after a while I stopped thinking about the hook altogether, which is exactly what a hook should do.

The grip is worth describing more carefully, because it is the whole point of this hook. It is not a hard plastic grip glued onto a metal shaft, which is what most cheap ergonomic hooks feel like. It is a soft, slightly cushioned material that gives a little under pressure, and the handle is shaped with a gentle curve that fits the way a hand actually holds a hook. When I hand it to someone who has never tried it, the reaction is almost always the same. They look at it, shrug, work a few rows, and then ask where to buy one.

How It Feels on My Hands After a Long Session

Here is the honest test. With my old hooks, I would feel a dull ache in my right thumb after about twenty minutes. By the end of an hour I was crocheting slower and gripping tighter, and by the end of the evening I was done. With the Clover Amour hooks, I can crochet for two or three hours and feel normal tiredness, not pain. I still take breaks, because everyone should, but I no longer stop because my thumb demands it.

I want to be careful here. The hook helped my hands, but it is not a treatment for arthritis. I have mild arthritis in my right thumb joint, and the Clover Amour made crochet comfortable again, which is a real thing. But if your hand pain does not go away, or if it gets worse, please see a doctor or a hand therapist. No hook is worth hurting yourself over.

The grip also means I hold the hook more loosely. I noticed this about a month in. I used to death-grip my hooks without realizing it, and that tension traveled up my arm. The soft handle encourages a relaxed hold, and a relaxed hold is a faster, smoother stitch.

The other thing I noticed is that my gauge stays more consistent. When my hand starts to hurt, I grip harder, and my stitches get tighter and smaller. By the end of a long session with my old hooks, the last rows of a blanket would look noticeably different from the first. With the Clover Amour, my tension stays even, because my hand stays relaxed. That alone made the set worth it to me.

Sizing, Storage, and Everyday Details

The set comes in a zippered case with a slot for each hook. I was skeptical about a case, since I have lost more hook sets than I care to admit, but this one keeps everything in one place. The sizes are printed on the handles, so I can grab the right hook without hunting. The case is a little bulky for a small project bag, which is my main complaint about it, but it lives on my side table at home, so it has never been a real problem.

The ten sizes cover everything I actually crochet. Fine cotton for dishcloths, worsted weight for afghans, bulky yarn for throws. I have not needed to buy a hook outside this set since I got it, which surprised me. I expected to supplement it with singles, and I have not.

The hooks are also easy to identify in the case. The size is printed on the handle in clear letters, and the case has a slot for each one, so I never have to squint or guess. I have owned hook sets where the sizes wore off within months, and that has not happened here. After a year, the markings are still easy to read.

Where It Falls Short

No hook is perfect, and the Clover Amour has a few honest flaws. The soft grip picks up lint and yarn fuzz. After a few projects, the handles look a little fuzzy, and you have to wipe them down. It is cosmetic, not a performance problem, but it is there.

The set also includes sizes you may never use. If you only crochet with worsted weight yarn, a ten-hook set is more than you need, and you might be better off buying the one or two sizes you actually use. The case is bulky, as I mentioned. And crocheters who prefer a slick, minimal hook with no grip, the kind of hook that lets the yarn fly, may find the soft handle adds a little drag.

One more note. The small hooks in the set are comfortable, but for very fine thread work, I still reach for a steel hook with a thinner point. The Clover Amour is a great everyday set, but it is not a specialty tool for thread crochet.

There is also the question of cost. The Clover Amour set is not a budget purchase, and if you are not sure you will use it, I would start with a single hook in your most common size. That is what I tell friends who ask. Try one, crochet a dishcloth or two, and if your hands feel better, the set is worth it. If you do not notice a difference, you have saved yourself the money.

The Hooks I Compared It To

Before I settled on the Clover Amour, I spent time with a few alternatives. The Tulip Etimo hooks are the other set you will see recommended everywhere, and they are excellent hooks. The Etimo has a thinner, more pointed head and a different grip shape. Some crocheters prefer it, especially for tight gauge work. For me, the Clover Amour won because the thumb rest matches exactly where my hand lands, and the grip is softer, which my arthritic thumb appreciates.

I also tried bamboo hooks, which are warm and light, and the cheap aluminum set from the craft store, which I do not recommend for anyone who crochets more than an hour at a time. The bamboo hooks were lovely, but the yarn did not glide as smoothly. The aluminum hooks were fine for a quick project and miserable for a long one.

I kept the bamboo hooks for the way they look, and I kept the aluminum set for travel, in case I lose something on the road. But the Clover Amour hooks live in the case by my chair, and they are the ones I reach for every evening. That is the real test. A hook you reach for automatically is a hook that works.

I went from stopping every twenty minutes to shake out my hand to crocheting a full evening without a single break.

Who This Is For

The Clover Amour set is for crocheters who feel their hooks in their hands. If you get hand fatigue on long projects, if you crochet for hours in the evening, if you have ever put down a half-finished afghan because your thumb ached, these hooks are worth trying. They are also a great choice for anyone who wants one set that covers most yarn weights, and for gift givers who want to buy a crocheter something they will actually use.

If you are new to crochet, this set is a fine place to start. Learning on a comfortable hook is better than learning on a painful one, because the hook is rarely the reason people quit. The pain in their hands is.

If you are buying for a crocheter, this set is a safe gift in a way that yarn is not. Yarn is personal, and the wrong color or weight sits in a closet. A good hook set is useful to almost anyone who crochets, and the case means it arrives looking like a real gift rather than a handful of loose tools.

Who Should Skip It

If you only crochet occasionally, or you only work with one yarn weight, a ten-hook set is more than you need. Buy a single hook in your size and see how you like it. If you do thread crochet or fine lace work, keep your steel hooks; the Clover Amour heads are not designed for that kind of precision. And if you prefer a slick, fast hook with no grip, the soft handle will feel like too much between you and the yarn.

I would also say this. If you have hand pain that does not go away, do not expect a hook to fix it. A comfortable hook helped me, and it may help you, but persistent pain is worth a conversation with a doctor or hand therapist. The hook is a tool, not a cure.

One more group should skip it: anyone who is happy with their current hooks. There is no reason to switch if your hands do not hurt and your tension is fine. The Clover Amour is a comfort upgrade, not a magic wand, and if you do not need the comfort, you do not need the upgrade.